March 3rd, 2015 
AstroNerdBoy ユーキューホルダー! Manga Review
UQ Holder Chapter 71
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Touta uses Magia Erebea to attempt to overcome his hooded opponent, leading to Kurobo (Gravity Blade) issuing a warning about not giving in to ME. His opponent is not impressed and begins beating Touta, summoning a card that turns into another big sword, which “Hoodie” dual wields along with the other massive blade. Hoodie sends a rain of magically summoned harpoons, nailing Touta and pinning him to the ground.
Hoodie explains the second sword, which belong to Grandfather’s partner, which is able to dispel demons and might be able to kill Touta despite his immortality. Hoodie mocks Touta for being nothing but a copy of Negi Springfield. Since Negi couldn’t have children, some felt they couldn’t afford to lose his talents, powers, and abilities. Because Touta wasn’t even born, Hoodie proclaims Touta to be naught but a monster.
Touta removes the hood from his attacker, revealing what appears to be a girl. She stabs him with her replica of Ensis Exorcizans, then casts a massively powerful lightning spell, attempting to turn Touta into dust. Hoodie’s attack is stopped when Santa hits her with a long ranged attack, blasting her away from Touta and removing Ensis Exorcizans at the same time. Santa is joined by Kirie and Kuroumaru who then challenge Hoodie.
Thoughts/Review:
Well now, well now. Those of you calling it for Hoodie giving up information got it right.
And I figured we’d get a deus ex machina moment to save Touta. Kuroumaru and company was one of three viable options that I saw, though Ikkuu isn’t in the mix (yet). I do like the imagery of how they look when they show up on the scene. Even Kirie looks OK, even though I expect her to get her arse handed to her.
Actually, I’d love to see Hoodie put up such a fight, Kirie, Santa, and Kuroumaru (and Ikkuu if he’s around) need to get their own deus ex machina save from Eva and company.
Is Hoodie a girl this time, or is this another mistake on Touta’s part?
Hoodie producing a card that turns into Ensis Exorcizans suggests to me that the pactio system is still around.
What’s interesting to me is that Hoodie has a replica of Ensis Exorcizans, apparently complete with all its functionality. When Negi had a pactio with Princess Theodora, he was able to replicate all of his partner’s artifacts. Considering that Hoodie addresses Touta as “Niisan” and called Negi “Grandfather” (whatever the Japanese term being used is — if you know, PLEASE let me know), one wonders if Hoodie is a relative of Negi and somehow has the ability to access Negi’s old pactio cards. Asuna should still be alive (sleeping), so the copy (replica) card that Negi had would still be active since Negi is alive as well.
That’s just wild speculation, but it is a good theory to fit the present facts. Hoodie has access to a copy of Asuna’s pactio card and is using the card’s artifact.
It is still interesting to me that Hoodie is calling Touta “Niisan”, which not only suggests a family connection (Hoodie’s brother), but it also suggests that Touta is older than Hoodie. Since Hoodie has been watching Touta for a little while, Hoodie knows Touta’s name, so why call him Niisan?
The other question is why Hoodie has such rage against Touta? This kind of rage would seem to come from Hoodie feeling wronged by Touta.
I’m still not sure how we get to some sort of tournament from here. I’ve never been convinced we’ve truly been going there, even though I’m most likely wrong. With Touta under the threat of death or the like (the Lifemaker), he would not be safe in a tournament. Those after Touta might not care about collateral damage, thus might slaughter an entire stadium of spectators to get at Touta.
I have to say that I rather enjoyed this chapter, even though I think Akamatsu-sensei is overcompensating for having made Touta so OP so quickly in the manga by making Touta take a massive beating like this without being able to do anything. Still, I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.
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Great to see a pactio card. We’ll probably see people in the tournament using them
I wonder if Negi can’t have children because he still has a 10 year old body, and he’s just been using age-deceiving magic to look his proper age.
I hope Santa and Kuroumaru enter the prelimaries, I know Kirie can use magic but she doesn’t seem like a battle-type.
I hope Ikkuu and Karin turn up, since Evangeline is probably entering the tournament I’m sure Karin will want to enter too.
