The Winter 2021 Manga Guide

Reign of the Seven Spellblades

What's It About? 

This year's new students arrive at Kimberley Magic School. What meets them there is a brilliant parade of cherry blossoms in full bloom and magical creatures. They don't know--this academy is a living demon's shrine where no one's life is guaranteed. A school fantasy about spellblades!

Reign of the Seven Spellblades is based on the light novel series by Bokuto Uno (story) and Ruria Miyuki (character design). The manga is drawn by Sakae Esuno and Yen Press has released its first volume both digitally and physically for $6.99 and $13.00 respectively

Is It Worth Reading?

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

Of all the manga that I am reviewing for this guide, this might honestly be one of the most boring and uninteresting. Everything about this series feels workmanlike: the presentation is well-detailed and flows efficiently from panel to panel, and the characters are virtually inoffensive and seem to bounce off of each other well. Who doesn't like a story about wizards bonding at an academy with a samurai chick thrown in there for good measure? Well, I guess I don't, because by the time I finished reading this for the first time, I didn't necessarily feel the desire to find out what happens next. I think the biggest issue with this first volume is that it didn't have that much of an enticing pull. There is a bit of a mystery regarding some of the characters' intentions and what might've brought them to this Academy in the first place, but it's not nearly engaging enough on its own, nor is it framed in a way that makes me want to keep reading to find out more. I almost wish there was something wrong with what I was reading so that it would be easier to point out what could be improved upon, but I'm sure there's just not a lot that helps these elements stand out compared to what you could find in another series. If you're a fan of fantasy or franchises like Harry Potter then maybe this would be within your wheelhouse but otherwise I think there are stronger and more engaging first volumes of fantasies out there.