Review of Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor

Akashic records of the bastard instructor is based off the light novel of the same name that I only started to read recently. This anime after seeing the Pv for it and the first episode is proving to be one of the best animes that started this season. Power based animes like Akashic records are one of the staples of the anime industry and one of the most common genre and with good reason. The premise of the show somewhat resembles another anime that I seen in the past that had a similar story and premise. This was Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. In a way,the main character Glenn does have some resemblance to the main character of that show.

The premise behind Akashic records is a rather simple one and centers around the life of a magic instructor that has a rather dark past that one day becomes an instructor at a famed magic academy where he is charged with teaching a class of trainee mages that among their number includes some really interesting characters. However just as the main character Glenn thinks he’s earned an easy job evil forces start to make their moves and forcing Glenn to protect his students and friends from them.
Story and setting

The overall story for Akashic records follows the adventure and life of the main character Glenn Radars a 21-year-old mage that despite not looking like he has the knowledge to become a magic teacher is forced to become a teacher at the famed Alzano Imperial Magic academy. Here he meets a host of interesting characters that includes Rumia a positive and cheerful girl that loves to learn and aspires to use magic to help improve the life of people and Sistine an intelligent and competent mage of noble birth that despite acting tough cares a great deal about her classmates and friends. Though Glenn’s laid-back nature and dismissive attitude towards magic antagonizes the members of the class both Glenn and the class soon find common ground after Glenn meets Rumia and Sistine and gets to know them more. However, from the shadows enemy factions begin to start their nefarious plans against the empire and Glenn and his students find themselves caught up in their plans forcing Glenn to both defeat them and defend his friends and students.

The story for Akashic records is largely set within the Alzano empire a country that seems to be run by a monarchy. The Alzano empire is famed for its magic and its strong mages which are used for both offensive purposes and research purposes. Rather than using wands or staffs like in other anime and media that feature mages and magic in this world seems to be incarnation based and features a variable number of steps that must be taken before the spell can be used.

Sistine

Sistine Fibel voiced by veteran seiyuu Akane Fujita of Orange and High school fleet fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the main heroines of the show. A 16-year-old girl of noble birth that attends the magic academy that Glenn is posted to Sistine is a proud girl that has great pride in both her family and in the field of magic. At the same time, she’s also hard working and kind and cares a great deal about her friends and classmates. While also hard working Sistine is also highly motivated as a student that comes from her desire to study magic and achieve her goal into the legendary sky castle which is one of the great mysteries of the empire. Although a rich girl and a Tsundere Sistine doesn’t fit the profile of an archetypal rich girl in that she is willful and kind to all she meets and at the same time willing to put herself in the line of fire to protect them highlighting her bravery.

Sistine and Glenn have an interesting relationship that forms a part of the animes main plot and serves as character development for her character. In the beginning of the series Sistine did not really have a very high opinion of Glenn both as a teacher or as a mage mainly due to his lazy nature and the way that he taught the class. However, as the series progresses and seeing more of Glenn’s true nature and how much he’s been through as well as seeing how much he’s willing to do to protect his students Sistine’s impression of him starts to change. Though she will still get angry with him it can be seen that she’s also more understanding of Glenn as a result and more willing to go with his ideas than in the past. In terms of character role however Sistine in addition to being one of the main heroines also has an important role with regards to Glenn in that she serves as a foil to him that is able to deflect Glenn’s worst ideas and keep him focused on the task at hand. This is a role that she shares with the character of Celica. Aside from her strong personality Sistine actually has a rather strong motivation for studying magic that stems from the last wishes of a member of her family that she respected a great deal. As a result, she is very determined to study hard so that she can one day be able to achieve her dream and fulfill the wishes that wasn’t achieved by her motivator. One notable trait of their relationship is the nickname that Glenn gave Sistine on their first meeting White cat which though annoyed her to great extent was eventually accepted by her as her relationship with Glenn improved. This was a good indication of their deepening relationship.

As a character, I thought that Sistine was a pretty well-designed character. While smart, fast thinking and brave she was not the typical rich girl that most nobles are and instead displayed kindness and compassion to her friends and classmates that was surprising and really put her in good stead. However, the main highlight that her character brings to the field is of course the relationship that she establishes with the main character Glenn and the changes that she helps bring out in him. I also thought that their relationship though not started on the best of terms was developed rather well and I thought it was cute seeing her develop feelings for Glenn though. Overall, I thought that Sistine was an excellent character that brought a lot to the plot and that her seiyuu Akane Fujita really did an excellent job portraying her. As a result, Sistine is one of my favourite characters on the series.

Rumia

Rumia voiced by new seiyuu Yume Miyamoto is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the man heroines of the series. A cheerful and positive 16-year-old girl Rumia attends the Alzano imperial magic academy with her best friend Sistine and is part of the class that Glenn teaches. Personality wise Rumia is a kind, caring and diligent person that while also a studious person always strives to keep arguments and disagreements in the class to the minimum. Like Sistine Rumia is a capable mage that tries hard to improve her knowledge of magic but in contrast to Sistine her intended reason for this is to improve her knowledge of magic so that she can think of ways that it can be improved so that it can be used for the benefit of all of humanity. While Rumia may look meek and innocent on the outside Rumia actually is a very brave and responsible person that tries her best to protect her friends and classmates from the danger that is drawn to her even if it meant sacrificing her life in order to protect them. Rumia and Sistine have been friends for a long time and as a result Sistine can be considered to be her best friend. As a result, both know each other very well and most often can guess on what motives are behind their actions. In the anime, this trait is mainly used by Rumia when she tries to determine Sistine’s actions with regards to her interactions with Glenn often to hilarious results to Sistine when she finds out. As a result of her personality Rumia often finds herself as the mediator when trying to deal with Sistine’s disagreements with Glenn which I found to be funny to watch.

Along with Sistine Rumia also plays a role in effecting changes to Glenn’s personality and behavior though in a slightly different way. In Sistine’s case she manages to effect changes in him due to her earnest nature and passion to achieve her intended goal but in Rumia’s case the change was mainly due to the dreams and wishes that Rumia has in relation to magic and how it can be used to help people. Like Sistine Rumia tries her best to educate Glenn on what a good mage should stand for and how magic should be used though in this case this is reinforced by her own beliefs in magic as well. With Rumia’s character I really liked the fact that while quiet Rumia is still able to provide a great deal of emotional and knowledge to Glenn and the cast with her prominent trait which is determination and courage helping the most as it motivates them even more so.

As with the other heroines of the show Rumia also has a sub story arc of her own that concerns her real identity and the tense relationship that she has with her real mother. I felt that this story arc was actually pretty well done as it helped establish the cause of Rumia’s meek personality as well as reveal the trauma that not only hung heavily on Rumia but also on Glenn as well. Overall, I felt that the character of Rumia was very well designed and contrasted with the other main heroines like Sistine and Re=L in personality. While certainly not as proficient in combat as Re=L or as headstrong as Sistine Rumia exhibited a kindness and determination that serves well to motivate the main cast as they deal with the threats that pop up in the story. Though this is the first time that I heard Yume Miyamoto’s voice I felt that she did a pretty good job in voicing Rumia.

Glenn

Glenn Radars voiced by veteran voice actor Soma Saito of Qualidea code and Rokka no Yuusha fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the show. A veteran mage that has a mysterious past that is forced to find a job to support himself and on recommendation of his guardian decided to apply for a teaching post at a prestigious magic academy even though he lacked the required skills needed. Personality wise Glenn actually has two different personalities with the second being hidden behind the mask of the first that he adapts in his normal duties. Glenn’s initial personality is one that is laid back and lazy and seems to adapt the belief that he’s only here for his pay check. This personality is what the students in his class seen as Glenn started to teach them and from this I can certainly see why the students especially Sistine did not view him with confidence. Though laid back and lazy in the beginning Glenn as the series progresses mainly due to the efforts of Sistine and Rumia and to some degree Celica does start to get serious with his teaching which switches his personality to his second one.

In this second personality that Glenn adapts when he gets serious with his job Glenn is notably more serious with his teaching and tries to ensure that each of his students understand the topics that he’s teaching them by breaking his topics into individual chunks that are more easily understood. Because this manner of teaching is noticeably different from how other instructors at the academy teach and because the techniques that he teaches actually have a noticeable difference Glenn’s teachings soon become more famous.

Arguably from this second personality we can get a sense of what Glenn’s true personality that was hidden is actually like. When properly motivated Glenn though still retaining his prominent trait of adaptability is apart from being more serious with is job more caring towards his students and see’s each one as his responsibility. As a result, any mistake and failure that they incur is felt by Glenn as he views this as his own failure. Although overconfident and cocky at times Glenn’s confidences in his students are often based on a combination of his faith in his teachings as well as in the skills of his students and usually have a high probability of succeeding. A peculiar trait of Glenn’s is the way that he motivates his students which in this case is done usually be him not believing that his students can achieve their goal which has the effect of making his students angry and cause them to perform even better by devoting more attention to it. Though odd to see for a teacher this method of motivation that Glenn makes use was surprisingly effect as the students with Sistine at their head will try ever harder so that they can prove to Glenn that they can do it. Overall, I felt that the character of Glenn was a pretty well designed one that proves that while knowing how something works in theory is all well and good its actual experience combined with the means of adapting that knowledge that is the most useful on the field. Though a somewhat incompetent teacher at first it was nice to see Glenn develop both as a character and as a teacher over the series and seeing him develop a good working relationship with his class and also with the main heroines of Sistine, Rumia and Re=l was heart-warming to see. I felt that Soma Saito really did a pretty good job in voicing the character of Glenn.

Celica

Celica voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Eri Kitamura of Yamada and the seven witches and High school of the dead fame is one of the main support characters of the series and one of Glenn and co’s main allies. A professor at the academy that teaches at the magic academy that Sistine and Rumia study at and also the one that recommended Glenn for the role of a lecture Celica’s personality can be best described as that of a trickster. A long living mage that seems to have extensive knowledge regarding magic in a number of different fields Celica and Glenn seem to have a close relationship as she was the one that adapted him when his parents were killed. As a result, it can be said that the foundation of the magic that started him on his path of becoming a mage actually stems from her. The relationship between the two can be seen to be a close one but not to the extent of being a romantic one as of yet. Yet it does appear that she does have a great deal of trust in him. Personality wise Celica has a rather mischievous personality in that she loves to tease Glenn though at the same time she can be equally serious as well. Celica has also proven to be pretty smart and well-read in that she’s able to deduce the identity of a curse object with only the minimum of hints. Lastly Celica can also be surprisingly understanding able to see the true reason why Glenn’s attitude towards teaching has changed and seeing how his students have affected him. In the end, I felt that Celica though not often seen was a great support character that did a lot to help Glenn and co in the story. I felt that Eri Kitamura did a pretty good job in voicing the character of Celica and though I would have liked to see her more her existing role will have to do.

Re=L

Re=l played by veteran seiyuu Ari Ozawa of Classroom crisis and Asterisk wars fame is one of the main support characters in the series and is one of the series three main heroines. A combat mage and a part of the empires elite mage corps division where she is partnered with Albert Re=l is a very quiet girl that prefers solitude than be with friends and indeed despite her age in which she should be in school actually has very few friends. While quiet and innocent Re=l also has limited social skills in the beginning of the series and as such rarely talked to anyone other than Albert and Glenn. Indeed, when confronted by strangers Re=l would often hid behind Glenn when present. This behavior actually reminded me of a child to which Re=L’s personality resembles. Despite that Re=l’s personality in the beginning can be described to be rather blunt and straightforward in the most comical of ways. As a result of her personality Re=l prefers things to be straightforward. Because of her limited social skills other people find it hard to approach her which is the main reason why she doesn’t have any friends. Re=L’s most prominent trait that is seen most prominently when she first appears is that she associates everything about her with Glenn which often caused an embarrassing moment for Glenn and a sense of jealousy for Sistine that I found to be pretty funny.

The development of Re=l’s character in the series I felt was actually done pretty well and was tied to her sub story arc which focused on explaining her origins and her past and explain how she and Glenn actually met. This story arc I felt was pretty interesting and I have to say Re=l’s origins was really unexpected. As the series progresses and as Re=L meets not just Glenn but also Sistine and Rumia Re=L’S personality starts to change. Though still only able to express a limited amount of expressions Re=l’s personality and demeanor starts to become more positive as she starts to make friends with not just Sistine and Rumia but also with other members of the class which had the effect of making her more happy and cheerful. This also revealed a surprisingly cute thing about her which was her love of eating desserts. As a result of both the forming of friendships with Sistine and Rumia and accepting who she really was after completing her sub plot Re=l becomes more not just more positive and cheerful but also more determined than ever to protect those that she considers dear to her. More importantly she was able to understand the intended lesson that Glenn wanted to convey to her in this arc which was to live your own life and let people accept who you are.

The most important relationship for Re=l in the series is without a doubt the one that she shares with Glenn that stems from the fact that she was saved by him and followed him when he was in the corps. As a result, his sudden disappearance was a great shock to her and ultimately was what caused her personality to be that of a recluse. This is a fact that Glenn too knows and is something that can be seen that he regrets immensely. As a result, her story arc was as much as it in revealing Re=l’s past and origins as it was in establishing the effects that Glenn’s sudden exit had on his friends. Overall Re=l I felt was a well-designed character that had an interesting backstory and origin that really defined her. I felt that her seiyuu Ari Ozawa really did an excellent job in portraying her.

Eleanor

Eleanor voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Yoko Hikasa is one of the main support characters and is one of the many villains that Glenn and co face in the series. A member of a terrorist organisation that forms this series main villain Eleanor is a devious, manipulative and deceitful person well used to manipulate people to achieve her own goals. At the same time Eleanor has been shown to have excellent combat skills that are on par with even veteran mages like Albert surprisingly. Indeed, Eleanor is the only evil mage that Glenn hasn’t had the opportunity to deal with which was surprising. Though a support character I felt that Eleanor was an interesting character that brought up the point that evil mages could be just about anybody even a simple maid like herself. Her combat scenes with Albert though were pretty interesting and I felt that her seiyuu Yoko Hikasa really did a great job in portraying her.

Leo

Leo voiced by veteran voice actor Kensho Ono of Aldnoah Zero and Bungou stray dogs fame is one of the main support characters of the show and one of the many villains that Glenn and co has to deal with. A talented mage that Sistine is familiar with Leo is a capable, smart and well-mannered person that on the outside appears to be a perfect gentleman. Leo is also a talented speaker and teacher and excels at breaking down complex problems and explaining how each part works. In a way Leo can be considered to be a contrast to Glenn. Leo’s true nature and personality that he skilfully hides behind his mask however is vastly different to normal personality in that he is arrogant, competitive and manipulative and would trample other people’s dreams if it meant he could achieve his even quicker. The true reason that caused him to actually into a villain however was really surprising though. In a way Leo can be considered to be perhaps the best two face character I have seen in a long time mainly because his two different personalities are entirely opposite of each other. This character actually had a pretty surprising twist near the end that I though was well executed and was certainly unexpected.

Arts and animation

In terms of arts and animation I felt that the character designs for the individual characters in the series was done pretty well and was largely faithful to the source material which in this case is the light novel. The design of the school uniform that Sistine and Rumia wear did of course raise some eyebrows but since this was in line with the source material I guess it can’t be helped. The designs for the uniforms that Re=L and Albert wear as part of their duties I felt was also pretty good as they helped convey a sense of authority that members of the military should have. Animation in general I felt was well done especially in relation to showing how magic in this world is used and what its effect are like. The fight scenes in this series I felt was pretty detailed and clear and allowed us to clearly see the moves that both sides made during the fight quite easily.

Music

The music for the series I felt was well done with both the opening and ending themes being my favorites as they were both catchy and positive. The scene music I felt was nice and was appropriate for the scenes that it was used in. Akashic records like most anime these days makes use of an opening and ending theme which in this case was Blow out by Konomi Suzuki and precious you which is sung by the seiyuu’s for the three main heroines in this show which is Akane Fujita for Sistine, Yume Miyamoto for Rumia and Ari Ozawa for Re=l. The opening theme I felt managed to convey a sense of excitement for the series that was welcoming and fresh while the ending theme managed to convey a sense of hope towards the future while also being catchy. Both I felt were pretty well done and matched the tone of this series as well.

Voice acting

Voice acting as a whole for the series I felt was excellent with particular praise going to Akane Fujita, Yume Miyamoto and Ari Ozawa who voiced the characters of Sistine, Rumia and Re=l who I felt managed to portray their respective characters really well. Soma Saito who voiced the main character Glenn I felt also did a pretty good job in portraying him.

Overall conclusion

Overall Akashic records was an interesting and impressive anime that had among its main strengths a strong story that was full of twists and revelations, strong and well-developed characters, excellent voice acting and excellent animation and design with regards to animation, character design and fighting scenes. Finally, it had a very strong voice cast as well. This anime is one that deserves a sequel though because it had everything that a good anime needs and without a doubt this anime is one of the best ones for this season. Most importantly the ending the series I felt was really well executed and reflected the changes that not just Glenn as a character has developed into but also in how perception of him from his class that was wary of him at first at changed as a result of the struggles that they been through together.

The overall plot line for Akashic records I felt was pretty interesting and had a pretty unique premise that drew me to it. The idea of a reclusive mage that despite not having the required skills and qualifications actually become a teacher at a prestigious magic academy was a surprisingly good identity and role for the main character. As the main character is actually a teacher naturally the other main characters that he interacts with will either be students or teachers. However, it was also interesting to have characters that are connected to the main characters past also make an appearance and take key roles in the story as well. As is common in most modern anime the overall plot of the show also contains a series of sub story arcs that that are intermingled with the main plot and focus on one of the main heroines and have the effect of expanding upon the personalities and motivations of the heroines that it has as its main focus. I felt that each of these story arcs was well designed and really helped in providing context and background info on the respective heroines and what their motivations are as a person. Of the three my favorites were Re=L’s and Rumia’s. The overall plot line was also notable for having a number of sudden twists that introduced a number of situations required a good amount of quick thinking and adaptability to overcome traits of which the main character and his allies had no shortage off. Some of these situations were pretty surprising such as in the second story arc. The revelation on the identity of the true mastermind behind these incidents though surprising was introduced into the series a bit too late for him to be really effective at his role but despite that he did prove to be an interesting villain that had both conviction in his beliefs and genuine skills to back that up.

The characters for the show whether main or support cast I felt was pretty well designed and had interesting personalities that only served to define them and make them really stand out. However, while their initial personalities were strong it’s the way that they are developed and improved upon that ultimately makes each of the characters special in their own right. The personality changes that each of the main characters go though as they are developed I felt was pretty good and it was nice watching them grow into more mature and better characters as the series progresses. Of the characters in the show the main cast arguably had the best in terms of character development with each of the main heroines undergoing changes in their personality as a result of not just meeting and re encountering Glenn but also as a result of their respective sub story arcs that apart from showing their origins and what caused them to develop their initial personality also served to let them find whats the most dear to them and from their discover the motivation that they need to improve themselves. Apart from the three main heroines I felt that main characters personality was developed rather well and it was heart-warming to see him develop not just as passion to teach but also care about his class and its students and more importantly be willing to put himself in harm’s way in order to protect them from threats.