This is review number two hundred and ninety. This anime is part of the Spring 2014 lineup. The show I’ll be reviewing is called Mahouka Kouko no Rettousei or The Irregular at Magic High School. It’s a twenty six episode anime about a student who fights terrorists with magic. The plot doesn’t actually matter in this anime since it’s just a light novel where the author hates his life and escapes in the pages of his miserable product. This show is certainly unique but for all the bad reasons. It also has a sister crushing hard on her brother, so there’s that. Let’s read on.

Story

The show is about a guy named Tatsuya that does awesome things because he just can. It follows his adventures as a student of First High School that trains strong magicians. He is placed in a section considered inferior to other students but he soon proves everyone wrong when potential terrorist attacks are prevented by this inferior student. Soon, everyone is interested with this guy that scored low on the test but seems to be better than any student in the academy.

Taking the Pants Off

This is the most voted anime in my review poll. Early on, it was already garnering a lot of votes. Mahouka Kouko no Rettousei is easily one of the most hyped anime of Spring 2014. I naturally wanted to see what the big deal is. If it can get 400 votes in two weeks then something good must be happening here. So I watched this show one weekend and, in all honestly, I do not get it. While the show has some few bright moments, I simply do not understand its purpose. I guess from the title it’ll be about an irregular student and the whole show centered on him. But in the end, what really is the point? Mahouka is just a stream of ridiculous light novel clichés and wish fulfillment turned way up. Basically, Mahouka is about a perfect guy that is so perfect that he literally can’t die. He’s a smart student that can solve scientific quandaries and impossibilities in one episode. He is also popular with the girls, he is skilled at combat, he gets high scores in tests, he has an awesome incest relationship that’s totally not creepy and he’s so perfect no one in the entire run of the show can stop him. He is perfect. He is upsettingly perfect. I do not understand this show. Is conventional storytelling really something to abandon to feature a guy that can’t lose? I’m actually more concerned about the people that consumed the light novel. If it is about a perfect guy and it packs one satisfying wish fulfillment, isn’t it a bit sad that people gravitate to it? How much does our life suck that we have to watch an anime where our main character does no wrong and conquers all challenges with ease? Is it really that wonderful to watch? Is that what people are into these days? Light novel has spun a movement where climax is null, villains aren’t important and character progression don’t mean diddle. It’s all about how f*cking cool and omnipotent can we make our main character.  It’s about exploring wish fulfillments. I’ve seen a few characters explore the idea before but I think Mahouka featured it at its absolute best. Or worst, depends on where you’re coming from. I mean, if you like shows where the main character just wins despite the long confusing exposition dump then this show is what you’re looking for. If you’re a fan of typical storytelling where a character grows, villains are as awesome as our lead and side characters aren’t just there to gawk at our main character then Mahouka will really test your patience.

I honestly do not like this show. While the fact that the main character is perfect, I think the pretentious storytelling is what really grates me. I think this show hates its audience. The anime is loaded with a lot of nonsensical talk about sciency stuff. There are talks about oscillation, mist dispersal, material burst, substance particles and a lot of stupid big words that really don’t mean a damn thing in the long run. The worst part is that the show doesn’t dumb it down for us.  So you’re bombarded with big words while you’re still trying to grasp the show’s main story. The anime would often explain in big scientific words how a student cast a spell. For example, our main character explains how he executes an Essential Singularity type spell by generating Psion waves and over exposing his enemy to it. He achieved that by applying compound waves of three different oscillation Psion frequencies calibrated to create a triangle wave.  The show loves dumping out these long winded narrations. Maybe some viewers enjoy these kinds of dialogue where only smart people can really understand the whole load of it. In case you didn’t understand all that Psion wave bullsh*t, he basically unleashed used MP to defeat his opponent. That’s it. I mean, the oscillation explanation isn’t part of some big theory in the narrative. The anime just likes to brag and it will alienate as much of its audience as it can. I am honestly overwhelmed at first. The show is really just acting smart since all of this bullsh*t is still fiction so there’s really no point in a long winded hypothetical theory of how the show’s universe works. In the end, the story still sucked. Anyways, I often just dumb the whole thing down on my own. When people mention something stupidly out of my reach, I just get the basic gist and go “oh, he used a strong magic spell by consuming MP”. It’s really the same but with more bells and whistles. Imagine how pretentious you have to be though to explain so much and yet have a very pathetic story to present. This is Mahouka. No matter how smart it appears to be, it doesn’t really help in the long run. So be warned that the dialogue often needlessly goes off track and it often affects the overall progression of the story.

