Magical Warfare

Magical Warfare
First light novel volume cover featuring the character Mui Aiba
魔法戦争 (Mahou Sensou)
Genre	Adventure, fantasy, romance
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 – present
Volumes	5
Anime television series
Directed by	Yūzō Satō
Written by	Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
Music by	Masato Kōda
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA: Sentai Filmworks
Original network	TBS, MBS, CBC, BS-TBS
English network	NA: Animax 2.0 USA SEA: Animax Asia US: Anime 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. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Madhouse originally aired between January 9 and March 27, 2014.

Plot

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 learns that the current world is actually split into two - the world that he's living in, and the world of magicians. He also learns that 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. Instead of returning to the real world, Takeshi and his new magician friends Kurumi Isoshima and Kazumi Ida decide to enroll into the academy as well.

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 are resorting to using 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.

Characters

Main characters

Takeshi Nanase (七瀬 武, Nanase Takeshi)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Gabriel Regojo (English)

The male protagonist. A high school freshman, he is talented in kendo with a serious personality. Takeshi has a cold relationship with his family and pretends to be in a relationship with his childhood friend Kurumi. This relationship is one of the main sources of conflict between him and his younger brother, Gekkō. Since the beginning of middle school, he has chosen not to call Kurumi by her first name, instead referring to her "Isoshima-san", which is considered to be too polite for people who have known each other as long as they have. Takeshi became a magician after Mui unintentionally exposed him to magic shortly after they first met. Rather than return to the Real World with their magic sealed away permanently, he, along with Kurumi and Ida, chooses to become a magician and enrolls in Subaru Magic Academy. His magic is Evasive-type and his Aspect (the tool that acts as a focus through which magicians project their power) is a type of gun sword with the approximate length and weight of a kendo sword, that was named "Twilight" by its previous owner, one of the 15 'Great Magicians'. He loses his sword after the first fight with Gekkou. He appears to feel a great deal of affection for Kurumi, although not to the same extent as she does for him, and seems to be marginally aware of Mui's feelings for him, and recalled the promise about breaking off the fake relationship with Kurumi if they ever found a person they truly love while staring directly at Mui.

Mui Aiba (相羽 六, Aiba Mui)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama (Japanese); Allison Sumrall (English)

One of the female protagonists. A magician who was found by Takeshi when she collapsed on the school grounds, and unintentionally turned him into magician by exposing him to magic. She uses Acceleration magic and is trying to release her older brother from Trailer's influence. When Takeshi and his friends enroll in Subaru Magic Academy, Mui is transferred to Class C as punishment, even though she is S-class in both theory and practical magic. Her Aspect is a gun she named "Arthur" and has had feelings for Takeshi ever since they kissed in the school infirmary.

Kurumi Isoshima (五十島 くるみ, Isoshima Kurumi)

Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese); Sara Ornelas (English)

The other female protagonist. Kurumi is Takeshi's childhood friend and his fake girlfriend. She became a magician during the confrontation between Takeshi and the magicians from Trailer and gained Transformation magic. Her Aspect is a lipstick.

She is a beautiful girl and has been admired ever since she was young. From the time she entered middle school she was confessed to by numerous boys including, disturbingly, university students. After a traumatizing experience with a stalker, she asked Takeshi, whom she considered to be the only boy she could trust, to pretend to be her boyfriend to keep other boys away from her. This arrangement was to last until either of them found someone they truly love. Despite pretending to be in a relationship with Takeshi, she has genuine feelings for him and wishes to become a real couple.

As the story progresses, her traumatic past involving Takeshi and Gekkō, her complex relationship with them, and the affections Takeshi, Gekkō, and Takao Oigami all harbor toward her serve to move the plot forward. Kurumi later becomes Takeshi's reason for developing his abilities so that he can fight all-out against Gekkō. Kazuma Ryuusenji, Trailer's leader, entrusts her with important truths.

Kazumi Ida (伊田 一三, Ida Kazumi)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese); Scott Gibbs (English)

Takeshi's friend, who appears to be and acts like a punk with bleached spiky hair, earrings, and skull ring. He is actually softhearted, very carefree, and has a sister complex toward his little sister. He became a magician in the same confrontation as Kurumi and gained Destruction magic, which allows him to produce flames. His Aspect is a ring.

Subaru Magic Academy

Momoka Shijō (四条 桃花, Shijō Momoka)

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese); Nancy Novotny (English)

A girl who is the headmistress of Academy.

