May 13th, 2015 
AstroNerdBoy ユーキューホルダー! Manga Review
UQ Holder Chapter 79
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Kirie struggles with the 50 laps that Dana has assigned the immortals, but Touta is excited by this. Kirie tires of Dana’s basic training, but when she attempts to leave, she discovers that Dana controls access to the outside world, thus doors in her castle lead to where she wants them to go.
Dana notes Kirie’s strange power and marks her as someone worthy of training. She then cuts Kuroumaru in half at the torso before doing the same to Touta. She times how long it takes them to regenerate and says they are doing it too slow. Touta protests, but when he learns that Yukihime did it in 10 seconds, Touta takes interest. Further, Dana cites how in the face of mortals, immortals have two choices — fear and terror or beauty. Either way, that means not lying on the ground for a few minutes while trying to regenerate.
To back up her claim, Dana cuts off her own arm and flings it away, but then immediately recalls it and reattaches it in .1 seconds, including repairing her clothing. She goes a step further by destroying herself, then in a shower of petals, reforms herself from scratch. This impresses Touta greatly.
Dana takes note of Santa before attempting to shred him before using purification magic on him. Based on his regeneration time, Dana remarks that as a revenant, Santa is well made, but his mind isn’t there yet. Touta asks what would have happened if Santa had passed on. Dana says they would have been happy for him. With that, she stops the talking and tells them that they will play tag without a break until sunset. Anyone she catches dies, and Touta gets extra death for every time he called her “obasan.”
The day over, the three collapse exhausted into the giant round bed that Dana uses. Kirie teases them about this before Touta falls asleep. When he awakes, he discovers Yukihime there in her Eva form, wielding a couple of blades and looking surprised.
Thoughts/Review:
Well, this turned out to be a more interesting chapter than I thought.
A training arc could be boring or tedious, but Dana’s militaristic basic straining was unexpected, thus not boring. The fact that she will slaughter her trainees at the drop of the hat adds another element of interest while at the same time, she’s training them to regenerate rapidly. Dana is turning out to be a surprisingly entertaining character.
I’m guessing that when she slashed Touta in two at the torso, she completely destroyed his top half somehow. Otherwise, there’d be no way for him to regenerate his body in the same way that Kuroumaru does. However, based on Dana’s own examples, he should be able to recall his missing limbs and such at will once the training is over.
I do note with interest Dana’s remarks on Eva’s regeneration being at ten seconds. We didn’t see her regenerate in the first chapter of UQ Holder, but in Negima, when Fate got the drop on her, she caused her body to vanish in a field of bats and reappear whole, though with her clothing torn. (Yeah, we aren’t supposed to be questioning that.)
Based on what Dana says about immortals, in that they either follow the path of fear and terror, or they follow the path beauty, Eva could be said to follow both paths. On one hand, she has the fear and terror down as she was known as a notorious shinso vampire with a massive bounty on her head. On the other, she liked to dress up in doll-like fashions.
I was amused that Dana’s attempt to slash Santa to death failed, but I was also equally amused by how she used purification magic to send him packing, at least for a time.
I also note with interest how Dana didn’t slaughter Kirie. Indeed, once Dana became aware of Kirie’s power, Dana left her alone, other than forbidding her from leaving this place of Dana’s. Dana suggests that she will revisit Kirie later, and I kinda hope she does. Putting the spotlight on Kirie suddenly had me asking, “So why does Kirie still appear as a child when her power is just to reset time back to a certain point and go down another path?”
I was surprised to see Ray here. He wasn’t present in the last chapter, but it makes sense that Ray would be here with Afro.
We have Eva showing up again as Touta has apparently shifted into the past again. I really do hope this arc gives us a lot more information about Eva.
Finally, Kuroumaru should just choose the beauty path and become a lovely girl. The chest covering maneuver Kuroumaru does is very much in line with what a girl would do. 😉
So a pretty good chapter here.
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I liked this chapter!
Poor Kirie and Santa… She is obligated to stay in the place. And Santa nearly meets with Sayoko.
What were they telling, immortal commandment/creed? XD
This training is a torture. Surely that Touta has died more times that Krilin in dragon ball… 196 times lol
“Either fear and terror or beauty” lol
The witch of rift has added two new routes in your training. Please, choose your way carefully. 1. Fear and terror or 2. Beauty. XD
-Based on what Dana says about immortals, in that they either follow the path of fear and terror, or they follow the path beauty, Eva could be said to follow both paths. On one hand, she has the fear and terror down as she was known as a notorious shinso vampire with a massive bounty on her head. On the other, she liked to dress up in doll-like fashions.-
Yes, you’re right.