So this show is really just about the perfect student at some magic high school. It follows the exploits of Tatsuya Shiba as he spends his rather unusual high school life. The show often focuses on the dangerous missions he undertakes both as a student council member and a high ranking member of the military. As the show progresses, you are often given more information about him. See, he starts out as this typical guy with a cool personality but the audience soon discovers that he is more than that. As more details about him is revealed, the audience also see a lot of chances where Tatsuya just acts all cool and amazing. This guy started out as a normal magic student with a low entrance test score. He then turns into a disciplinary member of the student council. After that, it is revealed he has ties with the military. After that, it appears he is also an inventor. After that, well, more things about this guy are revealed. That’s the whole point of the show. Sure there are arcs and narrative are about terrorism but it’s often overshadowed by the show constantly putting Tatsuya on the spotlight. Take it for what is. It’s about a perfect guy doing various things to display just how perfect he is. Certainly not the best plot you’ll ever see but you have to give points for how original the premise is. It’s also interesting just how much of a gawd this guy is. Aren’t you curious as well just how far the show will glorify him?

Anyways, this show has three arcs. At this point, it’s honestly pointless to talk about it. I must stick to my review format as much as I can though. So the first arc is about the Blooms and the Weeds. The Shibuya siblings have successfully entered First High magic school. The youngest, Miyuki Shiba, has passed for Course one where the best of the best is eventually grouped in. The eldest, Tatsuya Shiba, is placed in Course 2 where people who didn’t do so well on the test is grouped in. The school group strong magicians in one class based on the test results because they serve better soldiers when they graduate. Being Course one means you are the cream of the crop and you are destined for something big. If you’re in Course two then you are considered something inferior. The school has a long tradition of Course one students being considered “Blooms’ while the others are considered “Weeds”. Weeds bows down to the Blooms. The first arc is now about this course two student who has everyone intrigued. Miyuki insists that the test score is biased and that her brother should’ve been the one in Course one. Still, a Weed is a Weed. He is now considered inferior. He accepts it as well but after a few incidents, a lot of people started to have some interest in Tatsuya. One of them is the student council president who suddenly appoints Tatsuya in the disciplinary committee. A Weed is now about to have authority over other students and this is just a bomb waiting to explode.

Soon, other people started noticing Tatsuya. A lot of people who wants change among the Bloom/Weed dynamic want to do something drastic and they want Tatsuya in. Our main character easily caught wind of the situation though and decided to do something about it before a literal bomb actually explodes. I particularly like the first arc because I still have no idea what the show was about. I like the idea of a guy belittled by others only to come out roaring like a lion. Sure, her creepy sister ruins the momentum sometimes but I like how the anime was able to feature the student body as a whole. I quite like the whole Weed/Bloom dynamic. While the show spouts some idealistic stuff about how inferior people only impose inferiority upon themselves, I enjoy how Weeds can defy expectation. I honestly think this is where the show was heading into. It feels like a fun premise that has a lot of potential. There is really no need to overcomplicate the whole situation. And yet, the show decided to overcomplicate it. Upon the introduction of a terrorist group, the Weed/Bloom dynamic fade away and the anime then focuses on the siege of the terrorists. This is where Tatsuya assumed his place on the high pedestal and ruins the story. While there are some moments where a side character unleashes his awesomeness, I don’t think it’s really wise to have ONE GUY defeat an entire terrorist group. Literally one guy defeated a slew of armed terrorists and came out unharmed. This is where I began to question the show’s intent. The Weed/Bloom story sounds wonderful so I don’t understand why there is suddenly a lot of focus on one character. Sure, he’s the protagonist but the show seems a bit titled. I never expected the show to be about the guy so I was honestly a bit confused. The other arcs soon turn the entire experience into something, personally, a bit upsetting.

