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The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 12 Review – Quick Summary
In The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc episode 12, “Visitor Arc XII,” Tatsuya Shiba, Miyuki Shiba, Honoka Mitsui, and Shizuku Kitayama attended the celebration for the opening of the Tokyo Offshore Tower. The party was on the top floor. Tatsuya had hoped for a quiet evening with friends. Then he saw his aunt’s butler, Hayama Tadanori, and suddenly, Tatsuya knew the peace would not last long. Meanwhile, Kuroba Fumiya and his sister Kuroba Ayako covertly guarded the tower against the expected terrorist attack. They watched two men enter a service tunnel and confirmed their targets were magicians. Then took the two prisoner for questioning. Was that it? Had they really neutralized the threat? Or was Tatsuya right and the peace was going to be short-lived?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 12
Tatsuya’s always thinking. He sees past the obvious at every turn. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Sometimes, the narrative portrays Tatsuya’s strength in very obvious ways. Easily defeating Lina, the USNA’s most powerful magician, is one way. Destroying one of another country’s naval fleets is another. That makes it easy to overlook his less flashy, but more foundational abilities.
Takes his intellect, for example.
He was generally aware that the tower would probably be a tempting terrorist target. He was generally aware of the possible sources of that danger. But it took seeing Hayama to crystalize that awareness into the possibility that there might be a known operation underway. If there was, Tatsuya knew the players would be aware and would be putting pieces in place to counter it.
So he asked Hayama the obvious (to Tatsuya!) question (05:50): “Does my aunt have concerns about this party?”
I like how that’s a single line, but it tell us so much about Tatsuya. Subtle writing can be a lot of fun!
Best in Show Moment for The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 12
Trust is a precious thing, and not only in our current times. Capture from the Funimation stream.
Setup: Tatsuya’s Calm Helps Him Understand
Building on my favorite quote from this episode, I really enjoy how Tatsuya stays calm and level-headed. Sure, the narrative presents him as having no emotions except the affection he feels for Miyuki, and that contributes to his demeanor. But it’s more than that, and this episode gave us a good example of what I mean.
During the party, Miyuki caught Tatsuya starting out the window. He’d been watching as Fumiya and Ayako apprehended the terrorists at the power station.
Not content with just watching, Tatsuya analyzed their work. He thought (14:41), “They’ve already captured the enemy. Skillfully executed.”
He’s always thinking and analyzing the situation. That’s part of what makes him seem so over powered (OPed). His skills haven’t gone unnoticed among his friends and close associates, either.
They looked mildly concerned when Mizuki noticed Tatsuya was distracted. Well, except for Shizuku. Her poker face is as good as Tatsuya’s. Capture from the Funimation stream.
In front of Honoka and Shizuku, Miyuki asked if everything was okay. Maybe she was worried that he didn’t feel comfortable in such a party setting? Of am I reading too much of myself into that question? In any event, Tatsuya just brushed it off, and both Honoka and Shizuku seemed to accept this answer. Miyuki let it drop, through she wasn’t done with it.
Delivery: Tatsuya’s Calm Also Helps Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku
Miyuki knows her brother really well. A little later in the episode, she asked what he’d really been looking at. When he told her, she didn’t panic. She didn’t even get alarmed. Instead, she realized the real reason that Hayama was present.
Then the terrorists cut the power and made their demands. Every time they made a statement, Tatsuya ripped it apart, both to understand the situation and to keep his sister and friends up to date. In essence, he was giving them a real-time mission briefing/interpretation of what the terrorists were saying.
As an aside, did that party guest dude at 21:56 just stare at the woman in the green dress as she fainted and smack into the floor? Come one, dude. Show some courtesy!
Dude, seriously? Would it have killed you to protect her from a traumatic brain injury? Capture from the Funimation stream.
Anyway. By the time the briefing was done, there was general unrest among the guests. As we saw, one poor woman even fainted. But Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku turned in unison to face Tatsuya. They weren’t panicking, and they weren’t pleading to be rescued. All three were ready and waiting for instructions. They were ready to do something about this problem.
His statement was perfectly low-key (22:15): “I guess hoping that nothing would happen was too much to ask for.”
Yes, I know, I have a weird view of the world. But their complete trust not only in him as their leader, but in themselves, was powerful and beautiful. Trust is a precious thing, after all. This show is particularly good at this kind of moment, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.
What did you think of Fumiya and Ayako’s teamwork? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen – Episode 12 discussion
- Random Curiosity: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen – 12
- The Anime Rambler – By Benigmatica: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen Episode #12
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 1: Visitor Arc I
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 2: Visitor Arc II
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 3: Visitor Arc III
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 4: Visitor Arc IV
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 5: Visitor Arc V
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 6: Visitor Arc VI
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 7: Visitor Arc VII
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 8: Visitor Arc VIII
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 9: Visitor Arc IX
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 10: Visitor Arc X
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 11: Visitor Arc XI
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 12: Visitor Arc XII
- The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc Episode 13: Visitor Arc XIII
