That’s it…I’ve had it…I’ve been posting stuff about this everywhere, I might as well make a blog post out of it.

OK, first off, I’m here to talk about Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (魔法科高校の劣等生). For those of you who have no idea what this is, it’s a Japanese Light Novel that is set in a world where magic has been deconstructed into science and is now the primary source of military power in the late 21st century. The main characters are Shiba Tatsuya and Shiba Miyuki, a brother-sister pair of magicians who differ from each other in that while Miyuki is recognized as a genius, Tatsuya is seen as a complete failure for his inability to use magic. This, combined with how results-oriented this future society seems to be (especially in regards to the training of magicians) means that while one is hailed, the other is looked at with contempt regardless of their relationship to each other.

Here’s some links:

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/?title=Mahouka_Koukou_no_Rettousei

http://mangafox.me/manga/mahouka_koukou_no_rettousei/

http://mangafox.me/manga/mahouka_koukou_no_yuutousei/

OK, good? Let’s get started.

(Spoiler Warning: I’m assuming most of the guys who read this already know about the story. If not stop reading here and check out the links above if you’re interested. Otherwise, continue. Have fun reading.)

OK, now that the intro is out of the way, I’ll just go ahead and say I think the novels are pretty fucking brilliant. The main characters are unique and interesting (I personally, found Tatsuya and Miyuki’s borderline incestuous relationship very fun to watch–the two of them act like a couple of newlyweds and engage in a liberal amount of eye-sex and affectionate caresses) and the side characters get enough attention on their own and have their own agendas and side plots. The setting is nothing short of amazing and built very carefully(even taking politics and economics into account and building a comprehensive history); the magic system is at least as deep as that found in the Nasuverse, the themes they explore like the subject of power and the importance of self-determination are interesting concepts in themselves, and you should seriously check it out right now because nothing I say gives this story justice. It has my highest recommendation.

But that’s not why I’m here.

I’m here to talk about Mahouka’s “Shiva Connection” and what this means for future developments. I actually had another theory posted in the mahouka fanpage in facebook about why the story is as it is, and exploring the question of whether or not Tatsuya and Miyuki were really based on certain gods. As that has been more or less confirmed (especially on Tatsuya’s part), this time, I’m focusing solely on Tatsuya and Miyuki, their remarkable similarities to the gods Shiva and Parvati, and what this means for their kyodai-ai subplot.

You see, as I learned more about the story I began to realize that Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, at least in regards to Tatsuya and Miyuki’s relationship, followed the legends surrounding Shiva and his wife Parvati very closely. So closely, I’m now convinced we may be able to read into the future of the story by reading the myths and applying what we find into the story’s context. Now, I’m not the one who first realized this: lots of other fans noticed that Tatsuya and Shiva shared many similarities before I did–I just heard it from them; but when I first heard that was the case I thought it was nothing too special–lots of people base their characters on gods, after all; so what if the author decided to use Shiva instead of the standard Zeus or Thor?

But when I read more into the story more I realized that the similarities extended beyond what I had initially thought. It wasn’t just the powers. Almost everything from their appearance, their skills and weapons, their personalities and attitudes as well as the attitudes of those around them, as well as the circumstances surrounding them and the events that played out in their lives compel me to believe that the author took great care and did serious research in order to rewrite the Shiva legends into his own story.

And it was beautifully done.

The Similarities.

Oh boy…I could go on and on about this. But just make things a little easier for all of us, here’s the similarities between TatsuyaXMiyuki and ShivaXParvati in list form:

1) The time Tatsuya brought Miyuki back to life and went apeshit on another army is similar to the story where Shiva lost his first wife Sati, and killed everyone in his rage. Shiva had to wait until she was reincarnated into Parvati before they could properly be together; in Mahouka, Tatsuya simply had to resurrect Miyuki in time, but his grief still caused him to completely decimate everyone in his rampage. 2) Shiva loves one woman and would never love another; Tatsuya cares deeply only for Miyuki and no one else. 3) Far from being just a brocon, Miyuki practically worships Tatsuya like a god and does everything she can to make Tatsuya as happy as possible. Sati/Parvati was a follower and admirer of Shiva before she eventually won him over with her devotion. He then proposed to her and became his bride. Like Miyuki, Parvati is also known for her overwhelming, yet delicate beauty and grace.

