April 12th, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy ユーキューホルダー! Manga Review
UQ Holder Chapter 119
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Negi is struggling on the outside of the space station when he is joined by Yue, Nodoka, Al, and Jack, all of whom encourage him to join him to save the world.
On Earth, Mizore and Shinobu are in a speeder bike race, which ends in a tie. Shinobu is impressed that Mizore is so good without any experience and Mizore is impressed Shinobu is so good with what is a junk bike, unlike Mizore’s new, advanced model. Mizore is not too happy that Touta seems OK with their tie since Mizore had determined the winner of this race would marry Touta. Touta is shocked because he wasn’t aware of this. Shinobu apologizes, stating the true purpose of the race was to see whom Touta would ride with in the race.
Karin, Ikkuu, Kuroumaru, and Kirie observe this over beverages, whereupon the group decides Kirie should be with Touta. Kirie demands to know why Kuroumaru is going along with this, leading Kuroumaru to state that whether male or female, she just wants to be by his side. Karin declares Kirie to be wed to Touta and tonight to be her bridal night.
Mizore challenges Kirie for Touta, stating that the loser will be banned from future contact with him. The competition will be the speeder bike race. Karin gets herself (and Kuroumaru?) into the competition, but changes the conditions so that the loser has to walk around the island on their hands, naked.
Kirie is opposed to all of this since she doesn’t know how to ride a bike, so Touta offers to ride with her to help her. Honoka and Isana show up, whereupon the amused Honoka puts an ofuda spell strip on his head, causing him to split into three people.
On the day of the race, Kirie and Mizore are in skimpy bikinis as Shinobu wears a one piece. Kirie isn’t happy with this, but Mizore says it is all about boosting the popularity of the event.
Thoughts/Review:
And so our first 18 page chapter is published.
The introductory pages dealing with Negi was a surprise. I say this because Touta wasn’t involved in this part of the story. I know that for a brief time, Touta was buried by Sayoko, allowing Santa to have some solo time, but that is truly an exception. Normally, nothing is shown without Touta being present. Frankly, I think Akamatsu-sensei should do more stuff with other characters and not force things to just center on Touta.
That being said, it appears that MotB tempts her victims into caving into her by creating illusions (or the like) of people known to the victim. I don’t think Negi has broken yet, but one can see how close he is.
As an aside, it is nice to see Akamatsu-sensei actually draw the old characters with both eyes. 😉 Also, kudos to Crunchyroll for making the 2-page spread fairly seamless.
The harem hijinks continue, fueled by Mizore. Sorry, but I can’t help but like Mizore and get a kick out of her antics.
Akamatsu-sensei continues to push Kirie forward from the original UQH crew. I guess he wants the main competition to be a loli one. Frankly, I want to see Karin and Kuroumaru get roped in massively. Yeah, Karin does appear to have joined in (or prehaps, she is using Kirie as a surrogate), but I want her feelings for Touta to be brought forth to a greater degree.
Kuroumaru has pretty much relegated herself to the role of a mistress, should she become a girl (which I think she will). I still want Kuroumaru to become full female and go for Touta all out again, not settle for a concubine status.
Akamatsu-sensei keeps things ecchi with the bikinis of Mizore and Kirie, but slightly less ecchi since they aren’t naked. One thing that stood out to me is Mizore explaining how the sponsors and the like would love it if the girl’s skimpy outfits experienced a malfunction and they showed off the goods. I recently watched an episode of Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R, where this very topic came up, though there, the folks running the event were trying to get someone to cause the girls to lose their tops. This makes me wonder if this is an actual attitude in Japan regarding idol girls.
Finally, there’s Honoka. Creating two clones of Touta so easily again shows she’s a pretty nifty mage. It is similar to what happened with Setsuna teaching Negi how to use those paper dolls (shikigami) to make clones of himself. Honoka’s method is a bit more impressive to me since she only used a single ofuda slip.
Honoka can also be a fun person to stir the harem pot, based on how she so quickly got into this competition.
Posted in 
Tags: 
As a huge Yue fan (obviously), this chapter hurt my heart a bit. Obviously nothing is confirmed or not, but the fact that Nodoka and Yue were dressed in Asuna’s princess dress is intriguing.
I agree there.
One thing I wanted to add was that it seemed like illusions or not, they were fully intent on marching on the planet or whatever they were going to face. The character selections are the most interesting thing, and not at all arbitrary, knowing Akamatsu-sensei. Yue and Nodoka were probably the closest girls to him, perhaps even surpassing Asuna, and Albiero and Rakan were Nagi’s strongest allies. Yue and Nodoka have been shown as adults on multiple occasions and still had contact with Negi, yet they still appear as middle schoolers dressed as Asuna. Perhaps the Princesses to his Prince? 😉
I think back to when the tournament was first announced and Mana mentioned that there were 1v1s, 2v2s (which Yue and Ku Fei won years prior), and team battles, with the last option being largely ignored. This is a bit of a longshot but its possible that Negi/MotB has assembled a team for said tournament with a balance of raw power (Rakan), strong magic casters (Albiero/Negi), superior intellect (Yue), and the ever so broken ability to read minds (Nodoka). All it would need to completely break the story in half would be Asuna’s magic cancel, but… well, you know.