The tournament is totally happening, especially since Negi(Probably another clone, this one closer to the original) has entered.
We are presuming this is a pactio card. There was no “adeat” call, but it certainly seems like a pactio card.
I forgot about Karin. ^_^;;; If Ikkuu shows up, I wouldn’t be surprised if Karin showed up.
I’m looking forward to seeing more Santa. I hope he enters the preliminaries.
I’m surprised we haven’t seen Kirie’s broom before. It helps make her look a little badass
I hope that Ray makes apps for Kuroumaru and Santa to use, I assume Kirie won’t enter the tournament but we saw her use magic so she might be a support-type.
I feel like Akamatsu has been getting back into a good groove, the sayoko arc was really well-paced and Sayoko and Santa are great characters. I’m hoping this carries over to this arc.
The Mahora tournament is a great arc so I’m really looking forward to the new one but the tournament is a year away so there’ll probably be a few arcs between the preliminaries and tournament..unless the preliminaries last a year.
Also, we’ll probably meet a future member of UQ Holder during the preliminaries.
I’m not sure it was planned from the start. However, once Akamatsu-sensei decided Kirie would be a mage on top of being an immortal, the broom was the next logical thing.
As to the tournament, I’m still not jazzed about it, but we’ll see what happens.
I believe a while back I did make a comment in regards to pactio cards.
Cards are active and inactive depending on
1. Cancelation
2. The master is dead
3. The partner is dead (assuming)
And for the artefact itself… It is a rare case to actually receive one and it depends on attribute of the partner. No two artefact should be the same which was why rakan was confused to see negi wielding asuna sword when she herself is in current possession.
The only known exception is negi (as rakan puts it) ferociously rare artefact to use all his partners artefact.
Even if the original master dies and you make a new one with someone else the new pactio may result in no artefact or a different one. The one hoodie is using could be a variant with the same ability as asuna sword or any actual copy of the weapon or it could be that she was lucky enough to inherit the artefact after asuna and negi pactio contract was deactivated which is the only possible way for the same artefact to be passed on to someone else.
Either way I think hoodie is another clone of negi and she has in possession a fake copy of asuna sword (sorry if I don’t make sense I’m kinda dozing off)
Nah, it made sense. ^_^
Interesting thing to note is that touta is not born from a womb, yet his magia erbia become more crow youkai/avian like, it reminds me of your theory (astro) with setsuna and the
karasu-tengu egg, what if that was how touta was born from a youkai egg, it may explain why magia was able to manifest, as some sort a racial trait and why he is only 4 years old, his physically growth was the equivalent to a bird.
With most cloning they usually use a egg then insert the DNA, and anything else to manipulate the genome.
I hadn’t noticed the more avian look to Touta’s ME arms since I was presuming it was more like what Negi had when ME took him over.
I was thinking Touta’s birth might have a more technological means that one sees in sci-fi, but a more magical means of birthing Touta is interesting to me. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about this.
Also by KAGUYA’S BLESSED THIRD EYE! The girl be a sadist, which would equate tsukiyomi x setsuna child +springfield DNA, also the other blade held a strong resemblance to the Takemikazuchi, which may also explain the exorcism and the powerful un-incanted lighting magic, that wasn’t “thousand bolts”
Takemikazuchi was a dual-edged blade. I didn’t get that feeling. I felt the trigger sword was also like Asuna’s sword.
Astro : “even though I think Akamatsu-sensei is overcompensating for having made Touta so OP so quickly in the manga by making Touta take a massive beating like this without being able to do anything.”
Oh no, Astro-san ! You will not start to complain huh?^^
Since the beginning of the manga you demand of Tota even getting humiliated and suffer impotence learn modesty to evolve. And now you say that his happens qu’Akamatsu exaggerating?
We need to know what you want my friends lol.^^
Oops.
I wanted to say : “you ask, that Tota even getting humiliated”.
I admit that I wanted Touta to take a beating and learn a lesson because he was breezing into things and winning anyway. Now, after establishing Touta as someone who’s mega powerful and able to overcome basically anything, Akamatsu-sensei does a 180º turn around, making Touta so weak vs. Hoodie, he can’t do anything. My complaint is there’s no rhyme nor reason to any of this from a natural story progression. Things happen because “new plot demands it.”
