Light Hi-Fi - The Irregular at Magic High School, known in Japanese as Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei (魔法科高校の劣等生, lit. "The Poor Performing...
Light Hi-Fi - The Irregular at Magic High School, known in Japanese as Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei (魔法科高校の劣等生, lit. "The Poor Performing Student of a Magic High School"), is a Japanese web novel series by Tsutomu Satō. It was published on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, an internet web novel website, between October 2008 and March 2011. Satō reached a deal with Dengeki Bunko and began releasing his work in a light novel format beginning July 2011. In 2013, each story arc received a manga adaptation with varying manga artists and publishers. That same year, an anime adaptation by Madhouse was announced and was broadcast between April and September 2014. The Irregular at Magic High School franchise had been localized for English by two companies: The light novels and one of the manga adaptations are licensed by Yen Press while Aniplex of America licensed the anime series. The anime series was simulcasted on four networks, and was later made available on Netflix.
The story takes place in an alternate history where magic exists and is polished through modern technology. It follows Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba, siblings who enroll into First High magic high school. While keeping their connections to the infamous Yotsuba clan secret, they attempt to live their daily life in peace where Tatsuya is shunned for his apparent ineptness and Miyuki is validated for her magical abilities.
The series is set in a world with an alternate history, where magic exists and has been polished through modern technology. However, the ability to use magic is determined by genetics, limiting the amount of magicians in existence. Following the Third World War, the world's superpowers shifted to these four nations: The United States of North America (USNA), New Soviet Union, the Great Asian Alliance, and Japan. In Japan, the magic community is informally governed by the ten master clans in lieu of the government. Due to the limited amount of magicians, they are treated as commodity and are forced to enter magic related schools and professions. Nine magic high schools exist in Japan; they each specialize in different aspects of magic and are simply referred to by their numbers.
The story follows Tatsuya Shiba, a bodyguard to his sister Miyuki Shiba who is also a candidate to succeed the master clan, Yotsuba. They enroll into First High School which segregates its students based on their magical abilities. Miyuki is enlisted as a first course student and is viewed as one of the best students, while Tatsuya is in the second course and considered to be magically inept. However, Tatsuya's technical knowledge, combat abilities, and unique magic techniques causes people to view him as an irregular to the school's standardized rankings.
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- Episode 1 Enrollment Part I (Nyūgaku-hen Wan)
- In 2095, Tatsuya Shiba and his sister Miyuki enroll at the First Private Magic University Affiliated High School, but due to the difference in their grades in the practical exam Miyuki is placed in the Course 1 curriculum with the other students who have demonstrated high magical skills, (informally known as "Blooms") while Tatsuya, on the other hand, having scored poorly on the practical exam is assigned to the Course 2 curriculum (insultingly called "Weeds" by Course 1 students) even though he placed first in the theoretical exam.
- Episode 2 Enrollment Part II (Nyūgaku-hen Tsū)
- Tatsuya's skills and wits have earned him and his sister the scrutiny of Mayumi Saegusa, Student Council president and Mari Watanabe, leader of the Public Morals Committee. Mayumi invites Miyuki to join the Student Council as the first year representative but she initially declines and puts her brother's name forward. Upon learning that, by school regulation, year representatives must be Course 1 students she accepts.
- Episode 3 Enrollment Part III (Nyūgaku-hen Surī)
- The Council cannot reconcile Tatsuya's flawless victory in his duel with Hanzo with his poor showing in the practical exam. Once he regains consciousness, Hanzo tacitly withdraws his objection to Tatsuya's nomination by apologizing to Miyuki. Mari introduces Tatsuya to the other members of the Public Morals Committee, who note the fact that he's a Course 2 student, but warmly welcome him on learning of his victory over the previously undefeated Hanzo.
- Episode 4 Enrollment Part IV (Nyūgaku-hen Fō)
- Tatsuya is approached by Sayaka Mibu, who wants his cooperation in a plan to put an end to the discrimination between Blooms and Weeds at the school. He refrains from giving an immediate answer. His suspicions that she is being manipulated by someone else with ulterior motives are aroused when she is unable to give him proper answers to his questions.
- Episode 5 Enrollment Part V (Nyūgaku-hen Faibu)
- Tatsuya rejects Sayaka's offer and a group of Weeds led by her lock themselves in the broadcast room, creating a commotion at school. Mayumi elects to listen to their demands and discuss them in front of the student body. Debating the school's position by herself, she is on the verge of arranging a compromise when the school is attacked by terrorists.
- Episode 6 Enrollment Part VI (Nyūgaku-hen Shikkusu)
- The Student Council and Public Morals Committee defeat the terrorists and find out that the attack was merely a cover for an information raid on the school's computer library. Tatsuya and his friends are tasked with countering the raid.
- Episode 7 Enrollment Part VII (Nyūgaku-hen Sebun)
- Tatsuya and his friends storm Blanche's hideout where they confront the group's leader, who confirms that he had manipulated Sayaka's memory. Despite a number of traps the students are able to subdue the terrorists. After Sayaka is released from the hospital, Tatsuya and Miyuki return to their normal school life.
- Episode 8 Nine Schools Competition Part I (Kyūkōsen-hen Wan)
- The inter-school sporting event known as the "Nine Schools Competition" is at hand, and Tatsuya, in recognition of his superior magic-tuning skills, is named to the engineering squad, over the objections of a number of Course 1 students.
- Episode 9 Nine Schools Competition Part II (Kyūkōsen-hen Tsū)
- Tatsuya and Miyuki pay a visit to Four Leaves Technology, where Tatsuya unveils his flying CAD to Ushiyama, the other half of the genius magic engineer Taurus Silver. After a brief encounter with their father, the siblings set out for the Competition, but on the way there, a traffic accident occurs, putting the students in danger.