It seems light and darkness.
Well, I also think that Evangeline uses magic ice and darkness. Magic ice is “beauty” and darkness is “fear and terror” (Although, It hasn’t to be always that way. It depends the person about like uses anyone magic. Whether for good or evil)
“And Touta gets the added bonus of getting killed as many times as he’s said the word “oba-san” ”
I thought that she did forget it. Poor kid. Dana neither forgive nor forget the times that Touta called her “oba-san” XD
Evangeline appears again!~
But, then It means that Touta isn’t in the past but he is in the same place, then, Is he seeing illusions? I mean, if he moves from one side to another when he sees Evangeline in the past, Is he also moving at the same time in the place where Kuroumaru and company are? That’s why Dana told him “If you see something again, don’t go too far after it”,by that reason, Was Touta in the place where Dana was sleeping before when “Evangeline” and “Dana” dissapeared?
But, if they are illusions. Why does Evangeline see Touta? If he is injured when he is in te past, Will Touta be injured when he is with Kuroumaru and company? I just don’t get it.
If it isn’t the past. The present doesn’t have to change, does it?
“She cut her time down to ten seconds in half a year.”
Then, Will Touta be half a year or more of a year training about it? Or maybe he gets do it in less time… It also could be that the place where they are training, it is like the Evangeline’s resort that the time is different.
The Special hellish training of Evangeline that Negi told to Kotaro in the Evangeline’s resort, Will it be the same that Dana is doing to Touta? XD
I’m looking forward the next chapter. 🙂
Very true on that point. And she uses the darkness of ME to enhance the “beauty” of her ice magic, as witnessed in her final fight with Negi and her fight with Fate at UQH HQ.
Is it any wonder Yukihime hates Dana if she had that kind of training involuntarily? Glad she’s going to be a regular visitor.
Also I love the way Touta is totally getting swept up in Dana’s charisma – Maybe she is a tiny bit beautiful?! Hahaha.
Did you notice the tiny ‘wait for me Sayoko!’ Santa let slip as he recovered?
Oh, that’s very interesting. That would mean that as I suspected, there was indeed a “world of the dead,” and that Santa has visited (and there met Sayoko the way ^^)?
I think it is more that Santa’s soul was passing on and he was looking forward to being with Sayoko again. However, Sayoko had built his body so that it would regenerate and thus pull the soul back to it. I believe this is what Dana was referring to when she mentioned Santa’s mind not having caught up with his body.
I wonder how involuntary it was. Or if Eva had had enough, but Dana wouldn’t let her leave, so Eva set out to kill Dana.
Heh! Yeah, I did notice that. Pretty sweet.
The idea of magia erebia Could eva hage from touta
I don’t know what “hage” means, but I would be outraged if Eva “learned” ME from Touta. After all, ME was always a technique she invented to become stronger.
Astro : Ironically I expected that you find this disappointing chapter I have seen you so hang on every detail, sometimes almost stubbornly, I was expecting a negative review. Primarily on the fact that Dana do praise immortality compared to mankind. Your review find myself pleasantly.
I have just enjoyed Dana tries to learn to Tota and Kuro “the pride of the immortals” (especially kuro, who constantly sees as a “living crap” because of his condition. If it there is one thing I like about the stories of immortals contractors and / or other gods and is the pride and condescension with which they watch the mortals and the funniest is that they can allow lol, I always found it fascinating personally (and is one of the shave why I like so much the character of Eva / Yukihime in addition to its monstrous power and charisma ^^).
Otherwise, as I predict, Santa has not really had exorcised. But I think he’s a bit unfortunate that he did not have the opportunity to describe something of the world of the dead version of Akamatsu. ^^
Otherwise, anyone know if we have a chapter next week?
“I expected that you find this disappointing chapter I have seen you so hang on every detail, sometimes almost stubbornly, I was expecting a negative review. Primarily on the fact that Dana do praise immortality compared to mankind. Your review find myself pleasantly.”
This… this was literally painful to read. You are never pleased unless they are singing praises to this monstrosity of a manga and its Special Snowflake Elite, are you?
This puts the characters in a path to become too broken, and if they already weren’t. It’s just plain ridiculous, because shooting your characters towards invincibility isn’t good storytelling, it’s plain Bad Fanfiction power wank stuff, and I honestly thought Astro, who has pointed out that sort of flaws before, would at least be consistent this time and recognize it for what it is.
