Title: Mahouka KouKou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School)
Release Date: April 5, 2014
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy, School Life
Premise: Based on the light novel by Tsutomu Satou. Siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba are about to begin their studies at the distinguished First High School, a top-tier magic academy. Not all is well, however, as the school is divided between elite Course 1 students and lower-ranked students of Course 2.
Verdict: Well it wouldn't be high school without a clear social division along class lines, would it? Tensions flare early and often in this first episode, and you can bet that spells are going to fly between Course 1 and Course 2 before the end credits roll.
After a brief vignette showing magicians doing battle in a futuristic environment, the show opens with Miyuki and Tatsuya on the morning of their induction ceremony. Miyuki can't believe her brother has been placed in Course 2 (he destroyed to written test, but had the worst practical scores), and it soon becomes clear that Tatsuya is hiding something when it comes to his magical abilities.
The rest of the day is spent introducing classmates, including shy bespectacled aura-reader Mizuki Shibata, chipper, baton-wielding Erika Chiba, and Leonhard "Leo" Saijo. Things go smoothly until Miyuki attempts to sit with her brother and his Course 2 buddies, prompting an intervention from the other Course 1 students. Barbs are traded and the two sides come to blows, attracting the attention of the school's disciplinary committee.
The series earns points for its integration of science fiction and fantasy elements, a kind of anachronistic ballet. Magicians cast their incantations with pistol-shaped Casting Assistance Devices (CAD), and ninjitsu is revealed to be an ancient magical art. Satou's world smoothly combines these disparate elements to make a magical school show unlike any other. If the light novel and manga's impressive sales numbers are any indication, Madhouse has another hit on its hands for the spring season.
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