March 23rd, 2021 
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 181
UQ Holder Chapter 181
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Somewhere in space, Karin contemplates the hell of her existence. A giant energy/fire ball approaches her location.
Back on Earth, Touta is briefed on the events 45 years earlier, where Nikitis implanted a World Seed tree in Touta. The world tree branches then grew and kept the orbital elevator and ring from being destroyed. After that, it took Touta 42 years to free himself from the tree and fall to Earth.
Back on the ship, Touta relaxes in an onsen. Touta contemplates things, including what became of Shinobu, Mizore, and others. He’s joined by Kuroumaru, who’s hair has become blonde. Touta is surprised, so Kuroumaru causes her hair to return to black. She offers to wash his back, which he accepts.
Kuroumaru lets Touta know that she, Karin, Kirie, and Yukihime made a deal that whomever found Touta would get to move forward with a relationship with Touta. She talks about how she worked hard, believing Touta would come back. Now that he’s here, she wants a reward.
Realizing what she’s said, Kuroumaru tries to flee. Touta catches her and embraces her. After assuring her, he has a reaction to her naked body. The two decide to take their relationship to the next level.
Meanwhile, Nikitis has a discussion with Fate about Touta and rescuing Karin.
Thoughts/Review:
I’m insanely behind reviewing UQ Holder Chapter 181 thanks to work. But it is time to get this party started.
Flashback
Akamatsu-sensei used UQ Holder Chapter 181 to provide a flashback to the events from 45 years ago. As such, the World Tree seed is used again to save the day. As such, now we know why Touta was in space for over 40 years–he was the heart of a giant tree (that acts like a massive vine) in space to keep the orbital ring and elevator(s) in place.
It is a retcon to have Nikitis secretly have planted the seed in Touta in the past, but that’s not really a problem. What was weird was that suddenly Fate is back, thus making the seed planting necessary. Maybe I’m misremembering, but I thought Fate had been obliterated. Sure, Fate is a homunculus and as we saw, easily revived. But this just came out of left field and seemingly to make him a villain again.
And then at the end of the chapter, I did laugh at Nikitis complaining that Fate looked like him. In all honesty, I think it is due to Akamatsu-sensei’s limited range of character designs. But I suppose the story will be that Fate’s design was based on Nikitis. We’ll see.
Kuroumaru is a Lovely Girl
I’m glad that Akamatsu-sensei has once and for all settled the issue of Kuroumaru being a lovely girl. And she is a lovely girl. The picture of her asking for a reward was like an arrow to the heart. How could one deny her?
I did appreciate Kuroumaru opening up to Touta. It was touching and I loved it. As such, we get reaffirmation that Kuroumaru, Karin, and Kirie have their deal over Touta. I don’t like that Yukihime is part of the deal. As Touta’s adoptive mother, the ick factor is just not going to ever go away there. I know the Japanese have this thing that “well, as long as they love each other, anything goes.” 😅
The surprising part of the chapter is that Akamatsu-sensei went “there” when it came to having Kuroumaru and Touta advance their relationship to the next level. Not only did they confess their love to each other, they did the “do” as well. Akamatsu-sensei did the artistic route rather than the graphic route, and I’m more than cool with that.
So “YAY!” on Kuroumaru being a lovely girl and head girl of Touta’s harem.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
In the end, UQ Holder Chapter 181 was a lovely chapter. I loved the advancement of Kuroumaru as a lovely girl. Hopefully, Karin returns to the fold soon.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Hey I wanna see cutlass return and touta dominating her to a level of complete submission
Anything is possible.
And I wanna see touta roasting people more
Fate was confirmed alive at the post Baal defeat celebration (albeit as a disembodied head).
The world tree seed Nikitis placed in Touta might be the very one he held when he debuted.
Touta spending most of his energies on the World Tree could be in-universe justification for nerfing him so he wouldn’t overshadow his teammates.
Touta and Kuromaru have amazing chemistry and it’s shown best here. So glad the bulk of the chapter was dedicated to them.
The fact we got to have an onscreen “consummation” is not that surprising since Kodansha’s pretty permissive when it comes those types of scenes (Koji Seo’s works, Domestic Girlfriend come to mind, just to name a few) Makes me wonder if we’ll see a formal contract be made.
Oh. OK. I guess I need to find that chapter…whatever it is.
Likewise.
Well, I meant surprising for Akamatsu-sensei. I don’t think he’s done that before.
Chapter 166’s final page. That’s where it’s mentioned.
Thanks!
