Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

This is an example of how one plot can ruin the whole series. Tatsuya is a siscon, while the reverse can be said to Miyuki. But when it is revealed that they are truly realted by blood but still engage and I do believe that they'll end up getting married in volume 32. things get sour. What the fuck did the author think ?

The series shows a good scenario when magic has become common sense, while creats intense situations and exciting magic fights. But things are completely falling apart because of an incident.

The art is at least fine.

In conclusion, I can't no longer understand what the author truly wants to convey before and after the existence of that flag. It is interesting in the first place, but quite spoiled then.

Story: 10
Mahouka story revolves around Tatsuya and his little sister Miyuki as they try to live normal everyday lives as magicians despite who they are and the countless trouble they find themselves in. Doesn't sound ground breaking I know, however when you include terrorist organizations, global crime syndicates, foreign military powers, and much more to the mix, you've got one compelling and entertaining story on your hands that has a lot of political and social intrigue.

The science behind the magic in Mahouka is pretty cool and interesting. The author did hell of a job with making this pseudo science for magic and its by far the most unique system of magic that I've read in fiction. However, the explanations and info dumps can be overwhelming to the point that it feels like you are reading it out of an advanced textbook, so you might need to have full concentration when going through them in order get the full grasp of it.

I figured I should mention this, if you are not a fan of incestuous undertones, you might feel uncomfortable with some of Miyuki's thoughts and actions throughout the novels.

Characters: 9
Tatsuya is the main protagonist in Mahouka. He best is described as stoic and highly intelligent. Tatsuya gives off a cold impression, however he can be very kind and caring(mainly towards his friends and Miyuki). Due to specific circumstances, Tatsuya has weaker emotions and because of this logic often rules his thought process. However the one strong emotion he has left, is his brotherly love for Miyuki and because of this, he tends to spoil her and be overly protective.Caused by mistreatment growing up, Tatsuya often looks down on his own magic capabilities and merits and has trouble grasping why people see him in a positive light, while he often labels himself as a villain. He also has a inferiority complex for mundane things that other people have no trouble dealing with.

For me, Tatsuya is the most interesting character in the novel and my personal favorite. I'll admit he is border-lining the gary stu sterotype, however he has enough faults that he doesn't seem overly perfect, which lets you know he can grow as a character. Speaking of development, Tatsuya is a predeveloped character, so he doesn't develop like usual MC's. For Tatsuya, his development comes from his emotion growth as a character and his growth as a human being, its subtle at first, but around you start noticing definite changes as the story progresses. Another thing to mention, Tatsuya is extremely overpowered to the point that its unfair, however I don't find this a issue, because for the majority of his fights, he is under circumstances that don't allow him to go all out and depending on the strength of his opponent, he is forced to use tactics and his combat prowess to win. Plus when he does go all out, he tends to leave me in awe. He is also put in a quite of situation where his power can't solve the issue at hand, which force him to go at those situations with different means to solve the problem. His OP'ness is also treated as a double edged sword. Even though his strength lets him rule the battlefield, it also limits his freedom and causes him to be targeted often by people to either eliminate him, capture him, limit him, or to even brainwash him. So at much as it seems to be a gift, his power actually can be considered a curse as well.

For Miyuki, she is very well mannered, kind, and down to earth young lady and combined with her extreme beauty and world class magic strength, she gives off an overly perfect impression. For Miyuki, her life is completely centered around Tatsuya and her love for Tatsuya surpasses that of sibling love. This part of Miyuki scares herself, because she is afraid that Tatsuya would distance himself from her if he knew. She often gets really jealous if Tatsuya gets overly friendly with other girls, but surprisingly she is fine with girls having romantic feelings for her brother and is willing to allow them to compete as love rivals.

My main problem with Miyuki is that she is pretty much a one dimensional character. Outside of Tatsuya, she doesn't have any goals or objectives of herself. Her brocon can be heart warming at times, but annoying at others. I don't hate hate Miyuki, but for being the main female, she isn't very compelling or interesting. Though In wouldn't outright say that she's a bad character.

As for the supporting cast, its filled with likable characters with a good amount of them given good depth and characterization. For example, characters like Mayumi and Erika really shine and are fleshed out extremely well. However, Mahouka has a very large cast of characters and so some of them haven't yet been fleshed out as much as they should or have been left in the background, but since the story is far from over that could very well be covered later on.

