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While Hibiki is an assistant to one of the world's greatest magicians, her only skill is in making delicious tea, but when her master becomes trapped inside the body of a squirrel-like creature, she is nonetheless determined to help.

232 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2005

10 people are currently reading
282 people want to read

About the author

Rei Izumi

43 books6 followers
Rei Idumi or Rei Izumi 依澄れい is a female Japanese manga artist. She is well known for being the artist to the manga .hack//Legend of the Twilight, and Hibiki's Magic.

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5 stars
137 (35%)
4 stars
114 (29%)
3 stars
94 (24%)
2 stars
32 (8%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Lucía Cafeína.
2,030 reviews219 followers
January 20, 2019
Dulce y mágico, con su dosis de drama y misterio, muy entretenido :3 ¡Me ha recordado un poco a Atelier of witch hat!
Profile Image for planetkimi.
224 reviews14 followers
December 15, 2007
I'm a sucker for cute lil' animals, and I have to sheepishly admit that the pictures of the squirrel-like little guys on the cover probably had a good bit to do with why I bought this volume!

I got lucky - the story so far is as engaging as the art.

Maeda's characterization of Hibiki and the other main characters is well-executed, and the characters easily live in the reader's imagination as unique personalities. (Cardboard cut-out characterization is a common problem in manga, I've noticed ...)

The plot in the first volume is just the right blend of cute/quirky and dark/dramatic. There is a price for magic in Hibiki's world, but she seems to be bringing unexpected levity to a profession that usually calls for great sacrifices.

I'm looking forward to reading the second volume and finding out the answers to mysteries that Maeda deftly implied about the nature of magic, Hibiki's "master," and the capabilities of Hibiki herself. (Not to mention that the headmaster is a hoot, and surely there will be more adorable squirrel antics!)
Profile Image for Kirstie.
500 reviews16 followers
April 2, 2019
3.5/5 Really had high hopes from the beginning and then the middle, but towards the end it fell flat a little for me. Felt like the plot changed directions too much. Still, enjoyed it and will continue the series. May even hang onto this copy that I bought so that’s saying something for me.

Filled with magic, cuteness, sadness, love, and mystery.
Profile Image for Guguk.
1,343 reviews81 followers
November 7, 2015
Pas cuma baca vol.1-nya kerasa nyesek waktu bagian , jadi sempet males nerusin (^ ^;)

Tapi pas ngambil vol.2-nya di diskonan, aku agak goyah juga~

Gambar : 4 bintang, so moe~ so imut~ (^,,,^) terutama si guru yang berwujud tupai gara-2 'kecelakaan'
Cerita : 2 bintang, aku masih belum bener-2 sreg...

Mudah-2an lanjutannya terbit~ (^,^)/
Profile Image for ElsaMakotoRenge.
509 reviews48 followers
February 26, 2018
I'll be honest, I picked up volumes one and two of Hibiki's Magic used because I thought the covers looked cute. Volume 1 easily exceeded my expectations, which is rare for me with books, manga or otherwise. I was surprised that the whole storyline is not just fluff and magic; there's some sad/drama bits and a healthy dose of comedy (mostly provided by "Lord" Shiraasan's antics).

It does seem a bit unbelievable that the magic school seemingly randomly let Hibiki be a professor at the school, but in context it makes sense since Hibiki's teacher seems to be one of the best magic users in the storyverse. So I'll accept that she's just getting hired because she was Shirotsuki's assistant.

