The Irregular at Magic High School (2024)

[魔法科高校の劣等生]

Season 3

Director: Jimmy Stone
Studio: Eight Bit
Starring: Yuichi Nakamura, Saori Hayami, Kiyono Yasuno
Episodes: 13

Synopsis:
Mages from the Continent are smuggled into Japan in a plot that threatens the balance of power in the mage community.

Impressions:
Well, how's our favorite incestuous couple been doing? (There's actually something really funny on that note at the end of the season.) Well, they've got some stuff on their plate. If you like this series for the web of intrigue, there's some decent stuff to chew on, what with splinter factions in the Ten Master Clans and the military getting into some shady stuff involving the only thing worse than Americans for the author of Mahouka: the Chinese. Our arc villain Zhou Gongjin isn't terribly compelling, but if I'm being honest with you, not much about this season really grabbed me. Some of the incoming freshmen proved to be pretty annoying, but I did like the Kuroba Siblings working more closely with Tatsuya and Miyuki. The fact that Tatsuya has almost no allies in the Yotsuba Clan makes it funny how much those two adore him and Miyuki. I also liked the introduction of Minoru Kudou, but I don't know how significant a role he'll play moving forward. (If nothing else, his introduction leads to the amusing payoff I hinted at earlier.) If you're really deeply invested in the lore of the series, you might be annoyed at abridgements made in the adaptation which rob the story of some of its depth. (LN readers were quick to howl about a particular scene that got left on the cutting room floor.) For me at least, I'm mildly intrigued at all the byzantine politics as I've always been, but this season failed to grab me. Maybe if Tatsuya had to deal with more serious adversity than a case of mild sleep deprivation, the conflict would be a little more compelling. The best I can say is take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50