(L+CR) Mahou Sensou (Magical Warfare)

[Marcus H.]

All of you are being too harsh. It may not be the most popular anime but I dare say it is better than nisekoi (Seto no hanayome wannabie) which is full of clichés. It's pretty generic I agree but this is the only anime this season , aside from chuunibyo that I manage to watch from start to end without skipping. This anime should be review like an original anime not comparing to clichés. In fact I doubt there is a anime with no clichés anymore except for miyazaki films and anime films like Wolf children. As for the character designs, they are actually pretty awesome and although almost like fate stay night (in terms of character design), they are not bad.

Also I didn't watch this because I like it, especially after seeing hidan no aria anime. In fact I was so upset about how bad nisekoi is because it's one of my favourite manga, although I will still stick with it.

But let me say this, I'm 100 percent this will be as good as Aoki Hagane Arpeggio, it may well be the best this season. Just ignore the clichés and stick with it.

I would also like to add that most cliché anime award goes to sword art online because it is Hack. // basically, except it fails to be like it big time.

P. S. the author actually mentioned in an recent review that he didn't want Mahou sensou to be animated as he mentioned about how bad hidan no aria anime was. But he decided to go with an adaptation as it would increase the popularity of the series.

I'm impressed that you even enjoyed the Hidan no Aria anime series. Hidan no Aria suffers from poor worldbuilding and disappointing power balance. Mahou Sensou seems to suffer from poor execution and low production values, however, considering that the series is produced by Madhouse, which had produced Marvel anime, which was top-notch animation-wise.

Strike the Blood did better what Mahou Sensou is struggling in right now.

[Quol]

Originally Posted by Kadi

Fine, let's not focus on the cliches, let's focus on that stands out.

Like... the totally forced and wooden character interactions, particularly glaring in ep1. Third-rate actors acting out a third-rate script...

Like... how the first half of ep2 was a neverending infodump. After significant parts of ep1 were infodumps. And wasn't there another infodump in later ep2?

Like... how the protagonist is a zombie that's just strung along. Everyone else is strung along, too, but they're not nearly as apathetic, I think... not that they actually show any initiative or mind of their own, though.

Why are you even here?

I like this anime series, i like how Nanase held his own against those wizards and how the characters seem competent (other than Kurumi she seems like a Sakura to me).
The action scenes were great too and i got pretty excited when he hit the guy's hands and had the sword flung to break the window, not to mention the dodge Mui did.

Infodump is something that every series does and what exactly could he do to seem like he wasnt strung along? It was a pretty one track road.

[Kadi]

You may want to add Ida to the list of incompetent characters. Getting scared of his own magic and inadvertently blowing up the classroom does not inspire confidence. Something tells me that won't change any time soon. With that, half the central cast is utterly ineffectual or counterproductive. Takeshi being overly effective against seasoned combat wizards would also lead to problems. That leaves us with Mui...

As for what could be done differently... how about making the characters actually react? Takeshi was almost shot in the face and what was the first thing that came to his mind? "It must be because she didn't know me, so I should introduce myself now!". Or maybe not, his zombie face is hard to read at times. You call it a one track road and I agree, it is. It's also a symptom that something's very, very wrong.


P.S.: Thank you for not arguing against the dialogue being horrible.

[Quol]

Ida is probably just the average noob magician with destructive magic, which the teacher even states happens frequently. What bothers me is why that one girl was knocked out that tried to attack him, i am really skeptical that a seasoned magician would just trip and fall unconscious. And that he would just go "Why not?" and throw her over his shoulder to seek her comrades.

Also for characters reacting while i agree its a little dead but i'm happy that they dont freak out and try to re-evaluate the meaning of life itself, or reject it and it takes the heroine saving him from the bad guys a second time for him to join. As for the gun i found it odd but maybe that is his personality?

And for dialogue, ehh, its what you get for packing all that in (if you count the 3 manga chapters as how its really supposed to go)

Anyway; Cute and likable heroine as well as male lead that can acually do something. I'll keep watching this series.

[Kadi]

What if they said no at first and tried saving themselves when the bad guys come again? That would make them seem livelier and give them a semblance of character... maybe.

[Znail]

Originally Posted by Kadi

Takeshi being overly effective against seasoned combat wizards would also lead to problems.

They looked like students to me.

[Quol]

Originally Posted by Znail

They looked like students to me.

Based on the anime you join a community after you graduate, a reason why the trailers dont attack the school. Since they are part of Ghost Trailers that means they are graduates.