Makoto Hitōji (一氏 誠, Hitōji Makoto)

Voiced by: Takayuki Yamaguchi (Japanese); Mike Yager (English)

Takeshi and friends' homeroom teacher.

Nanami Hyōdō (兵頭 七海, Hyōdō Nanami)

Voiced by: Ayumi Tsunematsu (Japanese); Amelia Fischer (English)

The school nurse, who idolizes Momoka Shijō.

Pops (おやっさん, Oyassan)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese); Josh Morrison (English)

The Academy's weapons provider.

Violet North (ヴァイオレット・ノース, Baioretto Nōsu)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English)

The English teacher at the Academy who occasionally tells fortunes. During one of these readings the fortune she tells Kurumi leads to her developing doubts about Takeshi. Violet is revealed to be a member of Trailer, having killed an entire party of magicians from Wizard Brace to keep her identity secret. Kippei refers to her as 'V' and appears to be wary of her magical strength. Her position as a teacher and her fortune telling sideshow allow her to gather information, influence students to either act as Trailer wishes (e.g. by giving out false information, leading them into traps etc.) or join Trailer or to become more susceptible to being influenced by Trailer.

Ghost Trailer

Gekkō Nanase (七瀬 月光, Nanase Gekkō)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Japanese); Clint Bickham (English)

Takeshi's younger brother and the main antagonist. He used to be a cheerful and friendly person who got along well with his brother. Both of them practiced kendo and were childhood friends with Kurumi, whom Gekkō was obsessed with. The brothers' relationship soured after Gekkō confronted Takeshi about his new 'relationship' with Kurumi, accusing him of taking advantage of her vulnerable state after the stalker incident. When Takeshi ran after his brother to explain the situation, Gekkō was hit by a car. The accident caused lasting damage to Gekkō's leg and forced him to quit kendo, the one thing he was better at than his older brother. Gekkō's resentment of his brother over Kurumi changed into hatred because he blames his brother for stealing everything from him (first Kurumi, then kendo) and later, after years of mental abuse, "running away" to a new school (Subaru Magic Academy). Gekkō follows Takeshi to Subaru Magic Academy, to his older brother's and Kurumi's surprise, and turns out to be a magician capable of casting very powerful and destructive magic. He became a magician through the intervention of Washizu. During Trailers' attack on the Academy it is revealed that he has a vindictive personality (and has always believed himself to be superior to his brother) and desires above all else to hurt Takeshi and take away everything that he holds dear. Gekkou although loses to Takeshi after the second fight in their hometown and the Gun Sword "Twilight" returns to Takeshi.

Tsuganashi Aiba (相羽 十, Aiba Tsuganashi)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Leraldo Anzaldua (English)

Mui's older brother, whose memories were erased by Ghost Trailers. He is hunting Mui because he has been tasked with bringing her to Ghost Trailers, which is why she fled to the Real World, where she ran into Takeshi and his friends.

Takao Oigami (狼神 鷹雄, Oigami Takao)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Andrew Love (English)

A member of Trailer who has the same kind of Evasive magic as Takeshi. After he and Hotaru were knocked out, they were detained by Subaru Magic Academy. He later forms a close bond with Kurumi, and even calls her by her first name, to the ire of Takeshi (who continues to call her "Isoshima-san").

Hotaru Kumagai (熊谷 蛍, Kumagai Hotaru)

Voiced by: Saki Fujita (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)

A female member of Trailer who is often mistaken for a boy, and Oigami's close friend. She was knocked out by Ida and then, together with Takao, detained by Subaru Magic Academy.

Ushiwaka (牛若)

Voiced by: Toshiki Masuda (Japanese); Johnny DeLaCerda (English)

A member of Trailer who lost his magic after he rashly attacked Mui and Kurumi with magic while in the Real World.

Kippei Washizu (鷲津 吉平, Washizu Kippei)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); David Wald (English)

He suddenly appears in front of Takeshi and his friends after their battle with Tsuganashi Aiba.

Kazuma Ryuusenji (竜泉寺 和馬, Ryūsenji Kazuma)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); David Matranga (English)

The leader of Ghost Trailer who believes that magicians are superior to normal humans. He has been missing, and hoped to be dead, since he cast the spell 'Last Requiem' during the Great Magic War that took place 16-17 years before the present. He is then revealed to be Takeshi from another timeline that had failed to change the future over and over resulting in a endless paradox of events due to Gekkou coming back to life as Kazuma starting the 1st War over and over.