The second arc is about the Nine School Competition. It’s kind of like an Olympics game where the best student magicians battle in different kinds of sports. Only Blooms are given a chance to compete though since winning at the games is actually a serious matter. Tatsuya is given the opportunity to be involved though. He will be assigned as an engineer that calibrates and fixes the various CADs of the athletes. CADs are the device they use to summon magic. It’s like a weapon but more handy since most CADs are wrapped around the wrists and you type activation sequences in it. Tatsuya is tasked to handle some of the CADs of the competing students despite the objection of the actual engineers actually appointed the role. They aren’t the main character though so f*ck them. The second arc features a lot of the sports the characters engage in. It also introduces a lot of side characters that play a role in the story. As the competition progresses though, foul play started to arise when some First High students are subjected to various dirty tricks. Tatsuya is soon forced to do something about it. He decided to help out the First High school in obtaining the overall championship trophy despite all the dirty tactics that seems to be happening. It didn’t take long as well for a terrorist group to be involved and for them to target the NSC for purposes known only to them. If there’s one thing the terrorists haven’t learned, it’s the simple fact that you do not mess with Tatsuya and this particular terrorist group is about to learn that the hard way.

At this point, you’ll notice that each arc is really long. The show goes out of its way to really introduce a lot of the side characters. For the first arc, I didn’t mind because the student body was being represented. Coupled by the pretentious scientific exposition dump and all that information dump about the various NSC sports, introducing the characters really drag the story a lot. The show also focuses on what Tatsuya is doing so the story really stagnates. Still, the show has a way of making side characters interesting. I really think that introducing Mikihiko could’ve been done in a faster manner so the show didn’t have to spend wasting time on a side character. I mean, the show often drags a story for two or even three episodes just so it can properly establish a character’s role but then the initial climax would often just involve Tatsuya doing something miraculous. It feels a bit counter intuitive that the anime would force audiences to sit through three episodes of exposition garbage only to have Tatsuya do all the leg work. For all the time wasted on character introduction, it’s often a bit infuriating that they don’t do anything special in the long run. A terrorist suicide attack? Stopped by Tatsuya. A scientific impossibility about flying that top scientists can’t solve? Tatsuya cracked it after it was established in the same episode that it’s impossible to crack it. A freaking sport where a side character is participating in? It’ll be won because Tatsuya did something amazing with her CAD. I mean, for gawd sakes, where does it stop? You mean to tell me that the guy that casts force shields couldn’t stop that suicide attack? Couldn’t there have been maybe one or two students who could’ve at least helped in cracking the scientific conundrum? Does he really have to do it by himself? Couldn’t the player at least provide Tatsuya with the basics and the data provided to calibrate the CAD for them to win the game? Does it really have to be him just magically whipping up a winning formula to win the game by himself? The show drowns itself with a lot of characters yet all the important moments are given to Tatsuya. So I often ask myself exactly what is the point of the anime. Why go to so much trouble, subject the audience to a lot of scientific bullsh*t and useless exposition dump if the end of each story usually involve just one guy doing the impossible that none of the scientific garbage is able to properly explain. It’s a bit exhausting watching this show. I honestly don’t get it. Anyways, the second arc is really just a drawn out story of how Tatsuya won the NSC single handedly. Everything in between is just hollow context.

Oh, the second arc also introduced us to a formidable opponent. This is just me embellishing his importance though. Among the participants of the competition is a duo considered to be an aggressively awesome team. One is so smart that he has solved a scientific problem at a young age and another is so strong that he is a decorated war veteran at such a young age. Their awesome combination has set their sights on Tatsuya and it was soon established that Tatsuya will enter a handicap match with them. Guess who won. Seriously, I want you, dear readers, to take a guess. Most anime would make an arch rival imposing. He’ll at least have some edge over our main character that’ll give way to our protagonist training hard and doing his best for the next encounter. With that all said, really, guess who won. Most anime would try to humanize the main character with a crushing defeat that would expose their vulnerable side and it’ll lead to a character journey of finding himself thus making him a better person. Really, guess who won. Guess who won against a match involving a child prodigy teaming up with a veteran, with a scary blood trail, against a guy who brought down an entire terrorist organization. Isn’t it just so upsetting that such a thing can happen? It’s honestly a tad insulting that a guy can win against such a match. While he does look cool beating up two formidable opponents by himself and you’re honestly anticipating it to happen, I still think that it lacks any real entertainment. It’s cool. So what? It isn’t meaningful in anyway and I think any shounen anime can do the same. They don’t do that though because there is still a huge importance in other things that improves the overall experience. Storytelling, rivalry and character development still matters. Mahouka doesn’t have that. It’s hollow and meaningless. The pretentious attempt at storytelling, the slow paced story due to character introduction and the main character playing the game with the unlimited lives cheat isn’t something I consider to be something anyone should watch, to be honest.