Whether they’re illusions or real it seems Negi’s team is on a collision course with Touta’s with some very interesting dynamics. A meeting of the old and the new would be so cool. I’ve also wondered how legendary Negi and his team have become by UQ Holder’s time, especially on Mars.
I suppose it is possible that if Negi is going to be in the tournament, that could be his team, though Nodoka would be the weak link in terms of power. (Her artifact made her primo back line support.) So I can’t imagine her being in active participation in the tournament. I could be wrong though.
I found the immortal gang teasing Kirie and pushing her towards Touta especially funny.
After last chapter I really thought we were going to find out King’s identity but it looks like we have a few more chapters to wait.
Ha!ha! Yes, more tournament avoidance. 😉
Guh…. i cant find this anywhere….
It wasn’t on Crunchyroll?
Well, at least akamatsu is trying with his loli fanservice and literally added dynamism for it. Ski race was also entertaining, so good job. At least Mizore’s Bikini is consistent with her character, Ayaka 1.5.
The extra pages gave me a reason to believe Negi’s struggle with the lifemaker. Sensei would never of been able to show it well, without aftermentioned page increase.
Honoka is acting exactly like her grandmother, before kyoto. Stiring up the harem antics and aggressive fanservice, as well as passively aggregating other characters or plot.
That’s true.
The extra two pages actually went for that 2-page spread, in my opinion, but I do agree that this better helped illustrate the story and Negi’s struggle.
I think the idea i mention that Rakan and co are there to push Negi towards full possession seems to be correct… altho it possible that with MoB power Negi is recreating his friends since the mage does have the ability to construct life.
Hopefully, we learn more about MotB’s abilities and the nature of the people that appeared around Negi.
Well, the thing is… every MoB has one thing in common and thats dolls/servants serving them.
First MoB had Primum, the water and fire dude.
Zecht/MoB had Secondun, Tertium(Fate) the water and Fire girl
Nagi/MoB had Quartum, Quintum and Sextum
Whilst Dynamis serves as their advisor.
It possible the MoB is creating constructs with Negi memories and Rakan, Al, Nodoka and Yue were recreated from the archives of the Cosmo Entelecheia
Nodoka The Dynamis/brains
Yue the Wind/Lightning user
Al and Rakan are the brawns
Al with gravitational power
Raken with the chi and broken hacks power
Yeah, that’s possible.
Very nice start of the chapter and more pages! Yay! It had the feel of a start of a Negima chapter. I agree with ANB that Negi is probably seeing illusions or hallucinations of familiar and trusted people, as the way of being controlled by the MotB by giving Negi a false and distorted reality where Negi thinks he is saving the world when it’s actually serving the MotB. The characters appear after he has a reaction in pain. Looking at Negi, he didn’t look good at all, with lines on his face.
I’m glad and much happier that the chapter didn’t state that Jack, Albeiro, Yue and Nodoka had died, but just shows the appearence of them, nothing on how they got to be next to him. They even talk like the MotB when saying to put a end to everything. I’m much more hopeful that they haven’t died and are illusions or maybe alive too.
Or… if they are real, and could be Negi’s team that enters the tournament, and all controlled or now backing the MotB. It makes me wonder if the MotB came up with some idea that convinced Jack, Negi, Al, and others to support the MotB
What Honoka did, I think will be a key move later. It may give another edge to Tota in his battle by having more of him to fight Negi, Cutlass, and possibly others or those in Fate’s CE. Its a way to be also very close to Kirie to have the time freeze happen first. I was glad to see Honoka happier and also begin to integrate herself as part of the group, as a younger sister helping her older brother when and where she can. I hope concubine Kuromaru will spar with Isana too.
I like Mizore. She has the ability to motivate and make the other girls do something, and not reveal anything new about herself until she wants to, and while exposing the other girls. She’s even got Karin involved, who normally would rather be in the background, and the cautious one. Heh – just like what a class rep would do to motivate her class to do something.
Illusion clones are usually easily defeated, but I do like the idea that it could be used as a tactic later.
Sigh, here we go again, just when we were finally back to the tournament and the main plot after a dozen of harem chapters (more or less)…
All along, I have sensed a reluctance on the part of Akamatsu-sensei to do the tournament stuff, mainly because there’s little to nothing plot related about them, just mindless action. We already know Touta has gotten even stronger, so from a story perspective, we’ve seen that Touta is having no problems in the tournament.
I can certainly believe it… but to me, that gets down and does dogeza for the question of “Then why Touta instead of resolving the broken threads of 3A?”
Reasons? 😉
Another reason I’m sure – its also difficult to create and develop really short term new but minor characters to use just in the tournament. Powerful enough to fight and be a challenge to defeat to keep the interest for the readers, but also have a weakness that Tota and Co. can find and take advantage of that to win. For example, getting Dana’s book of secrets back, had three creative characters that really weren’t shown fighting, but then defeated (some not shown but just told), but the time it takes to draw the details of them, give them some sort of power to battle, then show them fighting. May be too much time used just for a few frames and then they are defeated and forgotten. Akamatsu may be focusing more of his time on just keeping the story moving, and the future key fights, and creative fight scenes with the characters he already has drawn… ie Negi’s group (white and crimson wing), Fate (CE), Eva (class 3-A), and of course Tota’s UQ group. The more active characters, I think the longer time it is to draw and finish a frame.
