The first season of "The Irregular at Magic High School" aired in 2014, and has since been adapted into a film, a second season, and a spin-off, "The Honor Student at Magic High School." This time, we'll be taking a thorough look at "The Irregular at Magic High School: Reminiscence Arc," which is scheduled for an anime broadcast this winter, focusing on the relationship between Shiba Miyuki and Shiba Tatsuya, combining the manga and the original light novel. (*Contains spoilers.)
Aren't they the usual Shiba brothers?!
"Three years ago, in Okinawa. My brother gave me this life—and since then, I've changed." This is a line spoken by Shiba Miyuki in the trailer released on the official website for "The Irregular at Magic High School: Reminiscence Arc." The video shows the Shiba brothers walking on a sandy beach. Looking closely, they appear to have somewhat childish expressions. There are several points of interest, such as Miyuki calling them "that person" rather than "brother." Now, let's take a look at their story, which leads to the first season of the anime, in the Reminiscence Arc.
Synopsis
The story is set in Okinawa in the year 2092. The events take place three years before the Shiba siblings enrolled at the First High School Affiliated with the National Magic University, commonly known as "First High School." Because the story takes place before the first season of the anime, the relationship between Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba is quite different. "I don't hate my brother... but I don't get along with him." As fans of the anime so far will know, Miyuki Shiba's love for her "big brother" is so strong that there have been many instances where she was mistaken for a lover by outsiders. This is the story of a time when Miyuki still called Tatsuya "big brother" and didn't get along with him.
The Shiba Family's Family Trip
A family trip to Okinawa. Shiba Miyuki, mother of Tatsuya and Miyuki, makes her first appearance in the anime. A tall woman with red eyes wearing a long dress, she has an innocent expression, but the gaze she casts towards Tatsuya gives off an impression of coldness. Upon arriving at the villa they bought in Onna Seragaki, Okinawa, Shiba Miyuki's guardian, Sakurai Honami, was waiting for them after cleaning the villa. Tatsuya Shiba, Miyuki Shiba's guardian, and Honami Sakurai, Miyuki Shiba's guardian, are guardians of the Yotsuba family. This rule, existing in the family, transforms their relationship into something more than that of ordinary siblings.
Miyuki and Tatsuya's Relationship
This is explained in detail in the light novel, but to Miyuki at this time, Tatsuya was treated like a servant by the family, yet she remained completely unfazed by it. This trip marks the first time she's been escorted by her brother, but Miyuki hadn't had much contact with him at home or at school. Miyuki didn't dislike Tatsuya, but she couldn't figure out what he was thinking, and she found it difficult to get along with him.
Tatsuya as Miyuki's Guardian
On the day they arrived at the villa, Miyuki and Tatsuya went for a walk and got into a fight with some members of Okinawa's "Left Blood." Just as Miyuki was about to be attacked, Tatsuya stepped in and took a stance, holding both hands out in front of him. Tatsuya's older brother blocks a punch from a dark-skinned man who is likely twice his height as a middle school student, knocking the big man down with a counter punch to the stomach. Even though he's a Guardian, Tatsuya is still a middle school student, and this is the first time Miyuki has seen a glimpse of his power.
Miyuki's Gaze
"Was my brother really this strong?" Having seen a side of her brother she hadn't known before, Miyuki begins to gradually become more aware of him. The glimpses of her brother she glimpses of during this trip - his highly difficult analysis and decomposition magic, his outstanding martial arts, and his deep interest in a new CAD system - are all new to Miyuki, and at the same time, it makes her wonder why he's working as a guardian when he can use magic. "We're family, we're siblings, but there are so many things I don't understand... I want to know the truth. I want to know about you." Miyuki feels this way as her feelings for her brother waver.
(Additional Information) About the Current Situation in Okinawa
The "Left Blood" refers to the children left behind when the US military stationed in Okinawa withdrew to Hawaii during World War III. They were taken in by the military and became soldiers, but their children, the second generation, were shunned by local residents due to their bad behavior. Okinawa, located on the front line of the border, still has many military facilities and is heavily guarded by soldiers at the time of this story.
Battle of Okinawa
Suddenly, an emergency news report comes on in the living room of the villa, announcing that a submarine fleet of unknown origin has appeared in the waters off the Okinawa Islands and is launching an invasion and attack. The National Defense Forces are contacted, and Miyuki and the others quickly evacuate to a shelter within the base. Glancing at Miyuki's anxious expression, Tatsuya says, "It's okay, Miyuki. I'm with you." Miyuki blushes, sensing that these words are not the same pretense of concern for public opinion as before.
Shiba Shinya's Abilities
Tatsuya hears the sound of gunfire and is told by Shinya to check outside the shelter. Shortly after Tatsuya leaves, a rescuer from the National Defense Forces rushes in from the entrance, calling out, "Excuse me! This is Private First Class Kaneshiro of the Second Airborne Company!" However, with a sharp look in his eyes, Shinya mutters, loud enough for only Miyuki and Honami to hear, "My intuition tells me I shouldn't trust this person." Shiba Shinya's intuition. Nicknamed "The Mistress of Lethe," she was the Yotsuba family's foremost master of mind-interference magic and possessed a high level of intuitive insight.
