April 5th, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy ユーキューホルダー! Manga Review
UQ Holder Chapter 118
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Zazie explains to Touta and company that the Mage of the Beginning’s time stopper is the hoodie girl, who goes by the name Cutlass. When shown her photo, Touta remembers her and the group is surprised to learn that one of Zazie’s operatives died investigating to get the information on Cutlass. However, Zazie believes that Touta is the one to defeat Cutlass. He readily accepts Zazie challenge, eager for a fight with Cutlass.
In the present, Touta and Kuroumaru continue to blow throw the preliminary tournament.
Meanwhile, Zazie has a chat with Kirie, asking her to stay within five seconds of Touta for the Olympics. Kirie reluctantly agrees, so Zazie presses her a bit, saying that for an ability to activate with a kiss, it works better if the people care for each other. Zazie congratulates Kirie for having finally fallen in love, which Kirie wonders if it is true. Everyone encourages the two to become a couple, Touta remaining clueless and Kirie all embarrassed.
Zazie says Touta’s plan needs a healer and a sealer mage. With that, she extracts an unsure Honoka and an unhappy Isana from subspace (for lack of a better term). Honoka bows deeply on the ground and Isana reluctantly takes a knee, both now working for Touta.
Thoughts/Review:
Cutlass, eh? Without the hood, I was suddenly thinking of Kuro (Chloe) from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma ☆ Illya. 😉
With Cutlass, we get some more retconning here. As Hoodie, she apparently didn’t use her time stop ability. Of course, it is possible she did use it and Kirie reset time after death, but I doubt that since Kirie wouldn’t know how to counter Cutlass were that the case.
We already knew that Cutlass was a tough cookie. We don’t know whom the investigator was that was sent to find the information on Cutlass, but if this person were mazoku, that would certainly make things with Cutlass more interesting, if way, way over powered.
Regarding the modified plan from Zazie, we don’t know if Kirie’s reset/save point ability is gone or not. If that still exists, then Kirie just has to die as soon as they spot Cutlass, then Kirie and Touta can go to where Cutlass is, stop time before they are spotted, and take Cutlass out quite easily. I suspect that in order to nerf Kirie a bit (to counter the time stop ability), Akamatsu-sensei is going to make it so Kirie doesn’t have the ability to reset time any more.
When Isana and Honoka were introduced, I figured they’d be joining the Touta harem. It was a bit surprising to me that they were initially opponents of Touta, but I still felt that they’d be joining the harem, even if they had been all but forgotten after Fate left. (I believe Akamatsu-sensei doing a side panel showing the pair in the water was an afterthought.)
Now that they are part of Touta’s battle harem, I’m hoping that Isana and Honoka provide a lot more information about themselves and why they address Touta as “oniisama” (or a variant of that).
I’m glad Zazie has had a larger role of late in UQ Holder. She barely had a presence in Negima (sadly), so I’m hoping she sticks around and provides more information as well.
As to Kirie and Touta, I guess their relationship is the replacement for the pactio system in Negima. So what other abilities can Touta activate from Karin and Kuroumaru? 😉
Finally, I’m thinking Akamatsu-sensei should just shift UQ Holder to a seinen magazine and just draw the naked babes. Seriously, Eva in her Yukihime form, wearing the open, button-down man’s shirt, showing off half of her hoo-ha, and giving a look to make folks trying to give up on PMO have to “meditate” repeatedly was like, “Whoa!” ^_^;;;;
In the end, we get an interesting chapter for pushing forward the plot and acknowledging the tournament without doing a lot there.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Zazie spoke more in this chapter than she did in the entirety of Negima. And that’s a good thing. Looks like I was wrong about Chao being the time master. I was wondering when Cutlass would show back up. I wonder what her real relationship with Touta is?
Like you, I wonder if Kirie & Touta’s kiss-activated power is anything like the Pactio system. Maybe this could lead to a much-anticipated relationship upgrade for Touta and Kuromaru. I know the Touta/Kirie ship is currently going full steam ahead, and they’re a cute couple to be sure, but Kuro saw him first, damn it!
And that Evangeline pic. Hnng! There’s been a lot of barely SFW “centerfold” shots in UQH. Akamatsu could probably make some good money making books of just 2D ero art. Not straight up hentai, but definitely something like his more revealing artwork.
P.S.: What’s “PMO”?
And then some. 😛 I like it though.
Another homunculus is what I’m expecting.
I would classify this image as NSFW. ^_^;;;;
Ha!ha! PMO, aka “meditation” (from the 2nd Ace Ventura movie).
