The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic (Season One) – Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata
Usato has an ordinary and unremarkable life, however, he wishes for something more. He thinks that might change when he ends up walking home with Kazuki and Suzune from the student council. He had no idea just how much, though!
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic (Season One) – Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata
What did you watch?
This series managed to pop up on my radar before word started to spread as it gathered a bit of attention. The thing that made me take notice was the title – The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic. Well, colour me intrigued. What exactly is the wrong way to use healing magic? Other than that, I knew nothing about the show before starting. I just needed an answer. I didn’t know it was an Isekai until I started the first episode and discovered it was set at a Japanese high school. Well, for the first few minutes… Let’s dive in before we get summoned away too!
What happened?
Usato was bored. He felt like a side character, milling around while the real protagonists took all the attention. So, it was no surprise to him when he found that someone had taken his umbrella and it was raining. Cursing his luck, he failed to notice Kazuki and Suzune approaching. They were the illustrious members of the student council, known by all. Usato was surprised to find that they knew who he was and were far more approachable than they seemed. Kazuki loaned him his spare umbrella and they set off in the rain. Kazuki asked Usato what his plans were after high school. He hadn’t really thought about it and was surprised to find out that Suzune was in the same boat. The sound of a strange bell interrupted their discussion and a magic circle appeared at their feet. Before they could do anything, they found themselves in a throne room, standing before a king.
Kazuki and Suzune had been summoned as heroes to help fight the Demon Lord’s army. However, Usato had just been caught in the magic circle. Kazuki was furious that they could just be ripped out of their lives and forced to fight. Suzune, however, seemed to be over the moon. She could barely contain her excitement. Usato was a little put out that he wasn’t a hero, but he soon learned that he had an affinity for healing magic, much to the horror of the King and his subordinates. They tried to hide him away, but Rose, the captain of the Kingdom’s rescue team had already decided to make him into a full-fledged healer. If he survives the training…
What did you think?
I absolutely loved this series. Not only did it answer my question – what is the wrong way to use healing magic, but it made something so painfully obvious when it comes to healers, especially if you have any sort of background in weight training. The second episode is basically a massive montage of Usato training. He gets picked on by Rose, is run around by the other members of the Rescue Team, makes mental notes to write about all of this in his diary, and uses his healing magic to repair his tired muscles. At first, I assumed that was what this series was referring to, but as soon as I saw it, I knew that this was absolutely the right way to use healing magic. As you exercise, you are constantly breaking the fibres in your muscles. With a little rest and some good food, the fibres repair themselves and are stronger as a result. By using healing magic, Usato was able to speed up the process, allowing massive gains in a short period of time. I will never look at healing magic the same way again. If you aren’t doing this, you don’t deserve it!
What was your favourite moment?
Picking a favourite moment is going to be tough. I loved the way Suzune was giddy with excitement as she realised that they had been isekaied. She was delighted to say goodbye to her old and boring life (even if she was incredibly successful). I loved how excited she got about Usato’s bear and his abs. In contrast to Suzune, I loved Rose and her determination. She was incredible and terrifying. It made the moments where she gave Usato some real praise that much more touching. Seriously, there were some tears shed each time… by Usato… not me!
Then, there was the fight with the Demon Lord’s army where Suzune and Kazuki came face to face with the Black Knight, a demon who could rebound every attack. Usato was shown a vision of Suzune and Kazuki being defeated by the Black Knight so he rushed to protect them. Of course, his healing attacks were the ideal thing to fight the Black Knight. What was it going to do, rebound the healing effects? However, my absolute favourite moment came when Usato visited the Black Knight in the jail cell. He realised that his magic had cancelled her armour which meant that she took every hit full force. Usato went inside the cell and began to heal her. She had never experienced anything like that. When Usato asked if she was feeling better, she said yes, but she just wanted him to keep going so she could feel the warmth of his touch.
What was your least favourite moment?
