Toaru Majutsu no Index:Item3 Afterword
Afterword[edit]
Item has reached three volumes!
This is Kamachi Kazuma!!
Volumes 1 and 2 depicted villains fighting each other, but this one is about the villains wandering into the world of justice and going on a rampage there. The enemies started with a killer girls band who weren’t all that much different from villains, but I had the level of heroism grow with each new enemy. Of course, all of you already know what the true form of justice is in this story. You often hear stories (whether not they’re true) of the police taking special measures when a police officer is attacked, but am I the only one that wishes they would also go to that much trouble when a normal person is the victim? Anyway, the main theme this time was special modes. There were a lot of characters this time, but the structure was a lot simpler than with, for example, OT15, so I don’t think you should have gotten lost.
While it looked disturbing and dangerous from the view of the villains being targeted, that special mode could have been written as a hot-blooded and moving story of vengeance if written from the perspective of Anti-Skill or Judgment (such as Yomikawa or Shirai). Makes you wonder what good and evil really are.
Before, I showed off the wealthy lifestyle of Item, but I changed that up a bit this time. The moe theme for Volume 3 was runaway girls. Imagine a girl in a chain cafe late at night with a travel bag at her feet while she lazily messes with her phone. …Human imagination is a frightening thing because I’ve never actually seen that yet we all share that image quite vividly. Could UFOs and Nessie be the result of this kind of thing?
Also, I focused on the end of summer in Volume 3, so I used cold and chilly locations and situations. I had the temperature drop with each consecutive chapter, culminating in a battle within a cold storage warehouse.
Even though the end of August would actually be as blazing hot as a bath! Just like with the imagined runaway girl, I think we all share that image in our heads!! Can’t the Japanese summer let us enjoy some cool evenings on the porch!?
Mugino is one of Academy City’s seven Level 5s, so it’s difficult to find something from her past that can cause her trouble. Volume 1 was a direct confrontation with a rival group also called Item, Volume 2 had a surprise attack from the gyaru-style little girl who was like her teacher, and Volume 3 had the execution squad use a group attack. That kind of attack isn’t possible for Item because its members are too strong as individuals, but did you find that as exciting as I did? If a team claims to be fighting for justice, they have to work together, right!?
I give my thanks to my illustrator Nilitsu-san and to my editors Miki-san, Anan-san, Nakajima-san, and Hamamura-san. With District 9’s Moe Bells, District 16’s Bulweiser Icicle Theater ice palace, and the other parts of Academy City seen in this one, illustrating it couldn’t have been easy. Thank you as always.
And I give my thanks to the readers. Since this is a prequel series, I’m sure you have been carefully reviewing all the information, but you couldn’t have predicted the Bul Girls briefly seen in Volume 1 would be connected to the scene of a deadly battle! This kind of fun is something you can only do with more novels. Thank you so much for continuing to read them!!
And I will end this here.
As a delinquent with a rich family, would Mugino count as a princess gyaru?
-Kamachi Kazuma