Personal Enjoyment: 10
I absolutely love this series. The number of times I have read the fan translated volumes is in the double digits and I was never bored. I love the characters, the magic system, the action, the drama, the world building, and the political and social intrigue.

Overall score: 10
Mahouka is my bread and butter and its currently my favorite series of time . Of course I'm a little biased, but who isn't with the stuff they love?

My First review also happens to be for the First Novel i ever read!


Story: 10/10
This is a great story for anyone who Enjoys shonen battle mangas. But in many ways, this story even has the potential to be a lot more popular than it already is. It is rare for any story to get overpowered done right but Mahouka does it perfectly. The novel takes a good look at the relationship between the weak and powerful, and it does well to create a world with a complete history. The explanations can get a little bit lengthy, but the complexity behind the magic theory adds a depth of reality to it all. I don't recall another supernatural action setting with such detailed, consistent, plausible explanations for supernatural combat techniques. If you read this for a volume or two, you should be impressed, as well as Intrigued to learn about the various spells and technologies/abilities.


Art : 10/10
Like the saying goes "A picture speaks of thousand things" the LN's are subjected to 2-3 illustrations of important plot points throughout Volumes, MKnR does a fantastic job in this department, the Artist has beautifully crafted the imagination of the author and blessed it with a touch of Life, It has a Mix of Shonen(ish)+a bit of Moe added in there...all in all Perfect Character Design that matches well with the tone of the story


Characters: 10/10
One of The strong point for me in this Novel are it's Varied and Vast Cast of Characters, The MC (Tatsuya) isn't a Social Outcast or Weak as the Title would suggest...he follows his own Established Code mixed in with Mary Stu syndrome and yet ends up flashing the "Anti-Hero" persona, Miyuki his younger Sister suffers from Bro-Complex without any Sexual innuendos but in a more Cutesy fashion...all the Supporting Characters play relevant roles in driving the plot forward and more and more of their Background are revealed as the series progresses.


Enjoyment: 10/10
With each installment my Enjoyment factors keep on rising, this is one of those rare cases that gets better and better with each passing chapters...i have re-read each arcs TWICE and i experience the same amount of Emotions the 2nd time over...which speaks for itself


Overall: 10/10
I Recommend this series to all who likes a bit of "Action+(H)Romance+Mystery+ Futuristic World-Building" mixed in to culminate a Masterpiece of it's Genre...

Okay so let me just put this in perspective for you guys who are kinda edging towards reading it, but not to sure.

This is an amazing light novel, hands down one of the best, it has comedy, combat, romance to some extent, action, drama, intelligent and mind blowing scenes as well as interesting characters.

If you enjoy a strong male lead in a world fulled of magic and mystery, then this book is definitely for you. It's set in a world where magic can be used in everyday lives, mostly for the use of combat, but only by a select skilled few. In this world, magic itself is practically a skill which can be trained and developed through time, but in order to implement this skill, technology or machines known as Cads must be used. Somewhat like the same concept as a wand but more complex.

This novel revolves around Tatsuya Shiba and his sister enrolling within a school where they train such abilities. Upon entrance, due to certain circumstances, he is seen as a failure whilst his sister as a prodigy. From there on, Tastuya begins to show his true ability.

What could the down side be about such an amazing novel you might ask? Well, its simple - This novel is a novel made to make you think. Now this phrase might be slightly broad so let me elaborate.

For those of you who have watched the anime and given it a low ranking , presumably because you don't know whats going on half of the time, that's because you don't know about the fundamentals and the incredible make up of this fantasy world. The way this book as well as how the anime is done is based off the fundamentals of the novel and you need to know what these are in order to watch the anime. Its complex and complicated at some points which in turn make the reader even more interested and intrigued by how much thought has gone into this novel

This novel is with out a doubt a masterpiece in my mind. But don't be fooled, it may be amazingly cool in its combat scenes which keep you turning the page, well thought out and unique, but its doesn't have simple to understand scenarious and basic writing scemes. Its a proper well thought out novel, and you have to have a well matured mind to read it.

