English Dub Review: The Irregular at Magic High School “Steeplechase Part 1”

Overview


A notice has been sent to the magic high schools across the country that a portion of the events in the Nine Schools Competition will be changed. Shockingly, three of the six events will be changed. To respond to the sudden change in events, First High School’s Student Council is thrown into a frenzy to understand the new rules, re-selecting athletes and readjusting their CADs. While everyone was complaining about the Competition’s management due to the sudden change in timing, one month before the start of the Nine Schools Competition, Tatsuya had a growing suspicion about the strong military flavor of all the newly added events.


Our Take

This time around, we now begin a new arc in the series, bringing significant changes to the tournament’s rules and events. Tatsuya, ever observational dude, suspects something is amiss with the tournament’s management. Forcing schools to alter their teams and lineups, sparking controversy. As the Nine Schools Tournament approaches, a notification announces changes to half of the events, leading to widespread discontent and frantic preparations at Daiichi High School.

The changes consist primarily of military-themed competitions, which raises Tatsuya’s suspicions. The committee’s decision to replace three popular events with these new ones, including the controversial cross-country event, seems strategic, possibly using the tournament as a testing ground for new military technologies. While this is going on, the rest of the proceedings highlight political behind-the-scenes shenanigans, with various factions each trying to 1-up the other for position and power with agendas of their own…

Overall, this episode mostly worked as a buildup to the arc, setting the stage for intense competition and intrigue. The new rules and events, along with the underlying political schemes, promise a challenging tournament ahead. Thankfully there’s levity to be had with the character interactions, such as Tatsuya’s encounters with the Saegusa sisters, and normal high school stuff sprinkled here and there. There’s no doubt that the stakes will escalate, with Tatsuya and his friends navigating the complexities of the tournament and the underlying political machinations from multiple sides, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.