Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ 5-7: Unmagically Magical
I really think this is the perfect anime to watch and write about, especially in the wasted sickly state that I’m currently in (oh fever please go away already… for good 
). This IS my iyashikei~
(Yes, I decided to make use of the super long title again because it captures this series best)
Under normal circumstances (or at least before I got into slice-of-life shows), I would’ve easily labeled Natsu no Sora as totally deadpan boring and dropped it without remorse, because I’ll most likely be watching it with the wrong mindset — with a desire to see awesome magic action or romance, in the same way I watched Aria (and slept through it >.>). But as the past 7 episodes have shown, this anime isn’t just about magic per se, or at least not in the magical extraordinary way we know it. As coburn puts it, magic is naturally part of the world of Natsu no Sora, embedded into the characters and the very society where all this takes place.
With each episode, we get to know the young mages, how their characters are being molded with each task they accomplish (or otherwise), in the same way ordinary people get shaped by the various trials and experiences they go through in life. Mages the characters might be, but their worries mirror that of people like you and me — stubborn idealistic young’ns who refuse to let go of ideologies they fervently believe is right, egotistic know-it-alls who possess a certain complex contrary to what other people perceive them to be, lost little kids stuck at the crossroad of life — people who are ultimately in search of their identity and place in this world.
Random episodic babbles
In episode 5, we see a Sora who so stubbornly wants to cling to her idealistic belief that her magic SHOULD fulfill her client’s wish and ultimate happiness. But as Sou-kun has very well said, magic is not absolute, not the be-all and end-all solution to problems. And especially as a young mage in training, there’s only so much that Sora can do to fulfill her client’s wish (though she actually did fulfill it, her standards for ‘quality’ just makes her refuse to accept it).
Sora knows well how much she still lacks, and it’s exactly why she became so frustrated after that incident. Thoughts like “What if I had more power, what if I was a full-fledged magician? Would I have been able to bring back her memories?” must’ve been running through her mind the whole time. While it’s good to see just how dedicated Sora is in her desire to be the best mage she can be, it was also frustrating to see her wallow in her guilt-ridden pessimistic thoughts. She was far too focused on what she can’t do, and lost sight of what she was able to do or what she can do.
Episode 6 brought Sora back to her genki self, thanks to her fateful encounter with the little Ruriko, whose naïve stubbornness allowed her to reflect on her similar outlook on the stumbling block she met. As Asagi said in this episode, “You must have learned that things in life don’t always go your way”. Nothing will happen if Sora continues to blame herself, and after having realized this, she was finally able to move on. It took one little child to make her gain this wisdom, since she was turning a deaf ear to Sou-kun last time, despite being her elder.
This made me look back at the times I become so egotistic and deem my opinion to be far more superior than my elders, especially when we’re talking about close-minded elders. When I get to think of it now, how can I be so sure that I am right and they are wrong? By being such an elitist about my views, I’m being a close-minded fool myself.
There’s this question they posed in episode 6, about how [young] mages will be able to discern whether it’s necessary for them to use magic even without requests from clients, and the answer Sora gave to this was “That’s up to ourselves.” And in order for you to make sound decisions in these situations, you need wisdom, which you either gain by experience, or from mentors you meet throughout your life.
Please are prone to make mistakes, and experience failures. [but what matters most is what comes after the fall] -Asagi
In episode 7, we see the fall of Kuroda, which shouldn’t come a surprise considering that overconfident people like him are usually the ones who possess that certain inferiority complex (which they try to cover up with being know-it-alls). The higher your pride, the higher you fall, right?
I was actually expecting Asagi to have a similar inferiority complex, but as it turns out, she is by far the most remarkable (and stable) character among the cast of Natsu no Sora. She’s strong-headed and blunt, and the way she talks (and gives advice to people or scold them) is always so poignant. I doubt Kuroda would’ve been able to change if not for what she said in this episode. It was a humbling experience for Kuroda, and that just made him fall in love with Asagi more 
Closing thoughts
Being stubborn and close-minded will get you nowhere. By being humble, you accept the fact that there’s so much more you have to learn, and in the process, continue to gain knowledge and wisdom in life. This, for me, is the message behind these episodes 
P.S. Am I one of the few people who thinks Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ > Natsume Yuujinchou? The excitement I have while watching and anticipating this anime is comparable to how I felt with True Tears, despite the disparity of their genre. This show also evokes far more emotions in me than Natsume Yuujinchou, it reacher down to the core of my being, while Natsuma Yuujinchou just reaches the tip of the iceberg of my soul, so to speak.