Overall, i believe that if you enjoy combat orientated novels with well though out conundrums and scenarious, then give this book a try. I personally found it to be refreshing and incredible, the way the magic is used, how their lives are affected in the school, and the hardships they have to face. Plus the main character is a bad-ass which makes everything so much more interesting

This is my first review,but just one thing that i can say about this novel from beginning, "Amazing"! So,there is my little review about MKnR:


Story: 9/10
The story is great (from my point of view). The siblings with very strong bound,a lot of 'comedy' between the siblings act that make the others have a misunderstanding about their relationships. The progress of story is very interesting,when tatsuya have to keep secret about his identity and his true power. But still his true power will be revealed little by little with the progress of story. Another side that make this novel more interesting is his relationship with the girl arround him,his sister jealousy (miyuki want tatsuya see her more than a little sister) and of course his expressions development,from just an expressionless face to more expressions.

Art (?) : 9/10
For a light novel,the art is well made although the portion for the picture is not too much. "A picture can express more than a thousand words"

Characters: 8/10
The character is good enough although a few of supporting character that appear and disappear without any detailed information. But still,the development of main character is good enough (especially tatsuya).

Enjoyment: 9/10
I can't get enough reading the story over and over,because i can enjoy the story. Especially when it comes to action part,make me think "what will happen next?" "What tatsuya will do to them?" "Will he use his true power in front of his friends?". And there is some part that make me enjoy the feeling of romantic scene between tatsuya and miyuki.

Overall: 9/10
Very good novel. A little confusing part when we have to read explanation about magic again and again. But still,for overall i'll give 9/10 or i can say,this novel is amazing! :)

This novel is simply amazing.... Who wouldn't love anything related to magic!?!? With the imagination one could set into the aspect of magic, this novel surely brings it to life, even though at times it may be quite difficult.

Story: 9
The story starts out as quite mediocre as we all know the typical "first day high" cliche, and maybe even the "troublemaker" right off the bat. But as soon as the introduction is over, it's smooth sailing all the way. This is basically about a guy, and his sister, as they demolish everything in the magic world that's thrown to them. It sounds

Art: 9
The art is great. That's all there is too it. Although I do have to admit, that i'm rating it as a 9 and not as a 10 because of how I actually compare it to the manga and anime.

Character: 10
The characters are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, but then again, i'm a sucker for those highly unfair/op characters. Even though there are a ton of OP characters, even those that aren't are still really described and brought well into the novel.

Enjoyment : 10
I simply love anything related to magic. Although i'm still quite picky regarding whether or not the magic in the novel/show/manga is worthwhile. This novel will surely sweep you off your feet if you give it a chance.

Overall: 10
The average would have been 9.5... but rounded off.... Anyways, Overall the novel is amazing, and although it gets quite confusing a ton of what's in it is the process of how magic works and whatever is related to it, it deserves to have many more readers.

*First review. Please be lenient.

I first found out about this series because the anime is one of the most hyped anime of the Spring 2014 anime series being released. Having watched the first 3 episodes, the series was interesting enough to check out the original source material. And it is great!

This is a MIGHTY LOOOOOOOOONG review. There will be very very minor spoilers***, but those probably won't mean much for those who've not read the LNs. For those who want a mini review, here's one. A (very) detailed one is below:

Story - 8
+ Interesting and well developed world and magic system
+ Plot gets increasingly interesting and complex
+ Pacing is overall good
+ Very hard to stop reading!

- Starts slow
- Increased complexity of plot leaves unanswered questions later
- Little bit biased against certain countries (in the future..,)
- Some things are a little hard to believe

Art - 10
+ Great, unique character designs (watch anime!)

Characters - 9
+ Big cast of varied and interesting characters
+ Plenty of interaction between side characters, not involving MC
+ MC is badass and mysterious
+ Unique and cool magical skills amongst the characters

+/- MC is super OP

- Some characters are underdeveloped or neglected
- MC sister has incestuous thoughts

Overall - 9
+ Author is very good story teller. Does great job in engaging reader.
# Not yet complete. Many storylines not yet resolved.


Story (8)
It is 2095, and scientific technology has made magic an accessible important scientific tool in the world. In Japan, Tatsuya and Miyuki are siblings who are starting school at National Magic University First Affiliated High School. However, Tatsuya is enrolled as a course 2 student, while his extremely talented sister, is a course 1 student, and hence, part of the top half of students that achieved the top grades in the school.

