UQ Holder Chapter 147 Manga Review (Hello, old friend!)

ユーキューホルダー! 魔法先生 ネギま!2 Manga Review
UQ Holder! Mahou Sensei Negima 2
UQ Holder!: Magister Negi Magi! 2 Chapter 147
UQ Holder Chapter 147

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis: 

UQ Holder Chapter 147Touta comes into Yukihime’s office/room as she comes naked out of the shower. Yukihime teases him over his reaction to her nakedness. Kirie is also in the room, so Yukihime teases her as well. Dana arrives, forcing Yukihime to return to her normal Eva mode. This causes Eva to be embarrassed when Touta stares at her, resulting in her kicking him. Dana gives Kirie an adult body with breasts to boot to help her self confidence.

Touta interrupts, reminding them that they were going to get more info from Chamo. Eva has not heard of this happy ending, so Chamo shows up in humanoid form to brief her. Eva has a hard time accepting that in this alternate timeline, she married Nagi. Even Dana seems unsure as to how Negi was able to rescue Nagi without killing him. Eva states that this other Eva is not her.

To Eva’s surprise, Chamo produces the doll Chachazero. Touta also recognizes the doll from when he met Eva in the past at Dana’s castle. Eva transfers some magic to the doll, causing Chachazero to blink her eyes partially open for a bit and acknowledge her master. After she has her moment, Touta says that it is time for him to know about his past as well as Cutlass’s past. Eva acknowledges this, but wants five minuets alone with Chachazero.

Eva faces her lifeless partner, then finds herself at Dana’s castle. There, Chachazero’s consciousness is alive and well, thanks to the magic provided by Eva. The two observe their shared memories of the times that Eva met with Touta in the past. Chachazero teases her master about being in love with the brat, something Eva denies.

UQ Holder Chapter 147Chachazero forwards to more current times, seeing Touta confess to Eva in her Yukihime form, Eva rejecting Touta, then later, Eva kissing Touta. This causes Chachazero to go  nuts over what she sees and demands Eva accept Touta’s proposal. Eva refuses, saying that she does have a reason to not accept Touta’s proposal.

Eva finds herself back in reality when Touta comes into her office, having heard Eva shouting. Since Eva is blushing very hard, Touta thinks something is wrong. Eva backs up, but then crashes through the floor with Touta falling with her. They land in a hospital hallway, near a T-intersection. There’s a room with an open door and inside, the two see Yukihime talking to a young woman and holding a baby. That baby is named Touta. Chachazero appears, now having her answer and Touta asks if that baby is him.

Thoughts/Review:

Well, UQ Holder chapter 147 is certainly very, very good for two reasons. First is Chachazero, and second is we may be finally exploring Touta’s past.

Chachazero Properly Returns

In Negima!, one of the supporting characters that pretty much stole the scene whenever she came in was Chachazero. This bloodthirsty, sadistically funny doll partner of Eva’s was such a delight during her brief moments. As Eva’s true pactio partner (since Chachamaru only had a doll contract and didn’t get a true pactio until she did so with Negi some time later), the only reason Chachazero didn’t have a bigger role in the story (aside from her scene stealing) was due to the fact that Eva could not provide Chachazero adequate magical energy in order for Chachazero to function.

When UQ Holder started, I was angry at how Akamatsu-sensei handled Chachazero. As I wrote for my chapter 1 review.

First, while I loved this chapter, I absolutely HATED what happened with Chachazero. Seriously, that sucked on every level, both seen and unseen. Unfortunately, Akamatsu-sensei didn’t bother to say why Chachazero was abandoned, other that Eva saying that one grows tired of the things they once loved. Yeah, I know that Chachazero is a scene stealer, but she was just so freaking awesome and then some. You just can’t do that to Chachazero, though Sensei did just that…the bastard!

Still, Eva did have a Chachazero doll at her desk, so maybe Chachazero simply reached the end of her lifespan. She had been alive for a very long time. And of course, to have a new Eva, she had to be rid of everything from her past. I’m still depressed though.

Akamatsu-sensei has given us some Chachazero cameos in more recent times. He still has not provided an explanation as to what happened to the doll, nor has he ever explained how it is that Chachazero comes to be able to talk and such. I’ve theorized that the doll was ensouled. I hope that Akamatsu-sensei explains this more.

Still, I don’t mind saying that I loved Eva’s reaction upon seeing Chachazero. When Eva transferred some magical energy into Chachazero, and the doll’s eyes flickered open for a bit and she acknowledged Eva, I nearly lost it. I could almost forgive Akamatsu-sensei for his terrible treatment of Chachazero. I really, REALLY hope Chachazero can become supporting character in UQ Holder.

UQ Holder Chapter 147

Chachazero Rules!

