Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Tsuioku-hen

Although it doesn't delve into each element with as much depth as the light novel, Tsuioku-hen takes the limited space it has as a manga, and does its best to tell this story as best as it can. It is a depressing tale with no happy ending, however, considering where Mahouka vol. 1 picks up, it is an appropriate place to be.

Story: 10/10. Not everyone is a fan of this story. I get that. It's not designed to appeal to everyone, the way Mahouka was designed to. As a side story, it's partly an homage to die-hard fans who want to learn the way the semi-twisted relationships within Mahouka began. The story doesn't pull its punches, it comes out swinging. It reveals the plainly wrong relationship between Tatsuya and his mother, Miyuki and Tatsuya, and even (the most wholesome one of the bunch) Tanaka and Tatsuya. The pacing feels solid and complete. It never feels like an overwhelming amount of events are happening, however, it is always entertaining, and there are no plains. This is to be expected of the short 17-chapter run, however, it's a strong point nonetheless.

Art: 8/10. It's fair. It's not great, but it's not at all poor. The art gets the job done, and pulls its weight during the emotional climaxes. Personally, I'm a big fan of the art style, but bias shouldn't play a role in judging it, and I recognize that this is pretty much standard fare for good quality manga.

Characters: 9/10. The old duo of Tatsuya emotionless and Miyuki mixed-feelings are back, featuring more bro-con than ever before! Add in abusive parents and discrimination and you've got yourself the characters of this manga! Tatsuya is the same, after all, he isn't capable of feeling anything different. There's a lot of appropriate character growth for Miyuki though. Before this manga, if you were manga/anime only, the dedication shown towards Tatsuya by Miyuki was never explained, and obviously given how I rated the story, I approve of that character development. Add in the intrigue of war and the discrimination against those without magical capabilities, and you've got yourself interesting and dynamic character relationships.

Enjoyment: 9/10. It's a sad story. It's by no means a happy ending. However, it is clear that it is a great part of Mahouka: a part of it that must be delved into, and for that reason, I really enjoyed just going back in and getting back into the action of Mahouka another time.

In conclusion, my opinion of Tsuioku-hen is positive. Its got itself great plot, dynamic characters, and engaging intrigue, and that's all there is to it. Great read, would definitely recommend.

I read the light novel(volume 5 or 6 i think) and this manga some time ago twice. So I'll make use of what I remember and be concise about it. Also, the anime adaptation has recently been announced.

This is a nice breath of fresh air after the Yokohama arc(the previous arc). We now get to see how this borderline incestuous dynamic between brother and sister came about. I was expecting some incelly take on how someone can conquer their sister if they just put their mind into it, but what I got was a heartwarming and cute story about a girl who learned how to appreciate her brother's presence more.

Art 7/10

I don't remember much, except the the art being decent. I'd say it's better than the generic art form coming from a lot of romcom mangas but it's not on the levels of Murata or Kentaro Miura. Because this arc takes place in the tropical parts of Japan, and as someone that likes beaches, the landscape and background art are indeed aesthetic to a tee.

Story 6/10

I've read the light novel before the manga, so I had 3 takes to review my point on the story. Nonetheless, my opinion has never changed at all. The story is fine. We are taken into the perspective of Miyuki and how she developed her current brocon status towards Tatsuya sama and the storyline is as straightforward as it gets. Because of that, we see a more dimensional Miyuki when we see her again in the next arc. Nothing to comment for Tatsuya sama. As much as I hate to say this, he's still the same aloof bae we simp for.

What you see in the manga form is a faithful adaptation from the light novel. There were some nitpicks I can point out, but they're irrelevant to the big picture, which is the plot.

Characters 5/10

Apart from Miyuki's very cute character development which is an 8, the majority of characters are a definite Meh. Not much to say about them. Because I'm mostly treating this manga as an adaptation than a standalone work, I'd say it accurately depicts what's in the light novel. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the novel and the adaptation. But upon evaluating my thoughts(and watching a lot of anime and manga), I'd say they're pretty average.

Enjoyment 8/10
I personally enjoyed this adaptation and there's honestly not much to say

As someone who has read the novel prior to the release of this manga, this is a good adaptation and you should read it if you're too lazy to read the light novel.