Miyuki's Mind-Freezing Spell
As predicted late at night, the members of the National Defense Force who rushed to the scene were traitors and members of the National Defense Force who had been leading an internal rebellion. "Even if we work for Japan like this, we're still Left Bloods, and we'll always be treated like outsiders." The truth behind this attack was that Left Bloods within the National Defense Force resented the persecution and sought revenge. Unable to use magic due to the Cast Jamming, Miyuki and the others somehow manage to find an opening. Allied defense forces rush in from outside, persuading them from behind the door, and just as they are about to panic, Miyuki's mind-freezing spell, "Cocytus," explodes on the slightly loosened jamming.
Miyuki, Midnight, and Honami are dead!?
A freezing spell that never melts. At that moment, the young 12-year-old Miyuki could no longer bear the guilt of the magic she had cast and turned away from her attacker, a scream-like gunshot rang out, "Miyuki! Run!" as the muzzle of the rebel army's machine gun pierced Miyuki and Honami, who tried to shield her. "Shima..." By the time Miyuki thought this, it was too late, as the scattered bullets pierced Midnight as well, and the three of them collapsed, bleeding profusely.
Miyuki's Kaleidoscope
"Why... I keep thinking about that person... I really wanted to apologize properly. After all, it was I who kept holding you back." The vague image of her brother she'd seen throughout the trip and the regret she felt for having restrained him and deprived him of his freedom as his Guardian filled her mind. "Miyuki!" As her consciousness faded, the voice she heard resonated with raw emotion for the first time, a desperate voice that was unmistakably her brother's.
"Onii-sama"
Feeling a warm glow from Tatsuya's held-out left arm, Miyuki's body, now "disassembled" and "reconstructed," no longer bleeds or hurts. "Miyuki, are you okay?" Her brother's worried expression fills her clearer vision, and Miyuki replies, "Onii-sama..." The words came out naturally, with a relieved expression on her face. Whether intentionally or naturally, during the "reconstruction" process, Tatsuya's way of addressing him changed from "brother" or "that person" to "Onii-sama."
Brother's Secret ①
"They killed Miyuki. They must pay for what they did." After saving Miyuki, Tatsuya also "treated" Shinya Shiba and Honami Sakurai. This is what he told Captain Genshin Kazama, the reinforcements who rushed to the scene. This battle for revenge against the rebels and his cooperation with the National Defense Forces in Okinawa led to Tatsuya being nicknamed "Special Lieutenant." As Tatsuya heads to the battlefield and Miyuki and the others take refuge in the air defense control room, watching the action on a monitor, Shinya tells Miyuki about her brother's secret.
Brother's Secret ②
"Tatsuya was born with a flaw as a magician." "Tatsuya was born with only two types of magic: decomposing information bodies (eidos) and reconstructing information bodies." Since magic is about transforming something into something else, Tatsuya Shiba was flawed as a magician and a member of the Yotsuba family. "So seven years ago, Maya and I decided to perform a certain surgery on that child."
Brother's Secret ③
"Artificial Magician Project. A project to implant artificial magical computation areas into the memory areas of non-magicians, granting them the abilities of magicians." As a result of this surgery, Tatsuya lost all impulses, including strong anger, deep sadness, intense jealousy, resentment, hatred, excessive appetite, sexual desire, and romantic feelings. Except for one thing. Midnight continues calmly. "The only impulse remaining in him is brotherly love. The emotion of loving and protecting his sister, that is, you. That is the only true emotion he has left."
From the Truth to the Future
Her mother, staring into space as if it were someone else's problem, calmly admits that she herself cast a mind-interference spell on her son. Miyuki realizes that her mother, too, has lost all emotion toward her brother as a result of this experiment. "Magic can change a person's heart in this cruel way..." A cruel truth that she wished she hadn't known, a truth she must know. Miyuki's feelings upon learning the truth about her brother's only impulse. In this reminiscence arc, it becomes clear why Miyuki Shiba and Tatsuya Shiba have such a close relationship that goes beyond that of family.
The End of the War and After
This battle, later known as the Battle of Okinawa, was far too one-sided to be called a war. Rather than brutality, Tatsuya unilaterally won the battle with an extraordinary sense of cleanliness. Bullets fired failed to reach his brother and vanished just before him. Those he faced were wiped out along with their information bodies, and fallen allies reconstructed and revived. Tatsuya's practical abilities, which were a nightmare to his opponents, were so impressive that his outskirts were later hidden away in other countries. In the end, Tatsuya Shiba's "Material Burst" sinks the enemy fleet, bringing the war to an end.
The End, Together
Honami Sakurai, who went to provide support during this battle, was killed in action, and several years later, Miyuki Shiba passed away due to a worsening chronic illness. In the final episode, Tatsuya and Miyuki, now alone, join hands in front of the Okinawa Naval Battle Memorial. The two appear closer than they were during their family trip two and a half years ago. They show signs of mutual trust and consideration. "Miyuki will follow you wherever you go, no matter where you go." The Reminiscence Arc ends with the two of them filled with strong brotherly love and hope, and excited for their new life at First High School.
Please watch the first season
While writing this article, I was rewatching the first season of the anime, and at the beginning of episode 1, "Entrance Arc I," I saw my brother unleashing a "Material Burst." Yes, this is the scene from the Okinawa naval battle in the Reminiscence Arc. If you look closely, you can also see Honami Sakurai casting a defensive spell. I was surprised to see how the Reminiscence Arc scenes were depicted so thoroughly in the first season of the anime. It was also very interesting to rewatch seasons 1 and 2, knowing that Tatsuya's true feelings are now limited to "brotherly love and the desire to love and protect his sister." I highly recommend this Reminiscence Arc to fans who have followed the anime series up to now, especially those who are considering reading it.