First, I will quickly mention that Tatsuya is the MC, and he is such a total badass that many claim he is OP (over powered). This is contrary to many shounen that start with wimpy kids that grow steadily throughout. The MC is already a powerful character, and the story progresses such that his motives, secrets and powers are slowly revealed in the events that follow, rather than the MC growing in strength as he encounters new events. More about this in the character section.

Now, the world of MKnR is extremely interesting. One of the best parts of the series is that the author explores many areas of society affected by magic. While the military and school system is most emphasised, other areas such as politics, media, international relations, civil rights, research etc are all explored to some extent, giving off the feeling that the world of MKnR could possibly work in such a way if magic did exist in that form.

The concept of magic as part of scientific development is one of the main issues elaborated on throughout the series. While fascinating to ponder upon, and rather unique, the detailed explanations throughout the series, and especially in the first volume, sometimes get confusing and, unfortunately, ruin the pace of the story. However, for those readers who love figuring out these things, this will prove a great treat as it is evident that the author poured a lot of effort into developing the magic system in the series.

Plot wise, the series proves very entertaining. The series is covered in several seperate arcs, that are each covered in 1 to 3 volumes, and almost always revolve around Tatsuya (Vol 5 is a collection of short stories, some without Tatsuya at all). Admittedly, and as many fans of the series have claimed, the first arc is rather slow, and even a little simple. This has been attributed to the fact that a lot of world-building and character introductions were done, and these are essential in understanding what goes on later. However, from volume 3 onwards, the pace picks up to a decent rate.

In many of the arcs, the stories go about in a manner similar to a highly complex and dangerous chess game (with Tatsuya as a rather OP chess piece). Each arc usually deals with some seperate group that intends harm on Tatsuya and his sister or those around them whom they consider important, and it is fascinating to see the various countermeasures or actions Tatsuya and his friends take to repel the enemy. While each arc can be considered a story on its own, all of them are connected in some way, and each slowly reveals a new side or secret of the mysterious Tatsuya.

Moving on to the later volumes, some have extremely complex plots with the participation of many factions with various hidden agendas in a single arc. This can be seen as both a pro and con. While this has increased the mystery and intrigue of the series, and sometimes, making it seem even more entertaining, the complexity does prove a little confusing in some instances, and leaves a few unanswered questions (vol 9,10 and 11).

Generally, the story does not have any really glaring plot holes, though, as mentioned just now, in later volumes, the added complexity does add some confusion.

One thing that needs to be mentioned is the bias and incredulity of some of the events within the story. The LN does seem to shed a rather negative light on Chinese, with many of the main antoganists being brutal or greedy people originating from China, or rather being part of the implied to be backwards Great Asian Alliance. Conversely, Japan is an independant country, with some of the most advanced technology and best magicians in the world. Furthermore, their high school students seem capable of matching, and even totally annihilating experts in warfare, or professional intelligence agents, with one particular student being more than extremely OP...

Yet, personally, while a little hard to swallow at first glance, I, as a reader, found myself not caring much about these. Hell, I'm a Chinese and even I was against the Chinese b******* in the series. This could be attributed to the skill of the author in presenting protagonists that anyone would easily want to support, or it could be because, the exoticness(?) of such a world makes it hard to see 'Chinese' as chinese, or Americans as Americans etc, but rather, as just opposing groups to the main characters that the reader has come to understand and root for. (Sometimes, I even WANTED the main characters to be more OP... -_-)

Finally, as far as atmosphere of the story goes, it is initially rather light and there are several comedic moments, often involving Tatsuya's resistance to embarassing situations. The atmosphere does darken somewhat and become more mysterious as the story progresses and enemies become more dangerous and difficult to detect, however, comedic moments are somehow snuck in on occasion to lighten the mood.


