ユーキューホルダー!/UQ Holder Chapter 13 Review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: 

The UQ Holder regulars aren’t happy with Touta for attacking them, but they soon start entertaining the kids, who were frightened by Touta’s attack. Touta ends up being entertained as well, causing Karin to remark on his childish mentality.

Karin and Kuroumaru are discussing the slum issue when Sister Kasuga arrives to thank them for helping. Sister Miao bangs a pan to summon the kids to lunch, kicking out some older, freeloading folks trying to score a meal. Touta enjoys some soup as the kids warm up to him.

Touta’s bluster about protecting the church is silenced when the church takes a massive attack. A large man shows up, so Touta tries to stand up to him, only to get blasted back. The regular UQ Holder members defend the children from the brute’s next attack, getting blasted down as a result. Kuroumaru comes in to assist them as one of the regulars identifies the brute as the Wrecking Ball, who uses a very expensive magic application to use compressed air bullets.

Wrecking Ball is about to attack, so Karin comes in to guard Kuroumaru’s back. However, Totua jumps in front of her to payback Wrecking Ball for the earlier hit. Touta asks for permission to take down Wrecking Ball, but Karin tells him no as she’ll deal with it. Touta refuses to accept that, so Karin flips to behind Wrecking Ball, telling Touta that first come, first serve. Karin battles Wrecking Ball, appearing to end things by telling the brute that no one can harm her.

Thoughts/Review:

Touta the idiot, still needs to learn a painful less. But enough about Thick Skull.

Sister Kasuga (KASUGA Mikan) provides us another name tie to Negima, this time via Misora. It would be cool if Sister Kasuga was the granddaughter of Misora, but that would be rather difficult IMO unless Misora had a child out of wedlock which took her family name, or Misora was somehow of an important enough family to warrant her husband marrying into the Kasuga family. As such, Sister Kasuga is likely either some relation of Misora’s, or not related at all.

I do note that the Sister that looked like an older Cocone wasn’t around. I was hoping she’d be here and could be shown helping defend the church. Oh well.

Wrecking Ball is just a generic, large villain, though as others have noted, he does slightly resemble one of Negi’s opponents in Negima. I figure Karin will finish him off next chapter (assuming he’s not already down for the count).

As for Karin, she is pure awesomeness at this point. OK, so she frightens the children, but she used Touta as a croquet ball when they first met to send him to the underground, and she’s schooling his butt in the fight with Wrecking Ball.  I’m really hoping that we see more of her and start getting her background fleshed out, including why her “battle uniform” is a Mahora uniform.

As an aside, I wish Crunchyroll would put the effort into two page spread art that scanlators do. Crunchyroll’s manga app just takes the two pages and slaps them together for the two page view, meaning the two page image isn’t seamless.

Otherwise, this was a pretty good chapter, Touta elements not withstanding.