SEDUCE THE HEROINE. SAVE THE WORLD.
Creative Staff
Story: Mitsuki Mihara
Art: MonRin
Translation: Jill Morita
What they say
Master swordsman Kazuki Hayashizaki is settling into his predetermined role of a summoner, but the Magika’s only male student has a long way to go yet. After failing to pass one of their quests, Kazuki and Mio are allowed a second attempt alongside Scandinavian transfer student, Lotte. But, when the trio is attacked by a mysterious female knight, everything they’ve learned suddenly seems for naught. Then, as if things weren’t bad enough, a giant beast appears! Will Kazuki live long enough to capture the hearts of his classmates, or is this the end of his short summoning career…?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Magika Swordsman and Summoner Vol. 5 is a combination of high-octane magic battles and cute romance. The first third of this volume starts off immediately where Vol. 4 ended. Previously, Kazuki, Mio, and Charlotte had teamed up to go on a mission together. While they did complete the mission, they ran into trouble. A woman named Beatrix attacked them. Her incredible power overwhelms Kazuki, Mio, and Charlotte, and it looks like they’re finished when a Muspelheim Giant appears and attacks Beatrix, allowing the three to escape.
Now, for those of you who aren’t well-versed in Norse mythology, Muspelheim is one of the Nine Worlds connected to Asgard through the world tree Yggdrasil. It’s the realm of fire, ruled over by Surtr and his consort, Sinmara. The denizens of Muspelheim are known as Eldthursar. They’re fire giants, which is what attacks Beatrix.
When Kazuki, Mio, and Charlotte return home, we learn from Liz Liza Westwood that while Germany is officially here to defeat Loki, unofficially, they are here to kill Charlotte, who was branded as a heretic because her diva is not from Norse Mythology. The general idea is that “officially,” Japan has declared that Charlotte is off limits. However, if she were to be killed in an accident while Beatrix was searching for Loki, then there would be nothing they could do, since Charlotte is not a citizen of Japan.
I’m actually greatly impressed by the political maneuvering in this volume. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that we’re only given a small glimpse of. However, that glimpse is enough for me to tell that more thought went into this series than some of the other harem manga I’ve read. Also, because this is an adaptation of a light novel, I’m really interested in getting my hands on the source content. I can only hope that Seven Seas eventually decides to start translating gets their hands on the rights to the Magika Swordsman and Summoner light novel series.
To deal with Beatrix’s overwhelming power, Liz Liza Westwood suggests to Kazuki that he increase his affection levels with Charlotte, which is why the second third of this volume is dedicated entirely to Charlotte and Kazuki’s date. I know that sounds unusual to be doing when there’s a crazy summoner from Germany after them, but the date actually serves a purpose. You should all remember that Kazuki has the ability to use the power of another summoner’s diva, provided that summoner’s affection is high enough. This date is essentially being done to allow Kazuki to use her diva’s powers.
Now, I’m always iffy on this sort of storyline because it often feels like it’s being done for the sake of easily creating a harem. While I still feel this way, Magika Swordsman and Summoner handled the issue delicately enough that I’m not bothered by it. I think the biggest reason is because of Kazuki himself. While he does suffer from many harem protagonist tropes, such as getting easily embarrassed and being unable to respond to a girl’s affection, he is at least an honestly decent person who seems to genuinely care for the people around him. More than anything else, I think that’s this stories saving grace.
It’s interesting. While most harem protagonists will always have traits like that, they’re normally reluctant. It often feels like they’re only nice when it suits the purpose of the plot. The rest of the time they’re douchey and wishy washy, always complaining about how girls throw themselves at them, or how they don’t know what to do. Kazuki is one of the few protagonists I’ve seen of this genre who doesn’t follow that particular trope. I suppose you could say he is a lot more determined than other protagonists of this genre. While he seems mostly unwilling to return affection, he exhibits a more honest and straightforward personality that put him above other harem protagonists.
I also like how the main reason he won’t return the girls’ affection for him is because he doesn’t want to use them to increase his power. The idea here is that he feels guilty. This guilt keeps him from outright accepting them. In other words, he actually has a reason for not forming a harem, and that reason is not only feasible, but makes sense. Of course, this is still a harem manga based on a harem light novel fantasy series, so I’m expecting the harem to form at some point, but that’s neither here nor there.
The last third of the volume is dedicated to the final battle with Beatrix. I’m not going to tell you what happens, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to read it. All I’m going to say is that volume 5 ends on a note that I like to call, “oh, fuck me. Not another cliff hanger!” However, it is still an enjoyable volume, and I would recommend giving it a read.
In Summary
Volume 5 has a much stronger plot than volume 4. Not only is it cohesive, but the transition between intense battle and fluffy romance is well done. We’re also given a more in depth look at the going ons of the higher ups in charge of Japan’s magic institute, which leaves us with a desire to know more about this world. All in all, this was an excellent edition to an entertainment series.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Seven Seas Entertainment
Release Date: October 11, 2016
MSRP: $12.99