Art (10)
With the coming of the anime, art in the LN does seem a little irrelevant, so I won't go into this section too much, since all you have to do is watch the anime to get a much clearer image of the characters and their designs in the anime. However, I have to say that the character designs are very cool. Most illustrations are cleanly drawn, and the covers are nice to look at. The uniforms look especially interesting and, many have noted how modest the girls uniforms are, unlike ahem... most of those in school life anime (short, easily exposed skirts *cough cough*). Then again, there's no shortage of... beautiful females lacking complete coverage of their bodies, though none are truly 'ecchi'


Character (9)
MKnR has a big cast of characters. By volume 12, the number of significant characters probably numbers close to 30, though, in the series itself, only Tatsuya (and Miyuki?) have truly permanent and important recurring roles.

Initially, such a big cast of characters does become rather difficult to absorb. Maybe it's because I myself am not particularly good with Japanese names, but there were several occasions in the first few volumes where I had to recheck the names, not least because the characters would alternate between calling the family and first names of the characters to suit the occasions eg. Ichihara-san and Suzune being the same person!...

However, as we slowly uncover the quirks of each character, and sometimes go in depth into some of the more important characters, they start to become an essential and memorable part of the series. With so many characters, several different perspectives, from totally different backgrounds are explored, eg. Katsuto being a proud and noble heir to a Ten Master Clan, Sayaka being a course 2 student struggling for recognition, Morisaki a typical course 1 student looking down on 'weeds' etc, that overall, lead up to giving the reader a rather complete and well rounded impression of the world of MKnR.

Though, it is probably the individual powers of the characters that make such a large cast so fun. From the ice queen Miyuki, to Katsuto's Phalanx, Tatsuya's mysterious powers, Erika's swordsmanship, Yoshida's Spirit magic etc, all once again, show different perspectives and cover the rich variety of magic use in MKnR. Also, all the characters have their individual strengths and weaknesses (yes, Tatsuya has weaknesses!) and it gets highly entertaining when we see the various powers pitted against one another.

Unfortunately, sometimes, this large cast of characters does lead to some under development of the characters. Almost evey character interesting in some way, especially when it comes to their individual magical powers, though, to some degree, character development does not always get a really proper fleshing. eg. Ichijou Masaki, Mari, Azusa etc all do get some development etc, and contribute greatly in some instances, even make the series more interesting, but are all very much neglected in the later volumes.

Then again, the main character is Tatsuya, and it is probably more believable that he will deal with all sorts of people, and that it is maybe unrealistic to believe that so many will always stick with him and develop constantly throughout the series. Honestly, this LN has one of the more realistic interactions between characters I've read, in the sense that Tatsuya never really depends on any single one character for everything, nor does he force himself to be a loner when his friends can be of use. Besides, a big plus point I particularly liked was that many of the side characters form unique relationships between themselves that do not necessarily go through the MC. Ultimately, partially because of the above point, I believe that the occasional underdevelopment and negligence for some can be forgiven, even overlooked.

And then, we move on to the main character himself. Tatsuya probably proves to be one of the coolest badasses around. Unlike many of the side characters, we see no noticeable change in his powers or character throughout, leading some to claim he fails to develop at all. This is somewhat true, especially in the first 7 volumes. However, it can be said that the first 7 volumes were a slow buildup into revealing who Tatsuya really is as a person (with volume 8 finally giving us the final details as a flashback). And this steady unraveling of Tatsuya's secrets and character prove fascinating, (The culmination of all this proves to be bloody badass) and makes him probably the most interesting character of all. In fact, I may even go so far as to say that his unchanging and totally reliable badass-ery is one of the positive aspects of the series.

However, it is incorrect to say that Tatsuya does not develop. He does, though not very noticeably. Furthermore, with the introduction of a new character in volume 9 and some developments, there comes several instances of Tatsuya having to push himself.

Note, there are several incestuous moments in this LN, when it comes to Miyuki fawning over Tatsuya. However, none of them are really sexual, and tend to be on the more innocent side. The incest theme may put off some people, however, in MKnR, there is a full backstory that explains this interaction, so don't just ignore this series because you believe there's some pointless fetishes being thrown around xp

Additionally, occasionally there is the feeling that, when it comes to group fights, Tatsuya and his sister are so OP, you wonder if some of the side characters were really necessary.

Enjoyment (10)
I read 12 volumes in 7 days. That's at least 3600 pages. That was how addictive the series was. Satou Tsutomi is quite adept at building up the intensity and the anticipation of readers. As mentioned above, some enjoyment is taken away because of lengthy explanations that still prove confusing (this may be remedied by watching the anime, which will have animated sequences of what occurs), but the magic in the series is truly unique in its own way with it's combination of science and magical theories etc.

