This is an absolute gem, as are the novel and the anime. Just like the anime adaptation, the manga is very faithful to the light novel, of which it adapts the first narrative arc. The story is a classic magic school ecchi one, full of many classical themes and sterotypes of both ecchi and battle shounen genres, but don't take it lightly, for each and every aspect is extremely well refined and beyond the boobs hides some really solid content that defies any attempt of banalisation.

The story is well constructed, linear and yet gifted with the ability to surprise the reader, with a good and consistent pacing all throughout. The characters have generally a clear intent,something that might make them plain at a first glance, but they all get characterizing backstories that add so much to them and, what's most important, THEY ALL GROW, both in combat abilities and personality. Stella, the female lead, is a bit of a tsundere, something I usually hate because they oftentimes are just way too over the top, doing things they should never get away with, and yet in this case she is still whithin the boundaries of reasonable. She is just an evident example of how all the characters, despite having very distinct stereotypical features, still feel extremely human. Just like Shizuku's flashbacks are chilling whithout the need to be absurd.
The MC is someone who works extremely hard to overcome every obstacle, faicng challenges head on, with a cool head. But he has his weaknesses, not just lack in strength or talent, but his psychological reactions to the events are still those of a human, who will certainly falter at some point, and more than once. The valu of working hard, the moments whithin the mind of the character who finds his motivation to push forward, fundamental elements in almost every battle shounen, are both depicted splendidly in this manga, conveying all the depth those moments can have, together with some simple yet very real and deep philosophical messages.
The arstyle is amazing, the body lines feel natural despite the classic character design of most fantasy manga nowadays, with crazy dry and slim bodies especially for the boys. The fanservice is simply top knotch.
Having said all that, the best element of this manga are no doubt its fight scenes. It appears evident that the author knows something about martial arts, because the principles behind all thes fights are absolutely correct and all characters truly employ their strengths in clever ways. The beauty of such fight scenes is breathtaking, visually but also in the outstanding precision of their moves and in the weight behind the choices of each character. The last duel in the selection tournament is among the best I've ever seen in manga, look forward to it.

In short, to say it with someone else's words practically perfect in every way!


I really do hope they continue the manga, because the story going forward is great and I would love to see it adapted, especially to see Ikki's exponential growth and his relationship with Edelweiss.

Trope filled fantasy action manga garbage. The whole thing even starts off with the generic protagonist walking in on the female lead who's half naked. He's also a loser who was dealt a bad hand in terms of magic talents/skills, only for it to be revealed that he's actually incredible. All that is just the first bleeding chapter. The second chapter? The female lead has already fallen for him, blushing all over the place despite being an incredible warrior well above his station. Lets also not forget the tragic childhood backstory of the hero, because how else would you paint him as an underdog.

... Last updated on February 21st, 2022, 5:40pm

There are mangas that end and there are mangas that just stop at some random point in the story, this is one just stops. Even if you're super invested in the manga you'll be disappointed by how the end doesn't really resolve any of the main conflicts, save yourself some time and skip this one.

It starts out pretty well for the genre, the main character and main love interest are both really fun and the little sister is pretty alright 70% of the time. The problem is that the side characters and villains are boring and insufferable and as the story progresses they keep taking the focus away from the main characters and making it about the side characters.

The comedy's hit or miss, the romance starts out a little weird but it grows pretty well after that and a few of the battles are pretty fun but the rest are either too samey or involve characters you aren't invested in at all.

... Last updated on March 4th, 2021, 1:31pm

DISCLAIMER: I have a very different taste.

The art isn't too bad. The story is okay. The romance is probably the strong point imo.

HOWEVER, I cannot stand the villains/enemies in this manga. They are literally a bunch of Punks, spiky-haired, bullies. That's it. I cannot stand characters like these. That is the big issue for me. Other than a few exceptions, Japanese authors make almost carbon copies villains/enemies like these guys. Every shounen manga has em.

And battles are your usual, get beaten to almost death, make speech, then win with 1 move.

I don't know how to continue reading. The art is ok. Plot is pretty generic. Fast paced romance and love confessions in 10 chapters are tolerable. OP main characters on beginner level is ok too, if done right. But the dialogs are killing me. Most of them are annoying.

What I liked about this series initially was that the main character was slightly atypical as he had already found a way to overcome his weakness but after a few chapters he settles into the typical underpowered, take massive damage and win in 1 hit shonen lead. so disappointing.

I have now changed my rating to 1 after the last battle. Overtly stereotypical get beaten to a pulp and win with 1 hit battle. DROPPED!

... Last updated on December 18th, 2014, 7:33am

Ever since the popularity of Sword Art Online with it's unique take on Kirito and Asuna's relationship; the two of them becoming close fast and romantically, there has been a rise of new novel series that follow this theme quite well; Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, Absolute Duo, and now Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan which in my opinion is one of the best so far. It is a refreshing change of pace to see the main hero and heroine who are both quite strong from the onset get drawn together quickly without slogging through the seemingly cliched pace of Harem series that also follow along these lines and subsequently they become very likeable in the reader's eyes. Glad to see this trend popping up with newer series and I do hope it continues to grow within the anime/light novel/manga community.

I'm quite enjoying the recent influx of new battle manga MCs that aren't half-wits at the start and stumbled across this particular take on the old formula in the new Manga section. The basis of the following review is: if you like the harem, shounen, battle-manga, comedy, and strong at the start protagonist then you'll enjoy this manga.

The premise is almost exactly the same as Gakusen Toshi Asterisk (so similar in fact I almost thought this was the same series with another artist for half of the first chapter) though I think it's a bit funnier. It essentially combines Asterisk with a dash of Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. The protagonist is still the stuttering, red-faced harem protagonist that everyone's used to but he's a bit more unapologetic and strong at the start (not quite full trinity seven but there are flashes of it) so you don't have to deal with weakling MCs. The art is expressive though there are parts that lack a bit of detail but nothing that actively detracts from the story. I find that the characters are generic (again, I wasn't expecting and am not reviewing for a manga with extremely dynamic characters with complex relationship polygons and EEG-like personality facets) but easy to get along with and become invested in. The fan-service is kept pretty low (granted there's only 3 chapters) and isn't too ridiculous and the story itself seems to be moving at an acceptable pace. Is this the greatest manga ever written? No. Is this exactly what I'm (personally) looking for? Yup.

If you're looking for something without common harem/shounen tropes, something that breaks the mold, something that will make you like the genre even though you previously hate it, or something as deep as 'Ulysses' or 'Crime and Punishment' in manga form then this is not the manga for you. I wanted another random shounen harem battle manga mixed with decent humor to read and this fit the mold for me perfectly, thus 10/10.

... Last updated on June 11th, 2014, 10:11pm