Mahouka - Episode 4 Discussion / Poll

[Kairin]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Mahouka, Episode 4.

Thread Guidelines

• Raw requests and offers are not permitted anywhere on this forum.
• Spoilers or hints about future events must not be posted in this thread.
  If you need to reference something that would spoil a future event, reply directly with a private message, or seek out a more appropriate thread.
• Discuss your expectations of the episode if it has not aired yet.
• Be polite to your fellow forum members.
• Please try to keep the discussion on-topic.
• Do not post multiple times in a row. Please edit your existing post if you wish to add additional thoughts.

Episode Thread Spoiler Policy

• Any comment that discloses events, characters, plot or other information before it is revealed in the anime is expressly forbidden whether or not it is behind spoiler tags.
  Spoiler tags should still be used where appropriate.
  Please consult the AnimeSuki Spoiler Policy for more information.
• Adding a Spoiler tag:
  

  Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a useful title!

• Please use the Report button if you see any inappropriate spoilers:
  

  Click the button found to the left of the post, just under the poster's avatar. Using the Report button is anonymous and helps the Moderators locate and deal with problems quickly.

• Posting inappropriate spoilers may result in a ban.
  Note: Reporting a post does not mean the poster will be banned instantly.
  The Moderators will use bans if warnings are repeatedly ignored.

[Death Usagi]

Just how many ladies does Tatsuya attract? =w=;

[thundrakkon]

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

[IceHism]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

Blanche is an international terrorist organization. Not sure where the headquarters is but so far, I don't think any government actually likes them as all of them use magic.

[Rava]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

Tatsuya doesn't chase after him because the running magic he was using in Episode 1 doesn't let him take steps that gargantuan at a running pace like that ambusher's did.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by IceHism

Blanche is an international terrorist organization. Not sure where the headquarters is but so far, I don't think any government actually likes them as all of them use magic.

According to Tatsuya's reasoning the true purpose of Blanche is not that. The Blanche leaders according to him know about the flaws in their equality argument (at least that's what Tatsuya says) and their true purpose is to weaken Japan. Then when Tatsuya asks Miyuki who profits of the country's weakening the frame shifts to the map where another country is highlighted in red while Miyuki replies that somebody is supporting them.

[Vocah]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

I think you are ?overreacting?. How many groups can be identified through their colors? Probably more then one can count.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by Vocah

I think you are ?overreacting?. How many groups can be identified through their colors? Probably more then one can count.

As I said, who is probably behind Blanche is easily identifiable by listening to Tatsuya's explanation at the end of the episode and paying attention to the background.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

Tatsuya stated that the bracelet signifies a subordinate group to Blanche called Egalité, which means "equality" in French (blanche means "white"). It's hardly an uncommon term, of course, so that doesn't necessarily mean the group is backed by or based out of France (or the West EU, in this universe) but it is a notable coincidence that both names are French. Whether that means it is based out of France, or was founded by a Frenchman (or a Quebecer, or someone from any of the other French speaking areas of the world), or is even a red herring...

None of the EU part is spoilers, given the map shown at the beginning of the series.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Whether that means it is based out of France, or was founded by a Frenchman (or a Quebecer, or someone from any of the other French speaking areas of the world), or is even a red herring...

Well, perhaps I have to make it clearer. It actually is fairly strongly indicated who is backing Blanche / Egalite from the shadows. This is the frame that was show during this exchange:

"Who then benefits from the weakening of this country?" "Are they ... perhaps supported by...."

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by SigUp

Well, perhaps I have to make it clearer. It actually is fairly strongly indicated who is backing Blanche / Egalite from the shadows. This is the frame that was show during this exchange:

"Who then benefits from the weakening of this country?" "Are they ... perhaps supported by...."

Well, since we're no longer dealing in hypotheticals based upon the etymology of the name, and instead stuff from the actual show...

...I'm a LN reader, so "no comment".

[encia]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Why the episode is dialogue heavy, there were a few action scenes. Most notable was when the guy with the red, white, and blue band attacked him. My first question is why did Tatsuya not chase after him? Tatsuya was shown able to use magic to "run" to school with Miyuki.

The next question is why are the bands red, white, and blue? It screams that a country is behind it with national colors like that. The most notable countries, off the top of my head, with those colors are France and of course, the United States of America. I'm wondering if the USA is behind Blanche in this story.

The anime already stated Blanche is an international organisation which negates your USA and France "wonderings".

PS; I'm a LN reader.

Originally Posted by SigUp

According to Tatsuya's reasoning the true purpose of Blanche is not that. The Blanche leaders according to him know about the flaws in their equality argument (at least that's what Tatsuya says) and their true purpose is to weaken Japan. Then when Tatsuya asks Miyuki who profits of the country's weakening the frame shifts to the map where another country is highlighted in red while Miyuki replies that somebody is supporting them.

Like in real life, the Japanese has issues with China.

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by encia

Like in real life, the Japanese has issues with China.

Let's not go there, it can get ugly really, really fast. Just see it as a fictional universe that has no connection to the real world...

[Ickarium]

Yes, please. There have been some rather nasty things argued about the series online that I think are stretching. Not that Japan lacks a history of WW2 apologia, but I don't think it exists in Rettousei.

[Frontier]

So it looks like it might be up to Tatsuya's group, at least to some degree, to take on the Course 2 students who are dissatisfied with the "status quo" and how the "Blooms" treat them. That would explain why Erika is fighting Mibu in the opening.

Though I wonder how, with all this talk about Blanche/Egalite and the possible uprising by some Course 2 students, the guy from the opening facing off against Tatsuya factors into things?

I certainly wasn't expecting Mari to have a boyfriend, and it was cute seeing her defend his honor against Tatsuya. Hoping to see her together with Shu soon .

If I'm understanding things correctly, the "numbers" that Tatsuya's gone on about relates to the most prestigious of the magic families, and the Shiba siblings actually being Yotsuba's means they're a part of that?

The Shiba siblings sure like to milk their "close" relationship for all it's worth and possible implications .

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by Frontier

If I'm understanding things correctly, the "numbers" that Tatsuya's gone on about relates to the most prestigious of the magic families, and the Shiba siblings actually being Yotsuba's means they're a part of that?

That's correct. Going by the name "Shiba" and the revelation by Miyuki at the end of the episodes the two of them are actually of the Yotsuba family.

[Ickarium]

Shi = 4
Yottsu = 4

Thus Shiba. Yotsuba.

[kagato3]

Technically the Shi in Shiba isn't 4 but Shi written a different way is. As the ba in Yotsuba is leaves and ba in Shiba is wave. So the name isn't completely obvious.

[Ickarium]

Yeah, true enough. But that's where the pun in the names come from.

[kagato3]

Only trying to head off the people that will decide that everyone else at the school is an idiot for not noticing it if it was as direct as you had said. The name doesn't scream hey look we are Yotsuba. It's like having a character called Low Key that is an inmate at a prison turning out to be Loki, right in front of your face but easy to miss.