In some ways, MKnR seems like this great mixture of Sciece Fiction, Fantasy, and even some Mystery and Supernatural, and I believe fans of any of those genres may find MKnR a worthwhile read. For those currently watching the anime, I can confidently say, for those who don't mind reading thousands of pages, this LN is a must read. The detailed explanations and further exploration of the world in the LN will undoubtedly enrich the experience for fans of the series.

I will mention again that some suspension of disbelief is required to fully enjoy the story. I mean, it does get a bit hard to swallow when mere 15-18 year olds have combat abilities surpassing full time military men, or have the knowledge to construct and engineer nuclear reactors. But, again, Satou's storytelling skills are good enough that, it probably won't matter how astonishing some of the events may seem in reality, because the reader is more than likely to be too immersed in the story.


Overall (9)
I cannot give the series a 10 because it is not yet complete, and hence, there are too many unresolved issues in the story at the moment. Also, some of the minor blemishes do make the story a little short of great. However, the way things are going, and the very many possibilities that are open for Tatsuya and co. to take, expectations of MKnR are strong.

Story/ Plot- 5.5/10.
Character Design- 8/10.
Art- 8/10.
Overall- 6/10.


Not the best light novel.The first 10 volumes are Okay, but the story starts dropping after the 15th volume, in short the story becomes a mess.
For people who are a huge fan of the anime/manga and praise it a lot, I advise you to stop reading the novel ( if you have just started reading it ).

Wanna know why SPOILER alert : In volume 16 or so, the Brother and and sister are engaged. Basically this anime is all about brother-sister romance...

The story starts with an strong male lead who remains over-powered throughout the series, gets stronger as the story goes on. the story is Mediocre overall.

For those people are really into this stuff, please go ahead and enjoy.
If you started to read this light novel after you watched the anime (reading 32 volumes of this series), you're advised not to read it, as you'll be only wasting your time.

This is my first review and english is not my first language, so it will be filled with grammatical errors and I really don't care, improving my english is one of the main reasons I'm on this site.

As someone who has read the Light Novel AND watched the anime of Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, or simply Mahouka, I couldn't help but notice the enormous disparity in quality between the two...

You see, this IS a good story, the characters ARE interesting and most of their aspects and reasons are properly explained... at least when talking about the light novel (LN), because almost nothing that makes the LN good was brought to the animation.

People's main complaints about this show:

- "THE MC IS TOO OP"

Yes he is... So? I don't see series like OPM getting the same hate and the reason is simple: Having an overpowered main character is not a problem in itself, it depends on how it's handled.
In the LN, his power, lack of emotions and great attachment to his sister are explained pretty well, which unfortunately wasn't done in the animation...

- "THERE IS INCEST"

Not exactly, it's pretty freaking obvious that his sister (Miyuki) loves him as member of the opposite sex, but it's never goes beyond this. But in all sincerity, who the fuck cares? There is absolutely no reason to hate this taboo. A bigger issue for me would be the fact her entire character is defined by obsession with her brother or her otherworldly beauty (even though she looks as beautiful as any of the other girls in the show)

- "THEY ARE HIGH SCHOOLERS BUT ARE STRONGER THAN THE ADULTS"

In Mahouka's world, magicians aren't just people capable of wielding power (like other crappy shows) they are pretty much like nobility, almost all of them are descendants of families which are given special privilegies in exchange for defending their country against external threats (the japanese at least). In other words, they aren't just your average animu teenagers getting involved in trouble for no good reason, they have responsibilities, they are supposed to grow up faster than normal people. Also, most of their foes were non-magicians so it is understandable.

- " TATSUYA IS A SHALLOW CHARACTER, HE NEVER SHOWS ANY EMOTIONS, SO BORING"

Whenever I read stuff like that in the forums I would feel a bit embarassed... you see, Tatsuya is , in my opinion, one of the most interesting anime characters I have ever seen. There IS a reason for his eternal deadpan face , but the anime never explained it so... meh

"THE BAD GUYS ARE ALWAYS FOREIGNERS, THIS SHIT IS XENOPHOBIC"

You got me there, it's true, the author seems to be very nationalistic, the japanese are always portrayed as the good guys with superior technology and military power who are constantly being attacked by groups of foreigners (chinese) or having to take care of problems caused by others (americans)

All in all, Mahouka is not for everyone, if you hate watching OP protagonists because it makes everything predictable (even though stuff like shounen are also predictable as fuck and people don't complain as often about it) then it's not for you. If you hate incest (even if it never really goes any further than verbal exchange), it's not for you. If you detest the good and old high school stuff, then it's not for you.