Hibiki herself is adorable, and she and the supporting cast of characters are satisfyingly developed in my opinion. It seems a lot of times manga characters seem sort of...flat. I'm much more patient with this issue in manga than a novel or something because I feel like the artwork itself is a lot of the characterization, but still, I think if Hibiki's Magic continues to be as good as volume one, this is a terrific series. I am looking forward to reading the next volume.
If you enjoy cuteness overload, you will probably enjoy this; if not, stay away, stay far away.;) There IS much more to the storyline besides "cute", but I feel like if someone doesn't like cute, they will probably hate it. Five stars from me.
1,199 reviews8 followers
February 27, 2024
I like the background messages. There a cost to what we want to achieve, short and quick solutions are not often good for the long term, and empathy is a respectable trait. I struggle to get into this one though because the protagonist is super passive. There is no humor to her self-deprecation and random events seem to occur to her, rather than because of her. Audiences are sped through world building that doesn't quite make sense. It's only volume one and these ideas will be expanded upon but I have to judge what is presented.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for ~Cyanide Latte~.
1,827 reviews90 followers
June 27, 2023
Unexpectedly cute and bittersweet. Never one that I got a chance to read in high school, but I'm glad I was able to give it a shot now. I've already got volume 2, so hopefully I'll be able to knock all of this out pretty quick!
Profile Image for Emily W.
175 reviews2 followers
July 19, 2022
3.5
I don't really know what happened in this book.... but it was cute, and I would read the next in the series if I could
2,080 reviews18 followers
February 27, 2017
This was an enjoyable and cute manga story, with a theme of magic in the modern world, which appeals to me. Our protagonist is not skilled in the kind of magic that you would think, but does lead something of a charmed life, with things happening around her that rush her into challenging, but rewarding experiences that heal the emotional wounds of those around her. It's a fun idea, and I enjoyed reading this rather positive volume.
Profile Image for Joseph Hare.
105 reviews4 followers
May 18, 2016
I picked this up because it was written by Jun Maeda, who I practically worship as a god due to his work on CLANNAD, but for all my esteem the manga ended up sitting on my shelf for five months. I was afraid to touch it, every time I looked at it I just saw that silly-looking chibi character, I didn't want to discover that the author I admired was also capable of producing cutesy anime nonsense.
As it turns out, I'm a pretentious asshole. The manga does lean towards that cutesy-style, both in terms of art and narrative, and that is something that I will never understand, but it doesn't stop the more interesting aspects of the story from shining through. Whilst part of me wishes that the main character had a little more... character, the journey she goes on in the book is thoroughly enjoyable. Sure, the magical school is a little Harry Potter, but I actually appreciated that it wasn't trying too hard to distance itself from Hogwarts. How can you write a story about a school of magic and not have it compared to that beloved children's book? You can't, all you can do is try to force every aspect of the school to be as different as possible, but the fact that Maeda doesn't try to do that feels more honest to me.
I have to say that a lot of the drama surrounding the homunculus fell flat, when you introduce the traumatic background of a character only a few pages after meeting them, it only bewilders the reader. We need time to get to know these people in a casual context, otherwise the natural human emotion of empathy just isn't stimulated.
185 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2016
I've actually read this before, but I don't remember reading it. I thought this book was a very cute manga, and I think Hibiki is a sweetie. Hibiki is so down on herself, and doesn't think she's very good at anything other than making tea, when in reality, she is quite good at things if she just puts her mind to it and believes that she can do things. I have to admit I also like Ahito, because, while he tries to be a pent up bad guy, he really is just hurting inside because of his past, and he wants to help Hibiki make it in this magic school. I also have to admit, I don't like how this is set up, It seems rather odd that this high class school would just decide to make her a professor just because she was an assistant to Shirotsuki. I mean, I kind of understand because he was a very good magician and he was well known, but you would think that a school like that wouldn't just say 'Oh, okay, well, we'll just turn her into a professor because she can't really do magic because she knew Shriotsuki'. I feel like the structure of this book isn't very well put together, but otherwise it's a fair read.
1,026 reviews10 followers
May 3, 2014
Hibiki's magic combines sweetness and light with sadness and loss in a strange mixture that didn't always work for me. I guess it's a function of this type of story, but I kept feeling like people are being weirdly... easy, I guess, on Hibiki? And it kept throwing me out of the story.

Like, she arrives at a school, and they just make her a teacher, despite that there's no real reason to, she exhibits no desire to teach, and she's really young. Later, she sets about to make a homunculi for the most awkward of reasons. As I was watching that storyline unfold, all I could think was, why would the person you want to help accept this? How do you know this won't be weird and awkward for that person? What makes you think they want you to do this? But of course they do, because this type of manga, I guess?

However, overall, it's fairly inoffensive and fairly sweet, and if that's your sort of thing, it may be worth giving a chance.
Profile Image for Kit.
365 reviews12 followers
March 20, 2008
It's hard to resist uber-cute Hibiki and her little four-leaf clover logos. The story of how she (sort of) leaves her sorcerer guardian and ends up (accidentally) teaching at a magical school is a promising series beginning, but the backstory about her guardian's life is more intriguing than the slapstick-y adventures once she ends up at school.
Profile Image for J.T. Whitesell.
Author 3 books19 followers
June 28, 2009
Bought this today and finished it today. I like stories that don't follow the hype. This is original and engaging. I have to say that the art and furry little creatures always catch my eye, so I found it fortunate to pick it up in the store and finish the first chapter. Gusk's are so adorable!!
Profile Image for Lea.
135 reviews19 followers
August 15, 2009
I dunno....This book just completely failed to catch my attention! And it's such a cute-looking book, too. The story went all over the place and the characters weren't very well developed. Much as I wanted to, I just didn't care that much. :(
Profile Image for Dhia Citrahayi.
Author 3 books21 followers
January 9, 2013
Simple, sederhana tapi mengena :D
Ide ceritanya menarik walau nilai-nilai yang diangkat di dalamnya sangat umum.
Buku ini bisa dibilang bukan buku ringan. setiap chapternya memiliki pokok pikiran untuk direnungi.
Profile Image for Starbubbles.
1,637 reviews128 followers
April 2, 2013
This book was so cruel! How dare it be so cute, and so heartbreaking at the same time! Boo on it! I'm not in a place where I can read series like this one. It's good but as of right now, I won't be reading any more of it. Maybe in the future I'll pick this one back up.
Profile Image for Christina.
242 reviews
March 31, 2017
A very sweet, rather episodic story about a girl and the wide variety of people she meets. Its atmosphere reminds me of a somewhat more serious version of the JRPG "Atelier Rorona," one of my all-time favorite games.
Profile Image for Racheal Bennett.
1 review
January 23, 2008
i love this book it's so cool but i wouldn't recomend it to kid's below 10 because of strong languge
Profile Image for Madison.
34 reviews
January 23, 2008
i love this book it's so magical and cool and i own it and i wouldn't recomend it to little kid's cause of strongly used language and violents
6 reviews
April 13, 2008
Goo storyline, but I got very confused when you learn about Ahito's past.
Profile Image for Tessa Dior.
14 reviews
April 27, 2008
I really liked the cover, but fell in love with the book. Very very cute.
My favorite manga of all time.
Profile Image for Linny.
119 reviews28 followers
March 5, 2009
Such a great manga! I coulndn't set the manga down and do something else!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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