Wait hold up I wanna see him dress like miles morales spiderman (into the spidervers) with the long hoodie and the spandex outfit
If touta is negis grandson should he have I harem made of grandchildren of class 3 A which would make him smarter than negi
There are way too many cut content in uq holder and too many missing characters
I do wonder if Touta is going to have similar… errr… “moments” with Karin and Kirie. It just seems ripe for that. But other than that, this was a nice chapter. Kuromaru is great.
Yeah, I agree on all points.
Hopefully it doesn’t wind up like Kimi no Iru Machi, where the author* acted like he was going to break up the expected couple, then twisted the ending at the last minute to keep them together, then did a series of one-chapter “what ifs” showing the MC doinking close to everyone.
(Personally, the only way I think he could have redeemed that idea would have been to include the Irritating Sidekick Who Only Exists To Make MC Look Better. That would have been funny.)
* Seo Kouji of Truck-kun fame, which he apparently later reversed in the anime. (kidding) I hear for his next project he’ll take a poll on how every chapter should end, then the next chapter will start with the winner. (/kidding)
I’m almost certain it will be a harem ending, which I would accept. I would be lying if I didn’t wish he’d just have Kuroumaru be it. Karin and Kirie’s future moments with Touta have a lot to measure up to.
Touta x Kuroumaru is the best pairing. But thanks to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki, I’ve been wanting a battle harem ending.
Weirdly to me they finally choose this pairing. Only because to me was most obvious one since the beginning when Kuroumaru was showing signs he was infact potentially a she.
Now we know depending on her “feelings” can change into non-gender to female. Seems to be work around i would imagine.
Things must be in final home stretch now that Akamatsu-sensei setted Touta on someone or this is one of many more to go.
I can’t say i loved way this manga story has unfolded but it still lively so i’ve stuck to it through bad and good times. Hate these time-jumps however. Specially skipping scenes where there would been really good perhaps action or drama or comedy.
Akamatsu-sensei must be tired, but after this he will have to go small or do small projects once he wrap things up. Personally he should stuck with his guns way manga started went with adventure thing and let people come who wanted that story than this neo-retro-future-Negi story.
Remember how when she was female, she didn’t have the strength of a more masculine form? I suspect that Kuroumaru stays female, but she can adopt more masculine elements to be stronger for a fight.
I think Karin will be next ’cause I really think Akamatsu-sensei is going to go the battle harem route. And then it will be Kirie and then…ugh…Eva/Yukihime.
He’s a pretty big copyright advocate in Japan. On one hand, he wants to stop piracy. On the other hand, he wants more legal avenues for manga to be distributed. And he’s wary of Western attempts to leverage control over Japanese manga content. (Without him knowing it, he is trying to stand up to the Western woke religion.) So he’s already pretty busy.
I know there was talk at one point about him becoming a manga editor. But who knows if he’d do that or not. He might go the doujin route and produce more Negima! or Love Hina stuff on the side.
Technically, shouldn’t that be “The Flower Falls”? (^_~)
(I can’t believe I couldn’t find a gif to round out the joke… I know it’s an old trope, but I thought it was common enough someone would have done it.)
Actually, that’s a trope that isn’t ringing a bell with me. 😅
I don’t know if it’s deliberate, but it’s a visual pun on being deflowered. An example, from Chuunibyou Ren… I hope I haven’t ruined its pure vanilla goodness, I suspect they were just playing with tropes for fun like they did back in the first one.
Is it just me or did it look like Karin’s nipples were erect at the prospect of falling into that star/fireball? 😉
Hahaha. Well, it is cold in space. And since UQ Holder is published in a seinen magazine, I guess Akamatsu-sensei decided to push the limits a bit more since he can now get away with it.
I know I said it before, but I’m glad my favorite pairing is now official. They even sealed the deal by doing the deed. First time a character in an Akamatsu manga was shown actually having sex. PG-13 sex, but still, a bit raunchier than anything we ever saw in Love Hina or Negima.
Even if it goes the harem ending, at least Kuromaru was the one that got Touta first.
Well, I’m gonna go read the new chapter.
Yeah, it was surprising. And then it got one-upped. I have to write the review of the new chapter.
Yep. Definitely going for the harem ending. First it was sex in the ocean with best girl Kuromaru. Now sex in space with Karin. I guess Touta’s going the full pactio route with all the girls. I’m assuming Kirie is next.
You are probably right about Kirie. I’m not looking forward to Akamatsu-sensei bringing Eva into the mix though.