Except that if precisely, there is a rhythm. The hero of an action manga always begins his adventure by performing spectacular feats, until he meets a wall that forces him to question and from there his true progress can begin. Had the same thing for Negi-whatever you may say, even though I admit that was more discrete.
In early Negima he manages to embarrass Eva (admittedly it was not serious but at the time we did not know) and everyone (even experienced magicians say “Woah what a genius, what magical power only 10 years old! “. Then appears Fate Averruncus and Eva (who reveals his true strength), which will understand that Negi is that” a little chick. Here is the same with Tota.
Tota you considered as “overcheated” because you took for the base power Negima scale. But if you look from the perspective of UQ Holder, Kaito and Nagumo are just proportionnelement speaking, the equivalent of the assassin group at Kyoto Negima and Fate in UQ is the equivalent of Evangeline in Volume 3 of Negima!
So you’re wrong, the progress Tota was perfectly logical, is what I say from the beginning.
A hero can not start as a loser, otherwise it’s not a hero. ^^
Especially since I emphasize this fact that for me, Tota has accomplished only TWO real exploits since the beginning of the manga:
1. The ultra fast learning of ki and quick-move.
2. the destruction of the barrier Fate.
For the rest you got self-convinced that he was a “overcheated invincible hero”. However:
-He Would have lost againist Kaito if Magia-Erebea had not activated itself.
-Fate was only played with Tota and when he became serious, Tota has not managed to lay a finger on him!
-It Has been humiliated by Santa and later in the same arc, by Sayako.
-At The end he has just as difficult to control the ME as Negi early in his time. The proof ? Tota was again in berserk mode in this chapter !
So now, how you view, you must admit that we are far from the invincible hero overcheated. For this type of characters, rather look toward Natsu, Kenshin or Kenshiro or even Meliodas (and I say that I love Rurouni Kenshin, Hokuto no ken and Nanatsu No. Taizai. When to fairy-tail, according to some review of scans I’ve seen recently, some current development could reconcile me with this manga, but I wait to see more ^^.) THEY are the heroes overcheated.
In my eyes Tota is hardly more cheated than Yusuke at the start of Yuyu Hakusho or Tsuna in the star of Reborn or Yoh in the start of Shaman-king.
But again, I admit that for understand this fact, it is necessary that see the evolution of Tota, from the point of view of the UQ Holder power scale, not that of Negima.
I want to say that, in UQ, even Tachibana, the first enemy and the lowest in the manga, is about the level of fighters Mahora tournament Negima (he mastered the shunpo ! Yeah read again the first chapter^^). So it is necessary to analyze the power of the enemy and the power of Tota, making almost (I said almost) ignore of the previous point landmark, which was the Negi of Negima. This is capital. ^^
It is not a question of forgetting Negima power scale, since we are in the same univers with UQ, but to stop comparing Tota with the Negi of Negima because its has no sense in my opinion. Would like comparing Negi, a graduate of the school of magic in Volume 1 of Negima, with his father Nagi, when he (Nagi) is just ENTERED in the school of magic. ^^
By cons can quite compare Tota, with the Negi of UQ Holder era (which is much stronger than during Negima) or with Fate or even with Eva, as in the days of Negima Negi was compared to Nagi the legendary hero or Rakan. There’s a lot more sense for me.
ps : and I repeat yet to prevent any accusation (lol) : I am NOT a fan of Tota. In fact I am just beginning to love him from the previous chapter. ^^
I just think that criticism of his Be-called “too fast evolution” are unfounded and runs almost to obsession regarding its comparison with Negi.
Again, if we take the problem in terms of “proportions”, their evolution actually follows the same rhythm, though, observed how “raw” Tota seems that it is true, faster than Negi.
If Touta is a “copy” ..that means he has no parents? Then…why Fate said he killed his parents? Seriously need answers Dx
His “parents” would be the people who adopted and took care of Touta for a time.
Maybe, just maybe…
The hair, the skin, the use of words.. could it be?
Lifemaker + Dynamis = That girl
lol *mind blown*
Heh! I don’t think the Lifemaker is procreating, but it is an amusing thought.