P.P.S. I watched episode 9 earlier and I say, MUST FANGIRL! And… go WTF! O_O With the ending.
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8 comments for “Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ 5-7: Unmagically Magical”
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i watch both natsume and mahou tsukai. i like them both but my anticipation for natsume > mahou tsukai. it may have something to do with the fact the former is released more regularly, but mahou tsukai hasn’t driven me to tears yet.
mahou tsukai’s sweet but quite random and the story pace is beyond slow… not that i don’t enjoy it.
What I do appreciate about both Natsume Yuujinchou and Mahou Tsukai (blahblahblah) is that they’re both relatively straightforward shows when it comes to the messages they want to convey (so none of that deep thought provoking stuff that my tired mind can’t handle anyways :P).
Despite the save the dolphins episode though, Natsume Yuujinchou still has the edge for me
Sorry, but on my scoreboard it’s more like Nyanko-sensei and Kid > MTnTnK:NnS. Please don’t hurt me!
I suppose it’s precisely because Natsume Yuujinchou doesn’t shake me to the core that I’m enjoying it so much. It’s the kind of relaxing, gently-paced, walk-through-the-park show that I’d love to see more of. In addition, I feel a deep attachment to it because I can identify with the main character (being a natural loner and all), and not just in a general sense - there were times when I felt he’d acted precisely the way I would have had I been faced with the same situation. Hmm, maybe I should write at length about that in a future post.
Still, your entry was quite persuasive. Now I really want to resume watching this show (time permitting).
@biankita: I concluded my Natsu no Sora > Natsume Yuujinchou based on how excited I am to see the next episode. Natsume Yuujinchou is a great watch, but something I can put on hold for a while and still enjoy and love it. I’m just not as compelled to watch the next episode. I also blame my bias for romance
@issa-sa: The ultimate edge of Natsume Yuujinchou is Nyanko-sensei and his priceless lulz antics
@Diego: Well I can’t blame you for preferring Natsume Yuujinchou over this (though I’d be very happy to meet a kindred spirit who’d love this show the way I do)
Natsume Yuujinchou is supposed to hit close to home for me too because I’m pretty much a loner myself. I guess I’m just not getting into Natsume Yuujinchou all that much… I think that will all change if I get to watch the episodes twice and actually follow every episode each week.
I’d love to read your write-up on Natsume Yuujinchou, if you ever get to doing it
For me, there’s no comparison: Natsu no Sora>>>>>>Natsume. The emotions are much deeper, and the visual, dramatic and musical art are far superior. I am really coming to think that this show is a masterpiece, at least as good as Beck. The emotion-filled silences and subtle ways of getting things across really thrill me.
I should go back and try to watch some more Natsume, but I have tried to twice and my interest quickly peters out. Everything seems so obvious and simple, not to mention artificial. It’s hard for me to care. But I do have a particular problem: monsters turn me right off. The show would have to be outstanding to overcome my prejudice against them. I will go back and try again, though, since so many smart people admire that show.
By the way, Natsu no Sora gets even better starting with episode 8.
I shouldn’t post twice in a row, especially on someone else’s blog, but I just watched ep7 of Natsume and liked it a lot. Still not near Natsu no Sora, but very good and with some emotion. Yajima Akiko (Mari in Blue Drop) as the fox cub was outstanding.
@hashihime: hehe, don’t worry about posting twice! It’s much to my delight, really
I haven’t understood why Natsume Yuujinchou doesn’t appeal to me as much as Natsu no Sora, until you mentioned about the unnatural feel of the whole stage where it happens, and it’s exactly why I have difficulty empathizing with all the monsters. Episode 7 is said to be the best Natsume episode, something I have yet to watch at this point. Must watch later ^^;
Count me among the legions of Sora. Natsume is very nice and although you can guess the entire events of an episode from the first 5 minutes, it’s a testament to the characters of the spirits that you keep watching an enjoying it. Unfortunately most of the human characters just aren’t interesting enough and I find the scenes with only humans to be mostly quite boring compared to the rest of the show.
What springs to mind when I watch Natsuohmygodhowlongisthistitleilljustcopyandpasteitfromsomewhereelse is that it feels like a ‘hang-out’ anime where the you could just watch the characters interact for hours and still have fun watching it. How many series feature magic yet use it so infrequently? I often wish the classroom scenes were longer because they feature such natural and wonderful characterisation. So long as this maintains this goodness I could quite easily see it overtaking aria as my favourite slice of life series and it could really show these blander slice of life shows that not only does your cast need character they need characters that truly complement each other.
Now when’s is ep8 going to get subbed…