[Ougon]

Originally Posted by Kadi

You may want to add Ida to the list of incompetent characters. Getting scared of his own magic and inadvertently blowing up the classroom does not inspire confidence. Something tells me that won't change any time soon. With that, half the central cast is utterly ineffectual or counterproductive. Takeshi being overly effective against seasoned combat wizards would also lead to problems. That leaves us with Mui...

As for what could be done differently... how about making the characters actually react? Takeshi was almost shot in the face and what was the first thing that came to his mind? "It must be because she didn't know me, so I should introduce myself now!". Or maybe not, his zombie face is hard to read at times. You call it a one track road and I agree, it is. It's also a symptom that something's very, very wrong.


P.S.: Thank you for not arguing against the dialogue being horrible.

You are talking about anime Takeshi right? If you're a LN reader, you should know very well about the screw up of the anime, and about the butchering of the manga.

[Kadi]

I do, I do, but it's easier to make a point this way, especially if I'm to avoid spoilers. So... LN? Nani, sore?

[NK141]

I don't see all this bad vibe against this anime, I actually am enjoying it. Loved the action scenes and THAT ENDING THEME going to continue watching it.

[Traece]

To be honest, I'm actually coming around on Mahou Sensou ever so gradually. Originally I had the same opinion as many others, feeling that the show was below average and a cookie cutter shounen. Now I'm less inclined to condemn it as such.

I have a saying where entertainment is concerned: "It's the little things." The fact of the matter is that a lot of the anime we watch is already lacking uniqueness at its base. What I find really sets a show apart from others is small details. The failure of a machine's smallest cog spells the failure of the machine, and so that small cog should also be the strongest. About half-way through the second episode of Mahou Sensou (after numerous complaints from myself), it started looking like they were moving out of that introductory phase in the story. Little details started to appear, and things started being handled properly.

Surprisingly enough, the scene that started to intrigue me was the one where the childhood friend confronted MC about him referring to her by her last name (and then she copped out, which raised criticism from me). Then they followed up with a surprisingly good classroom scene where the characters were actually given a reasonable introduction to the aspect concept, and even more so a question was raised but wasn't actually answered (that may seem trivial, but having the decency to leave unanswered questions no matter how minor is a sign of potential for the writing. The question about the magic the teacher used may have been a thought by the MC, but under normal circumstances they would reply, "Oh, that? That was X!"). Then they furthered the lore surrounding aspects with some legitimate questions and legitimate answers, and then furthered it even more so with a sensible demonstration.

Why is that important? Because more often than not, this would have been done in an infodump explanation. No conversation, no example, no dialogue. An infodump on some stills or animations relating to the subject matter (cough cough Infinite Stratos). Instead Mahou Sensou gave us the proper version of it (The Men in Black version, if I borrow the comparison from Nostalgia Chick, who I feel did a fantastic video on this subject). Instead of introducing the audience, they introduced the characters. In my eyes good writing is about finding that balance between exposition and the mystery of the world being laid out, and this episode was a slight nudge in that very proper direction.

I'm by no means hopeful that this show will turn out to be good, but I'm far less inclined to write it off as a piece of junk now than I was.

[edomaeexa]

Haters will be haters. Mahou Sensor's strength is about its story and characters. Yes, it's predictable but what can you expect, for example, Miu Aiba is not even a teenager but people expect her to be. Compare this to Date a Live in terms of pacing and you'll be surprised that it's first and second episodes are better.

Mahou Sensou just wants to adapt a story, not make it's own story. Read the light novel before you tried and criticise it. Of course, there will be differences but that's common in anime adaptation, after all, it's not the author directing anime.

In my last post I compared this to Aoki Hagane Arpeggio, it's because I felt that the anime will be like it. Haters hate Aoki Hagane, but because of little things like the 3DCGs. But when you start to compare it to anime like Evangelion, you see that it is a work of a genius. If you like the Rebuild series, you like Aoki Hagane.

Really, the main similarity of Mahou Sensou and Aoki Hagane is on how people perceived it as. Many claim Aoki Hagane is bad, they just didn't understand it or are clearly new to a story, it's an underwater adventure story and if you don't like such, you won't like it. In Mahou Sensou, people claim it's poorly executed and all but is it. The fact that I was able to watch this with my girlfriend and friends without any interruptions show that the flaws in it doesn't really affect it. They never complain about it and even said that it is an excellent anime. If you start criticising it on little flaws, you began to hate it and I also felt that way. But it doesn't change my opinion on it.

If you compare this to Hidan no aria, this is almost 10 times better than it.

[~Yami~]

Originally Posted by NK141

I don't see all this bad vibe against this anime, I actually am enjoying it. Loved the action scenes and THAT ENDING THEME going to continue watching it.

welll..... I just can't stop watching the ENDING THEME
it's simply awesome....

even though I don't like the development so far, I'll for sure finish this anime...
(well, I managed to finish 11eyes and Hidan no Aria.. so Mahou Sensou isn't a big deal for me)

[Avrorrange]

Originally Posted by Kadi

Fine, let's not focus on the cliches, let's focus on that stands out.