Saying that, and keeping the story familiarity and consistency – ie repetitive Mahora and its Martial Arts Tournament, and Festival – there is alot to draw that is also background. ie showing Negi’s staff is a example, easy but it takes time. Kurobo disappearing and appearing is another good example of missed consistency.
It would be nice if he did have more of the tournament, but I can see some reasons why there is hesitancy in drawing it.
Oh my gods! What a great chapter!
1- From my view, Negi finally fell completely under the MoTB’s control (at least for now)… and she used my two favorite ministers for that?! LOL I was rooting for some bigamy with those two since Negima!, hahaha! And, of course, a child (at least) with Konoka, to keep the linage’s pedigree XDDD
1.1. Anyway, Negi has been tempted by his memories… and that’s right! Negi DID apply for the tournament! No need to care for the preliminaries, just focus on the proper tournament later;
1.2. And I am calling it again: the King is probably Koutarou!
2- More harem laughs! And those 2 types of “racing suits” are so sexy! Btw, Shinobu’s bikini was from the “Celtic Moon” brand, same as Nodoka’s clothing… I liked the reference;
2.1. About Kuroumaru… just give her time, hehehe! It’s Kirie’s arc for now ^^
3- And the question of the day for me: why did the twins blend in so quickly? What did they talk about? What was Touta and Yukihime’s opinions on them? Ken really skipped that…
3.1. And Honoka seems to be quite a competent mage (combining martial arts like Fate!). It was so cute when she appeared in seiza position, with that fighting stance in her hands lol
3.2. And I wonder why Fate left them. Probably because they are Touta’s family? He probably couldn’t protect Touta’s parents and feels responsible for their deaths, I can totally see that.
The only reason I don’t think that happened yet is that we didn’t see them stepping off the platform to Earth. That being said, I think it is very close.
Negi being in the tournament, as well as Cutless, are the only plot elements going for the tournament. So I do expect Akamatsu-sensei to pretty much go there and bypass the preliminary for the most part.
Ha!ha! Well, I think he’s was hanyou, so it is possible he could still be alive and not elderly like Ayaka.
I hope you are right. 🙂
Yeah, I agree. They come in, attack, then are retroactively captured by Zazie (’cause that didn’t happen on screen when she and Touta came ashore), and then delivered to serve Touta by Zazie. So where were the discussions on all of this, including Touta asking about them having the same family name of Konoe.
Possibly punishment for them doing something on their own. Possibly because he figured they’d become attached to Touta, which gives him people on the inside of UQH to snag Touta if needed. Again, we need more info.
Sai… shou… dou… kin? (165:7, one of my favorite pages. I just couldn’t stop laughing at Nodoka’s innocent reaction to her own feelings.)
So UQ Holder didn’t make it into the top 50 charts beyond week 2, the consistency of the sales data per a volume leads me to suspect that the print run per a volume must only be 100K, which also matches the amount of Twitter followers Sensei has.
You saying the Sensei is in trouble? Slapping Negi in the beginning the of the chapter screams the end is near for the manga. If what your suggesting that UQ Holder is decline sales wise, Ken maybe planning start either stuns like showing Negi or decide to begin the end run since his manga series isn’t doing so hot anymore with general readership.
Which is sad.
Yue, Nodoka, Al, and Jack appearance was unusal to me. Least 2 of them should be dead by old age, their glossy look is bad. MotB maybe using Negi more as a means to get Touta since he won’t have as much resistance as Negi. It would make sense.
Unless Mage of the Beginning has another agenda, it maybe clear run on Touta as the tournament seems to be skipping along with alot of the action being cutted out.
I was thinking about the MotB having another agenda or something different from what Eva and Fate are thinking. I keep asking myself why would Negi enter the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament? What is the reason for the MotB to allow this and accomplish what?
Is part of the answer to eventually get complete control of Negi?
But is there some other reason or something else.
I looked back to Chapter 65, page 10, and it also left me more questionable of what the MotB wants, that I didn’t consider till now, since the story has moved forward a small bit since then. Back in chapter 65 when Negi’s signature causes them to see Negi and Nagi on Mars, and Negi under the MotB control:
—-
Fate: Has the Mage of the Beginning’s “resonance” already….
Negi: No, Fate. Its not what you think. I …
Then the MotB appears
MotB: AHA, I see. So you …. are Tota Konoe. I see. I see.
Eva: We’ve been seen!
Fate : Grr!
—-
Negi wasn’t able to answer fully when the MotB appeared. What did Negi mean when he said ‘its not what you think’?
So I agree, that something else unsaid or not revealed is going on … that is if Akamatsu-sensei hasn’t changed the story since chapter 65.
@Rob C No, I’m merely pointing a potential abnormally in why UQ Holder hasn’t shown improved sales, when clearly it should have by now.