The term she uses to refer to Negi throughout the chapter is “じいさん” Jii-san, the one I already mentioned on spoilers. Which can mean old man / grandfather (and yes, father was a mistake of mine).
If the two are related I would expected her to also be a copy of some kind. After all she didn’t say Touta isn’t actually his children, but that Negi couldn’t have children. I don’t think what she used was similar to Negi’s pactio as instead of getting the sword she gets a dark version that she called a replica. The replica may just be stored like an artifact. Like how Fate implied Shiori/Luna’s artifact was made by them trying to improve on the disguise that Fate used during the war 20 years ago.
OK, that does make a difference in my mind. She may not be referring to Negi as her grandfather but as “old man.”
Interesting. I hadn’t considered that aspect.
Well based on Hoodie’s behaviour I could say that he/she is a copy too. She address Negi as grandfather and Touta as Nii-san which would imply that Hoodie was also created from Negi’s genetic material. Perhaps a more perfect copy? Or maybe a copy inferior to Touta because she can’t use magia erebea or something?
As far as Touta’s “parents” go it might be that they were trying to steal him away from whatever lab he was made in. Also it sure makes me wonder if Fate didn’t just bullshit Touta with “I killed your parents” like Satsuki did to Ryuuko back in KLK.
Back to Hoodie. Her rage at Touta can stem from several sources depending on which version of her origin is true. She might be either pissed that Touta got to live a happy, normal life while she had to go through some horrible experiences. On the other hand if Touta is more perfect copy of Negi then it might be jealousy. She is pissed off that despite being created she is inferior to the “failed product” that is Touta.
Well all this is based on assumption that she too is a copy. We’ll see how that works out.
All possible events.
And yeah, it will be interesting to see how things play out and what the explanation of Hoodies rage is.
That could be a pactio card or an app. But if that was a pactio, that suggests Hoodie has a master. Considering Touta and Hoodie’s possible relation, and a certain someone’s obsession, I’d think the master is someone whose name ends with ‘ate’.
I assume Asuna’s card is still active, but I thought Theo’s contract with Negi ended after the tournament in MM? If this is the case, shouldn’t the ‘copy card’ be voided? Or, maybe, Hoodie’s card is her own ‘copy card’, which has the same/similar artifact as Negi’s card.
Do you mean Touta? Or do you mean that the cloning process didn’t give birth to a new Negi, but a Touta instead?
Btw, having learned a little bit of German, Kirie-Santa-Kuro team is a good example for Der-Das-Die. 😀
Yeah! ‘He/She/It’! 😉 Gut gemacht!
Interesting. That could explain the rage for sure if your theory is correct.
It did, but it doesn’t mean that Negi couldn’t have scored another pactio with someone else and received the same artifact.
I meant Touta. *sigh* I really hate the disconnect between my mind and my fingers.
Just saying, rather than the sword being Negi’s artifact at work, I would guess it’s just her own pactio artifact being a copy of the sword. It wouldn’t be the first time, Ku Fei’s artifact was said to be a replica of the Monkey King’s staff.
That would mean someone made that replica at some point though, but some secret organization out there is bound to be researching the anti-magic ability anyways.
And then there’s always the chance that it’s not a pactio at all, although the odds are in favor of it being one.
That’s a good point.
Yeah, that’s possible as well. I’m hoping for pactio though.
At the end Touta is a copy of Negi, I don’t know the way in that he will react now.
Touta’s character is carefree and happy, he can accept it and he keep looking forward or now that he knows that is a copy, he sinks completely into despair
I knew that someone would end up appearing, I wonder if Santa is at the same level as the hooded.
I think that the next chapter Kuroumaru and company will fight with the hooded without Touta (Santa seems very angry XD)
PS: The hooded bears a resemblance to Kuro of Fate/kaleid XD
I doubt it. I’m hoping that Santa, Kirie, and Kuroumaru are way outclassed.
Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance.
Isn’t anyone wondering if negi’s physical age is still 10?
I remember when Setsuna and the Ala Rubra gang were watching Negi and Asuna fighting Eva at the end of Negima and they weren’t sure if Negi would stop ageing or age a few more years then stop.
