Incredibly popular in paperback and on the silver screen, The Irregular at Magic High School has been a huge hit as a franchise for over a decade now. Spanning novels, anime, manga and a movie, the series is only beginning to receive even more adaptations and spin-offs in the wake of its belated second season's debut.
Here's a primer on the Irregular at Magic High School franchise, from its origins and premise to where to read and watch its various entries.
What is The Irregular at Magic High School?
The Irregular at Magic High School takes place in a world full of both advanced technology and incredible magical powers. The two complement each other, but an individual's ability to use magic is determined by their genetics. This plunged the world into a world war, resulting in the survivors occupying North America, a new Soviet Union, a greater Asian alliance and Japan, which is ruled by various magical clans, on its own.
The protagonists are Miyuki Shiba and her brother Tatsuya. Miyuki has vast magical powers, but her brother does not. In spite of this seeming deficiency, Tatsuya is able to excel at the school thanks to his keen tactics and strategies. However, his makes him increasingly unpopular at the school, stoking the flames of dissent among the clans, particularly the Yotsuba Clan that Miyuki is primed to lead.
Where to Read The Irregular at Magic High School
The series was created by Tsutomu Sato, who wrote it in web novel form before it was later adapted into a series of light novels. Published through Dengeki Bunko, the series ran for 32 volumes of light novels, with the final entry published in September 2020. There were also manga adaptations of the novels' biggest character arcs, many of which had different artists and publishers. These include the spin-off series The Honor Student at Magic High School.
The light novels can be found through online retailers such as Amazon, as well as physical stores like Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. Most of the series' manga adaptations are not available in English, but the manga for The Honor Student at Magic High School is.
Where to Watch The Irregular at Magic High School
The Irregular at Magic School anime adaptation is produced by Madhouse, starting back in 2013. This first season was 26 episodes long and aired in 2014, though the 13-episode second season wasn't released until late 2020. During the interim between the two seasons, a movie was made titled The Irregular at Magic High School The Movie: The Girl Who Calls the Stars. Taking place during the -- at the time still unproduced -- second season, the movie was written by the series' creator and dealt with the Shiba siblings helping a mysterious girl who escaped from an experimental naval facility.
The anime can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, as it's available on Netflix, Hulu, Funimation and Crunchyroll. The movie was once available on Netflix, but is sadly no longer offered there. DVDs and Blu-Rays of the movie and the show are available for purchase through Amazon, Best Buy and other vendors, however.
It's been revealed that the anime will be continuing with further adaptations, and The Honor Student at Magic High School will also be receiving an anime. That series won't hit until later this summer, however, so prospective students will have to wait a little bit before they enroll to watch it.