1) The time Tatsuya brought Miyuki back to life and went apeshit on another army is similar to the story where Shiva lost his first wife Sati, and killed everyone in his rage. Shiva had to wait until she was reincarnated into Parvati before they could properly be together; in Mahouka, Tatsuya simply had to resurrect Miyuki in time, but his grief still caused him to completely decimate everyone in his rampage. 4) Sati had a father who did not appreciate the great Shiva, and his arrogance is partly the reason for her death. The Shiba siblings have a father who does not appreciate the brilliance of his own son to the distress of his daughter.

5) Tatsuya and Miyuki are rather warm and intimate with each other–acting more like a married couple than siblings; Shiva and Parvati are known for their harmonious and blissful marriage. Both pairs are incredibly devoted to their partner.

6) Shiva has conquered lust; Tatsuya can’t feel lust.

7) Shiva has Parvati to act as his retraining belt when he’s going on a destructive rampage and sees her as his equal; Miyuki restrains most of Tatsuya’s powers and is recognized to be the only one who has any chance of catching up to his level.

8) This one everybody knows already. Trident? Trident. Third Eye? Yup. The power of destruction and regeneration? Uh huh. Mahesvara? Mahesvara. Taurus? Doesn’t Shiva ride a bull? Silver? Say “Silver” in Engrish. Also, Tatsuya’s dark battle suit reminds me of portraits of Shiva having blue skin.

9) Shiva wears a tiger’s skin; Tatsuya’s scars look like tiger stripes.

10) Shiva was initially uninterested and even a little oblivious to Sati/Parvati’s affections for him; Tatsuya’s aware of how much Miyuki loves him but is oblivious to her feeling’s true extent. Both Shiva and Tatsuya also share similar personalities–being able to remain calm and reasonable even in the face of insults. Tatsuya’s emotional deficiencies, lack of worldly desires, and his scientific and technological pursuits also mirror Shiva’s asceticism. They both also seem very self-aware of who they are.

11) Shiva was supposedly a very doting and loving husband; Tatsuya dotes on his sister the same way. Both also have nice houses and like getting nice clothes for their female counterparts.

12) Parvati considers the very idea of having another man other than Shiva as her husband anathema–something she finds fundamentally repulsive; Miyuki feels the same way about other guys and her Tatsuya, and if she if she could help it, she would not have any other man other than her brother as her lover.

13) Some of the more arrogant minor gods looked down on Shiva and his unorthodox lifestyle, some even called him a beast; the petty mages feel the same way about Tatsuya and his unorthodox approach to magic, his family also seems to regard him as a beast who could turn on his own family if they’re not careful.

14) Tatsuya and Miyuki often have conversations about the subject of magic; Shiva and Parvati do the same thing with Hindu theology. Tatsuya’s great knowledge and understanding of magic also fit Shiva’s role as a spiritual teacher and the originator of all wisdom.

15) While they’re pretty nice usually and Tatsuya doesn’t let anything affect him much, the Shiba siblings are terrifying when angry. Tatsuya is ruthless and can be cold to the point of heartlessness; Miyuki is pragmatic and absolutely merciless when provoked. Something they share with the dark aspects of Shiva and Parvati.

16) One of Sati/Parvati’s issues with her father and the other gods was that they didn’t appreciate Shiva for his true worth. Miyuki feels the same way with Tatsuya and immensely dislikes the fact that people continue to look down on him while she sees him as the greatest being in the universe. Both were also initially seen as “unbalanced couples” and both will not stand for any kind of insult to their beloved.

