Kamijou Shiina and Misaka Misuuzu have become quite close friends. The Touma/Mikoto shipping gets stronger all the time. If your moms (corrected) push for it, how do you resist?

In volume 8, chapter three (New Testament), Mikoto is saving Index, who is returning the favor by explaining the (Norse) magic that is being thrown at them.

So far still no recognition between Misaka Mikoto and Lessar. I guess it might not happen, which is a shame.

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This episode featured the Nine Schools battle known as Monolith Code. This fight was amongst the first year students and pitted the favorites - Third High School's elite players vs. a replacement team of the three main male characters in the series. Tatsuya, Leo and Mikihiki were chosen as substitutes after the original First High team was injured by a sabotaged device.

Ichijo Masaki of Third High is one of the strongest magicians of his age. He and his friend Shinkuro Kichjoji, who is the strategist plus another unnamed team mate were the heavy favorites to win. They were following the engineering skills of protagonist Tatsuya Shiba throughout the competition and were somewhat disappointed when they found out that he had nothing to do with the Monolith Code battle they would participate in. It was figured that they would beat the First High team, but First High only needed to take second place to take the over all first year's division, considering how well the women did.

Tatsuya is incredible at what he is good at, but not fast at all in terms of practical application of magic. This fact places him in the "course two" group of students - the back ups, if you will. what he is good at, however is the disintegration of magic being formed by the other guy. he uses that skill, along with other special abilities to fight what even he thinks should be a losing battle.

More below the fold...


more...

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The translations took it well past the two volumes released in the US and at least went as far as the New Orleans trip.

I wish I knew where I found them. Does anyone know?

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In Willimantic, Connecticut there used to be an old mill that was converted to a music venue called the Shaboo. Low ceilings, with thick columns holding up huge beams scattered throughout the place. The men's room latrine consisted of a long trough. I think I was fourteen or so on my first trip to this eighteen and older establishment. I am sure I did not look eighteen at the time. It didn't matter.

What did matter is you could hear everything from local legends like Little Village, NRBQ and Aztec Two step to national acts such as James Montgomery, James Cotton, and, for my first time seeing him, Johnny Winter. Famous acts would perform what were known as gas gigs. These were concerts where the acts did not expect to make too much money, but sold a lot of merchandise and covered a little more than their expenses. They were also wonderful ways to get close to fans. Blue Oyster Cult used to perform under the moniker Soft White Underbelly. The Shaboo had a reputation and was placed in between Boston and New York, so it was a natural choice for venues.

The place burned down from an "accidental" fire in the eighties, but not before I saw Johnny Winter there again, opening for and later backing up his hero Muddy Waters on his Mannish Boy tour. Pine Top Perkins, "Duck" Dunn on bass, James Cotton on harp and other luminaries of the blues world together in a fairly small, very close venue was something special. Fans in the house would reach forward and shake hands with a performer who stood eight inches up and directly in front of them.

Shortly after, I saw Muddy Waters in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Johnny opened again and then joined Muddy Waters for the main show. In that same venue I saw him open for George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Thorogood was a great stage performer, who knew how to work the audience like few others. Johnny, however, just played. It was the first time I ever saw an opener have three encores. Thorogood did not seem to mind and had Winter come out onstage at the end of the show to jam. Magic.

As good as he was on studio tracks, as heard on The Progressive Blues Experiment and Still Alive and Well, live was the best way to hear him. He fed off the audience and, more importantly, the other performers playing alongside. God songs were made great and great songs were made treasures. He hailed in a time where American rock and blues artists were stacking up against English rock blues artists and music was forever transformed. Old legends were brought back and new ones were born. As a producer, writer and performer, Johnny Winter made a lot of that happen.

He was only 70, but lived a mighty hard life.  R.I.P., Mr. Winter.

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I am reading Volume 8 of the Index New Testament series. At the end of the first chapter, Misaka Mikoto has just caught Touma hanging out on a bench with three girls and a cat. Index is one, Levinia Birdway - a sometimes ally sometimes enemy to both Mikoto and Touma is another and the third, a girl named Lessar is the third.

Canon would have Birdway and Mikoto well familiar with each other, since they met back at the Hawaii arc. What I don't know is how the author will handle her and Lessar. They also met - quite awhile earlier in Russia - but it was a side story.  It was before any of the  girls -  Index included, had met Touma.

On to chapter two - where Misaka joins the party!

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