Now I’ll be fair though, I finished the damn anime because I still enjoyed it to a degree. Deep down, I do understand the appeal of a perfect character that is so perfect others can’t even reach his feet. During each arc, I was anticipating the action to break out and for Tatsuya to do something cool. The show might lack any real storytelling but seeing Tatsuya kick ass is pretty satisfying. Despite the flaws, you often suspend disbelief and just enjoy seeing a bad guy helpless in Tatsuya’s presence. If this one enjoyable element was paired with a better story and more meaningful side characters, then I honestly think the anime could’ve been ten times more awesome. Seeing our main character effortless win doesn’t really do much for me especially if the climactic moment is bogged down with slow pacing and pretentious exposition dump.

Anyways, the last arc is about a terrorist group trying to invade another competition. This one is about the Magical Thesis Competition where schools now brag about how smart their students are. Students from the nine schools would present their thesis about groundbreaking stuff concerning magic. Tatsuya is once again asked to join the competition because they just want to and terrorists have, once again, decided to go to where he is. The third arc heavily features a lot of what the terrorist group is doing and very little about anything else. It seems the anime has expanded the story where the terrorist groups are now a huge component of the story. It’s a far cry from the Weed/Bloom dynamic the show started out with. Once again, as well, there is a lot of overwhelming exposition dumping involved about the thesis Tatsuya is working on. I think it’s about a remote controlled nuclear reactor of something. Just like any scientific garbage unleashed in the previous arcs, this one didn’t matter in the long run. The anime just wanted to prove that it’s smart so it does a lot of this. The established terrorist organization heavily featured didn’t matter in the long run as well. There were a lot of planning on their side but they really suck at spreading fear in the hearts of people. While I do love the fact that side characters are getting a chance to join the melee, I still didn’t quite like how unconvincing the terrorist group is. They sent this genetically altered man to do some killing and he was thwarted by a couple of students. It’s pretty pathetic. This arc’s eventual climax though involves an ugly battle with the terrorist group where students are suddenly caught between the crossfire. Of course, Tatsuya then charged head on and killed a lot of people. Not by himself this time though. The battle is huge that a lot of side characters were able to have some moments to themselves. The show was still pretty upsetting though because it revealed an ability Tatsuya has that solidify his perfect status. Imagine an army of bad guys with tanks and heavy fire arms and the guy was able to save every student and prevent them from dying. Learning that he had such a skill really made me sick. For gawd sakes, it’s a bit too much to literally give him cheat codes of unlimited lives. C’mon. Is he really not flawed in anyway whatsoever?

All three arcs are basically the same. Sure, they might have a story to present but the structure is all the same. It’s just a way for Tatsuya to be amazing. I do love the slight gore featured in the third arc. During the first two arcs, students just hurt each other. It wasn’t until the last few episodes where people really died at the hands of Tatsuya. I think the plot would eventually become more grim as it progresses and I sincerely hope a lot of people will die. I just think we deserve a notable death after seeing Tatsuya strut around so god-like.

Now, I hate a lot of things in this show but there is definitely one thing about it that I really enjoy. It’s the side characters and their blooming relationships. There is always a couple that soon starts to like each other. Most of them are introduced in the arc and they often end up with someone they share a mutual bond with. Obviously, I like this part of the show because Tatsuya is not involved. It just features two characters that were once at clashing heads suddenly turning soft and starts liking each other. It’s a nice way to utilize the large cast. Having some of them actually ending up in a relationship together kind of gives you pay off that is badly lacking in the entire show. Seeing two characters end up together gives justification to the heavy exposition dumps that plague the show. I also love how fluffy and cute the anime also present the relationships. You eventually grow attach to a character so it’s really fun seeing them blush and act all shy around each other. I think a relationship blossom per arc and that’s really one of the things I gladly look out for in the show. It’s really just a minor part of the show. Some of the moments barely last five minutes but I still think that it’s really the only portion of the anime that I truly enjoy. Actually, anything involving the side characters is something I quite enjoy. I mean, it’s nice seeing them just fool around instead of gravitating around Tatsuya and praising him to death.