Definitely. I hope she grows in importance to the overall plot, along with with all the other surviving members of 3A/Ala Alba.
Of whom, though? She does have the Ensis Exorcisans, so maybe Asuna?
Sorry. What were you saying. I was distracted. *continues staring at Yukihime picture*
Ohhhh. I see. I wasn’t familiar with that bit of internet slang. Well, spank you very much. Take care now. Bye-bye then.
P.S.: I love that movie.
A homunculus can be created from pretty much anything. So Cutlass may also have Negi’s (or Nagi’s) genes.
Wasn’t my favorite movie, but the “mantra/meditation” scene was one of two scenes that had me laughing. My buddies and I were the only ones laughing at the meditation stuff. No one else in the theater seemed to get that joke. ^_^;;;
Damn.., I was hoping it would have been Chao… would have made it fun, since her being Negi’s descendant who travels dimensions would have been cool to make her a enemy, or at least a trainer.
But alas, even with Cutlass, the time we see Chao fight with the Cassiopeia MK.2 is nigh impossible… unless they throw a name drop for her and summon her in order to make Kirie’s power to the point of traveling through Dimensions. And Chao would be the perfect spar partner for them too..
Oh well, maybe another time.
———————-
So, now we are going to get 18 pages after chapter 119 then? cool.
Now my opinion.
I am going to go out on a limb, and say the fight between cutlass and touta is going to be like negi and fate. of course with touta trying to be a brother figure to cutlass.
But damn…. Ken is really going at it, soon it will reach negima’s level.
After which, Cutlass joins the harem. 😉
Cutlass is a pretty cool name.
I’m surprised Zazie didn’t mention pactio to Kirie during their scene together, seemed like a natural thing to bring up, except maybe Akamatsu doesn’t want to use it in the series.
I’m looking forward to hearing more from Isana and Honoka. Maybe I’ll finally have my theory that Konoka is the headmaster(mistress?) of Mahora confirmed or shot down. I’ve been thinking that ever since Mana said she was standing in for an old friend.
I’m looking forward to the battle with King. Who are they? Do we know them? The tournament seems like a great way to re-introduce Kaito, I really liked him.
I suspect it is because Akamatsu-sensei is keeping the pactio element out of UQH for the most part (sans seeing Ayaka’s card and throw away line that doesn’t use the term “pactio”).
I think we will See the King in the next chapter
I have to refresh my memory on the King. ^_^;;;;
LoL Zazie is such a boss XD Her face when she talked close up with Kirie… is her “vilianess” side showing up there or just her teasing side?
I think Zazie is aiming for the harem ending for Touta in the most intriding way lol: throw the lolis at him in a way he cannot refuse XD
And the girl jokes with Kuroumaru continues aswell… so we can still hope for him to be female aight? Mostly i wunder how jealious he will get when Kirie realy hooks up with Touta
Still im curious about Cutlass time ability. Having Asunas pactio copy is one thing but where should she get that time ability from? The only one we know so far to have any connection with time related abilities (with magic or through science) is Chao. So my money is on a Cassopaia from Chao which somehow ended up in Cutlass hands.
Ha!ha! Both. 😉
Well well well! This chapter is VERY interesting, so we learn that the sister of Tota is the one who works for the life-maker who controls the time. So this means that she is really overpowered (very good swordwoman, powered mage and controll the time Whoa!) and probably one of the strongest subordinates life-maker, I meanshet would break out of averruncus (except Fate) eyes closed!
We also learn hername or at least her alias “Cutlass” or “Katorasu” in Japanese. So was okay it’s class; but I can not understand delirium, I mean, that means “knife”, it weird to call someone fat, with a knife name. Finally !, u less one more call “the hooded” lol. Otherwise, the plan will Tota said. And property was the confirmation that the plan is to SEAL the life-maker once separated from Negi, not to destroy her. ^^ If is important because it means that it is likely that probably the life-maker will be ultimately never anéenti permanently and will remain indestructible. And that I think is cool.
Note also that Honoka and Isana are an important part of Tota plan, those who hoped to see non-immortal also have their share of glory and play an active role, so will probably be able to rejoice.
Astro : By against, let me to say one thing: stop yelling at retcon soon as we have new information on a character that we did not have before Astro. You already did that for the past of Eva and now you’re doing this for the powerof Katorasu. At no time it was said that Katorasu could not control the time, so that it can do is NOT a retcon.
An example of true Retcon has to the Lore of World of Warcraft univers (an univers that I like very much^^)… In the beginning the eredar was a malevolent race that corrupt the titan Sargeras like the natresims. Then Blizzard, from Burning Crusade, decided to make the Eredar were good at the base and have been corrupted by Sargeras. Yeah in fact I prefer the new version of the story (I LOVE the dranaÏs lol) but the fac is THIS has a true retcon Astro.