Like... the totally forced and wooden character interactions, particularly glaring in ep1. Third-rate actors acting out a third-rate script...

Like... how the first half of ep2 was a neverending infodump. After significant parts of ep1 were infodumps. And wasn't there another infodump in later ep2?

Like... how the protagonist is a zombie that's just strung along. Everyone else is strung along, too, but they're not nearly as apathetic, I think... not that they actually show any initiative or mind of their own, though.

If you've read the LN, you would know that this is mostly the production company's fault. They've utterly f#$@(ed up everything by trying to skim bits and pieces of the LN. They've more or less cut out 30-40% of the first novel. That's why it's such an infodump.

[Gundamx]

@ Traece & edomaeexa:
The hate come from the anime cut + alter most of LN story to point i

to make it simple -> it's great novel that become so/so anime

[Kadi]

Originally Posted by Moe Connection

If you've read the LN, you would know that this is mostly the production company's fault. They've utterly f#$@(ed up everything by trying to skim bits and pieces of the LN. They've more or less cut out 30-40% of the first novel. That's why it's such an infodump.

I have, and I know. But that doesn't make the anime any better.


...and to be honest, even the novels are pretty horrible at times. Let some very, very good ideas totally go to waste. Buuut... novel talk doesn't go here, so I'll go back to ignoring what knowledge I have from them now.

(So no, I'm not annoyed over "OH NO, CHANGES", thank you very much)

[Kismet-chan]

Originally Posted by Kadi

Fine, let's not focus on the cliches, let's focus on that stands out.

Like... the totally forced and wooden character interactions, particularly glaring in ep1. Third-rate actors acting out a third-rate script...

Like... how the first half of ep2 was a neverending infodump. After significant parts of ep1 were infodumps. And wasn't there another infodump in later ep2?

Like... how the protagonist is a zombie that's just strung along. Everyone else is strung along, too, but they're not nearly as apathetic, I think... not that they actually show any initiative or mind of their own, though.

Originally Posted by Feng Lengshun

Reminds me of a bad fanfic. Or Twilight.

When I read both of these comments I bust out laughing because I could relate. I thought the exact same thing. I know it's bad of me, but... Man. The simplest way I can put it is that it's like someone just got finished watching Hidan no Aria, Shakugan no Shana, and 11eyes for the first time ever (and probably a bunch of other anime with similar characters/themes/setups). They just couldn't get enough of them, so they slapped random pieces from each one together, and came up with whatever this series is supposed to be.

As Feng has said in a couple of his other posts, talking about cliches when it comes to anime is not the issue. It's about execution. Complaining about cliches in anime is like complaining about vegetables being in a salad. I think the concept behind the plot is okay enough. But I'm really not a fan of how it's being presented right now.

I wanted this show to be good. I really did. The summary I read of the premise sounded just barely interesting enough to even get me to watch it. But Madhouse is making it extremely hard... which is extra disappointing because I expect better from them. I mean, the animation is fine. But everything else is just...

[Avrorrange]

Originally Posted by Kadi

I have, and I know. But that doesn't make the anime any better.


...and to be honest, even the novels are pretty horrible at times. Let some very, very good ideas totally go to waste. Buuut... novel talk doesn't go here, so I'll go back to ignoring what knowledge I have from them now.

(So no, I'm not annoyed over "OH NO, CHANGES", thank you very much)

I know what you are talking about.Mahou Sensou's pretty generic. It's not bad, but definitely not ground breaking either.Still, it's quite entertaining.

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 3:

The story gets very interesting by the third episode, I like how the main cast is slowly training magic although they aren't ready for battle yet. What I found fascinating is that Kurumi begin questioning on why she became Takeshi's girlfriend in the first place, the meaning behind it is that he wants to shield her from being attacked by a bunch of thugs. Takeshi's dark past is revealed and that might explain why his brother looks down upon him when he's talking with their mother. It's getting a lot better with interesting character development and the misunderstandings aren't awkward to watch due to them being there for a reason. Animation isn't still very great but it was much better than last time. Hope the show unfolds a lot more despite bringing nothing new to the genre.

[DevilHighDxD]

So Takeshi's brother like Kurumi but she like Takeshi but then Takeshi's feeling is ambiguous and Mui like Takeshi. Shock to say but it first time I like a blonde over black-haired, Mui too much of a childish look and too shy to fit my taste but I'm really enjoying Kurumi so far.