I know we see teen-negi in the last chapter of Negima but I believe that was a different timeline to the one UQ HOlder takes place in.
I’m more curious about Nagi, how come he is alive and looks the same.
Maybe whatever made Zecht so long-lived has made Nagi long-lived too, I assume there’s connection between the Lifemaker and Zecht’s longevity since I believe it was mentioned that they were of a similar age.
“I know we see teen-negi in the last chapter of Negima but I believe that was a different timeline to the one UQ HOlder takes place in.”.
Indeed, it has already been said, but it is likely that we are in the timeline where Asuna is sealed rather than in the Epilogue’s timeline, you’re right. And nothing says that even in the epilogue Negi did not use the aging pills to look older. Besides its revival in 2135 was what had supose Asuna seeing photos Negi adults.
Assuming that Negi artificially aged (either through aging pills or through a metamorphosis technique), there is no wonder that he can not have children (in addition to the discomfort obvious and legitimate that allegedly stinks feel his eventual wife thinking of the fact that despite appearances the actual physical and biological age (not mental or chronological age) of Negi is 10 years, it seems that all the way, a man is apparently, “fertile” biologically speaking, that from puberty.
As Negi would have therefore never reached his sterility makes sense. After, I’m not a biologist, far from it one might say. Maybe someone who have more informations on this subject, may deny or confirm what I say? I shall thank him. ^^) …
Zecht was called a youkai. Presuming this wasn’t a joking insult on Jack’s part, many youkai in Japanese mythology live quite long, or are immortal.
Maybe Setsuna is still alive? or possible Kotaro?
I keep expecting to see a non-immortal member of 3-A, we know Ayaka makes it to 115 in one timeline.
Does anyone else really want to see Touta meet Chachamaru?
Somehow, I keep thinking that a few part of Chachamaru is implemented in Ikku. Or at least the technology behind her.
I’d rather see Setsuna meet Kuroumaru though.
I think Ikkuu is the latest generation of the android technology that started with Chachamaru.
That’s possible since they are half-youkai.
I’d like to see Chachamaru, but to be honest, I’d rather have an explanation of what happened to Chachazero. 😉
I think that would be the case, much like Eva.
Sorry for the late post, i’d want say that i’m grateful for place talk about the Manga. Latest chapter is interesting, as Touta is trying to get bearing in his life another twist accrues.
The copy reference, isn’t completely surprising to me. The characters who were not in the original Negi, won’t know about the curse and situation Negi Springfield was put into. He suppose to have died and was resurrected via curse of taking on the black magic Eva came up with. Touta being copy would mean he likely a clone of some kind. Which won’t make him grandson of Negi, but son via cloning perhaps.
Aside from Touta needing to be taken a notch, i think his acceleration with his powers is bit too quick.
No problem. There’s no terminal point on commenting on blog posts. I’m just sorry I’m not often on top of the comments as fast as I should be. ^_^;;;;
I agree, but Akamatsu-sensei is trying to explain it by saying that this is a copy of Negi, therefore Touta has all of Negi’s fighting abilities (not his spells though), even if only on a subconscious level.
We do not knwo if it is a different timeline
It could be thats the same and negi keep it secret that he can have children and touta is his son and the only hody said that he is a clone
“We do not knwo if it is a different timeline. It could be thats the same and negi keep it secret that he can have children and touta is his son and the only hody said that he is a clone”
Different Compared to that, the epilogue or Timeline Chao Linchen?
Because the epilogue that seems unlikely given that in this timeline magic has been revealed in 2009-2010, while in that of UQ it has been revealed (at least officialy) than in 2075.
In terms of the timeline Chao Linchen, it is more or less admitted that what has triggered, this is the destruction of the mundus-magicus and the invasion of the Earth by his survivors, as theorized Poyo . So again, exit the timeline Chao Linchen view the mundus-magicus is saved and that the magic was apparently rather well welcomed by the population of the Earth.
There remains only the timeline or logically Asuna is sealed.
