The Honor at Magic High School
“A Spin-off That Misses Its Magic”
Miyuki was always my favorite character in The Irregular at Magic High School series. The Shiba´s family prodigy heir, whose true potential was unfortunately rarely shown on the screen, always left me wanting to see more of her in action. I want to watch her acting independently without making all her decisions and thoughts about her precious older brother (it seems impossible, I know, but one can dream).
Miyuki needed to be given a chance to show her powerful magic skills in a critical situation for over a few seconds. All the opportunities to shine have always been taken by her older brother, who is your classic overpowered MC. So, I was excited when a spin-off centered on Miyuki as the protagonist was announced. Her time had finally come—a retelling of the series from her point of view!
After six years of distancing the original series from this retelling. Is it worth watching as a franchise fan or a stand-alone one-season anime? Did The Honor at Magic High School maintain interest in the series? Without further ado, let us start with the review!
"The Honor at Magic High School" is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from July 3rd to September 25th, 2021. The series was produced by Connect Studio, with 8bit handling the animation production. The creative team included Hideki Tachibana as director, Tsuyoshi Tamai handling series composition, and Ryosuke Yamamoto and Takao Sano on character design. The series falls under the action, sci-fi, and supernatural genres, targeting the same Seinen demographic as its parent series. Based on Yu Mori's spin-off manga of "The Irregular at Magic High School," the series maintains close ties to the original while offering a fresh perspective through Miyuki's eyes.
The story follows the events of the first season of The Irregular at Magic High School, this time through the eyes of Shiba Miyuki, Tatsuya´s little sister. The life of an honor student comes with many expectations, and in the case of Miyuki, perhaps hidden feelings, too. One can expect changes in the narrative considering that it retells the original twenty-six episodes in thirteen (or, well, twelve, since the first episode is a small story that introduces us to the dynamic of the Shiba siblings).
“The Irregular” focused on Tatsuya discovering plans that would endanger his sister, the school, or the country itself and doing everything possible to counteract them and catch the culprits. On the other hand, the Honor largely omits these events and focuses on the school activities Miyuki and the company were doing while this unfolded in parallel. This is how the plot is primarily lightened, leaving aside explanations about how magic works and establishing the world where they are, as well as omitting context for Tatsuya's now subplots during the events of The Honor.
For some, it is negative, but if we had a series that was exactly EVERYTHING all over again, it would make the series a total skip. For those who have already seen the original material (and still remember what happened), one can assume there is no moment of suspense or tension already knowing how things will end. This is partially true, but the series leans on other aspects to keep the audience invested.
Considering how forgettable the side characters are in The Irregular at Magic Hich School, they knew how to use this as fertile ground to work with for this spin-off. Most side characters are practically blank pages. It won't be Miyuki who shines the brightest (to my disappointment). Still, the trio of Eimi, Shizuku, and Honoka carry the series with their charm and how fun their dynamic is together. Also, they give us more context of why they are such fans of the Shiba siblings and Miyuki in particular.
Going to the Nine Schools competition, The Honor at The Magic High School leans on the characters' emotional side, knowing that most viewers already know the results of this competition. We will be introduced to several students from other schools that I wish we could see more of in the future (another spin-off centered on the different academy students we got to see here, maybe?). They humanized these academies quite well, so the viewer goes beyond considering them as "rivals" all in one lump. They show us what is at stake personally for the competitors, so we care about them.
Returning to Miyuki, I was slightly disappointed as the premise placed so much emphasis on her character. She has her moments, but the writers, for some reason, didn’t let her escape from having 85% of her scenes revolving around her brother. It may be the "essence of the character." Still, the constant comic exaggeration of Miyuki's imagination about Tatsuya as an addition to the series made me cringe quite a lot. The character did not detach herself from this being one of the only few facets of her personality; this trait was overemphasized. Of course, one can always see it as a comic cliché of school comedy.
Moving on to the art and animation, you can notice a change in the design of the characters in certain scenes. I don't know if it was an animation inconsistency or if the series' composition has changed. But I bet the animation budget in specific sequences was saved to favor moments that needed to be more visually appealing, especially those involving magic.
The different types of magic used in The Nine School Competition maintain their impact thanks to the attention paid to the animation of this arc. Having the competitors use magic in such versatile ways gave the studio visually exciting sequences. You can tell how much attention to detail was put into giving visually beautiful results.
The audio production maintains high quality throughout the series. Though it doesn't stand out, the soundtrack effectively enhances action sequences and slice-of-life moments. The opening theme, "101," by Sangatsu no Phantasia, and the ending theme, "Double Standard," by Philosophy no Dance, perfectly capture the series' tone. The voice acting deserves special mention, particularly Saori Hayami's performance as Miyuki, who brings depth to the character's complex emotions, especially in scenes involving her brother. The sound effects during magical sequences are particularly well executed, impacting the competition scenes.
The Honor at Magic High School received mixed reactions from the franchise's fanbase. While some appreciated the fresh perspective and deeper exploration of side characters, others found the series lacking the technical depth and political intrigue that made the original compelling. The slice-of-life approach divided viewers, with some enjoying the lighter tone while others missed the complex world-building of its predecessor. Many fans particularly praised the Nine Schools Competition arc for its emotional depth and character development. However, some felt the reduced focus on magical theory and technical aspects diminished the strategic elements that made the original tournament engaging. The decision to maintain Miyuki's brother-centric characterization was a contention, with some viewers hoping for more independent character development.
For those who enjoyed this series' lighter tone and focus on school life, "Classroom of the Elite" might be a good choice, as it features another elite school setting with complex character relationships. "The Asterisk War" is another option, as it includes similar magical academy competitions and character dynamics. On the other hand, if you prefer the original's more serious tone, "A Certain Magical Index" could be a good fit, as it offers a similarly detailed magic system with more technical focus. "The Misfit of Demon King Academy" is another series that features an overpowered protagonist but maintains its serious plot elements.
Blame me for maybe having certain expectations about the series, but I was a bit disappointed. It's not bad or lacks the minimum to be entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend watching it as a segway into the franchise. Making it a stand-alone series might require highlighting the scenes contributing to the original plot so that someone could isolate them as an additional contribution to the re-adapted episode. So, in any case, I would recommend it as a light compliment after viewing The Irregular at Magic High School to get acquainted with secondary characters that the original series did not give much screen time.
Originally Published: 9/9/2022. Edited and Updated 10/27/24
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