17) Also, it’s worth nothing that while Shiva is an ascetic and Tatsuya lost his stronger emotions as a young boy; the amount of love and attention they showered on their loved one is incomparable. For their part, both Parvati and Miyuki feel immense joy just being in the arms of the one they love, and both are trying to get their male counterparts to participate more in the world.

18) One cannot exist without the other. Shiva and Parvati’s legends and their divine natures are intimately connected–you cannot mention one without mentioning the other–they are “one”. Tatsuya and Miyuki are as well–if one were to lose the other, life for them would lose all meaning. This may also be be why they both share the main character spot and are the central characters of their own mangas. They’re just as important as the other. Shiva and Parvati also supposedly represent the perfect masculine and the perfect feminine, which Tatsuya and Miyuki also parallel with their character designs. (And this isn’t even getting to the symbolism in alchemy…)

19) Shiva is the “God of Gods”. If you think mages are the direct successors to the powers of the gods, and that their reality warping powers make them “living gods” in a sense, then Tatsuya’s powers would easily make him the one of the strongest of these “living gods”.

20) And my last one for now: those eyes. Look at Shiva’s eyes. His expressions are pretty similar to Tatsuya’s. And look at pictures of him with Parvati and you’ll probably see some similarities. Also, lotuses. Remember there were lotuses around some of the Shiba siblings’ illustration. Or better yet, just check out the flower sewn on their uniforms. You can find lotuses in Shiva and Parvati’s pictures too.

See? I could probably add a couple more if I read further, but for now I think 20 items are enough to show my point. Of course, just so people don’t get mistaken, I’m not saying Tatsuya and Miyuki are simple rewrites–the author did a good job of rationalizing the character traits of the deities he based his protagonists on in the context of the story he’s trying to create. He did this very cleverly, twisting and adding certain characteristics, and made them their own characters regardless of the similarities I just enumerated. For that I salute him, and I think it’s reassuring to see that at least this part of the plot is based on what may be one of the oldest love stories in mankind’s history. The point is: they’re alike. And now we can get to the real juice of it all…

OK. So what does this all mean?



What this mean is that it’s possible for us to make pretty good guesses as to how the story may progress. By reading into the myths and taking them into account of what’s happened in the light novel so far, we might be able to approximate what the author intends to do with this. If they’ve followed the Shiva legends this far, it follows that they’ll follow it through the end. But why should we bother? You may ask. What good will all of this do us? I say…

Nothing. I’m just doing this because it’s hella fun to guess what other people are thinking. ^_^

Anyhow, like my OreImo theory surge this is going to contain nothing more than my own guesses as to how this story may progress. And they are:

1) Tatsuya’s emotions maybe gone for good. But that’s all right because he seems to have accepted who he is. And that whoever he may have been before doesn’t matter compared to who he is now. Miyuki will be the one to win him over or bring him to a realization of just how much they mean to each other. Maybe he’ll trick her into telling him her true feelings, maybe it’ll be a direct confession, or maybe it’ll be because of an upcoming fiasco with her future fiance–Tatsuya’s the type of guy who will let his sister be with another man if it means making her happy above all else…but if she’ll only be completely miserable with them, then I don’t think the rules of society or the Yotsuba clan can do anything about the logical conclusion: there’s no point of her being with another man. If Miyuki is happiest being with him then she’ll simply have to be with him. Regardless of how wretched an existence he may think he is, if it means making her as happy as possible then that’s all there is to it. This in turn will also make Tatsuya the happiest man of all. You might even tie in the fact that he’s inventing new groundbreaking technology: if he releases them under his own name and brand–independent of the Yotsuba or anyone who placed themselves above him (especially if he decides to rebel openly), Tatsuya might just turn into one of the richest men in the world, and if the world becomes completely dependent on the tech he creates this means he has basically remade himself into the Father of the Future–which, combined with his money and powerful magic, will give him a ridiculous amount of influence and power. When that happens who’s going to say anything against him taking someone he wasn’t supposed to have as his wife?