I will go back the complement: “And you’re never happy unless they sing deserve this monstrosity of 12 or even 20 first volumes of Negima and your beloved band 33 does is, schoolgirl Right? ”
You see me too, I can consider something like being “monstrous and disgusting just because I do not like it lol. And if I actually already had similar words, is true, it was Only for respond to yours words.^^ I’ve already said but you confuse criticism and bashing
You will then probably answer me I’m an idiot mouto (and do not say you’ve never tell. You never told me personally was true, but you did say once speaking of all fans of UQ, which is much better now anyway).
Stop saying that someting is mauvas just because it does not meet YOUR personal expectations.
Do not you know that it is impossible that a movie / comics / game / manga pleases everybody? The fact that people have different attantes of yours necessarily it makes fools or idiots?
I’m going to ask you, but: what is it going Chenger your life that UQ Holder to be successful? This will ruin your life? This is only a manga hell of wood!
You’ve repeatedly addressed fanboy, just because I expected UQ is different from what you hoped you in. You hoped to see the 3-A, I was hoping NOT to see her again, hoping you know the name of the wife of Negi, I did not care as my first shirt. I would have known, good better, I would not have known better. You probably hoping a new romantic comedy, I hoped a pr Action manga (even before the first chapter so)
You do not have to you hoped, that’s life. And I can guarantee you that if I were in your place, I would have just gone my way, I would not have spent TWO YEARS of my life to complain because of characters pasted on the paper and perfectly unreal…
I added only if the critic had Astro was negative on certain points (for it are rarements entièreents) I should just let it flow as the saying goes and I would have debated with him (or with others) points chapter who are interested.
If I have to comment if was not for her rent review “because it was positive” as you seem to think, but rather to report the crazy laugh inside I had simply because there my bluffed. Again I do not attenndais me AT ALL to review so positive, I did not expect not more an entirely negative review but not much positive to this point.
If I reported it was mainly to tell him how he mindfucked on this one lol.
Maybe stick to comments on chapter content rather than comments on each other, guys? : ) this is getting quite regular
😆 Sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Anyway, the characters are already broken, as you say. However, within that scope, we’ve already seen how their inability to regenerate rapidly is a detriment, so it makes sense to train them in this fashion, even if it makes them more broken. I suspect that whether it is the Lifemaker or some other foe, those opponents will also be broken, so it will be broken vs. broken.
UQ Holder is cliched shounen fare with ties to an intelligent shounen story (Negima). I’m sure I’ll rant again about UQ Holder, but for this chapter, nothing triggered my ranting. 🙂
UQ Holder reminds me a lot of Fairy Tail. The arcs plots are mostly cliched, with some twists, but the characters are really fun and interesting.
Although this arc, I guess we’d call it the preliminary arc, has been really interesting so far with Afro and Dana being really cool additions to the cast, still not sure what I think Ray or Hoodie.
I wasn’t sure about Touta for a while but he’s really grown on me since the end of the Inestigation arc.
I understand if you don’t agree Astro, I just thought I’d give my two cents, I know it’s hard not to compare this series to Negima 🙂
Yeah, that’s about right, though UQH has an advantage with its ties to Negima.
More like the “random things happened, then Dana came in” arc. 😆
I still don’t care for Touta, but I will admit that he’s no where nearly as annoying as he once was and thus is tolerable.
Considering that Dana is immortal, it makes sense that she’d consider immortals superior to mortals. So there’s nothing for me to be negative about. 🙂
I don’t think he actually goes to the afterlife, but he comes darn close. Sayoko built his body to be able to regenerate, but Santa’s mind is still not in synch with this, thus it takes him longer to recover. Once Santa is able to synch mind and body, then a purification spell will simply dispel his body for a short time and there will be less danger of him actually passing on.
Was rather unsettled by the beauty VS fear, exposition background. They look like divine quest givers and are also to well designed to make a one-off appearance.
The “beauty or darkness” fits with immortality, especially from a Japanese perspective, at least in my opinion.
This was a really funny chapter, I love Dana, she is hilarious. The panel of Santa ascending to heaven was pretty funny too.
I found it interesting that Kirie doesn’t tell Dana what her power is, but Dana still learns what it is and there’s a close up of Dana’s eye as she says this, so maybe she can somehow “see” Kirie’s immortality… Or maybe Dana did kill Kirie but she’s aware of the reset.
Now that Ray is here and watching the characters train, I wonder if he will work on apps to complement the immortal gang’s fighting style., ever since apps were introduced I thought they might replace pactio.
More Eva backstory, can’t wait.
Maybe some Kirie backstory coming too, I look forward to finding out how old she is and how she became immortal.
Kirie is the only immortal there whose backstory we know nothing about. How old is she? How’d she become rich(I like your gambling theory Astro)? How’d she come to sponsor UQ Holder..actually she probably knew Negi since I believe it was hinted by Eva in chapter 6 that Negi founded UQ Holder.