Others

Futaba Ida (伊田 二葉, Ida Futaba)

Voiced by: Akane Fujita (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English)

Ida's beloved little sister who has reached her rebellious age. Takeshi once saved her from a couple of thugs who were harassing her - something that Ida, who was late arriving on the scene, has never forgotten. She enrolls in the elementary school division of Subaru Magic Academy after an incident between her and Ida during spring break turns her into a magician.

Yōko Nanase (七瀬 陽子, Nanase Yōko)

Voiced by: Ami Nanase (Japanese); Molly Searcy (English)

Takeshi and Gekkō's mother. She has been cold to Takeshi ever since Gekkō's accident. She is keeping secrets about herself and her sons. Yōko was at one time a teacher at Subaru Academy and is one of the 15 "Great Magicians" from Wizard Brace, a community of magicians who believe in peaceful coexistence with normal humans, who split the world in two to prevent 'Last Requiem' from killing all non-magicians.

Media

Light novels

The first light novel was published on November 25, 2011 by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint. Twelve volumes have been published as of September 25, 2015. (October 2013 merger of companies led to new ISBNs)

No.	Release date	ISBN
1	November 25, 2011	978-4-8401-4305-9
Takeshi Nanase finds Mui Alba collapsed at his school. While looking for help he discovers she is wizard from another world, who is being chased by a wizard community known as Ghost Trailer. Her brother, Tsuganashi Aiba, has been brainwashed into working with them. Unfortunately, Mui accidentally turns Takeshi into an evasion wizard (allowing him to dodge any attack or spell cast in his direction) by exposing him to magic. In order to protect Mui, Takeshi gets into a fight with a Ghost Trailer affiliated evasion wizard named Takao Oigami. During the battle his friend Kazumi Ida and "pretend" girlfriend Kurumi Isoshima are also exposed to magic and thus turned into wizards. After Oigami is defeated, Takeshi and his friends go with Mui to the other world with plans to enroll in Subaru Magic Academy in order to hone their new magic powers.
2	March 23, 2012	978-4-8401-4530-5
Takeshi and friends are now students at Subaru Magic Academy. They are in the lowest class and Mui has to step down in order to advise them (and as punishment for leaving campus). Since Takeshi is an evasion wizard, he has no "aspect" to focus and control his magic power. Mui takes him to the school store where he is given a legendary gun sword known as Twilight. Mui gets two tickets to see a fortune teller named Miss Violet. She gives the second ticket to Kurumi, who is told Takeshi will cheat on her. Upon learning about the accidental kiss between Takeshi and Mui, Kurumi begins to believe the prediction. This leads to an argument between Takeshi and Kurumi however they end up making up. Miss Violet tells Mui where to find her brother so she leaves to find him. Takeshi and his friends leave the campus to search for her and witness her brother hurting her. The group fight off her brother and thanks to a combo attack by Takeshi and Ida they are able to beat him. He is then taken away by a man named Washizu from Ghost Trailer. The headmistress scolds them for leaving the campus and makes them promise not to leave again however, Takeshi says he won't give up until Mui gets her brother back.
3	August 24, 2012	978-4-8401-4678-4
4	December 25, 2012	978-4-8401-4937-2
5	March 25, 2013	978-4-8401-5138-2
6	September 25, 2013	978-4-8401-5284-6
7	January 9, 2014	978-4-04-066205-3
8	March 25, 2014	978-4-04-066378-4
9	August 25, 2014	978-4-04-066953-3
10	January 23, 2015	978-4-04-067313-4
11	April 24, 2015	978-4-04-067472-8
12	September 25, 2015	978-4-04-067747-7

Manga

A manga adaptation by You Ibuki started serialization in the manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene on April 15, 2013. Media Factory published 5 tankōbon volumes between September 27, 2013 and January 27, 2015.

No.	Release date	ISBN
1	September 27, 2013	978-4-8401-5317-1
2	January 9, 2014	978-4-04-066241-1
3	March 27, 2014	978-4-04-066512-2
4	August 27, 2014	978-4-04-066839-0
5	January 27, 2015	978-4-04-067254-0

Anime

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. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Madhouse aired from January 9, 2014 to March 27, 2014. 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. On January 3, 2014, Crunchyroll announced that it has obtained the streaming rights for USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime for digital and home video release in North America. Kadokawa Entertainment also released the series on Blu-ray on April 18, 2014. Aniplex Japan later released the series alongside World Conquest Zvezda Plot on March 19, 2014.

