Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor is a Japanese light novel series written by Tarō Hitsuji and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. Fujimi Shobo has published ten volumes since July 2014 under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Aosa Tsunemi began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Ace from March 26, 2015, and has been collected in ten tankōbon volumes. An animetelevision series adaptation by Liden Films aired from April to June 2017.
Plot
Sistine Fibel and her best friend Rumia Tingel are students at a prestigious magical academy, where Sistine hopes to be trained by the best there is in order to unravel the secrets of the mysterious Sky Castle per her grandfather's last wish. When her favorite instructor suddenly retires, his replacement, Glenn Radars, is anything but what Sistine had hoped for. The "Bastard Magic Instructor" appears to be lazy, incompetent, and not that skilled at magic. He is not a certified teacher nor does he have a high rating in the guild. What they don't know is that he is hiding his power and that he is a former assassin from the Imperial Court Mage Corps with a remorseful past who is suffering severe depression. In episode 2 there is an attack on school by the previous instructor, and the BMI is forced to show his true powers. Sistine is baffled as she had misjudged him to be incompetent. As the BMI's students draw him out of his depression, he finds meaning in the activity of teaching. This whole season is complete with a promise for eventful things to come. Topics that are dealt with are Depression, Friendship, Family Relationships, Adoption, Siblings, Following Your Dream, Quest for Power and more.
An anime adaptation was announced in March 2016, which was later revealed to be an anime television series. The series was produced by Liden Films and directed by Minato Kazuto, with Tōko Machida writing the scripts, Satoshi Kimura designed the characters and Hiroaki Tsutsumi composed the music. It aired from April 4, 2017 to June 20, 2017. The series ran for 12 episodes. The series' opening theme is "Blow Out" by Konomi Suzuki, and the ending theme is "Precious You" by Akane Fujita, Yume Miyamoto, and Ari Ozawa. Crunchyroll has licensed the series in North America and is streaming it on their website, and Funimation will release it on home video as part of the two companies' partnership.
