The Irregular at Magic High School (2014)

[魔法科高校の劣等生]

Season 1

Director: Manabu Ono
Studio: Madhouse
Starring: Yuichi Nakamura, Saori Hayami, Yumi Uchiyama
Episodes: 26

Synopsis:
A brother and sister enroll in an elite high school for magic users, but the brother faces discrimination for being placed among the irregular 'Weeds'.

Impressions:
The recent airing of the second season prompted me to finally pick up this series. Two of the standout features of the franchise are the intricate magical system and the byzantine family politics of the major mage clans of Japan and their overseas rivals. I like the idea of Tatsuya being a highly competent mage who defies conventional evaluation, hence his placement, but I feel he's given a few too many points in his favor. It would be more compelling if he was operating with more limitations, but I won't deny that there is a cool factor in his voluminous bag of tricks. His relationship with Miyuki is pretty cute, but there is a squick factor to its incestuous nature (unless you're part of the "wincest" crowd, I suppose). The supporting cast is pretty good and they take several different angles with the whole "Weed"/"Bloom" rivalry. Because the show is supposed to be about a magic high school, I felt the Nine Schools Competition was a better match than the later terror incident. It may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it well enough and would say it's worth a watch.

Rating:
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