Although UQ Holder chapter 147 did not give us the bloodthirsty Chachazero, it did give us the very sadistic Chachazero. As expected, Chachazero immediately steals the show, owning Eva and having wicked delight in doing so. Even in Negima, Chachazero owned Eva to an extent, even though Eva was the master. In this memory phantasmagoria, Chachazero has no handicaps, and thus shows how the servant surpasses the master. I loved every moment of it.

UQ Holder Chapter 147

Though she’s an evil doll (of sorts), Chachazero does care greatly for her master. She may have been all over Eva for rejecting Touta, but when she saw Eva, as Yukihime, holding the infant Touta, she had her answer. And frankly, I’m glad for this scene. I realize that Akamatsu-sensei is clearing the table for Kirie, but Eva needed to be off the harem table completely. Having Eva be a potential lover for Touta gave off a terrible incest/inseki vibe. I did not like that at all.

I could understand young Eva falling for a boy she didn’t know who seemed to be her age. But 800 years later, especially after having been Touta’s foster mother for two years, no way. By doing this flashback and us seeing Eva holding an infant Touta however many years ago, the romantic stuff would have fled out the door as far as I’m concerned. So yeah, I’m glad Chachazero dug this up.

UQ Holder Chapter 147

Of course, Chachazero’s going through her combined memories with Eva is a convenient way for Akamatsu-sensei to do a story recap before launching forward. I’m glad Akamatsu-sensei went this route.

The Harem Thread

Akamatsu-sensei made sure to have Kirie around while the naked Yukihime teased Touta. Obviously, this is to continue to push Kirie forward even as Akamatsu-sensei laid out the groundwork on why Eva x Touta ship will never sail. Bringing Dana in so that Kirie could see herself in an adult form further pushed the Kirie x Touta ship.

Kuroumaru was only scene in the splash page, but it was a bit suggestive in that Kuroumaru would make a lovely girl for Touta. I did like that Eva endorsed the Kuroumaru x Touta ship.

It is a shame that the harem weren’t in this chapter, but I suppose that would have been too much. Still, at this point, my top choices for Touta are either Karin or Kuroumaru. But frankly, I’d be cool with Touta having a battle harem with all the girls, sans Eva.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

I need to get to bed, so let me wrap up my review of UQ Holder chapter 147.

  • Obviously, the woman Eva met with is a Konoe family member. She looks exactly like Konoka. But is she Konoka, or is she merely a clone of Konoka, passed off as the daughter of Konoka? After all, Honoka looks like Konoka in child form. But this woman addressed Negi as “Negi-kun,” somewhat suggesting it is Konoka. We’ll see.
  • Is the Touka-san that this Konoe woman mentioned from Negima? I would say yes. That would imply that this Konoe woman is possibly a 2nd generation clone of Konoka.
  • Akamatsu-sensei teased that there is a way for them to save Negi and defeat MotB. Personally, I’m hoping there’s a way for them to save Nagi somehow.
  • With Akamatsu-sensei getting serious about plot, is he starting to wrap up UQ Holder? We’ll see.

In the end, UQ Holder chapter 147 ended up being a very enjoyable chapter. We saw Chachazero properly return with a major speaking part. Also, we got to see Touta as an infant. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

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32 Responses to “UQ Holder Chapter 147 Manga Review (Hello, old friend!)”

  1. Yue Ayase says:

    I don’t even know where to begin with this chapter. It raises far more questions than it answers. At least Chachazero makes a very welcome return. Would be nice to see others too.

    Also Ken, after driving down the Kirie route for 50+ chapters you can’t swerve back into the Eva lane. Especially the “Remember how super tsun Eva was?” lane.

    This certainly doesn’t point to the end of the series either, even if we are exploring Touta’s origins again. Hopefully the next chapter sheds more light on Cutlass.

    • Anon says:

      I honestly think Akamatsu is done with the Eva/Touta ship and is moving on to Kirie. Like ANB mentioned, the incest vibe is too much.

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      Would be nice to see others too.

      I suspect that will happen via flashbacks.

      Also Ken, after driving down the Kirie route for 50+ chapters you can’t swerve back into the Eva lane.

      I think he did this just to clear the Eva x Touta ship from the table.

      This certainly doesn’t point to the end of the series either…

      True.

  2. Izayoi Arashi says:

    It all depends on Akamatsu on who’ll Touta will end up with by the end of this, so jumping to conclusions a bit there will be like counting your chickens till they hatch. Who knows? Touta IS still doing this whole saving the world thing for Eva’s sake, as well as the others, so the ship is mostly alive. Later developments will decide on who he will be with. Mind you, but on another note, It’s good seeing the past of Touta.

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      Well, it is true that Akamatsu-sensei can have Touta end up with anyone. But in the end, we know that Akamatsu-sensei is a fan of the “megane girl,” and since he changed Negima to force Chisame to be best girl (after it was initially set up that it would be Asuna), it would be a massive shock if Kirie isn’t the one.

