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The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2: Favorites

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The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2 – Quick Summary

In The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2, “Double Seven Part II,” Katsuto Juumonji approached Mayumi Saegusa with a very disturbing accusation: her father, Kouichi Saegusa had taken action that confronted the Ten Master Clans – and put countless others in danger. How will Mayumi react? How does this affect Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba? And how does the information that Ayako Kuroba gave Tatsuya fit into this?

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

Favorite Quote from The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2: Ayako respected Tatsuya enough not to tease him about his moment of naïveté.

I like how she respected Tatsuya enough not to smile at his too innocent question. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

This cast is full of characters that appeal to me. One of them is Ayako Kuroba, who’s part of the Shiba family intelligence gathering apparatus. I like competent characters who are enthusiastic about their work, and she’s one example among many.

Toward the end of the episode, she reported to Tatsuya that a minister was going to visit First High School. She said he intended to investigate collusion between the school and the military. This, I think, is all part of Kouichi’s plan.

Tatsuya is usually wise about these things. But he actually showed a moment of naïveté. He protested that there was no such collusion.

““If he can’t find any, he’ll manufacture something by cutting and pasting testimony and subjective comments,” Ayajo said (21:27). “And his entourage of journalists will embellish them ten times over.”

That got the point across to Tatsuya.

Yes, quotes like this, from a universe like the one in this show, fascinate me. I wonder if there’s a treatment for that?

Favorite Moment from The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2: Katsuto made it clear there would be repercussions

The words were civil, even super polite. But the intent was clear. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: The Appeal of Political Thrillers

Was it just me, or did this episode have a decidedly computer-generated look? I’m not against that in principle. I really enjoyed Ars Nova: Arpeggio of Blue Steel. This show’s aesthetic, with its sharp lines and bright colors, lends itself to computer generation. It just seemed more obvious in this episode – more so than back in episode 1

Was this a set up episode or what? I was only partly kidding at the end of my favorite quote – I sometimes wonder if there’s something strange about me. I’m to the point in my life where I thoroughly enjoy this kind of political intrigue, even more than the kind of (admittedly excellent) action from a series like My Hero Academia.

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2: Mayumi understood where the conversation was headed

Mayumi didn’t like the direction the conversation had taken. She wasn’t watching a fist fight, but her reasons were just as real. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I think part of it is how intellectual it all is. The political environment in this series is wonderfully complex. The families all have different and often conflicting perspectives. A threat could come from any quarter, and as we learned in this episode, intrigue among the families sometimes means any given family would side, even for a limited time, with an avowed enemy.

Just like real like.

From a narrative perspective, this kind of environment is perfect for an Overpowered (OP) like Tatsuya. No matter what kind of magic he can bring to bear on any one situation, he can’t use that magic against political attacks. At least not directly. Those attacks are a perfect counterbalance to him and Miyuki.

Delivery: Fighting with Sharp Words

If you don’t mind, I’ld like to focus on the political aspect. A key trope of those works – a trope I use myself in most of my Evolution’s Hand series of novels – is a tense verbal confrontation between powerful, politically adept characters. We got one of those in this episode, and it left me giddy.

Remember when Katsuto Juumonji convinced Mayumi to arrange for a meeting with her father, Kouichi? The level of civility was through the roof. They were fighting with words, but to an outside observer, they appeared to just be having tea.

I love scenes like this.

The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 Episode 2: Kouichi tried to put his idea in the best light possible

Kouichi tried to put his plans in a reasonable light. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Katsuto laid out what he thought Kouichi was trying to do – only for Kouichi to readily admit to it. They sparred verbally over why, with Kouichi trying to reason that a small fire would cause less damage than a conflagration. Not to be outdone, Katsuto pointed out that even a small fire could kill people.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Kouichi said (18:53), “I’m speaking theoretically.”

Pausing just long enough to make it clear this was a threat, Katsuto responded, “It’s mutual, sir.”

I feel like I should defend enjoying moments like this so much. That’s silly, isn’t it? We all like what we like; we should encourage each other in those likes, as long as the pursuit isn’t dangerous. And I’m pretty sure enjoying political thrillers isn’t dangerous. 

What did you think of Katsuto’s first meeting with Mayumi? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

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