When you read manga, it’s expected to give in to cuteness once in a while. (Okay. Maybe more like “frequently.”) Hibiki’s Magic is very cute, with an utterly moe Hibiki with a bunch of squirrel-like gusks on the cover. I wasn’t expecting much on the story front, as utterly cute-looking manga has a tendency towards poor plotline. To my surprise, I found myself crying during some sections of this book, which definitely deviates off of the typical waif-like magician’s apprentice to grow into something stronger and original.
The volume opens with Master Shirotsuki, expert sorcerer in the area of magic circles, and Hibiki discussing immortality. Actually, it’s more of Shirotsuki talking about immortality and then offering Hibiki the job of being his assistant in his research on immortality. Hibiki is thrilled, although she isn’t sure on how much help she can be, as she can’t use magic well, if at all. The only thing that she is good at is making tea.
Through Hibiki’s eyes, we learn that the bishounen mage Shirotsuki is incredibly patient, yet worried about something, and slowly, she is becoming better at magic, although she wants nothing but to be able to be a better assistant. Through Shirotsuki, we learn that he found Hibiki terrified, hiding and speechless. She has come so far in expressing her feelings that she has started to smile again, although when she panics, Hibiki falls to pieces. Shirotsuki then murmurs about wanting to watch over her forever, that time is running out. It’s rather awkward to have these critical backgrounds dropped abruptly, but it puts the focus of the story on the upcoming events and not on the characters.
Shirotsuki’s immortality method, transposition of the soul, involves switching bodies. If this was a horror title, we’d already know Hibiki’s fate...but since this isn’t, Hibiki is in charge of taking care of the little gusks that Shirotsuki uses as lab rats. Hostile visitors appear one day at their house in the woods, but the sorcerer chases them away. They prepare for the next stage in the experiment: Shirotsuki swapping souls with a gusk, as he could never risk another human life. During a key moment in the drawing of the magic circle, the visitors return and begin ransacking the house, interrupting the spell. Hibiki starts crying, but finally, she completes the spell. A gusk “tells” her that she did well and to leave the house, just as it ignites, taking Shirotsuki’s research with him. Later, as Hibiki speaks with the police, a gusk wearing Shirotsuki’s ever-present watch perches on her shoulder. She explains to the detective that he is the only family that she has now. Once alone, Hibiki speaks aloud to her master, that while they have money, his body and the gusk’s soul were destroyed. Nevertheless, they have each other.
Hibiki and gusk set off towards the capital, Kamigusk, where the Kamisaid Magic Academy, the top school for research and instruction in the country. Once there, Hibiki is put in a think tank lab with older magicians, where she fails miserably. Then she is placed as a teacher for troubled students, where oddly enough, she succeeds. Hibiki is painfully honest to them, that she doesn’t know much about magic and is a horrible user, but she absolutely believes in what her master taught her, that magic exists to protect that which is precious.
That philosophy is tested by Ahito, a student who dresses in the yakuza style and wields a gun (it shoots rubber bullets). He proposes a duel between them, Hibiki’s magic versus Ahito’s technology. As Hibiki struggles to draw a magic circle, Ahito shoots her with the gun. Finally, gusk Shirotsuki steps in and finishes the circle, making Ahito relive his worst fears. We learn why Ahito hates magic so much, and Ahito warms to Hibiki when she starts to cry on his behalf of what he has suffered through. Whereas most manga would opt for the easy road and have the chapter close with a hug, instead Ahito asks Hibiki that now she knows that there is always a price for magic, is she so eager to use magic? “I-I don’t know.” She makes them tea as he muses that she is the most unusual wizard that he has ever met, that most mages only care about their research, not about people. Only naturally, Hibiki’s marvelous tea brings healing and closure to Ahito, and their friendship begins to bloom.
The following three chapters are the ones which really touched me, involving a witch whose daughter died. Since then, she has been making homunculi, trying to create a new child to replace her lost one. However, they only live for three days before melting into nothingness. Feeling the grieving witch’s pain of reliving her daughter’s death constantly, Hibiki vows to create a true homunculus that will live beyond three days. With her master’s aid, she creates Shi-chan, who slowly begins to love and respect Hibiki. When Shi-chan has a fever on the third day, Ahito brings a medicine...the tears of the witch’s daughter, which could heal any illness except her own. On the fourth day, Hibiki brings the recovered Shi-chan to the witch, her new mother. Only naturally, Shi-chan doesn’t want this stranger; she wants to be with Hibiki. As the tears well up, Hibiki runs to her room, consoling herself that she did the right thing, that everyone is happy now, right? But there is always a price for using magic to help other people.
The final side story chapter is from Shirotsuki’s perspective, set before the events in the book. Here we learn about the price he has had to pay for using magic and the significance of the watch he wears. It’s a good finale after two highly emotional chapters.
Maeda’s writing is very solid and moving. A lot of ground is covered in this volume, setting the story up for the further adventures of Hibiki at the magic school. Idumi’s character designs are somewhat generic and simple, but they convey a lot of emotion. I liked how the panels were laid out in an easy-to-read style, and the backgrounds are well-balanced; neither too busy nor too plain. Included in this first volume is a full-color four page introduction and table of contents at the beginning of the book, with notes from the writer and artists in the back, along with a one-page strip about Maeda. The teen rating is for the Ahito gunfight, so if you have no objections to rubber bullets and a bruised girl, Hibiki’s Magic would be fine for younger kids, although they probably wouldn’t connect to the story as deeply as older readers.
I eagerly look forward to the next volume, which will be coming later more than sooner, as it hasn’t been released in Japan yet. However, volume one of Hibiki’s Magic is a great fantasy manga all on its own.
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