Also, there’s been some jokes about her being kinda perverted, eg trying to enter the men’s bath, that could have a sad twist with her being stuck in a prepubescent body and not able to have a physical relationship with someone..I may be over-thinking this
I wish Karin was there but I think her character might overshadow others, this gives the others a chance to shine.
You could argue that Santa got nerfed but he was way too overpowered so he needed a weakness.
This chapter is full of scenes I’d love to see animated.
Sorry I rambled on a bit but this chapter had everything. It was really fun, had some action, great character moments, beautiful art.
I always remember something I want to add after the time limit for editing has expired :L
I was thinking that Dana will probably teach Kirie the spell to give herself an faux-adult body like she thought Eva. That’s probably the “Beauty” route.
I like your theory about Kirie who would like to “become a woman” but is physically unable. There is only one bug to your theory. Kirie did not need to learn a spell of aging in fact she has only used one of Eva pills.
Yeah that;s a pretty big hole in my theory.
She could have been too embarrassed to ask for one Eva’s pills.
Or too proud.
Yeah, that is the flaw in the theory.
Illusion magic. Well, Kirie has been establish to be a mage. Of course, Eva created illusion-magic candy, so Kirie should already have access to that to change age appearance.
Yeah, she is a surprising character in that regard. Initially, I didn’t think I’d like her, but her sadistic nature and such makes her humorous and fun.
Dana seemed to know what all of their regenerative abilities were after looking them over. I don’t think Dana killed Kirie because Kirie would have been aware of the reset even if no one else was. I think that as someone who exists out of time and space, Dana senses Kirie’s ability to manipulate time.
Ditto, but I figure we’ll get more teasing than anything.
Yeah, that’s why she’s not here. And that’s why in previous missions, Akamatsu-sensei has thrown her to the moon, or buried her so that she doesn’t outdo Touta.
Dana said that Eva’s regeneration improved to 10 seconds after a half of a year, not that it’s at 10 seconds now.
For example, Secundum blew Eva’s arm off, and it was back in a second or less, if I recall correctly.
This chapter just highlights how much of a genius Negi was, once again. All of his regenerations shown in Negima happened in a couple seconds at the most.
Indeed and in retrospect it shows us at the same time how Dynamis (who was also an immortal, a Mazoku, to be precise, I think) was poor in terms of regeneration. When Negi is entered into berserk mode and has halved this has took her several minutes to return (and one wonders if the lifemaker do not have a little help for that). Well you tell me, he himself admitted that the attack Negi had damaged his “regeneration core”. I wonder if UQ us no more to learn about. The “core” is it a characteristic common to all the immortals or a unique feature of mazokus? I parirais instead for the second option. Because Dana literally atomized herself in this chapter and it réssucitée anyway. Moreover, the “core” was already a concept present in Yuyu Hakusho and as said Astro once, it is likely that the mazokus akamatsuvers are a mixture of those hakusho and those of Slayers.
That said, even if we take the “core” into account, Dynamis conserves anyway significant gaps regarding the regeneration. When Albireo has déchiquté his arm with a mini-black hole, Dynamis does not even regenerated! And I think that the life-maker has repaired his “core” in the meantime, so the weakness of Dynamis regeneration, probably does not come from there.
Dynamis isn’t a mazoku; he’s a magical golem-like being, or doll, created by the Lifemaker, like the Fate series. The core just seems to be the source of their immortality and regeneration; based on various comments and circumstantial evidence, it seems to be located in their heads.
I thought about Dynamis being a “super-golem” lyke the Averruncus, Adad and others, but there are two problems with this theory.
1. Dynamis is much like Mana, Zazie and poyo (skin color, eyes and demoniac form) and it is, they are Mazoku.
2. In Negima, the averruncus have shown no regeneratives capacities, although they too have a “core” can not be sure that the term has the same meaning as for Dynamis. On the other hand in UQ Eva confirmed that Fate could not regenerate.
He has eternal youth, not immortality. Certenly, eternal youth is a immortality type (probably rank D, below) but it does not allow any rapid regeneration. Even Jinbei apparently has one, he said it is very small and not that he has no regeneration.
Number 1 should not be a problem though. 2 of MOTB’s 2nd generation puppet, the fire and water mage (iirc), have similar traits. Moreover, Dynamis was also affected by Eva’s spell.
Hunting down the dolls…I’d forgotten about that.