For your theory that Tota is the hidden natural son of Negi I think it does not make sense. Why would he hide this? the hooded say herself that the supposed creators of Tota wanted to preserve the legacy of Negi (passing… preserve the legacy of a immortel ? Okay but he can’t dead lol!) His child was worshiped as a future hero! His case is different from Nagi, who after saving Arika was forced to live as a fugitive and hide the existence of Negi (REALLY hide and nobody know Negi was in the mundus-magicus and I guess even in Mahora before it happens, and Nagi did not need to pass Negi for a clone huh?) for protect him !.
And have you already forgotten the Tota birth date in UQ’s archives? 2082, 4 years old!
And do not answer me, “bah they even falsified their archieve to believe Tota is a clone” because it is absurd. Everyone repeats that he is the grand-son of Negi but falsifies archieves (top-secret too!) for to believe that he is a clone? LOOL!
Basically it gives: “Hey Tota! Everyone did you do believe you were the son toddler Negi but in top-secret archives were marked you were a clone BUT had to mieu concealed that in reality you es … Negi’s hidden son! ” I think you need more you realize the nonsense of the thing now. ^^
Incidentally if Tota was not a clone, since he has 14 on his official age apparently (was the age he gives, I take it that on her identity papers is such .) he would be born in 2072-2073, when Negi is already in the grip of life-maker. So it can not be the father of Tota.
Sorry but I have dismantled piece by piece your theory friend ^^.
Well, it is true that we don’t know for sure. And certainly, Akamatsu-sensei is trying to keep things as loose as possible so as not to be hindered by his previous words.
I think there maybe looming issue coming up if Akamatsu-sensei is really playing this loose with the continuum. We have arguably 3-time lines which are cruising on, which character have cross from.
1) Negi’s original timeline where, Chaos-chan came from, where Mar’s environment collapsed, leaving human survivors on their own and fending off Earth’s people in some fashion. Negi isn’t a “monster” vampire/whatever he is now.
2) Timeline 2 where Negi’s crew basically did their mission and saved inverse-mars/magical world from destruction, where Asuna is went to sleep for hundred years, woke up late and Negi and 3A Class grew up without her, she wake up shocked and sadden until rescued from original timeline’s Eva and Chaos. Negi is dead here. Firmly so. (least far we know).
3) Timeline 3 – Where Asuna returns to the past lives her life out with rest of her school mates and where Eva (2) and Chaos briefly stay and leave.
Question is. Which one is Touta growing up in? Timeline 2-3 maybe same one. But i’m not sure. If i was hazard a guess, I suspect it’s in Timeline 3. However, there a problem here. Asuna was needed to be in the timeline to keep Mar’s stable until transforming was complete. That means, Asuna is still sleeping. However, the Eve here and Touta’s time needs leave to rescue Asuna with Chaos and abandon Touta. Complicated question.
[Assuming UQH! is in timeline 3,]
I don’t think that is the problem, because there should be a sleeping Asuna in both timeline, 2 and 3. Asuna-2 sleeps in timeline 2 and live normally in timeline 3 after waking up, while Asuna-3 sleeps in timeline 3.
Moreover, the one that rescue Asuna-2 were Eva-2 and Chao-1 (probably), not Eva-3.
[End of assumption.]
That being said, I think UQH! is closer to timeline 2, or a new timeline altogether.
Complicating matters further is the fact that if you are going to have three timelines, you can have four, five, six, …, infinity timelines.
I’m jabbering about “known” timelines. More i think about, i think they are 3 different timelines. I know this can make people’s explode. Thing is Timeline 2 where mission done, and the Class grows up “without” Asuna. Timeline 3 is where Asuna is rescued from Timeline 2, so she can live and grow up with her friends.
I get feeling cold_menthol is right, this is Timeline 3. Akamatsu-sensei just has to remember what doing with people in the story. Wrong people show up, things get messed up.
Asuna isn’t suppose to wake up until Mars is fully terraformed. Inverse will stabilize with enough people supplying magic/lifeforce (whatever it is) sustain the inverse/magical world.
Hopefully there plenty story to tell, given rapid developments were experiencing now. I hate see them do the tourny then the final mission happens. 🙁
Be funny if Asuna shows up too!
Well, as I said, once three timelines were opened in Negima, we can now have an infinite number of timelines.