However, if you like a strong protagonists with nerves of steel ( and ordinary looks) capable of turning his enemies into dust and recovering from fatal attacks in less than 1 second, while everything is explained detail by detail by a complex system behind all the magic stuff, making it seem more like sci fi than fantasy...
Then it's definitely for you

SPOILERS
One last thing: From my point of view, Mahouka is not about the fights nor is it about a silly fantasy setting with focus on wish fulfillment (magic), it's about political struggle and social turmoil... It's about a guy born and raised to be a human weapon. It's about a guy who was treated like shit his entire life and feared for being a monster with enough power to destroy the world.

It's not about "hey look how cool I am" and "getting all the girls" (most girls here have their own romantic interests), it's about being incapable of living a proper life and having to fight for a world where magic and magicians are not viewed as merely tools of war.
Tatsuya is the embodiment of everything magic represents in his world (even though he is the irregular) and has to bear all of it's consequences, both positive and negative.

This is just a fair warning for anyone who want to read this LN it will get into a full harem from 0 to 100 in a single volume at vol 10 which goes on for another 17 volumes.(27 volumes of lightnovels total atm)

It does have themes like incest, heavy female abuse on males and blunt xenophobia in it.

It was an okaaayish read until vol 10 where it suddenly went into a whole other direction. You can also ignore my chapters read, because I certainly will not took out the LN's and count them.

If the writer had a discussion with his editor and stuff(which I assume) after vol 8 it did went this way:

1. Hey, we don't sell as much as before, any ideas?
2. How about we include vampires, everyone likes them! And a Harem, everyone likes that too!
3. Yeah best idea ever! I'll write it into it somehow.
4. How about androids on top of it?
1. Nah they're boring!
2. How about an android which is infected by an alien parasite which makes them fall in love with the MC.
3. WoW I never thought about that I'll write them into.
1. I heard that this show called Fate/Zero prints money like mad, especially because of that Saber gal.
3. NP I'll write her into it.
2. But you need to make her fall for the MC instantly! And she needs to be op!
3. Already done!
1. And didn't we have that loli girl Honoko which had like 10 pages total in 8 novels?
2. Everyone loves lolis! Make her another harem member!
3. Totally included.
1,2,4 Profit!




Volume 1-7 is mostly about an overpowered MC(Tatsuya) which needs to hide his true powers because of certain circumstances in his family tree while at the same time protecting his sister(Miyuki).

Both those siblings are completing overpowered, they could even start a WW on their own and Miyuki has a huge crush on her brother since a certain event in the past which is only explained in Volume 8 of the LN.

Before that point neither the male MC nor the female MC had any charbuilding or backstory. In fact the 8 volume is the only time you'll ever get to know anything about both MC's in 27 novels.(ongoing)

The whole novel suffers a lot because of an female cast of over 30(midway~vol14) and way more(I did stop counting at some point while reading).

The (female)cast is just way too huge.
Even if you would cut it by 50% you wouldn't remember half of them because they only get a few pages per book. At the same time you have a male cast of 4(if you're generous and do count masaki in it 5) which are more or less for domestic abuse against males "jokes"(leo/erica) or just side characters noone cares about.

On top of it you have a female stalker(Honoka) which sexually haresses the male mc every few pages after volume 10 while she got already rejected. No one cares about that while a certain male sidecharacter(Leo) gets constantly kicked/punched unconscious by his female crush(Erica) if he only looks slighty at another female.




You ask why I still read it till vol 27? That's because the actual mainstory is not bad at all it just get drowned with all that harem nonsense later on.

If you remove the spell explansions which sometimes go on for 3-6 pages just to conclude that the spell is a black hole, counterspell etc. and the harem bs the whole mainstory of 27 volumes could be told in 3-4 volumes.