  3. Rob C. says:

    It’s very moving and compelling chapter. I don’t want series to end, but end of this arch of origins. However, nothing forever. Eve’s future is in question though. Will it be drastic, with Negi being lost or will it be found ending she wanted.

    I do wonder if he will end it by Chapter 150 or 200. I hope sales keep this boat afloat, while Sensei is getting his feet under him again.

  4. Aki says:

    This is one of the move lovable and hilarious chapter that Akatmatsu has delivered in a long time ^^

  5. mekkingjayy says:

    Just when Tōta told Eva to explain things about Cutlass and himself, I randomly thought Chao Lingshen is another clone but raised by Chao Xingzi. Since Cutlass and Chao Lingshen both proficient with time-related ability tho…

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      I wouldn’t be surprised if CHAO Lingshen is a homunculus-clone, similar to Touta. I suspect Cutlass is one too. Honoka and Isana appear to be pure clones.

      • Mattcgw says:

        @AstroNerdBoy
        After this chapter and its implications of Touta being ‘pure blooded’ that progeny will be a better synonym for clone.

        • AstroNerdBoy says:

          Possibly

          • Rob C. says:

            Makes you wonder. If Touta was born as normal baby, what hell happened to cause people to call him or think of him as a clone. The female scientist from the art work, didn’t remotely look like Touta’s mom. Alot retroconning?

            Then you got another question. How hell did Touta’s mom get impregnated with Touta in the first place? Negi can’t have kids, cloning makes sense. However, you still got get child’s dna somehow.

            Next chapter will be interesting, but i hope we get better vibe of story going again like in the beginning of the series.

          • AstroNerdBoy says:

            If Touta was born as normal baby, what hell happened to cause people to call him or think of him as a clone.

            I think the only people who would think this are those who know the truth of Touta.

            The female scientist from the art work, didn’t remotely look like Touta’s mom. Alot retroconning?

            Haha! Quite possible. OR, there may be two Touta entities, where our Touta is actually a clone of the one we saw earlier.

            How hell did Touta’s mom get impregnated with Touta in the first place? Negi can’t have kids, cloning makes sense. However, you still got get child’s dna somehow.

            Well, I suspect a fetus was planted in her womb, similar to in vitro fertilization methods.

  6. Eight Star King says:

    You know, I always thought that Touta was some sort of lab grown clone given that he’s apparently only two years old, but going from this chapter it looks like he just grew up pretty fast or something.

    Onto the matter regarding the Touta x Eva ship, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Akamatsu continued teasing the matter even later on. I’ve seen weirder shit come out of Japan that makes the whole Touta/Eva thing look wholesome. Hell, there’s even this one light novel series that features a situation similar to the whole Touta/Eva ship where the MC’s adoptive mother is part of the harem. And yes, she raised him for years too.

    So yeah, don’t underestimate Japanese writers XD

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      My thought was that he was formed in a lab, but a surrogate mother was used to allow him to be born.

      As to the two year thing, I’ve thought that was mostly due to Touta’s memory wipe. That said, there may have been multiple Touta clones made off of the original homunculus.

  7. worldendDominator says:

    Touko is a character from Love Hina who had a cameo or two in Negima. She’s from the same swordsman school as Setsuna, and I think she was implied to be her mentor.

    This confuses me though. I assume the “grandmother” mentioned by Touta’s mother is Setsuna herself, but then Touta would be Setsuna’s (and Konoka’s?) great-grandson, which doesn’t mesh well with being Negi’s grandson.

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      I don’t remember Touko being in Love Hina. Touko was a teacher at Mahora and it was somewhat implied that she may have been the headmaster’s partner. And toward the end of the Mahora Festival arc, she was the one dispatched to capture Setsuna, Kaede, and company during the future timeline. She had multiple cameos in Negima.

      • Mattcgw says:

        @AstroNerdBoy
        It does read; as if Akamatsu-Sensei put alot of thought on the dialogue for this scene.
        Speaking of, I was quite confused but Tōko is a character, (tdr, she looks like tsukiyomi’s mother, which is slightly plausible. Considering her character archetypes is the wanton Maiden in that needs to be married, and her marriage failed) a far bit too young, unless it was more nurse, than bodyguard, which would explain Konoka’s fondness, since she was supposed to be quite isolated, and Setsuna was sent away.

        http://negima.wikia.com/wiki/Mahora_Teachers

        So, if true, that’s something god-tier characterization by akamatsu-sensei, and I’m quite surprised he would recall any of the that.
        Tis odd that it would konoka holding Touta, since Konoka’s grandmother is presumed dead for ages, before ‘Haruka’ So there’s no way for her to met Tōko. Unless (hold on to your anuses) Tōko was helping Arika, (in the Nagi dead timeline, she’s found or whatever)

        Negi being Touta’s grandfather is making this really obtuse. Because, of ‘Negi-kun’ there can’t really be a generational gap.
        Also, Ken hath restarted the series, my hype is ready for the next chapter.
        Its quite a nostalgic feeling, being excited for a shounen chapter.

