A Certain Magical Index - Recommendations

Oehr says...

Useless boy - check

strange girl - check

great twists and turns - check

seriously, i think you'll enjoy both series. the stories are catchy and really interesting, involving both a more or less useless boy(main character) and a strange girl with supernatural powers. and yes, there is love, so be sure to watch them!

Malek says...

These series have a same feeling. This is especially when you hear the intro songs as they are from the same artist. Both series feature a "normal" boy who gets pulled into a strange and for him unknown world. Also the magic powers used in both series are somewhat alike therefore if you like the action in one of the series then you will definately like it in the other.

azanimefan says...

Both anime have a very similar feel... of a powerless (relitively) main male character.. some harem humor, lots of Shonen action, and some Tsundere girls. 

Omurqi says...

To Aru Majutsu no Index and Shakugan no Shana have several similar elements to them. First and foremost, we have the guy with some sort of special, initially useless power, comming across a strange girl he teams up with. Then we have the magic, fight between the goodies vs baddies in an arc-based story and the half-friendly, half-hostile side characters with their own goals. If you liked one of these, definitely check out the other!

kureshii says...

1) Girl into crashes guy's life? Mmhmm.

2) Boy's fate is irrecoverably intertwined with girl? Mmhmm.

3) Boy and girl fight enemies? Mmhmm.

4) Boy and girl aren't fully human? Sure seems so.

While watching the first 3 episodes of Toaru Majutsu no Index, I had countless Shana vibes. The female leads may be dissimilar in personality, but both stories involve plenty of magical battles, a male/female protagonist pair, and a bevy of enemies (both are J C Staff productions as well).

If you like magic battles and chance-meeting-turned-fateful-encounter stories with a male and female lead, add Toaru Majutsu no Index  or Shana to your list of titles to watch.

eaper says...

Both of the animes are made by JC Staff, involve supernatural powers and an underlying love story. They have similar senses of comedies and a harem theme around the male lead with plenty of action and a sense of mystery surrounding a main character in each.

KittyEmperor says...

Both series feature fighting with supernatural powers or abilities and a love story that develops.  Though in Shakugan no Shana it is built upon much more than in To Aru Majutsu no Index in which the viewer is never given a definite answer on the relationship between the characters.  Both series leave enough mystery about the characters to keep the viewer wondering as well as having similar styles of comedy and having some rather nice action mixed in.  As a bonus both are made by J.C.Staff.

Shoukanjuu says...

These anime both have a pretty similar feel in their animation, characters, and music. Both were created by the same studio, and the OP's are both sung by the same person. if you liked one for one of those reasons then you will surely like the other.

flyboy42 says...

Both To aru majustu no index and shakugan no shana are about guys with rather useless powers (IE magic canceling and unlimited existence) Trying to protect rather young looking girls from people they should have no chance of defeating.

They are also both mixes of slice of life with fantasy action. So if you're into that, go ahead

ipsilonv says...

In both shows, the creators infuse magic into otherwise normal societies. The final products resemble eachother in that you have main characters that fight many evils that appear throughout the story. They both have overarching plots that drive the characters throughout the multiple seasons with the promise of an ending.

Shakugan no Shana is a much better show, overall. From the storyline to the characters, it feel much better built. Specially when you consider the first season of Shakugan no Shana (as the second one is not quite as good).

Neither show is perfect, but they can both be enjoyable to people who like fantasy and magic, as well as light, yet seemingly complex plots.

Lel0uchViBritannia says...

Both animes have extreme fights , romance, magic and action so if you like one you will like other for sure

hannes33 says...

Female main characters are both lovable and make you love at the same time. But you cannot consider this as the main point, which would be action. and if you ask me the fightstyles of those animes are quite alike and you really can enjoy them a lot.

Some twists throughout both animes make them even greater.

Finally one thing some people like about animes: at first the main male charakter seems quite useless but at second thought they can really prove their worth

Gavia says...

A boy who is not quite as normal as he seems meets a girl who, through her relationship to magic, turns his life upside down.

Both of these shows mix romance elements and supernatural action.

Both have a large supporting cast of colourful characters, as well as at least one prominent tsundere. This, if nothing else, serves to make them similar.

If you like one you should check out the other.

ReaperOfDespair says...

Both The main charecters (both male and female) have similar disposition.