Episode list

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 (2014-01-09)
Takeshi Nanase is an ordinary high school boy who has a somewhat dark past. One day, he comes across a girl named Mui Aiba, in a uniform he has never seen before, collapsed on the school campus. This encounter changes Takeshi's destiny completely. Mui tells Takeshi that she is a magician, and she apologizes, for she turned Takeshi into a magician, too. What Takeshi once knew as one world is actually two — the world where magicians live and the world where humans live.
2	"Another World" Transliteration: "Mō hitotsu no sekai" (Japanese: もうひとつの世界)	Katsumi Minoguchi	Kazuyuki Fudeyasu	January 16, 2014 (2014-01-16)
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 (2014-01-23)
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 (2014-01-30)
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 (2014-02-06)
6	"Battle and Recovery" Transliteration: "Gekitō to dakkan" (Japanese: 激闘と奪還)	Akira Mano	Momoko Murakami	February 13, 2014 (2014-02-13)
7	"The Magic Sword's Secret" Transliteration: "Maken no himitsu" (Japanese: 魔剣の秘密)	Kiyoshi Murayama	Sayaka Harada	February 20, 2014 (2014-02-20)
After the return of Tsuganashi Aiba, Takeshi keeps having nightmares during his sleep. That nightmares are caused by someone that used magic. In order to end the nightmare, he has to explore his dream and settle things with this magic user.
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 (2014-02-27)
It's now April, and Subaru Magic Academy bustles with activity welcoming its new students. Among them are Ida's younger sister Futaba. Due to an unfortunate little incident between the Ida siblings, Futaba has become a magician as well. Also among the new students is Takeshi's younger brother Gekkō.
9	"Prelude to Destruction" Transliteration: "Hōkai e no jokyoku" (Japanese: 崩壊への序曲)	Yōsuke Hatta	Toshio Ishino	March 6, 2014 (2014-03-06)
Ryuusenji Kazuma, the leader of the Ghost Trailers, had fallen into endless slumber after the previous Great War. Now that he has awoken once again, the curtain rises upon the Second Great Magic War.
10	"Vanishing Boundaries" Transliteration: "Kesareta kyōkai" (Japanese: 消された境界)	Yūzō Satō	Sayaka Harada	March 13, 2014 (2014-03-13)
After revealing that he is a Ghost Trailer, Gekkō takes Kurumi and Twilight away from Takeshi. The badly wounded Takeshi is rescued by Kisaki Ena and her companions from the Community known as "Camelot."
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 (2014-03-20)
Takeshi continues training at Camelot in order to rescue Kurumi. Meanwhile, at the Ghost Trailers' headquarters, Kurumi confronts Gekkō. Taking advantage of a moment's carelessness, Kurumi manages to escape her prison.
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 (2014-03-27)
Takeshi heads home and finds Gekkō, wielding a modified Twilight dripping blood, exiting the house. He fears the worst, given his precognitive dream (that Gekkō kills their mother) and demands that Gekkō let him pass. Gekkō informs Takeshi that the accident was actually an assassination attempt arranged by their mother. Unwilling to believe that, a fight between the brothers ensues with Takeshi now able to fight with Gekkō on even terms thanks to his mother's training. He is on the verge of gaining the upper hand when Gekkō resorts to subterfuge to get Takeshi to drop his guard. Meanwhile, Kurumi has been searching the battlefield for Takeshi. She finds him just as Gekkō is about to stab him and interposes herself at the last second, saving Takeshi, to the horror of both brothers. This galvanizes Takeshi and he starts fighting his brother in earnest. The engagement becomes so intense that their powers start to go out of control. Momoka appears and shoots a magical "bomb" towards both of them, causing them to disappear from the battlefield. Kazuma is shown in Takeshi's house. He has healed Yōko and after calling her mother, he takes a picture of Isoshima from his pocket - that same picture of her that Takeshi has. The focus then shifts to a just-awakened Takeshi who finds himself on the Academy grounds, but they are strangely untouched by recent events. His mother and one of his teachers appear, only the teacher is calling her Sensei and Takeshi realizes that something is off. A nearby poster indicates that the year is 1998 - 16 years in the past. He then encounters other people he has met including Momoko, Washizu, Tsukiomi and Kazuma who appear to be friends. To his further surprise, Gekkō runs up to the group while Takeshi sits on a bench trying to make sense of everything. The group walks past Takeshi and Gekkō menacingly greets him.

Reception

The anime series has been met with overwhelmingly negative reviews.

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."

Suzuki admitted that it was a mistake to have his light novel adapted into an anime.

External links

• Official light novel website (in Japanese)
• Official anime website (in Japanese)
• Magical Warfare (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia