My Super-Cute Black Mage! Volume One Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

Synopsis

Aria Poppywell is ecstatic to have become a third-year prefect at the internationally acclaimed Hardiquartz Magic Academy. She needs to look out for the personal and academic wellbeing of her fellow students, which means tutoring the first years to make sure they don’t fail their exams! That includes the mysterious Jade, who comes from the black mage clan famed for their use of forbidden magic in ancient times. While the other students are suspicious of him and avoid him at all costs, Aria refuses to give up on him. Her persistence pays off in an unexpected way when her own clan powers awaken, and suddenly she can hear his thoughts?! It turns out that Jade’s emo exterior hides a soft hearted romantic who is absolutely, painfully smitten with her. What can Aria do, when she’s not meant to know he’s thinking about her non-stop?

The Good

My Super-Cute Black Mage! is a simple story perfect for reading on the go. It’s entertaining enough to keep you amused, without making you think too much.

The characters are all endearing, with clear designs to tell them all apart. Even background characters are given their chance to shine. At present they are two-dimensional, but in the same way that stock characters in a puppet show are. You know immediately who everyone is, what role they play, and how they will interact with everyone else. It solidifies the setting in preparation for the main plot.

While the romance between Aria and Jade is the focus of the series, the platonic relationships between the rest of the cast are just as important. There’s a nice mix of slice of life scenes and magical action sequences.

I enjoyed Jade’s classic tsundere moments, which are enhanced by the fact the reader knows exactly what he is thinking at every moment. Our boy is smitten, and Aria now has to figure out what to do with all the information being thrown her way.

The Bad

My Super-Cute Black Mage! is the kind of unremarkable series you would expect an isekai protagonist to find her way into.  It checks off all the tropes of romance manga; while it does so successfully, I’m at the stage in my manga life where I crave either expert execution or subversion. This series just feels par for the course. To make matters worse, the action sequences are flat, with basic panelling and poor pacing.

I find it funny when I see British school systems copied in foreign media. In this case, there’s a vast difference between being a prefect in this Japanese fantasy, and being a prefect in real life. I was a prefect at my comprehensive school (that’s a state or public school to Americans), and my duties were limited to helping prepare for the open days, and writing the addresses on the “student of the month” postcards. The teachers would never dare give us any more responsibility than that.

I also do not expect the senior prefects of Hardiquartz Magic Academy to start a drinking game during their Head Teacher’s retirement party. It is such a shame that British Youth Culture is never truly represented in manga.

The Verdict

There’s not much to say about this manga. It’s a perfectly average series that will appeal to those who like emo tsundere types and magical schools. The artwork is fine, conforming to the level of quality you’d expect from Hana to Yume. The translation and lettering are the same. I have nothing to comment on there.

If you’ve not read any magic high school shojo manga, then this is  a great introduction. Jade is a quintessential tsundere, with Aria’s mind reading ability being a prime MacGuffin for showing just how hot and cold he runs.

This is just the first volume though, so who knows where this will lead? The bonus one shot manga at the back showing Takidon’s earlier work (The Slovenly Saint and the Health-Conscious Devil) shows much more promise with regards to finding an original take on classic tropes. If that’s the talent that they have within them, then this book may be worth continuing.

If you liked My Super-Cute Black Mage! you may also like:

• Cherry Magic! 30 years of virginity can make you a wizard?!
• The Demon Prince of Momochi House
• My Next Life as a Villainess, all routes lead to doom!

Credits

Story and Art: Takidon
Translation: Minna Lin
Lettering: Vitor Bastista
Published in English by Yen Press

Thank you to Yen Press for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy had no effect on the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.

Article edited by: Cynthia Caraturo