The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Favorites

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The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13 – Quick Summary

In The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13, “Ancient City of Insurrection Part V,” Tatsuya finally tracked down Gongjin Zhou’s hiding spot. Unfortunately, it was a location that would be profoundly inconvenient for Tatsuya to enter. Not that convenience ever slowed Tatsuya down! But he went above and beyond to find a unique solution to the problem. Will it be enough? Can Tatsuya end Gongjin Zhou’s plans? Even more importantly – can Tatsuya get home to Miyuki before she gets too worried and takes matters into her own hands?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Miyuki sensed danger to her plans

You could see the moment she sensed a threat to her hopes and dreams. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

In the previous episode, Tatsuya performed a deep scan of Minoru Kudou. What the scan revealed seemed to freak Tatsuya out. In this episode, Miyui really, really wanted to know what he’d seen. So, far a moment, Tatsuya told her.

Basically, Minoru had been artificially conceived from the genes of siblings.

Keep in mind, please, that Tatsuya is telling this to Miyuki. The last I checked, she held the undisputed position of Queen of the Bro-Cons. When Tatsuya told her, she seemed beyond shocked. She could barely speak. When she did, she asked (02:29), “Then… Minoru’s condition is an ill effect of incest?”

She seemed so shocked! I guess no one likes it when unreality imposes on their dreams.

Favorite Moment from The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Gongjin Zhou didn't know how Tatsuya had countered Ghost Walker

This was the moment Gongjin Zhou knew that if he was a goose, he’d be about ready to come out of the oven. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Fun with OP Characters

How overpowered (OP) is Tatsuya? He’s so powerful that Reddit users like scot911 call him “Godsuya.” That’s how OP Tatsuya is.

We’ve seen time and time again that the dude’s a walking strategic arsenal. It’s to the point where only trickery, bad luck, and Miyuki having a bad day are about the only things that can threaten him.

That’s why I didn’t expect a massive battle, even against a villain like Gongjin Zhou. There’d be little drama in it. What I looked for instead were clues about how the writer, Tsutomu Satō, was going to differentiate this battle. What he did turned out to be my favorite moment.

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Gongjin Zhou's final transformation was bizarre

I expected, but didn’t get, more action shots like this. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Back from the time when I developed software, I knew that there was only so much I could do as an individual contributor. No matter how great a developer I became, I could only produce so much per unit of time. The way to scale up is both the most natural thing and the most difficult thing: teamwork.

I saw where this episode as going as soon as Minoru wrecked Gongjin Zhou’s car. The villain saw he could not take on Minoru in his current state, so he fled – towards Tatsuya.

“Mr. Tatsuya,” Minoru said (16:07), “I’m leaving the rest to you.”

Delivery: A Hail Mary Pass

In my notes, I jotted down “Good teamwork!” By virtue of Tatsuya giving, and then keeping, his word to help Mayumi Saegusa, Tatsuya inspired trust in others. Just look at how Masaki Ichijou worked with Tatsuya in this episode. I thought that was cool, too. Tatsuya’s one of the main characters; events spun around him. I thought I knew exactly how the climatic battle would end. Tatsuya and Masaki would tag-team Gongjin Zhou, with Masaki having the honor of the final strike because of what the villain did to him in previous seasons.

And I was wrong. In a very, very interesting way!

Gongjin Zhou had a power that could deceive even Tatsuya. That could have been a problem, right? It falls under the trickery clause I mentioned earlier. But remember Saburou Nakura’s fight with Gongjin Zhou? How Saburou lost terribly? Well, turns out that Saburou’s final attack wasn’t just an act of desperation. He actually inserted a needle of his own blood into the villain. That needle acted as a marker that Tatsuya could track.

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Tatsuya appeared smug

Supposedly, Tatsuya only has emotions for Miyuki. But I sense smugness in his expression! That’s an emotion, isn’t it? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

As soon as Tatsuya countered Gongjin Zhou’s attack (16:58), the villain knew it was over. Tatsuya ultimately won, yes, using the power of teamwork. But the Most Valuable Player turned out not to be Tatsuya. It was Saburou, who committed an act of faith – faith that someone would come after him to finish the job.

I don’t know if Saburou had any idea it would be Tatsuya. But I really enjoyed how Tatsuya surrounded himself with a good team, and I liked how their victory revolved around Saburou’s dying act of faith. It felt like a solid way to end the season.

What did you think of Gongjin Zhou’s final transformation? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Other Posts

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The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13: Favorites

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13 – Quick Summary

Favorite Quote from The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 13