April 8th, 2020 
AstroNerdBoy 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 171
UQ Holder Chapter 171
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Kiroumaru advises the halved Touta to follow them if he intends to be partners with Kuroumaru. Genshin quarters Touta’s ME form, then explains why they refuse to help UQ Holder defeat the Mage of the Beginning. Sometime later, the rain causes Touta to become conscious. He’s no longer quartered, but his legs and left arm are still detached. Touta acknowledges his shortcomings. However, he realizes that the vertical cut from Kiroumaru has healed. After pondering things, Touta comes up with a plan.
Elsewhere, Santa pays a visit to Karin and Kirie. They decide to pay a visit to Kuroumaru’s visit for fun. Meanwhile, Touta’s partial body flies to the place where he believes Kuroumaru is being held. He crashes into the building to encounter Nagumo. Touta discovers his severed hand in a jar is what drew him there. Nagumo attacks, but Touta turns intro a literal monster and squeezes Kuroumaru’s location from Nagumo.
Meanwhile at the Tougen castle, Kuroumaru accepts the judgement of the organization. Kuroumaru recalls the encounter with the entity that allowed Kuroumaru’s life to be extended. That entity is to be extracted, or be turned into the divine blade Hinamori.
Elsewhere, Tukoyomi visits the prison and gives Isana and Honoka the keys. She no longer feels the need to train the young girls, something she did as a favor to Setsuna. As such, she is leaving the Shinmeiryuu and the girls are free to follow their own path.
Touta, now as a dark. whole, humanoid, crashes Kuroumaru’s ceremony. Touta’s appearance stuns Genshin. However, Touta is too late. Zankurou holds the newly forged Hinamori blade.
Thoughts/Review:
Well, I gotta say that while we have some Super Saiyan stuff going on here, UQ Holder Chapter 171 was actually a really enjoyable, gripping chapter.
Touta
I appreciate it when Touta actually acknowledges his shortcomings. And he has a completely understandable rage-fit over this. And in a continued sign of his growing maturity, after Touta calmed down, he was able to come up with a solution.
This is where Touta started his Super Saiyan transformations in UQ Holder Chapter 171. Initially, it was just to give his body a dark energy charge so he can fly. But then we get Nagumo, holding Touta’s hand in a sealed jar, Doctor Who style. 😅 Not sure why that was done other than “plot”.
That aside, Touta does his next transformation, turning into a literal beast-monster and skunking Nagumo rather easily. I have to admit, I rather enjoyed that moment. Nagumo talks about others being overconfident. Well, that’s what he was in this chapter.
Touta hits his third transformation at the Tougen castle (I’m guessing on the name there). This is where I had to laugh out loud ’cause this looked like EMIYA Shirou from the Fate franchise had obtained an Avenger-class Servant form. 🤣 At the same time, I have to say that I love this look for Touta.
So Touta may have gone Super Saiyan, but I actually enjoyed this a lot, which surpised me.
Kuroumaru
For Kuroumaru, we got a bit more of her story (Kuroumaru had distinct cleavage when her robes came open). However, I’m still not clear on the whole curse thing. I get that as a child, Kuroumaru was going to die from whatever curse. But I don’t know what the curse was or how Kuroumaru obtained it. Maybe it was Kuroumaru’s wings, ala Setsuna.
As to the supposed crime Kuroumaru committed, I don’t know what that is either. I presume the crime was Kuroumaru obtaining the entity possessing the sword Hinamori. But that wasn’t Kuroumaru’s fault. From what we’ve seen, the entity did this itself. Further, it appeared that Kiroumaru witnessed Kuroumaru playing with “Hina-chan.”
When it comes to Kiroumaru in UQ Holder Chapter 171, I feel we are getting a bit of retconning. Things revealed in this chapter don’t quite jive with what we’ve seen to date. For example, why would Kiroumaru send Kuroumaru to kill Eva if he’s Eva’s old friend? Back in the early chapters of UQ Holder, I felt that Eva (as Yukihime) taking in Kuroumaru was just a sign of her maturity, not some favor to a Mazoku clan.
As to Kuroumaru being a sword, well she might still be able to have humanoid form. I learned that from the ultra-ecchi, double entendre manga series Nukenai Seiken-chan. (I’ll write about it someday…maybe. 😅😅😅)
Poll on Spoilers
Finally, I’m running a pole on Twitter regarding spoilers. They actually dropped last night. However, I didn’t post anything ’cause I knew in under 24-hours, we’d be getting the chapter. So this is the question I posed.
If #UQHolder spoilers drop with less than 24 hours until the chapter is released in English, would you like me to still post said spoilers?
— AstroNerdBoy (@AstroNerdBoy) April 8, 2020
It is only going to last another day or so, so if it is expired, you can let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. 😊
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Let me wrap up my review of UQ Holder Chapter 171 with some final thoughts.
- Nothing screams “crazy” like someone licking a blade. Doubly so if they are licking a sword. So I guess Zankurou is starkers in this regard.
- Not only did I not expect to see Tsukuyomi in this chapter, I didn’t expect her to basically resign. This is probably the least starkers we’ve seen her at. Further, it was a shock that Setsuna asked this nutter to train Honoka and Isana.
- Looks like Touta’s legs dropped in on Kirie, Santa, and Karin. There has to be a bit of comedy regarding that in the next chapter. 😂
- I wonder what kind of beings those giants were who were “forging” Kuroumaru?
