"Seven Demonic Swords Rule" is a Japanese light novel, abbreviated as "Nanatsuma." It won first place in the "Light Novel Lover Bookstore Clerk Awards 2019" and also in "This Light Novel is Amazing! 2020." With over 700,000 copies in circulation, it is a highly anticipated work with an anime adaptation scheduled to air in July 2023. The story is set in a place called "Kimberly Magical Academy," which is a school with a unique twist that is a little different from other schools. In this article, we'll take a look at what kind of place Kimberly Magical Academy is from various perspectives!
Overview of Kimberly Magic School
This seven-year magic school is known as the pinnacle of magic schools in the world of the story. Students generally enroll at age 15, but many students from ordinary, non-magical families enroll midway through their studies due to various circumstances. The school recruits talented individuals from around the world, and Kimberly teachers are given special recommendation slots. Only 80% of students graduate. While the rest would be happy if they repeated a year or dropped out, the horrifying reality is that the remaining students are unable to graduate due to death, irreparable injury, or missingness. In the one year between the time protagonist Oliver and his friends enrolled and the time they were promoted, a total of 16 students died across all grades, which is actually a relatively low number. Incidentally, some upperclassmen worked hard to "prevent the deaths of underclassmen as much as possible," resulting in a generally low percentage of underclassmen among the annual death toll.
About the School's Atmosphere
The school's liberal, meritocratic, and meritocratic culture has led to it being mocked as a "school for hunting heretics." Because of this culture, both students and teachers tend to be conservative. Because the pursuit of magic takes priority above all else, it's said that even those who manage to advance to the next grade gain a certain level of skill. Even a difference of just one grade creates a high wall of ability, making it difficult to win without a deviant background or talent. The difference in ability between underclassmen and upperclassmen is particularly clear; even Oliver and Nanao, who are top-tier students, are no match for upperclassmen.
About the School Building
The school's exterior is more like a fortress than a school building. There are at least 20 large halls and over 300 small rooms. This number changes daily, and new rooms are often discovered. The apparent discrepancy between the exterior size and the interior area makes the structure extremely mysterious. Even the descendants of the original builders have many unknown aspects, making it difficult to explain in detail. Opinions are divided among experts within the school, and there's even a field of study called "Kimberly Structural Engineering." Its construction resembles a lid over a gigantic labyrinth, which is why Kimberly is nicknamed the "School Magic Palace." At night, when the magical energy is more concentrated, the structure of the school changes, raising the risk of students getting lost in the "labyrinth."
Students Live in Dormitories
The dormitories are separated by gender and are located slightly away from the school building. The five-story buildings house over 1,000 students from first through fifth years. For sixth and seventh-year students, some of whom have already entered the field of research, dedicated dormitories are located in separate locations for environmental considerations. While double rooms are the norm, single rooms are available in special circumstances. Freshmen's rooms are arranged by teachers during the entrance party, and students often share rooms with those they became friends with during the party. To track student entry and exit, doorknobs are given personalities, and dormitory doors unlock upon receiving permission from the doorknob. This may be similar to modern-day auto-locks or fingerprint authentication. Between the boys' and girls' dormitories is a garden with a large fountain as its centerpiece. It's used as a place for students of all grades to socialize and for romantic meetings.
About the Labyrinth
The labyrinth is connected to the school by paintings and fountains located within the building, and students use these to enter and exit. However, these do not always lead to the same location. It's truly designed like a labyrinth. It's recommended that you enter the labyrinth in a party of five to six people. Due to the high risk of attack not only from the magical creatures that inhabit the labyrinth but also from other students, there is a movement to limit access to third-year students and above. However, there has been much opposition and this has not been implemented. Even if the terrain is destroyed by some factor, a natural force works to return it to its original state, which is known as "labyrinth homeostasis." There is also a competition called the "Labyrinth Trail Run." This is a competition in which participants compete to see who can enter the labyrinth and return the fastest. It is a life-threatening all-around competition that requires knowledge of the labyrinth's structure, stamina to maintain speed, and the ability to deal with traps and magical beasts encountered. It is a test of skill for some upperclassmen who are accustomed to exploring the labyrinth and have too much energy. There is an official ranking system for Labyrinth Trail Run times. If a student goes missing in the labyrinth, teachers will begin a search after a certain number of days. If they are not found after six months, they are considered dead.
There are other surprises too...!
By the time of graduation, 80% of students have had sexual intercourse. You might think there's no need to mention it, since many students will have experienced it by a certain age. However, surprisingly, the school directly encourages sexual activity here. In their third year, students are officially permitted to become pregnant and give birth. Pregnant upperclassmen are often seen in the hallways, and the school encourages this in various ways. Students who plan to have children while enrolled are even advised to "have sex with someone before their fourth year." Furthermore, because deaths are not uncommon at this school, a communal funeral is held annually on campus. The wizarding lifestyle is considered unsuitable for afterlife repose and soul salvation, and no scriptures or sutras are offered at funerals. While coffins are placed on the altars, fewer than half contain bodies, indicating that many students died tragically. If no bodies remain or can be recovered, personal belongings are placed in their place, and the coffins are decorated with colorful flowers. If no deaths occur that year, no funerals are held, but this has never happened.
Summary of Kimberley School of Magic
Even among the magical schools featured in other works, Kimberley School of Magic is a unique school, unlike any other school in the world. I'm curious to see what happens to Oliver and his friends who have arrived at this school. I can't wait for the anime to air! That's all for today. Thank you for reading.
