Is The Irregular at Magic High School Worth It?

I’ve read this series up to volume 16 (at this point) and I never thought to review it. I’ll rectify that today. This series falls strictly in the “magic high school battle” type of light novels. For those familiar, think along the lines Asterisk War, but without the large tournament style.

The main characters are brother and sister Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba, respectively. Tatsuya is a cool type of character with a hidden agenda and distant personality. Miyuki, his sister, practically seems in love with him. They attend First High School, a magic school built around producing magicians for society. Between the two of them, Miyuki scored incredibly at the entrance exams and is placed as a “Bloom”, which means she has a flower symbol on her shoulder. Tatsuya scored poorly, since he isn’t skilled at magical processing, and is placed as a “Weed”, meaning he has no symbol on his shoulder.

However, there’s more to meets the eye with Tatsuya (he’s irregular). He’s skilled in nin-jitsu and combat, meaning despite his Weed status, he’s a powerful student. Miyuki is also powerful in her own right, the ice magic she uses being particularly deadly.

The side characters are plentiful. There’s the student council, the master clans, and even family members of the Shibas. There’s some issues with politics and international terrorism at times, but ultimately it’s a story about Tatsuya and Miyuki.

The story is fairly slow at points. The first three volumes are well done and the story picks up as it goes. I feel like the world building with the clans and magic society is well done, but the character of Tatsuya is almost a self-insert of ridiculous proportions. The author attempts to give him a weakness by saying, “oh see he scores low because he’s bad at testing”, but he’s obviously not bad at magic. Everyone around him knows he’s powerful and thinks he’s cool; it’s a little annoying. His weakness is explained but the translation might be a little off. I’m not clear on why he scored poorly in the entrance exam when he’s also able to fight on the front lines in magical battles. The explanation used was that he didn’t have the necessary skills, but that makes no sense given how powerful he is later in the series. You could argue the school tested specific skills that don’t show the overall abilities of students, but that also doesn’t make sense given his powers shown later.

All in all, it’s a worthwhile series for people who like the genre. Honestly, it’s some of the best that genre has to offer.

The school year has just begun, and soon you'll have to worry about pop quizzes, homework, and final exams. When you get home, you'll need something to help you destress.

What better way to relax than by watching an anime that you can actually relate to?

High school anime can make your school day more entertaining, and can even give you a heavy dose of nostalgia if you've already graduated. These popular high school anime can definitely brighten up the school year!

8. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass takes place in an alternate history that pits the Holy Britannia Empire, the Chinese Federation, and the European Union against each other.

The exiled prince of the Britannia Empire, Lelouch Lamperouge, gets enrolled at Ashford Academy and promises to bring down Britannia. However, the school isn't the center of this show.

When an enigmatic girl, C.C., grants Lelouch a power called Geass, he becomes one step closer to overthrowing the kingdom.

This power allows Lelouch to control anyone and force them to do whatever he wants. He can only activate this power when people make direct eye contact with him.

7. Haikyu

You don't have to be a huge fan of sports to watch Haikyu. Its satisfying storyline will rope you in almost immediately.

The anime follows Hinata Shouyou, a middle school student that develops a liking for volleyball after watching a competition on TV. Although this anime starts in middle school, it eventually progresses to high school life.

Hinata decides to pursue his dreams by joining his school's volleyball club, only to find out that he's the only one who joined the club. He ends up recruiting five other players, making his team eligible to compete in tournaments.

Will the team have what it takes to defeat other schools?

6. Angel Beats

Angel Beats is only 13 episodes long, but it's worth every minute. This unconventional anime is set in a high school full of dead students—only, the students aren't zombies.

These students attend a school in the afterlife. In order to get reincarnated, they must first get past the traumatic events that happened in their previous life.

The protagonist, Yuzuru Otonashi, lands in the afterlife with amnesia. He soon gets invited to join the Afterlife Battlefront (SSS), an organization created by Yuri Nakamura. The SSS fights against the God that made them suffer in life.

5. School Rumble

School Rumble concerns the high school life of Tenma Tsukamoto. She's just an average student, but she has a crush on one of her classmates, Oji Karasuma.

She has trouble telling Oji how she feels, and Oji remains clueless to her obvious crush—he would rather just eat curry anyway.

Meanwhile, Tenma has her own admirer. Kenji Harima only goes to school just to see Tenma, and he also struggles with confessing his love.

When he tries to make the big reveal, something always happens to interrupt him. The complex love triangle leaves plenty of room for humor and fun.

4. Toradora

If you're looking for a great high school-themed romantic comedy, you should check out Toradora.

The show revolves around two students, Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka. In fact, the show's title is actually a combination of the two characters' names.

Unlike most high school boys, Ryuuji is good-natured and enjoys doing housework. However, he has a menacing face that intimidates everyone around him. Taiga has a similar problem—she resembles a timid-looking doll, but she's actually super aggressive.

What happens when these two opposite personalities collide? You'll have to watch Toradora to find out.

3. The Irregular at Magic High School

Want to escape the reality of boring high school life? You should dive into The Irregular at Magic High School.

This anime is based in an alternate universe where actual magicians live among regular humans. In this world, not everyone has magic powers—only some people are lucky enough to inherit the magic gene.

Magicians in Japan are required to attend one of the country's nine magic high schools. Each school trains magicians in a different style of magic.

The main character, Tatsuya Shiba, acts as his sister Miyuki's bodyguard. Miyuki is known as the best magician in school, while Tatsuya's technical abilities make him an outcast.

2. Nichijou - My Ordinary Life

Nichijou is a slice-of-life anime that centers around the lives of high school friends in Tokisadame.

The bubbly and feisty personalities of Mio Nagonohara and Yuko Aioi are countered by the subdued nature of Mai Minakami. The show also stars Nano Shinonome, a robot student built by an eight-year-old professor.

The show's name "Nichijou" means "everyday" in Japanese. It might sound like a typical high school anime, but it definitely doesn't conform to any of the cliches of a standard school-themed anime.

In each episode, you can expect to see the characters' seemingly typical lives get interrupted by strange occurrences.

1. Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club is probably the most well-known high school anime for its wacky plot and constant humor.

The story follows Haruhi Fujioka, a student at the distinguished Ouran Academy. When she tries to find a new spot to study, she comes across the Third Music Room, where the Ouran High School Host Club is based.

This club specializes in catering to female guests—they engage them in conversation over a cup of tea. After Haruhi accidentally breaks one of the host club's most expensive vases, she has to figure out a way to repay them.

Since the members of the club mistake the tomboyish Haruhi for a boy, she gets roped into becoming a host as a way to pay back her debt.

Anime Makes the School Year Zoom By

When you're not studying, take a break and watch one of the above anime. They'll distract your mind from whatever drama or stress is taking place inside the classroom, and they'll transport you to completely new places that'll have you feeling all kinds of fun and lovely emotions!

Is The Irregular of Magic High School good?

Is irregular a good anime?

Is the honor at Magic High School Same as irregular?