- Also, Akamatsu-sensei got a bit topical by having Kuroumaru get info on a virus closing schools in Japan.
That aside, I really enjoyed UQ Holder Chapter 171. Everything about the chapter was both interesting and fun to me in surprising ways.
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This was a good chapter hope they still do the tournament arc.
At this point, I doubt that happens. We are at endgame stages. It will be months before UQ Holder ends, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the manga ended by year’s end.
Can we take a minute to appreciate how hot Touta looks!
Like damn, he was a real man in that very moment… I’m hoping this epicness of him doesn’t revert back to his idiot younger self because he is packing heat and is giving off some Rakan vibes…
Also I’m really concerned for Kuromaru will (s)he be ok after this? I’m concerned >.> they just got their Pactio as well!
I think at the end of the day, Touta’s true form will be that of a kid, much like Eva. Doesn’t mean he can’t be adult form, though his EMIYA form here was unexpected and different.
> they just got their Pactio as well!
Whatever those are. 😅😉
In all seriousness, I think Akamatsu-sensei has forgotten about them.
I dont see Touta as Emiya that much because I have a vibe that Touta is more on greyish skin looking other than brown like Emiya. Haha
And is Fate and Tsukuyomi in cahoots of protecting the Konosetsu’s grandkids? 🤣
Haha! Well, in FGO, EMIYA has a couple of other forms in addition to his normal Archer form. And his skin gets quite dark in one, so much so that the American release of that Servant saw them lighten his skin, lest they be accused of racism.
That’s what it seems like, doesn’t it. 😂
I’m no good with predictions, but I think:
The gravity sword might be used or referenced(its able to speak, after all).
Kuromaru’s artifact could be used to duplicate a sword?
Most likely I’m wrong, but this was a really fun chapter, and I loved how her brother was given some backstory(and young Kuromaru is always a win).
I think Kuro-bo is Al in Sword form. That’s why I think Kuroumaru may remain as a sword, but also obtain the ability to switch forms. But that’s just a theory.
But yeah, good chapter.
As a side note, Kuromaru’s wings(White and Black) were shown when she was talking about her gender, or lack thereof, with Karin. I think the white wings were just to show that she became a girl, but I could be wrong.
Interesting. I had not noticed that.
Y’know, all of this feels like it should’ve been dealt much earlier, as opposed just chucking as the endgame.
No real thoughts beyond that. I think the idea of magical giants hammering a human into the shape of a sword is actually wicked cool, but Akamatsu in typical fashion only uses it for the creepiest titillation possible.
I don’t disagree. I’ve been wanting Kuroumaru’s back story for years.
It was unexpected for sure. Hopefully, we get a bit more info on them.
Honestly I wish this aspect was explored a little more. It was shown a few times that Touta struggled with his human part, so the idea that he can obtain a massive amount of power by willing to forgo his humanity is something that I believe that makes sense.
My only complaint is how quickly this happen. If there was more constant build up, it would have been better.
I don’t disagree. There has been some buildup to date in the training Touta had and such. I think the monthly format makes things easier to forget though. But he did put the pieces together in a rapid fashion.
If Detroit Metal City and a couple of other sources are to be trusted, one of the ways women are crudely demeaned in Japan is with “all you need is the lower half”. I wonder if Akamatsu-sensei might be twisting that trope around a bit to poke fun at it.
I’m a bit twisted myself, and tend to not take things at face value… thus, I wonder whether that’s just Tsukuyomi’s version of it. (But it seems unlikely if we’re in a wrap-up phase.)
As above, not taking things at face value: It kinda reminds me of a story wherein X ostensibly sent Y to kill Z, knowing it was impossible. In that story X’s purpose was to get Y killed. Here, maybe he knew Eva would take Kuroumaru in?
…yeah, I don’t especially buy it either. (^_~)
Everybody, have fun tonight (Everybody have fun tonight)
Everybody, ret-con tonight (Everybody have fun tonight)
Maybe.
Well, there’s merit to not taking things at face value.
Ack, this chapter hurts me. Kuroumaru is my favorite character. I really hope that she’ll be able to retain some type of human form. Touta better kick some butt for me!
Haha! I can see Touta kicking bottom.
I wish I could feel excited about the Hina sword coming into play in this series, but I feel nothing….nothing at all.
By the way.
Are you going to watch Kakushigoto? The adaptation of Kumeta’s manga of the same name?
Is it the same sword as in Love Hina? There, the sword was called Youtou Hinata, or Hina Blade in English. I know it was in Negima, but in this chapter, the blade was called Hinamori. I’m not sure it is the same blade.
It’s the same blade.
Its most likely a case of the sword undergoing a name change with every reforge. (ala Narsil to Anduril)
Hinata was the old name.
Hinamori is the name of the blade reforged with Kuromaru’s esscence.
How do you know it is the same blade? At the end of the day, it may well be. But the original sword in Love Hina, which then showed up in Negima, was a cursed blade. The entity within it was evil. This Hina-chan entity doesn’t strike me as evil, considering how Kuroumaru wasn’t evil or nuts.
Re-read Kuromaru’s dream sequence in the previous chapter. The entity presented there is more in line with the entity of the Hina blade, strengthening the connection.
Not to mention, the last known wielder, Tsukuyomi, is connected to the Togen School.
You mean her dream-memory about the entity eating Kuroumaru? (D’oh! You said that. 😅) I took that as more dream. Still, if it possessed Kuroumaru, why didn’t Kuroumaru go bat-S crazy like Tsukuyomi?