Cardcaptor’s Blog

Published in Shounen Magazine 39 (2006)

Negi’s plan is actually to change the annual massively multiplayer event from a ginormous hide-and-seek to a survival shooting game, codename: “Mars Attack vs. Mahora Mage Orger” (Order?). The participants play the role of the mages of Mahora academy who must defend six spots in school from being taken over by an army of robot from Mars.

Event Poster featuring Nagi, Al, and Nekane(?)

Now, let us look at various aspects of the event, one by one:

Advertising: In order to be effective, the plan requires lots of people participate to match the number in Chao’s robot army. The event itself sounds quite exciting, but how do they manage to convince people that it’s not just some cheap make-believe war game? Of course, through the use of hot 3-A girls in costumes! No further questions asked! The event must be good and fun!

Hot girls sure make things look a lot more interesting, doesn’t it?

“Please participate, okay?”

Ayaka in an even more glamorous/revealing outfit.

Equipments: Each participant can choose two weapons of various types ranging from simple magic wands to bazookas. He/she is also given a wizard robe with some kind of safety equipment built in.

Basic installment.

The weapons are capable of emitting light that has no effect on human body, but is deadly to robots, dolls, or golems. They are what Kamo ordered the principal to get from the warehouse in the last episodes: mass-produced weapons specialized in inhibiting magical energy sources of lifeless animate bodies. It turns out that the cause of their mass production is none other than Evangeline-sama, who commanded a legion of killer dolls back in her glorious day. According to Kamo, the weapons should be highly effective against Tanaka and other robots which operate in standalone mode, feeding on the energy of the World Tree.

Makie demonstrates the weapon’s WOW factor.

Kamo explains the weapons’ function and history.

The Rules: Pretty standard. The number of participants are limited as the number of weapons are limited. Only participants are allowed in the area due to possible danger to those who do not wear the robes. Each participant is free to choose to defend one of the six spots, and if there spot is taken over, then it’s game over. Participants with high numbers of kills will be handsomely awarded. Yadda, yadda…

Three of the six spots to defend: the bridge, the World Tree plaza, and Tatsumiya Shrine

Awesomeness: Dude, take a look at what Asuna and Setsuna are wearing today!

Asuknight and Nekomimi wafuku meido Setsuna
(Setsuna’s is not a new costume, but awesome nonetheless.)

Press Coverage & Criticism: Of course, the person who can provide both is none other than Asakura, who comes hand in hand with Sayo after having no screen time for a couple of months. Asuna is the first person to run into them while they are taping Makie’s demonstration. After being questioned about their relation with Chao and their motives, Asakura reveals that she’s not on anyone’s side, but is convinced to join Negi’s cause after learning that, if the plan fails, then the child teacher is going to be turned into an ermine.

“If I have to say so myself, i’m not anyone’s ally.”

Asakura then discusses the plan with Kamo. She comments that the plan is not bad as it is able to use the mass as an effective front line defense without revealing the secret about magic. The nature of the event also makes it easy to attract people, and many students in the academy are good at this kind of game. However, she criticizes that the plan relies too much on the premise that Chao will not harm people. Kamo replies that, if Chao were to do so, they would cancel the event immediately, but he belives that Chao would want to cause any injury. However, the principal and the magical teachers think that, if it’s some other kinds of little mischieve, and she probably does it without hesitation. Asakura then says Negi, the plan’s originator, probably has advanced one step into the path of becoming an immoral adult as it’s not like him to come up with plans that involves other people. This remark provokes a kind of father-defending-his-son response from Kamo, who says that he too is surprise about the plan’s actually coming out of Negi’s mouth, and that Negi’s way of thinking is still way too concerning and serious.

Execution: The plan receives full support from the magical teachers, and the 3-A girls handle the PR and the distribution of magical weapons. Asuna and Setsuna, of course, dress up so that that can kick ass when the robots come. Paru and Nodoka make the posters, and Chisame spreads the news over the internet. Everything goes well, and the formation is finished at 6PM, one hour before the attack.

Setsuna, though, worries that, as Chao is able to their formation, she would adapt to the situation by changing the time of the attack. Kamo assures Setsuna that Chao delay the attack, but there’s certainly a possibility that she might speed it up. Realizing, Kamo tries to contact Negi, but the communication is jammed. Suddenly, 2,500 robots emerge from the lake, marching towards the crowd of ZOMG-I-did-not-think-it-is-this-awesome Mahora mages, and attacking people with their laser.

The advent of the robots.

Scramble!