So far what you call “retcon” in UQ Holder, are only fanmades theory refutations (aristocratic ancestry of Eva or the real life-maker’s objectives, for example) or a character about we knew anyway do nothing (Katorasu). The only POTENTIAL true retcon of this serie for me, was the fact that Eva isn’t a real shinso vampire. And even in this case, I have already explain why I don’t think it is a retcon.
For the rest I have not much to say, your analysis of Chapter join mine. Except for Kirie, I think the reset power still exists, but it will prove to have a major weakness in the near future, so much that it will not be as useful as before.
I call it a retcon because if Cutlass had this time stop power, she would have used it to kill Touta. Further, Kirie’s time reset ability wouldn’t have resulted in them getting a victory because she’d never know what killed her since time would simply stop and Kirie would have been dead. It may not be a hard retcon, but it feels like a retcon to me.
Maybe she wanted Touta to beat her.
Yes it is! Knowing his proud character and more sadistic qu’évidantes trends, it is likely that she did not find it useful to use this power to defeat Tota and his gang. No count-she herself confessed that his attack on Tota was a simple “Hello”. In other words, it did not deliberately opposed to full power. You could tell that even before learning it controls the time.
Or maybe the power of Cutlass has limits or constraints that we do not know yet and which prevents the use volontée. For example, a limited number of activation per day. If this second hypothesis is correct we understand why she did not use.
So be it, her personal pride or a usage limit her power, or both, this enough for me not to cry retcon.
I repeat myself but the term “retcon” is too tarnish, for my taste here ^^. It is not really “hard” or “soft” retcon for me. It is retconc or not-retcon. But it is only my opinion of course.^^ But I have already given an example of what a real retcon is, with the case of the Warcraft’s lore. While you can find a more or less logical explanation to link what you knew before, with new information, whether you like it or not, it is not a retcon^^.
Maybe.
With a name like cutlass, I really want a cover page with her cosplaying a pirate.
I know Final fantasy X had a strong water theme, but marine life was not that prevailing.
That Eva page, damn that was amazing, was she in an office or a bathroom? I cannot tell.
Also their was an Asuka (Eva) expy next to Karen, maybe it was Asuna in disguise. He did design Naru after Asuka.
I think an office.
But then there are two toothbrushes (part of the subtle, sexual element of the image).
Sometimes, I always wonder that KA is using his wife for the model of the UQ cover pages. Just kidding! :’D
It is an understandable reason. :p
…and I want Tosaka to be the King! :’D
I can dream, right? ^^;
You may be more right than you know. 😉
Therefore, after seeing the image, the hoodie ‘Cutlass’, I think she was the one who killed Touta’s parents and not Fate. I wonder who will be the king, maybe a member of UQ Holder or someone from Negima …
Is Touta the only one who can beat Cutlass? I think there is people stronger than her. But, their ability to stop time makes she stronger. Altough if they are immortal can regenerate the injuries without any problems, unless Cutlass does something to make disappear completely them.
Zazie, in these chapters, the poor Kirie hasn’t stopped blushing with Touta and she kissed almost everyone.
Although Touta not win the king, could he go to the tournament, couldn’t he?
The image of Evangeline … Nice, I didn’t expect that, beautiful. I wonder if it is her room. As she is always seen in her office
PS: The image of the RAW about Evangeline, it had some words written at the side, but all I could read was “Evangeline” Could anyone tell me what is written in the image? Thanks
http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=88a7d61f4010b912bfc1f6f6f3fcfcb5/7ef69e95d143ad4b94a5d76485025aafa60f06d4.jpg
I found the full cover of Volume 10 and 7:
http://i.imgur.com/61FtJyB.png
http://i.imgur.com/bOkneaB.jpg
There are more images that I liked. It is on page:
https://www.misleddit.com/r/uqholder/top/
With the ability to stop time, Cutlass could certainly do something to overcome immortality. Touta, being a homunculus, is likely the element that can trump Cutlass’s ability, providing he too stops time via Kirie.
The site is blocking me from seeing it at the moment (other than a preview). I do see it on Sen Manga, but I don’t know what all is being said. I don’t know why Crunchyroll doesn’t translate that stuff.
That was entertaining and arguably amusing chapter. Alot fan server going on in this one, putting Kirie on the spot no less. I do think giving Kirie “time-stop” power was pretty broken. Stupid how she must love someone to make it work by kissing no less.
