Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

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This is an absolute gem, as are the novel and the anime. Just like the anime adaptation, the manga is very faithful to the light novel, of which it adapts the first narrative arc. The story is a classic magic school ecchi one, full of many classical themes and sterotypes of both ecchi and battle shounen genres, but don't take it lightly, for each and every aspect is extremely well refined and beyond the boobs hides some really solid content that defies any attempt of banalisation.

The story is well constructed, linear and yet gifted with the ability to surprise the reader, with a good ... and consistent pacing all throughout. The characters have generally a clear intent,something that might make them plain at a first glance, but they all get characterizing backstories that add so much to them and, what's most important, THEY ALL GROW, both in combat abilities and personality. Stella, the female lead, is a bit of a tsundere, something I usually hate because they oftentimes are just way too over the top, doing things they should never get away with, and yet in this case she is still whithin the boundaries of reasonable. She is just an evident example of how all the characters, despite having very distinct stereotypical features, still feel extremely human. Just like Shizuku's flashbacks are chilling whithout the need to be absurd.
The MC is someone who works extremely hard to overcome every obstacle, faicng challenges head on, with a cool head. But he has his weaknesses, not just lack in strength or talent, but his psychological reactions to the events are still those of a human, who will certainly falter at some point, and more than once. The valu of working hard, the moments whithin the mind of the character who finds his motivation to push forward, fundamental elements in almost every battle shounen, are both depicted splendidly in this manga, conveying all the depth those moments can have, together with some simple yet very real and deep philosophical messages.
The arstyle is amazing, the body lines feel natural despite the classic character design of most fantasy manga nowadays, with crazy dry and slim bodies especially for the boys. The fanservice is simply top knotch.
Having said all that, the best element of this manga are no doubt its fight scenes. It appears evident that the author knows something about martial arts, because the principles behind all thes fights are absolutely correct and all characters truly employ their strengths in clever ways. The beauty of such fight scenes is breathtaking, visually but also in the outstanding precision of their moves and in the weight behind the choices of each character. The last duel in the selection tournament is among the best I've ever seen in manga, look forward to it.

In short, to say it with someone else's words, practically perfect in every way!


I really do hope they continue the manga, because the story going forward is great and I would love to see it adapted, especially to see Ikki's exponential growth and his relationship with Edelweiss.

School Life battle style storyline revolving around the schools ‘weakest’ mage knight and his efforts to find a means to rise to the top of his class and achieve a win at school tourney which would allow him to graduate after much difficulty.
Couple this with a well-paced romance angle and we have an interesting take on a common theme.



Story: 7

The story here is nothing too complicated but it is well paced, well-built and interesting. We basically follow our hero Ikki Kurogane as he finally is given an opportunity to perform and compete to achieve Mage Knight status despite the resistance and interference of his ... family and class mates. In tandem we explore the first time love between Ikki and Stella, a princess from a small territory who is the Ace of the First Year class due to her immense Fire Abilities.
Insert some interesting supporting cast and some interesting confrontations and it makes for an interesting casual read.
Although Ikki is an honorable and noble individual don’t expect a ton of depth in the storyline as he faces and attempts to overcome all the issues his life and education throw his way.


Art: 7

Overall the art for Rakudai kishi no cavalry is good. The characters have distinctive features making identification easy and the action segments are very well done and easy to follow. Some of the line work is a little loose from time to time and proportion occasionally seems off but honestly no complaints. The character designs are interesting and attractive and the settings and backgrounds are also detailed and support the panels well.



character: 7

Aside from Ikki the supporting cast is slow to gain much definition and it typically only comes when it’s necessary to explain the present situation which Ikki is attempting to overcome, or help someone close to him overcome. That said the characters are each interesting and have their own quirks that make them likable but also with flaws which make them believable individuals.
Ikki is a well designed main, nothing exceptionally unique but strong, confident in himself and unwilling to back down as well as not being the type to run from relationship confusion. He confronts his problems head on and overcomes them through careful contemplation and implementing his many talents. I love that he doesn’t back down and run from relationship confusion or conflicts but faces them head on and avoids those annoying delays in development that occurs so frequently in romance/slice of life manga.


Enjoyment: 8
All in all I find this series well executed, interesting and look forward to new chapters as the pacing is excellent and the story direction rarely drags no matter if they are exploring action, romance or drama.

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

I should have read the comments in advance before starting the manga. Yes, the manga is ongoing, as is the anime. It contains about 5-6 more episodes than the anime but ends before the next arc begins. To find out more, you have to read the novel for better or for worse.

If you don't feel like it, you should just watch the anime, switch to the novel, or leave it altogether. The manga had hardly any great changes in the process.
However, he had better humor than the anime, as well as the implementation of some scenes. In the anime adaptation, these were ... completely reorganized and changed in a meaningless manner. Some of these didn't even make sense why the characters were rearranged during conversations. One scene (before the dojo duel, when the protagonist trained the swordsman in the swimming pool) was completely replaced by the presence of a character and another one instead had the conversation with Stella in the anime. What was the point of it all? The manga version of the scene had a lot more context to the character Arc.

Otherwise, the manga is pretty average with a predominantly stronger drawing style. As far as choreography and body were concerned, the draftsman got better over time, even if it looked disproportionate at first. Especially Stella's upper body which changed every chapter.

In terms of the story, you don't have to expect anything here. It's a superpower/action title. People walk around the area using bizarre and poorly constructed techniques, fighting each other to death. For this being a school, there is hardly any real handling of the fights. Some duels threatened to result in deaths. If you have to fight against some sociopaths who destroy organs for fun, I am impressed how many "normal people" in school were not at all afraid of getting into the fighting ring.

With the characters, however, I was more positively surprised. Are they stereotypes? Yes. Cliché? Hmmm yes?
What was different here, however, is her personality. Especially with the protagonist and Stella. Which looks like the typical failure and the role model Tsundere. The protagonist, on the other hand, has a surprisingly strong psyche, he is also a very talented fighter and immensely strong. Also has unexpected neutrality towards people and does not jump on every cliché. At least "almost".
The protagonist Stella is a normally exaggerated Tsundere as we know her. What sets her apart, however, is her relationship with the protagonist and the immensely supportive personality that the author gave her. She is like Sakura from Naruto, only strong, useful, and exemplary mental support for the protagonist.
Most of the other characters didn't show much, they were mostly monotonous and had little screen time. Most of the stereotypes that can be found were present.


Conclusion

The manga is dull just like the anime. But he's quite entertaining when it comes to reading. The very fact that it differs from these poorly implemented works by slight individuality makes it so entertaining.