Menthol : Yes, to be precise the spell of Eva froze those who owned the mandala barrier, not necessarily the puppets. I know the formula contained ue “puppets without souls imprisoned” but Eva explained that the lot was the mandala shield, not its owner. For example Tsukuyomi also had the mandala shield, had it been present, the fate probably would have frozen too.
The reason why the life-maker was not frozen is probably because it was too powerful compared to Eva.
Eva specifically stated that her spell targeted only puppets.
“However, as it only targets puppets, it’s hard to find a place to use it.”
There’s literally nothing that says it targets the mandala barriers. In addition, it was specifically stated that the spell didn’t target the Lifemaker because he wasn’t a puppet.
There’s also the fact that Dynamis specifically called himself a puppet when he was defeated by Demon Negi.
Dynamis is a golem-esque puppet, just like the Averruncus series, not a mazoku.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it when it comes to Dynamis.
Yup, she only said that mandala barrier won’t work against her spell. Besides, Rakan (who apparently was also targeted, lol) doesn’t seem to have that kind of barrier (He doesn’t need it). The puppet without souls part seems more like a sarcasm from Eva.
But the Lifemaker can bring them all back to life.
I’d have to comb through the tanoubon’s, but I’m pretty sure that Dynamis was never referred to as a mazoku. He was simply one of the Cosmo Entelecheia folks and possibly was granted powers by the Lifemaker.
It’s also related to the problem of the skin tone shading, sensei uses. Cocane was probably from the same beast race as jack (hellas) . But neither of them are mazoku.
Yep. Dark skin tones don’t mean mazoku.
He wasn’t mazoku. The only known mazoku are Zazie and her older sister. Mana is half mazoku.
That’s true. And when Fate “spiked” her with that earth spell, she dispelled her body into bats, then regenerated immediately behind him. That happened rather rapidly.
Agreed, a nice and funny chapter. Finally, the “immortality” aspect of this series is being explored again, and not just Touta’s but also Kuro’s and Santa’s and possibly Kirie’s later on.
I actually don’t quite understand your question here. Personally, I think Kirie’s physical age is exactly as it seems. From what I remember, her power allows her to return her mind, and not her body, back in time. Her power seriously reminds me of Steins;Gate.
I hope we get more of that.
I just have this strong impression that she is much older than she appears. If she is a child, then why isn’t she in school?
Yeah, Kirie is older than she looks http://i.imgur.com/K3sfQ5Z.png
I don’t know about you, but that panel doesn’t give me clear answer about her physical age yet. Or should I say, her birth year instead?
She is older than she looks, but only mentally. Much like a certain Homura. At least that’s what I think.
Yeah, the mental age thing might be because of something like, “I reset an entire year once and relived it.” But that doesn’t fit with “immortal” in my book, unless she grows old, dies, and resets to the beginning again.
It doesn’t even have to be an entire year, she could also relive one day over and over.
If you’re saying that she can still die of old age, thus make her less of an immortal, that’s perhaps true.. However, in that case, the same can be said to kuroumaru.
Kuroumaru is different though. Anyone who can regenerate themselves by definition should not be able to die as their body will always regenerate itself. I’ve actually thought that when Kuroumaru reaches the age of choice, Akamatsu-sensei might bail out on Kuroumaru making a gender choice since doing so would anger those not getting the gender choice they want. Kuroumaru’s immortality could easily allow Akamatsu-sensei pass ’cause Kuroumaru is no longer aging, thus never truly reaches the point to where a gender selection is made.
If Kirei doesn’t regenerate, then she should get old and die eventually unless getting old and dying causes Kirei to reset to when it all began to live it over again. Under that scenario, she would be immortal.
It could be read that way for sure.
Too proud maybe? She is rich and seems mentally experienced enough.
Besides, Touta (appearance-wise) and Kuro (age-wise perhaps) are also should still be in school. Maybe them being a UQH member prevent them from going to school.
Good point.
Hehe, great and funny chapter!
1- I am wondering what these flashbacks really are… just interactive illusions, with no connection whatsoever with Eva’s actual past? Or is the timeline being rewriten here? In that case, Eva knew she would meet Touta from waaaay back…
2- Hmmm, nitpicking time. When Kuroumaru was cut in half, she had her shirt on, while regenerating the lower half… but then she comes out WITH pants and WITHOUT shirt! lol It should really be the other way around! 😉
3- Afro’s face was just too LOL
I keep thinking that there’s no way Akamatsu-sensei could make these kinds of art mistakes. I’m really thinking that these are actually clues to the characters “shifting” to new timelines without realizing it. Of course, I may be reading too much into it and Sensei may be just…gah! The phrase I’m looking for eludes me at the moment, but it is where one just does a sloppy job and doesn’t care.