Tatsuya is an interesting character to a degree. The show introduced him as this cool guy that has a calm demeanor that lets him evaluate situations. This leads him to act more effectively during various situations. In the first arc, he was this guy belittled for being inferior but soon proved people wrong by kicking ass in the hardest way. He has a cold personality and he has a really weird relationship with his sister. It was nicely explained towards the later episodes why he acts this way. It’s most subtle hints but it’s enough to understand his character. I quite like him as an inferior but the show soon started to go batsh*t crazy with the praises. It started out subtle with various girls just hovering around him despite only meeting him the first time. I chalk it up to accidental harems. It’s a light novel cliché where girls are attracted to the main character. They don’t form a harem and it’s never implied that a harem exists but a bunch of girls hovering over our main character can only be called as such. Every light novel anime has it so I have no problem with it. Things started to turn weird though when Tatsuya is build up as this amazing person. He’s a talented student that balances his low magical ability with strong physical skill. It’s a cool thing to witness someone overcoming his flaws with ease. Then the show revealed that the guy is also secretly a military officer, he is a smart guy that invented flying spells on a whim, he’s a famous inventor, he knows a lot about people and their lineage just by looking at them, and he has the ability to kill an entire army by himself and so on and so on. The anime went a bit too far with embellishing this bastard. Some of his traits could’ve been given to other characters to keep them in the loop. I think it’s a bit overkill that one guy can be this awesome. The biggest problem though is that everyone just accepts it as their reality. When Tatsuya does something amazing, no one would try to be better than him. You have more than twenty characters and they all just go awe at how amazing Tatsuya is. Some of them are superior geniuses, amazingly skilled warriors with a lineage to uphold and prideful members of a prestigious political family yet they all just kneel down at Tatsuya. There’s no resistance, no tension and no conflict. They just accept that Tatsuya is perfect.

As far as wish fulfillments go, I think Tatsuya relationship with her sister borders the insane. A light novel anime like this is really just a big wish fulfillment for its audience. Still, Miyuki Shiba doesn’t really do anything significant in the anime except worship her brother. There is a story here but the anime never really focuses on it. There was a scene in the opening sequence where a more than dead Miyuki is being brought back to life by Tatsuya so really, there’s a story between the two that the show refuses to explore. Instead, we just get flirtatious incest. Miyuki literally worships her brother and she constantly wants to be by her side. Every moment with them alone is a bit uncomfortable to watch. It’s supposed to be cute but Miyuki doesn’t really do anything else in the show. I’ve seen flirtatious incest but nothing quite as creepy as the one in Mahouka. Hell, hentai incest works for me but something about Miyuki obsessing over her brother and Tatsuya just letting her be creepy just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s all one sided flirtation as well. Tatsuya is a cold person who doesn’t care about. Flirtatious incest is supposed to be a give and take as to give us the illusion of a dangerous romance. Mahouka doesn’t do that so it’s really just love in all the wrong places. Miyuki has the ability to use ice and her emotions usually affect the intensity of her power. She doesn’t use it as much though and often waits for Tatsuya to unleash her collar before she starts biting. I don’t really like Miyuki’s over dependency over Tatsuya. It’s like she doesn’t really think about anything else besides her big brother. See, it’s creepy.