There a feeling of Romance in both shows, However No Index has more of a Harem feel then No Shana. it should be noted though that both are very tastful (without Nudity/Ecchi Feel)

Charecter Growth is also very similar in the sence that they both advance for the sake of the other (Not Index that much but yea ;) lol)

I recommend if you have watched either of these or None of them that you do so.

Honestly though my words are just that words.

In the end it won't hurt you, in fact it could possibly heal you depending on the emotional state and circomstances at the time.

ZetsubouKaiji says...

Both anime involve a special school for students with super powers. They both have a lot of action and a dash of ecchi fanservice. They're also both really well animated with nice looking fight scenes.

The plot of Railgun is a bit convoluted. Strike the Blood seems to be a little more straight forward. But if you want some pretty action with nice fanservice then try these titles.

Brad says...

The setting for each of these shows is a special city that has been created by some mysterious people in order to house supernatural/superpowered beings. In Index’s case that would be humans with special powers, whereas in Striker the Blood it is designed to hold supernatural beings such as vampires and other demons. So as you can expect each show has the supernatural element at the forefront, as well as the conflicting religious groups to provide some conflict.

The animation in each is pretty decent, for the fight scenes especially. But to be honest, Strike the Blood isn’t really anything other than a fairly average rip-off of the Index series, doing most things in a similar, albeit less impressive manner. Saying that, most fans of Index will probably find something to like about this show, and those of you who haven’t yet seen Index are in for a treat by comparison. 

Aggelos says...

Both anime revolve around common themes (magic/religion in a "special city for the gifted" where the main character is somewhat extraordinary). They both unfold through various subplots, however, STB leans more towards the plain harem aspect, where TAMNI is all about the adventure.  

duowolf says...

Both are man made areas where the people living there have special powers and the main characters are trying to solve mysterys consering the world they live in.

MrValgard says...

Student city with superpower indiwiduals. TAMnI is more complex and better told story(with symbolism), but StB have also nice "cases" which they investigate. Good superpower action in both, and similar climate.

Both series has also same character designer, so they look similar. (even nicer females personality in Strike the Blood)

aceinthehole says...

I think if you enjoyed a certain magical index you are likely to enjoy this show as well , same extra-normal setting with similar protaginsts

InvalidCookie says...

Both Raildex (magical index and scientific railgun) and Strike the blood follows male students who live in "bubble cities". Strike the blood has a futuristic floating island, while raildex has an academy city.

Both leads have special abilities that put them apart from the normal people, as well as romance interest(s)

Wanginator says...

Both series revolve around the main protagonist, a seemingly powerless guy, and his desire to save those around him. While both characters are at their core, very different people, the reason that drives them is similar, and in that sense, both characters and their conflicts are similar. Also, both series make use of magic and other supernatural powers as part of the plot and story.

eaper says...

The main similarities between these series is the back story- the fact that magic is an unknown aspect of life, even though it makes large differences in day-to-day activities, and the main character always tries to save others, even at the risk of his own life. Also, this isn't really a similarity, but every time the main character in FSN began to "image" something, I couldn't help but think of Touma saying that he'll just have to break that image before he defeats an opponent.

Gavia says...

Both are action shows with some darker elements. Both have a supernaturally inclined girl and a mostly useless boy, who grows stronger when faced with the magical elements that the plot throws their way.

KlatchianVampire says...

The main protagonists just keep going into fights for the sake of their dear female friends. Both series has supernatural elements and wonderful art.

eaper says...

Both of these series have a mixture of "science" and occult happenings with a large cast and a great number of fights.

KittyEmperor says...

Both series feature a good mixture of science and things of the magical/supernatural element.  Granted that Asura Cryin' is a bit more about the fighting between mecha and To Aru Majutsu no Index is more about the fighting between individuals with special powers both series do a good job in keeping a good balance of action, comedy, and some romance. If you enjoyed one then your almost likely to enjoy the other.

Omurqi says...

If you liked To Aru Majutsu no Index for it's action, character development and dark sides of the story, I'm sure you'd also enjoy Darker Than Black. Both shows feature fighters with some sort of superpowers and have an interesting, slightly dark storyline.

cbfunky says...

Darker Than Black is basically a more grown-up and darker version of Index. Both play in a slightly futuristic setting and involve special powers. It does have the occasional humoristic scene but in general is more serious about the topic.

Lel0uchViBritannia says...