I do not think it’s replacement for the Pacio system. As for chances, i think she more person for Touta to grow with than others. She been denied for 80 years of a relationship, while Eve had Negi.
Zazie seemed to know….bit too much for someone who used to be silent type in previous manga series. She pulling two girls out of no where and taming them seemed to be over the top too. Fate abandoning the girls no less.
I wonder thou how Cutless will fit into all of this. She some kind of disgruntle relative of Touta and Negi. It be surprising if she is killed in up coming fights, Touta would want salvage something of his family. She could be a sister, if she can stop being full on murder hobo.
Well, she’s mazoku, not human. So she’s never been “normal,” even in Negima. We only got hints of that back then. Considering how much Zazie’s sister knew, it doesn’t surprise me that Zazie is also well informed.
I think this is part of the afterthought from Akamatsu-sensei when it came to dealing with the girls and then deciding to add them to the harem.
The girls did know Zazie when they ‘ported in and attacked Touta. They even apologized to her (if memory serves). We haven’t even seen just how powerful Zazie is, but no doubt Isana and Honoka know. Plus, there’s no telling where Zazie had the girls stashed.
I suspect she will be a homunculus like Touta.
It looks like Akamatsu wasn’t quite done with KonoSetsu shippers yet. This chapter seems to be more like the encounter with Setsuna and Konoka way back when Negima Volume 4 was out. In this case, Honoka and Isana are in fact initially used by Fate, whereas Konoka was Negi’s ally. We may indeed see more interesting things come out of the cute pair.
Zazie Rainyday seems to be interesting now that she has spoken in this series. Perhaps back when Negi was still the instructor, Zazie was simply an agent for a larger purpose to come. Also, since not much was said about some of the other characters, I wonder if they were indeed also agents in Negi’s classroom. Perhaps someone within the academy could have also been an agent. If there were indeed many agents in the classroom, we may indeed see a class 2-A/3-A civil war come along sometime. Chachamaru might actually be the next possible agent that I could see in the near future since she is a living mechanical being, as opposed to Mana and Zazie – both (part) foreign species with exceptional lifespans.
I figured Mana might have been one, at least to some degree since she was a professional assassin (and more). The others weren’t, IMO.
Did anyone catch what a former girl opponent said about Kuro and Tota as a fighting team? That cat face like girl said: “You’rre good, boy! and GIRL! and Kuro didn’t do anything to deny it too!!! Probably not enough frames to show Kuro’s usual ‘I’m a boy’ response.
I admire how Akamatsu-sensei shows the tournament fighters character too — none of them hold a grudge, and all are taking defeat well with honesty, and especially without animosity, anger, and no threats or revenge against them, and they behave as friends or very friendly after the battle.
I think Zazie pointed out a important detail when she told Kirie “They say that when a unique skill activates with a kiss, its more stable and more powerful the more you care for each other.” So maybe as the Tota x Kirie relation ‘ship’ sails faster and develops, this time stopping power may get even better and stronger for these two – giving this team the ‘edge’ over Cutlass’s ability. (that’s the power of) L-O-V-E can do anything… darn that Huey Lewis song is in my head again. Could explain how Tota can now do things when time is stopped.
A odd thought, was how cutlass is drawn in this chapter, a first impression was a younger version of the MotB actually, blonde, and in a over-coat that isn’t yet tattered into ribbons, and the ability to use ‘black’ knives – as in the scene of the killed informant. Makes me wonder also if she has the magic cancel power of Asuna too, which can be another concern, or she may not be able to do magic too, like Tota…. to be seen.
Ha!ha! I missed that. Kuroumaru will become a lovely girl. 😀
I expect she’ll end up having a lot more powers we haven’t seen yet, based on her suddenly getting time stop.
Ah, I dropped something in the usual place….
my ship (T_T) *cry*
no moderation for the comments anymore?
New system is in place since I’m so busy and I hate bothering others to do it. Moderation is still there, but conditional.
I see, does this mean I can post pony pictures? 😀
On another note, Hata-senpai gave me some corrections about the spoilers… I still suck so much 🙁
@DerGilga We sink many times before we begin to swim.
I appreciate what you do. 🙂 And we learn by doing. 😉
I would like to thank you DerGilga too and I also appreciate your time spent for the translations of the spoilers.
Translating from one language to another, more so written text is more difficult than just hearing it. At least in hearing, the same word with a different inflection or social status (ie: formal or casual or chinese vocal inflections) can give a totally different understanding to the same word, it is easier to interpret when its heard. But just reading kanji (thousands of characters to remember) and then translating it into another language with its own issues for words and its meaning is difficult, and I think its awesome what you are doing!