The side characters are all pretty great. For me, being overshadowed by Tatsuya just makes me want to learn more about them. Even though they are really just stepping stones for Tatsuya to walk all over, I still quite like the interaction among them. There are a lot of them though and most don’t really have a big purpose on the show. It’s also going to be a pain in the ass to explain them all. Let me just talk about the stands out though. The first one is the student council president, Mayumi Saegusa. She’s the one that insisted on Tatsuya joining the disciplinary committee. She has a nice way of controlling a situation and her bubbly attitude contrast her serious role in the school makes her a pretty interesting character. There is Katsuo Jumonji who heads the club management committee. He is a large guy from a powerful family. He is intimidating and even Tatsuya admits that Jumonji’s existence is intimidating. The guy casts large shields in battle and he takes charge of a group amazingly making him a pretty formidable guy. There are a lot of student council members introduced throughout the show. There are also a lot of police and undercover agents that interact with Tatsuya as well. With the story blowing over huge and turning more into an international conflict with terrorists, you can bet these characters have bigger roles to play later on. My favorite characters are among Tatsuya’s classmates. There is Erika Chiba and Leonard Saijo. They are skilled people that were delegated to the Weeds along with Tatsuya. They have some talent that matches Tatsuya’s physical prowess though and they were a huge part of why I think the Bloom/Weed dynamic had so much potential in the show. They also look cute as a couple. It’s just hinted at but their interaction is so lively that I bet there’s a fan art of them kissing. There is also big boobs, I mean, Mizuki Shibata. She has super powers involving seeing small particles or something but I mostly remember her because of her boobs. There is always one character that has a set that you always admire. Mizuki has boobs I really like. It reminds me of Mix’s from Aquarion Evol but that’s just me being dirty. Lastly, there is Mikihiko Yoshida. This guy comes from an ancient line of spirit summoners and he has the ability of clairvoyance. He has this timid personality with him that matches perfectly with Mizuki’s. It’s a shame the show didn’t take it a step further.

The villains in the anime are all stupid chess pieces that Tatsuya just eliminates. I love the whole idea of terrorists though and they all have cool names with them. When it comes to fighting though, some of them tucks their tail away and run pretty early. It is satisfying to see Tatsuya kill a bad guy but it would’ve been great if he was subjected to some pain as well. Heroes are mostly remembered for their struggles and even death than any amount of henchmen they kill. It’s annoying as well because the show took the time establish just how bad they are. In the case of the Nine School Competition with the two prodigies, I was hoping a tough rivalry could be established and yet Tatsuya finished them in just one episode. Every villain had some decent build up but it really just takes Tatsuya one or two episodes to dispose of them. Maybe there is a villain down the line that will cripple Tatsuya but nothing like that appeared in the anime. It’s not really satisfying seeing a one sided victory. Villains are supposed to be menacing. They don’t get defeated in one episode.

I really wanted to like Mahouka. I mean, it just looks really good and there are some moments I comeback for. Still, I do not support this whole idea that one character should be perfect. Even Medaka (perfect character from Medaka’s Box) had flaws and insecurities that make her relatable. Tatsuya does not so he’s just this jerk that spoils all the fun for the audience and the rest of the characters. I’ll give Madhouse some points for giving us two interesting light novel anime for Spring 2014. No Game No Life was interesting to a degree and the same goes for Mahouka. They were still pretty subpar though. They had flaws that were just too glaring to dismiss but Madhouse has a way of making people sit through something they don’t like. It’s like magic. Also note that these two light novels explored the whole “perfect flawless main character” angle. I think Madhouse might have more of them. Good gawd, that is going to suck if I am subjected to more upsetting characters like Tatsuya. Manabu Ono directed this anime. He is known for also handling a messy light novel called Horizon in the Middle of nowhere. I can tell that Manabu knows how to make characters interesting. Between the slime from Horizon and Mizuki in Mahouka, he has a knack for making side characters interesting. He even did my favorite four koma slice of life in A-Channel so I know this dude has talent. Story isn’t really a big thing for him since the characters really just shine more than anything else. I wonder if he enjoyed adapting this self-satisfyingly obnoxious light novel. I think he did every character in Mahouka justice so I’ll give him points for that. I just wish it was a big headache for him as it was for me because I respect him too much to think he also like Tatsuya. I hope Tatsuya die in the light novel. Ah, that’s one wish fulfillment I hope gets granted.

Sight and Sound

Ah sh*t. I recently said that Mizuki’s big boobs reminded me of the same big boobs from Mix of Aquarion Evol. That’s because it was created by the same person. Kana Ishida knows how to make attractive young teenagers and there is definitely a wide range of looks in her designs. Ishida makes young slender characters and big bulky muscle bounded ones as well. Design on the faces is pretty ordinary though. There aren’t a lot of eye grabbing components to mention about the faces. They look clean and I guess there is also some range since other characters have some moe eyes but not enough to set each character apart. It’s usually the hair style or the various accessories that define them. Mizuki is this timid girl with big boobs. She has glasses on that compliments her expressive eyes. The design might not be flashy but it certainly compliments the personalities of each character. The student council president has a gentle face but with red eyes and wavy cute hair. It nicely captures her playful yet commanding persona. By far though, I think the uniforms are the best thing about the designs. I love the blue green palette and I also enjoy the see through portion of the uniform for the girls. The guys have a simple uniform on but it has the blue green on the borders. It looks unique and it definitely compliments each characters design making them more stands out in a simple manner.