2) If the story goes this far, the Shiva legends also give us a good idea for what kind of children Tatsuya and Miyuki might have if they ever become lovers. Each generation of mages is stronger than the last, add in inbreeding between two of the most powerful magicians alive, it is possible that Tatsuya will meet the one to honestly defeat him in battle in the form of one of his own children. My bets are that they would (at least) have two sons: the elder one will pursue a military career, which makes sense considering Tatsuya’s role and importance in the army, and he will be aided by his father’s connections and influence which by that time in the future should be quite considerable; the younger son, on the other hand, will inherit his father’s scientific interests and technological pursuits, maybe even becoming a prominent magic developer in his own right. Both boys will be intelligent, clever, and powerful; however, the elder son will surpass his younger brother’s martial capabilities, while the younger will surpass his brother in the brains department. The elder son would also probably be a bishounen who takes after his mother, while the younger son would be plainer, but possibly have a stronger presence than his older brother. This is because Shiva’s eldest son, Kartikeya, was a god of war, and his younger (and more famous) son Ganesha is the god of wisdom and success. (I even came up with an idea for how Ganesha’s elephant-head might be adapted into the story: let’s say the family was horrifically assaulted one day and the younger son was severely injured as a result; the injury will be a little peculiar and maybe not even Tatsuya’s Regrowth will be of much help. But remembering that Tatsuya likes to tinker with technology, Tatsuya might attach some sort of contraption to this son of his, which I’m imagining as some sort of respirator that gives off the vague impression of an elephant’s trunk.)

Now, for the other ideas that I have some reservations with:

1) Miyuki might die. There’s still a possibility that Miyuki isn’t Parvati and still in the Sati phase of the story and that she might have a more permanent death scene waiting for her, which will bitterly accomplish her goal of “freeing” Tatsuya. Then maybe, afterwards Miyuki will simply reincarnate as another girl who will then fall in love with a much older Tatsuya. I don’t like this but you can blame the publisher’s publication policies as an ending with direct incest would probably have trouble getting past the editing board. It’s just easier to pass an unconsummated forbidden love and have it end as a reincarnation romance than give two blood-related siblings a happy ending as a couple. (Of course, I’m hoping I’m wrong here. And I’m thinking maybe it’ll be OK if the relationship was developed off-screen.)

2) Miyuki will die. And her consciousness will fuse with Tatsuya’s. This way they’ll be “together” but not. I hate this too.

3) Something will happen to Tatsuya’s Regrowth ability at one point in the future. I think there’s a possibility he might lose it. The scenario I’m imagining is Miyuki will die (yup, again) in a way where Regrowth wouldn’t be able to do a thing, and Tatsuya will perform another miracle for her sake: possibly resorting to the use of an experimental spell, in which he gives away his regeneration ability and “his life force” for her (and maybe even fuse their consciousness in the process). Tatsuya will not die, and Miyuki will live again, genuinely brought back from the dead. But now Tatsuya will be unable to regenerate or auto-heal his injuries AND if Miyuki dies again–he will too. Because the life force that once belonged to him now belonged to Miyuki and it’s keeping both of them alive. Of course, there’s also the chance that Regrowth won’t be completely lost and simply changed masters; Miyuki will be able to use Regrowth instead of Tatsuya, and so will have to accompany her brother whenever he goes to war and maybe Tatsuya can use the ability again as long as he’s holding Miyuki. {This is because it has also been said that “Without Shakti(Parvati) Shiva is shava(corpse)”. While this can be applied to to the way Tatsuya believes Miyuki his sole reason for existing, giving this a more literal interpretation with Tatsuya dying if he were to lose her makes for some pretty interesting symbolism on its own.}

And…that’s about it. With this, I put an end to this post. You may agree with my points, you may not–that’s all right ^_^. Remember this is all just speculation and was all done in the name crazy otaku fun. I hope you had as much enjoyment reading my thoughts as I did writing them. Until next time ^_^ and be sure to check out the upcoming anime adaptation for this gem of a series.

It’s going to be awesome.