English Dub Season Review: Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor Season One

Great Teacher Onizuka goes to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dork Arts.

Courtesy: Funimation

In a world where magic has become the predominant technology, where the great Alzano Empire rests on the ruins of a once-great civilization, there is a town with the one of the best magic academies of all. One of the most respected professors retires, and a substitute is hired until a more permanent one can be found. Glenn Radars, an absolute slacker with little to no credentials. But, once he becomes inspired by the dreams of his students, he is capable of teaching them the true nature of magic in new ways. However, not everything is as it seems in Alzano. There is a mercenary cult called the Researchers of Divine Wisdom. Their goals are mysterious, their members are powerful and hidden, and… they just won’t leave the school girls alone. Time and again, they attempt different means to capture and/or kill one of Glenn’s students, Rumia Tingel. Her past holds connections to the royal family, and she has a mysterious power. On the other hand, Glenn has a past himself. Former member of the Imperial Court Mages Corp, callsign “The Fool”, and his power to prevent any and all spells from being cast nearby is the perfect foil for any dark mage that should pop up.

Courtesy: Funimation

This is the directorial debut of Minato Kazuto, working with Liden Films. He’s done a good job of balancing the humor of the series with the more serious aspects, and tries to get some dramatic camera angles during action sequences. Some I’ve read believe that he dropped too many hints to the main plot too early, but I don’t think that was the case here. I’m normally one to predict the path a plot will go, and while the plot of each particular arc was pretty well telegraphed, the deeper plot of the season was not. However, the storyline from arc to arc was a bit repetitive. The enemy makes another attempt on Rumia, Glenn comes to the rescue, end of story. The season finale has a different plot entirely, but I won’t ruin that. Character design was done by Satoshi Kimura, who also did Terra Formars, and directed Masamune Datenicle. In general, I like his work. There are subtle differences from the light novel that the series originates from, and they make Glenn and other older characters look their age. The style of the art is rather mainstream, with thin, uniform lineart and pretty standard eye styles. What I take a bit of issue with is those school uniforms for the girls. What parent would say, “Hmm, ultra-short skirt and a bare midriff? Yeah, I’m down with the school sexualizing my daughter, sure.” All while the boys are wearing three-piece suits for uniforms. It isn’t Kimura’s fault here, though. Those outfits are straight from the source material.

Courtesy: Funimation

The animation of the series is, overall, pretty good. It isn’t stellar, but it’s got personality, even more so when it’s trying to be funny. The action portions were well done, using dramatic angles and CG magic sigils for some exciting visuals. These sigils are well utilized in the series, giving us the feel of a world that has advanced magic as a technology. It even has huge screens with glowing displays, all constructed from magic. It doesn’t take much to make this sort of thing, but it was done well enough to give the world a sense of reality that many magical stories lack. Combined with the (men’s) character designs, this gives off a vibe of Full Metal Alchemist in its visuals.

With voice acting by Josh Grelle (Glenn Radars), Rachael Messer (Sistine Fibel), Monica Rial (Rumia Tingel), and Leah Clark (Re=L), the show has high points with exceptional emotion in some episodes, while on other episodes, it felt a little flat. It isn’t all that consistent, but when it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s still better than some. Josh Grelle does the best out of all of them, delivering Glenn’s one-liners and quips with panache and wit. Leah Clark surprised me with her performance in the second half of the series, and the line had real impact. The villains truly sound villainous, though maybe a bit too much like their evil tropes. The music wasn’t all that memorable in the series, except for the opening credits: “Blow Out” by Konomi Suzuki. She also performed the song which is the OP for No Game, No Life. The sound of “Blow Out” is a perfect fit for the look and tone of the show, and its chorus has such amazing arrangement that it gave me chills the first time I heard it.

So when you get down to it, Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor is a fun romp with magic, school hijinx, and right proper fantasy action. It’s only downfall is occasional dips in voice acting quality, and a lack of originality in its villains. The plot is a bit repetitive, but still keeps your attention as you get to the climax of each arc. Looking back at my reviews, there was an obvious cycle to the show. The first episode of each arc tended to get a “seven”, then others would get an “eight”. This suggests problems in the writing of the first act of each arc. As a whole for the series, I’d round up to an even eight out of ten points. The second season, if one is to appear, promises to have a bigger plot that goes deeper into the universal lore. I can’t wait to see it.

SCORE
8.0/10