The animation is pretty decent. It was able to nicely capture the magic induced sequences littered all throughout the show. Every fight scene is nicely animated with a steady pacing and nice effects for the magic to come through. Some of the casting moments and CAD Activation is also pretty cool by themselves. The director is smart by utilizing various camera angles to add more depth to the scenes. They were pretty short but each fight scene is nicely animated. I personally enjoy the face-off between Tatsuya and the two prodigies in the second arc. It was pretty cool seeing one dominate over the other with their deadly spells and then that climactic counter attack by Tatsuya that silenced the crowd was pretty outstanding. Of course, the various facial expressions are nicely animated as well. Miyuki is the best example of this because she is serious, blushing, happy and sad often in just one scene. It’s because she’s a crazy b*tch but it’s a nice way to really improve the storytelling thanks to the brilliant animation. Seeing other characters act shy and interact with each other is also nicely presented. It’s the main reason why I love the shippings in the anime. The animation was able to capture an aura of cuteness between the characters.

The anime has two OP. The first one is “Rising Hope” by LiSA. This is an energetic song and it has a catchy chorus. I’m not quite sure about the lyrics though. It’s like a person fighting against all odds or something. It certainly captures the anime’s appeal. The OP sequence features all the characters with the incest also presented. It also has a summary of the first and second arc in it. It featured some of the climactic moments so it definitely spoils a few surprises of the show. As I said though, the story doesn’t matter much in this anime so they can spoil as much as they want.  The second one is “grilletto” by GARNiDELiA. It’s pretty much like the first OP. It had the same pace to it but with the singer giving forth a wonderful vibe to the song. The OP sequence once again features every character that appears in the second and third arc. It also spoils a few moments like the fight with the man eating tiger. Still, it is actually much better than the show itself, to be quite honest.

The anime has two ED as well. The first one is “Millenario” by ELISA. It’s a nice ballad about an eternal love. Elisa’s voice is outstanding in this song. She hits the high notes splendidly and gives a really solem vibe to the song. I really love it. The verse was nice and slow then the chorus just features her amazing high voice. It’s pretty awesome to listen to. The ED sequence features Miyuki. I think she’s sad or something as she looks on in a post-apocalyptic place. I don’t really know what it’s about but it seems to hint at something about Miyuki herself. Still, it’s all vague. The second ED is “Mirror” by Rei Yasuda. This is similar to the OP songs. It is vibrant and the Rei features her amazing voice. This one had amore solemn pacing though similar to the first ED. The ED sequence features all the characters and an ambiguous event surrounding them. Much like the first, it feels like its forewarning something that doesn’t happen in the anime. I think it teased few events of the light novel after the arcs the show adapted.

Overall Score

6/10 “I don’t quite like seeing our hero win at everything. I like the idea that heroes can bleed. I enjoy anime for the relatable feelings of hardship and struggle our character faces. If I wanted to see someone be better at everything, I wouldn’t be watching anime in the first place. I don’t like this anime.”

With a more than beyond Mary Sue character, pretentious heavy exposition narrative and pathetic villains, there is very little to enjoy about this show. If you can relate to the author who seems to be having a great time satisfying his imagination by thinking a guy can be so good at everything then you might like this anime. I have to tell you though that it’s sad for someone to think that the wish fulfillment in this show can satiate what they’re looking for. The entire concept of the show sounds pathetic and you’d have to be one miserable bastard to like what this show is selling. This is just my opinion though but I strongly dislike this show. If you like perfect characters who win at everything then check this show out. If you enjoy shows with dialogue heavy exposition about sciency stuff then you should check this one out as well. If you enjoy simple storytelling in your anime like a good villain, relatable characters and an interesting plot then this show has none of that. It’s a pretentious show at best. I do not recommend this.