- Episode 10 Nine Schools Competition Part III (Kyūkōsen-hen Surī)
- Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Katsuto Jyumonji act to prevent the car from ramming into the bus. From traces that he is able to find, Tatsuya determines that the incident was orchestrated to look like a traffic accident but was instead a suicide attack.
- Episode 11 Nine Schools Competition Part IV (Kyūkōsen-hen Fō)
- The Nine Schools Competition begins and Tatsuya puts his tuning skills into practice in order to help his teammates performance, while staying on watch for further disturbances.
- Episode 12 Nine Schools Competition Part V (Kyūkōsen-hen Faibu)
- One of Tatsuya's team member Mari Watanabe is involved in a serious accident during the competition and the other students increase their vigilance after Saegusa, Mayumi, and Tatsuya reveal that she was actually a victim of sabotage.
- Episode 13 Nine Schools Competition Part VI (Kyūkōsen-hen Shikkusu)
- The "No Head Dragon", an criminal syndicate is eager to interfere in the competition for the sake of their profits and the First High School is their main target. Meanwhile, the students under Tatsuya's care are doing better than expected in their events, drawing the attention of those who still can't acknowledge his talent just because he is a Course 2 student as well as First High School's main rivals from Third High School.
- Episode 14 Nine Schools Competition Part VII (Kyūkōsen-hen Sebun)
- The Nine Schools Competition proceeds without further incident until 1st High School Monolith Code's junior participants were seriously injured due to foul play. Appointed by Mayumi, Tatsuya was asked to compete and he accepted it after Juumonji's persuasion.
- Episode 15 Nine Schools Competition Part VIII (Kyūkōsen-hen Eito)
- Tatsuya enters the competition with his friends Leonhard Saijo and Mikihiko Yoshida in the "Monolith Code" event. While watching out for No Head Dragon's interference, Tatsuya proceed to win the match using his strategies and they smoothly reached the final match against the 3rd High school's geniuses Red prince Masaki and Cardinal George.
- Episode 16 Nine Schools Competition Part IX (Kyūkōsen-hen Nain)
- Tatsuya and Masaki's teams face off in the final match. Despite knowing that with the rules standing, Masaki's abilities surpass his, Tatsuya confronts him head on, resulting in a spectacular duel. Making a critical mistake, Masaki breaks the rules by accidentally using a lethal attack on Tatsuya.
- Episode 17 Nine Schools Competition Part X (Kyūkōsen-hen Ten)
- Desperate with the recent developments, No Head Dragon start interfering with the competition directly, risking the lives of players. A 1st high Mirage Bat participant ended up in an accident which causes trauma and consequently losing her magic ability.
- Episode 18 Nine Schools Competition Part XI (Kyūkōsen-hen Irebun)
- During Miyuki's event victory celebration, Tatsuya snipes the meeting of the No Head Dragon high-ranking members by casting his diassembly magic from an adjacent building.
- Episode 19 Yokohama Disturbance Part I (Yokohama Sōran-hen Wan)
- Following his feats in the Nine Schools Competition, Tatsuya is scouted to participate in another important event, the "Magic Thesis Competition" and his team has only eleven days left to produce the applicable material before the deadline.
- Episode 20 Yokohama Disturbance Part II (Yokohama Sōran-hen Tsū)
- While gathering material for the thesis, Tatsuya and his friends start their own investigation on those whose stalking him and was trying to hack him + his 4 leaves company.
- Episode 21 Yokohama Disturbance Part III (Yokohama Sōran-hen Surī)
- The Magic Thesis Competition team meets continued success in developing their project, though Erika, Mikihiko, and Leo apprehend a fleeing student, Chiaki Hirakawa, who is revealed to be working as a spy against the First High team.
- Episode 22 Yokohama Disturbance Part IV (Yokohama Sōran-hen Fō)
- Lu Gonghu's attempt to remove Chiaki is foiled by Watanabe and Naotsugu Chiba. Mr. Zhou visits Chiaki and appears to cast a memory alteration magic so that she will forget about his involvement with her.
- Episode 23 Yokohama Disturbance Part V (Yokohama Sōran-hen Faibu)
- Chen Xiangshan appeals to Mr. Zhou for help freeing Lu Gonghu. Under condition that Chen promises to avoid Chinatown during his operation, Lu Gonghu is broken out. Ichihara visits Chioda and manipulates her to hold onto her feelings of bitterness for Tatsuya, believing that her capabilities will be important for 1st High future.
- Episode 24 Yokohama Disturbance Part V (Yokohama Sōran-hen Shikkusu)
- The convention joint defense forces engage the assaulting teams but are bogged down by slow progress with evacuating the students, but discover that the attack is being launched from an unidentified disguised ship anchored in the harbor.
- Episode 25 Yokohama Disturbance Part VII (Yokohama Sōran-hen Sebun)
- Crimson Prince brutally kills the terrorists while his allies prepare a bus for their escape aboveground. Meanwhile, evacuation underground continues through the tunnels despite resistance, Mr. Tsuzura prevents a collapsed ceiling causes by Great Asian Alliance's war machines.
- Episode 26 Yokohama Disturbance Part VIII (Yokohama Sōran-hen Eito)
- The episode starts with Tatsuya and other airborne comrades obliterating an enemy mechanized battalion. Some enemy soldiers recognize him as Mahesvara a demon from 3 years ago who appears for revenge when his sister and mother was critically injured.
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