Both series contains interesting supernatural abilities of usersMajutsu no index divides supernatural ability users in two types Espers and magicians who are trying to overtake each other while in Darker than black contracters(supernatural ability users) are doing different interesting missions

Asraz says...

do you like tales of misfortunate guys? they re both your thing both touma and junpei are like cursed people(that maybe true from one point of wiew) to aru majutsu no index icludes some action unlike nyan koi but if you like one of them dont hesitate and try the other

LHoR says...

1)Both guys are unfortunate.  2)Both guys are hit on buy many women which makes it funny[ has tsun-tsuns]. 3) it also has its own funny parts

HKBattosai says...

If you like Nyan Koi! or A Certain Magical Index then you'll like the other because although both have wildly different plots, they do have similar main characters. Both feature the comedic tale of a misfotunate male protagonist who just so happens to be popular with a number of female characters.

eril says...

In To Aru Majutsu no Index and in Dragon Crisis! we see a misterious girl with superpowers coming out of nowhere in the hands of a young boy again with strange and rarely seen powers. Both girls like eating and both of them are persued by the "bad" people. Both boys start to protect the girls and the story continues.

eaper says...

Each of these series mix together magic and the present. Each series starts with the main character, who happens to be very unique, having a young girl fall into his lap. The young girl in each case happens to be very powerful. Madness insues. If you like interesting worlds with magic and fighting, these series go well together.

KittyEmperor says...

In both series we get a young man who has an encounter with a young girl who has unique in some fashion or another.  Also in both cases the male lead ends up protecting the girl from the various forces that are after her.  Add to that the fact that each series the male lead ends up creating a harem for himself without even realizing it and these two series could almost be mirrors of each other.  Though that being said there are enough differences between the two that both stay interesting and don't seem like you're watching the same thing all over again only with different characters.

vongolajake says...

Plot wise they arent quite similar, but I feel as the theme of Magic and familiars remind me of the magic in Index and more specifically the way Stiyl used it (Talismans and summoning).Another thing to add is that the music is done by the same people (Kurosaki Maon does the first opening and Kawada Mami does the second ending) Any way i think if you enjoy Index Tokyo Ravens is definitely one to check out.

MrValgard says...

If u look for complex "technical" magic system, and magic duels check both series.

TAMnI is more focus on symbolism/philozophy and characters when TR is more focus on big back stories with many "historical figures" in that universum.

aceinthehole says...

magic , hidden powers , extraordinary stuff , super powers , gives similar vibes I think you will like it 

kureshii says...

1) Girl into crashes guy's life? Mmhmm.

2) Boy's fate is irrecoverably intertwined with girl? Mmhmm.

3) Boy and girl fight enemies? Mmhmm.

4) Boy and girl aren't fully human? Sure seems so.

I didn't finish Kurokami, but from episode 1 right up to 3 of Index I kept wondering if it was produced by the same studio and director of Kurokami (turns out it was not)

If you like magic battles and chance-meeting-turned-fateful-encounter stories with a male and female lead, add Toaru Majutsu no Index or Kurokami to your list of titles to watch.

Szwagier says...

Nothing good comes from helping a random mysterious girl that has inhuman appetite - that is a lesson male leads of both shows have to learn the hard way.Why is that? Both Index and Kuro brings along with them baggage called "mysterious evil organization targetting them". And obviously this group posses various mysterious powers, which quickly results in a combat between power users. Expect your usual shounen cliches in both actions and speeches of main characters.

Kurokami has more gloomy mood, and more focused plot, while Index is made of few different arcs, that share a little connection (main characters). Also Kurokami have very boring list of powers, while Index have one of the best abilities you will encounter in shounen animes. If you like one, you might like the other as well.

SunshinexKite says...

While watching Index, I kept thinking that its very similar to Sekirei. The main guy is an ordinary guy living alone in his apartment, then a girl  comes and he ends up getting involved with the girls circumstances. Index seems to be more of a "Ok. Cleared this girls story, on to the next one!" type of storyline (much like Air) while in Sekirei, most of the time, the characters are there to stay, and wont leave for awhile while the MC meets new girls. I suggest if you liked either, watch the other.

Drasticc says...

Okay, lets start with the obvious.  They both start to give the Harem feel as the series processed.  Big boobage, with tons of action and fight scenes.  Now to the not so obvious, well the protagonist in both of these series take on the typical Shounen roles, and put it all on the line for the damsel in distress no matter how great the consequences may be.  Both protagonist show signs of character progression yet, remain to keep their comedic timing in tact.