        The entire meta humor with zero, was refreshing It was Sensei owning up to mistakes/issues, especially since it interrupted what appeared to be, Kirie dominating a chapter, the rest Akamatsu-Sensei gets between monthly chapters has really brought the writing quality up. Also, cool meta gag with Naru-kirie.

        Finally, I hope to see Mizore’s melodramatic response, should be some good humour.

        • AstroNerdBoy says:

          Certainly, Akamatsu-sensei made sure things were spoken in such a way so that we could be seeing Konoka here, or we could be seeing Konoka’s “granddaughter” here. But I will say that this chapter made me eager for the next one.

    • Durra says:

      Unless I’m misremembering Tota is Negi’s partial clone, not his grandson, which was just a cover for until he (and we) fond out the truth.

      This woman is likely the surrogate mother they used to implant Tota in during the cloning process.

      • AstroNerdBoy says:

        Well, Touta isn’t a true clone. If he were, he’d look like Negi. Touta is some kind of homunculus, which I believe was stated only once, but without much explanation. So what I figure is that using magic, a clone of Negi is created, then infused with Asuna’s essence, making the resulting creation a homunculus. This homunculus is then implanted inside what appears to be a clone of Konoka, presumably due to her massive magical reserves, gestates, and then born.

  8. Robbert says:

    Finally after many chapters, we get a chapter which starts to focus on the origins of Touta. I have stated that I have never did like Touta as a clone of Negi’s. Now, I will not like the ideal of Touta being only four years old. Touta’s being a fourteen-old-boy is a ruse used to protect Touta from any of Negi’s enemies as well as UQ Holder’s. I am starting to agreed on Touta being a clone. Since Touta had some of Asuna’s DNA infused with Negi’s, he is not a total clone. Touta has black hair. The black hair is connected to Touta inheriting some DNA from Konoka.

    About Chao Lingshen, she may be a homunculus clone in the UQ Holder-verse. Yet since the series had started in the year 2086, and given the Negima timeline, Chao will not be born until sometime after 2088. Chao’s role in the UQ Holder-verse is not fully known. Only Dana is aware of the year of Chao’s birth. Eva/Yukihime of UQ Holder! has not forgotten about Chao’s visit to the past.

    If Chao from the Negima-verse makes a visit, she will have to be careful not to upset the normal flow of time. While I don’t want to speculate, UQ Holder is likely connected to a lot of the events associated with Chao. In Negima, one of the reasons why Chao was allow to go to the past was her connection with the past itself. When it comes to Chao Lingshen, Dana knows more about Chao than Eva/Yukihime.

    • AstroNerdBoy says:

      I am starting to agreed on Touta being a clone. Since Touta had some of Asuna’s DNA infused with Negi’s, he is not a total clone. Touta has black hair. The black hair is connected to Touta inheriting some DNA from Konoka.

      Right. I suspect that they make an embryo clone of Negi, then infuse that with Asuna’s DNA, then as you stated, inheriting some stuff from the Konoe family. That would make Touta a homunculus, in that he’s artificially created, but requires gestation in human female’s womb.

      About Chao Lingshen, she may be a homunculus clone in the UQ Holder-verse.

      I think this is possible. I also think Cutlass is one as well. Honoka and Isana appear to be true clones, while Touta, Cutlas, and possible Chao are homunculus clones of Negi.

      • Eight Star King says:

        Thinking about it now, I wouldn’t exactly call Touta a clone or a homunculus. A clone would imply that Touta is genetically identical to Negi which he isn’t since part of his DNA comes from Asuna as well, which would make him their genetic son more than anything. Calling him a homunculus also doesn’t necessarily fit since he’s not completely artificial either. A homunculus would be more in line with what Fate and the Averruncus line are in the sense they were “created” as is.

        If anything, Touta’s existence fits the idea of being a Designer Baby more. Kinda like the Coordinators from Gundam SEED I guess, or maybe Solid Snake and his brothers from Metal Gear for a closer comparison.

        • AstroNerdBoy says:

          I believe the term “homunculus” was used once to describe Touta, but otherwise the term “clone” is used. But I do get your point on the terms.

  9. dominic says:

    hi astro one question: touta is 4 years old ,so does that mean he grow very fast or was he in the two years maybe in a place where the time flow faster like the cube where negi trained.
    sorry for my english

  10. Mattcgw says:

    So golden week is stressing out, Akamatsu-Sensei. How ironic.
    But it also, appears that he may’ve not gotten as much of a break, because of, the moved up schedule.
    Maybe he spent more time on the name.

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