Magical Warfare | |
![]() First light novel volume cover featuring the character Mui Aiba | |
魔法戦争 (Mahou Sensou) | |
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Genre | Adventure, fantasy, romance[1] |
Light novel | |
Written by | Hisashi Suzuki |
Illustrated by | Lunalia |
Published by | Media Factory |
Imprint | MF Bunko J |
Demographic | Male |
Original run | November 25, 2011 – September 25, 2015 |
Volumes | 12 |
Manga | |
Written by | Hisashi Suzuki |
Illustrated by | You Ibuki |
Published by | Media Factory |
Magazine | Monthly Comic Gene |
Demographic | Shōjo |
Original run | April 15, 2013 – June 15, 2015 |
Volumes | 6 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yūzō Satō |
Written by | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu |
Music by | Masato Kōda |
Studio | Madhouse |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TBS, MBS, CBC, BS-TBS |
English network | |
Original run | January 9, 2014 – March 27, 2014 |
Episodes | 12 |
Magical Warfare (Japanese: 魔法戦争, Hepburn: Mahō Sensō) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hisashi Suzuki and illustrated by Lunalia. Twelve volumes have been published by Media Factory since November 25, 2011 under their MF Bunko J label. A manga adaptation by You Ibuki started serialization in the manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene on April 15, 2013 and Kadokawa made the English digital volumes available on BookWalker on October 29, 2015.[3] A 12-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse originally aired between January 9 and March 27, 2014.
Takeshi Nanase is an ordinary high school student who has a somewhat dark and troubled past. On his way to kendo practice, he comes across a girl named Mui Aiba in a school uniform he never saw before. After being nursed back to health by Takeshi, instead of thanking him, she accidentally turns him into a magician.
Takeshi's encounter with Mui results in his friends Kurumi Isoshima and Kazumi Ida also becoming magicians, and the three learn the current world is actually split into two - the world they live in, and the world of magicians. Mui is a magician enrolled in the Subaru Magic Academy, where many magicians can learn to control their powers and live in peace with regular humans, and whenever necessary protect humanity from magicians with malevolent intent. Instead of returning to the real world, Takeshi decides to enroll into the academy as well, and so his friends follow suit.
These three friends are fighting for different reasons, either to escape their turbulent past or to catch up to the future. They possess different abilities which they must learn to harness in order to fend off the Ghost Trailers, a group of magicians who seek to use violence to assert their superiority over humans. Takeshi and his friends must strive to become stronger and must face the Ghost Trailers' leader in order to prevent the Second Great Magic War from taking place.
The first light novel was published on November 25, 2011 by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint.[5] Twelve volumes have been published as of September 25, 2015. (October 2013 merger of companies led to new ISBNs[6])
No. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | November 25, 2011[7] | 978-4-8401-4305-9 |
2 | March 23, 2012[8] | 978-4-8401-4530-5 |
3 | August 24, 2012[9] | 978-4-8401-4678-4 |
4 | December 25, 2012[10] | 978-4-8401-4937-2 |
5 | March 25, 2013[11] | 978-4-8401-5138-2 |
6 | September 25, 2013[12] | 978-4-8401-5284-6 |
7 | January 9, 2014[13] | 978-4-04-066205-3 |
8 | March 25, 2014[14] | 978-4-04-066378-4 |
9 | August 25, 2014[15] | 978-4-04-066953-3 |
10 | January 23, 2015[16] | 978-4-04-067313-4 |
11 | April 24, 2015[17] | 978-4-04-067472-8 |
12 | September 25, 2015[18] | 978-4-04-067747-7 |
A manga adaptation by You Ibuki started serialization in the manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene on April 15, 2013.[19] Media Factory published 6 tankōbon volumes between September 27, 2013[20] and August 27, 2015.[21]
No. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | September 27, 2013[20] | 978-4-8401-5317-1 |
2 | January 9, 2014[22] | 978-4-04-066241-1 |
3 | March 27, 2014[23] | 978-4-04-066512-2 |
4 | August 27, 2014[24] | 978-4-04-066839-0 |
5 | January 27, 2015[25] | 978-4-04-067254-0 |
6 | August 27, 2015[21] | 978-4-04-067579-4 |
It was one of five MF Bunko J light novel anime adaptations announced at Media Factory's Summer School Festival event on July 28, 2013.[26] A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Madhouse aired from January 9, 2014 to March 27, 2014.[27][28] The opening song is "Senkō no Prisoner" (閃光のPRISONER) performed by Yuuka Nanri and ending theme song is "Born To Be" by Nano.[29][30] On January 3, 2014, Crunchyroll announced that it has obtained the streaming rights for USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.[31][32][33][34] Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime for digital and home video release in North America.[35][36][37] Kadokawa Entertainment also released the series on Blu-ray on April 18, 2014.[38] Aniplex Japan later released the series alongside World Conquest Zvezda Plot on March 19, 2014.[39]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Midsummer Magical Girl" Transliteration: "Manatsu no mahō shōjo" (Japanese: 真夏の魔法少女) | Akira Mano | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | January 9, 2014 |
2 | "Another World" Transliteration: "Mō hitotsu no sekai" (Japanese: もうひとつの世界) | Katsumi Minoguchi | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | January 16, 2014 |
3 | "The Magic Academy and Love Fortunes" Transliteration: "Majikkuakademī to ai unsei" (Japanese: マジックアカデミーと愛運勢) | Kenichi Yatani | Momoko Murakami | January 23, 2014 |
4 | "Mui and Tsuganashi of the Ruined World" Transliteration: "Hōkai sekai no roku to jū" (Japanese: 崩壊世界の六と十) | Koji Sawai | Sayaka Harada | January 30, 2014 |
5 | "Magic Tests and Winter Vacation" Transliteration: "Mahō shiken to fuyuyasumi" (Japanese: 魔法試験と冬休み) | Shinichi Masaki | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | February 6, 2014 |
6 | "Battle and Recovery" Transliteration: "Gekitō to dakkan" (Japanese: 激闘と奪還) | Akira Mano | Momoko Murakami | February 13, 2014 |
7 | "The Magic Sword's Secret" Transliteration: "Maken no himitsu" (Japanese: 魔剣の秘密) | Kiyoshi Murayama | Sayaka Harada | February 20, 2014 |
8 | "Wizard Brace's Darkness" Transliteration: "Wizaado Bureisu no Yami" (Japanese: ウィザードブレイスの闇) | Naoyuki Itō | Toshio Ishino | February 27, 2014 |
9 | "Prelude to Destruction" Transliteration: "Hōkai e no jokyoku" (Japanese: 崩壊への序曲) | Yōsuke Hatta | Toshio Ishino | March 6, 2014 |
10 | "Vanishing Boundaries" Transliteration: "Kesareta kyōkai" (Japanese: 消された境界) | Yūzō Satō | Sayaka Harada | March 13, 2014 |
11 | "The Battle of Pendragon" Transliteration: "Pendoragon no kessen" (Japanese: ペンドラゴンの決戦) | Takahiro Majima | Momoko Murakami | March 20, 2014 |
12 | "Gone From This World" Transliteration: "Sekai kara no shōshitsu" (Japanese: 世界からの消失) | Akira Mano | Momoko Murakami | March 27, 2014 |
The anime series has been met with overwhelmingly negative reviews.[citation needed]
Nicoletta Browne of THEM Anime Reviews found several problems with the show, among them being the bland characters, poorly constructed plot, and the cliffhanger ending. She concludes that "the laziness and incompetence on display throughout are just depressing to witness."[40]
Suzuki admitted that it was a mistake to have his light novel adapted into an anime.[41]