Manga 41539 Mahouka Koukou No Yuutousei

This spin off of The Irregular at Magic High School proved to be a good alternative to either rereading the parent story again, or rewatching the first season anime until the end of the Nine School Competition Arc, which in my opinion is the highlight of the first season.

The Honor Student At Magic High School ended in a way that brings to full circle its own story from the first chapter to the last. Its integration of retelling the parent story with its own subplots and expansion of the original story threads gave it its own impetus for existence.

The spin off creates its own identity ... apart from the parent story by focusing on Miyuki and her classmates, each one of them, the eponymous "honor student", but it is much more female-centric. This also gave much needed character development for Honoka and Shizuku, both of who had to struggle for attention in the main story where much of it is given, deservingly, to Tatsuya.

Where this spin off stands in the grand scheme of the original story remains to be seen. This story introduces a rival for Miyuki, but I wonder if she will make an appearance in the future of the main story. However, it is a story that can stand on its own legs and merits.