RokuAka: A Lazy Teacher and His Class

ロクでなし魔術講師と禁忌教典

Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor

“A substitute teacher at the magic academy? No way.”

At one of the most prestigious magic schools in the world – the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy – a popular teacher has suddenly retired, leaving a spot to be filled. Soon after, the new hire arrives: Glenn Raders, a mysterious individual with no motivation and little background, seemingly forced into the position without as much as a teaching certificate.

“So today’s class will be a self-study period. ‘Cause I’m tired.”

– Glenn Radars

To the astonishment and disappointment of the class, Glenn is adamant on performing (absolutely) zero of his tasks, and instead spends his days assigning his class self-study sessions and taking naps himself. Despite the class’s angry objections, his way of teaching seems to continue. But he may be more than meets the eye…

In the sky above a mysterious castle hovers silently, beckoning those to enter. However, without anyone having a means to do so, it must remain a mystery.

Presentation

RokuAka was animated by LIDENFILMS, a popular studio with several other notable adaptations such as Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Tokyo Revengers, and Love and Lies. The animation quality comes in at a relatively standard level; consistent work for the most part with minor oversights (such as misanimated or roughly drawn frames). The sound design (including the voice acting and soundtrack) were made well, with good attention to detail and contribute to a great watching experience.

Well-known voice actors in this work include Souma Saito (Voicing Glenn Radars) and Akane Fujita (Voicing Sistine). The series features theme song performances by Suzuki Konomi (Blow Out, OP) and the voice actors of Rumia, Sistine and Re=L (Precious You☆, ED). (Writers note: Both the OP and ED are extremely well done, probably some of my favourites of the season.)

Genre and Characters

(Action, Fantasy, School)

On the surface, RokuAka is a narrative about school life, taking place in a medieval-era fantasy world in which magic exists. The series later features plot changes which transition it towards a more action-intensive presentation, especially in the second half of the animated season (the story also incorporates minor elements of romance in the plot). The character interactions are relatively well done, although side characters are mostly unexplained. One of main characters, Sistine (featured in the image below, who you may know as the character behind the smug anime girl meme), comes off as a textbook tsundere, with some others following similar tropes as well.

Author’s notes

The fantasy/magic and school genre is one of the more prominent topics in anime, with multiple shows each season following relatively the same setup and character tropes. RokuAka is notable in the sense that it sets itself apart from the genre with well defined world-building; not exclusively in the sense of smaller (3 or 4 episode) story arcs, but additionally as with its larger, overarching plotline and memorable characters. Among the main cast, Sistine (affectionately called “shiro neko” by her acquaintances) comes off as the main “tsundere” of the series and Rumia (another character and Sistine’s long time friend) compliments her as a level headed, smart-but-silent girl. The evolution of one of the other main characters, Glenn, from a despised idiot into perhaps one of the favourite teachers at the school is an interesting ordeal to follow, witnessing the hilarious antics of the laid back teacher as he interacts with his more serious mannered pupils.

For those who enjoy it, this series offers fanservice relatively often (yes, there is a beach episode), without coming off as narrative-breaking or unusual.

Story ８ – ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Presentation ７ – ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Characters ８ – ★★★★★★★★☆☆

しろねこ – “White cat” a reference to Sistine’s cat-ear like unique headband

2022.01.13 – #2