Safety: Is this survival shooting game safe? Yes and no. Yes because the effect of the laser is this:

Madoka is one of the first people to feel the wrath of Chao’s Nuge (stripping) Laser (TM)

No because injuries might be caused by severe nosebleeds…

Trivia

• Chisame is very concerned with Negi’s worries, and Yue is jealous of him?

Chisame: “Geez… worrying about what’s right and wrong
is too much for a 10-year-old kid.” (*grabbing Negi’s hand*)
Yue: “………”

• Touko-sensei has a pactio card. Who’s her master? Is it that sunglass teacher? If so, did they smooch?

Touko and her pactio card.

Impressions

Genius! Akamatsu-sensei. Genius!

• Large scale battle: check.

• Hot girls in costumes: check.

• Fanservice: check.

• Awesomeness: check.

I’m looking forward to the next chapter for all of the above, hehe…

Vocabs

Word	Reading	Meaning
進行	しんこう	advance
宣伝	せんでん	propaganda, publicity
全貌	ぜんぼう	whole story, full picture
防衛	ぼうえい	defense, protection, self-defense
実演	じつえん	state show, performance
支給	しきゅう	payment, allowance
装備	そうび	equipment
数々	かずかず	many
装置	そうち	apparatus, installation, equipment
兼ねる	かねる	to combine with
司会者	しかいしゃ	master of ceremonies
役目	やくめ	duty, business
見返り	みかえり	collateral
顛末	てんまつ	facts, details
取?ﾞ	しゅざい	collecting data
一理	いちり	a principle, a reason
強いて言えば	しいていえば	if anything, if I’m forced to say something
奴隷	どれい	slave, servant
恰好付ける	かっこつける	to affect a stylish air
意義	いぎ	meaning, significance
囁く	ささやく	to whisper, to murmur
罰	ばつ	punishment
見逃す	みのがす	to overlook
浮かれる	うかれる	to be festive, to make merry
魘される	うなされる	to have a nightmare
侮る	あなどる	to disdain, to make light of
阻止	そし	check, prevention
人目	ひとめ	public gaze, public notice
当事者	とうじしゃ	person concerned, interested party
増す	ます	to increase. to grow
講じる	こうじる	to lecture
存外	ぞんがい	beyond or contrary to expectation
鬼神	きじん	fierce god
使役	しえき	setting to work, enslavement
生成	せいせい	create, generate, form
類	たぐい	a kind
何れにせよ	いずれにせよ	anyhow, at any rate
心する	こころする	to mind, to be attentive
応援	おうえん	reinforcement
演出	えんしゅつ	production, direction
大作	たいさく	epic
定員	ていいん	fixed number of people
制	せい	system, regulation
装弾	そうだん	loading a firearm
毎	ごと	each respectively
慎重	しんちょう	discretion, prudence
拠点	きょてん	position, base, point
一斉	いっせい	all, simultaneously
路地	ろじ	alley, alleyway
臨時	りんじ	special, temporary, extraordinary
陽動	ようどう	diversionary tactics
無自覚	むじかく	unaware of, unconsciousn ess
所詮	しょせん	after all
在庫	ざいこ	stockpile, stock
生命体	せいめいたい	life-form
駆動	くどう	driving force
追い込むﾞ	おいこむ	to corner, to drive
対抗	たいこう	opposition, antagonism
量産	りょうさん	mass production
供給	きょうきゅう	supply, provision
機動	こうき	manuever
渡り合う	わたりあう	to argue, to match
寸法	すんぽう	measurement, size, dimension
危害	きがい	injury, harm
加える	くわえる	to inflict
大前提	たいぜんてい	major premise, principle
激突	げきとつ	clash, clash into
堅気	かたぎ	honest, respectable
悪党	あくとう	scroundrel, rascal, villain
与する	くみする	to take part in, to side with, to support, to be implicated with
一皮	ひとかわ	unmasking
剥ける	むける	to peel off, to come off
勘定	かんじょう	consideration, reckoning
素質	そしつ	character, quality
不気味	ぶきみ	weird, eerie, ominous
象徴	しょうちょう	symbol
選択	せんたく	selection, choice
豪華	ごうか	wonderful, extravagance
進呈	しんてい	presentation
所属	しょぞく	attached to, belong to
占拠	せんきょ	occupation
攻守	こうしゅ	offense and defense
配置	はいち	arrangement
余裕	よゆう	surplus, margin, room, time, allowance
布?w	ふじん	battle formation
断念	だんねん	abandoning, giving up
制約	せいやく	limitation, restriction, condition
各地	かくち	every place
共振	きょうしん	resonance