This is the second series in a row where I am struggling to find my least favourite moment. There were some slower moments that didn’t exactly do much, but they were also welcome breaks from the action. If I’m going to go with the moment that made me feel the worst, that would be Rose’s flashback to how she lost her entire team and then went on to form the Rescue Team. We only met her team for a short period of time, but their deaths were brutal. However, the moment that really hit me hardest was seeing Rose, bandaged and broken, sitting in their cabin alone and lost. She may be a complete badass, but she’s also got feelings. She was easily one of my favourite characters.
Who was your favourite character?
This may surprise anyone who has read several of my reviews, but Usato was my favourite character. Having him be the accidental isekai character was a great touch. Being one of three, allowed for all of the characters to show the various emotions you might expect with that. We saw Suzune’s delight and Kazuki’s anger at their situation. Usato got to be the bridge between those two points of view and I think that allowed us to relate to him more. It’s rare for things to be clear-cut, so having someone who could understand both was a good idea. I loved his sarcastic moments with Rose and how he was telling himself that he would write about that in his diary. When he got stronger, their interactions just got better. For a while, it looked like he had caught up to her, but then she stepped things up.
Who was your least favourite character?
My least favourite character was Kazuki. I understand his annoyance at being pulled to another world, away from his family and friends to fight a battle that had no bearing on him before that moment, however, he was now able to use magic and seemed to have garnered the attention of the Princess. He was doing all right. I still liked Kazuki, but his stance on the entire situation is the one that seemed the more foreign to me. It’s nothing personal.
Would you like some more?
This season ended with the heroes (and Usato) going to other nations to try to create a unified front against the Demon King’s army. We saw a brief montage of some of the people that they might meet there. Usato was also accompanying Amako as he took her home to the beast-kin. And then, we’ve got Felm (the Black Knight) who is now training under Rose to join the Rescue Team. I get the feeling she’s going to go after Usato at some point. She’s obviously developed some feelings for him after he healed her. Basically, this story is far from over and I am ready to follow it to the end. I’ve already added the manga to my list of series that I’m keeping an eye on for when sales happen. Give me more!
What have you learned?
I don’t think this season did anything particularly new or inventive, outside the now-obvious way to use healing magic. However, it managed to grab my attention with characters that I could relate to in situations that I could understand. That made everything that much more believable. In short, I bonded with the characters and the world because something about it felt familiar. As soon as that happened, I was never going to turn back. That’s the goal of storytelling. The story itself doesn’t grab us. It’s our connections to the characters, the world, and the story. There has to be a link between the audience and the story. That’s why stories are so subjective. Something that I love could drive another to hatred. We have different life experiences and that means we won’t all connect to the same thing or in the same way. You can’t please everyone.
Other shows from Winter 2024
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Season One) – Sousou no Frieren
- Chained Soldier (Season One) – Mato Seihei no Slave
- Solo Leveling (Season One) – Ore dake Level Up na Ken
- The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Season One) – Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha
- Tales of Wedding Rings (Season One) – Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari
- Gushing over Magical Girls (Season One) – Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete
- My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! (Season One) – Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n desu ga
- The Witch and the Beast (Season One) – Majo to Yajuu
- The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic (Season One) – Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata
- Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One) – Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi
- ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess (Season One) – Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu
- The Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids -A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero’s Party- (Season One) – Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareru
- 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Season One) – Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu suru
- Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Season One) – Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen
Series Information
| English Title | The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic |
| Japanese Title | Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata |
| Medium | Anime |
| Released | Winter 2024 |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Animation Studios | Shin-Ei Animation, Studio Add |
| Genres | Action, Fantasy, Isekai, Magic, |
| Demographic | Seinen |
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I loved this show. Rose was my absolute favorite. She was so awesome. I loved how she picked herself up after she lost her team and found purpose.
Yeah, she was something else. I loved how much she terrified everyone including the King. I hope they make another season.
Like you, the title caught my attention. I knew nothing else about the series. But by the end of the first episode, I was hooked.
I’ll second ChbiChonk’s praise for Rose. What a great character! I thought it spoke volumes about how much you liked this series by your least favorite moment still being emotionally powerful and resonate.
And the bear slapping away Suzune’s hand when she tried to pet it — cracked me up every time.
It’s a surprisingly clever title that it draws people in without knowing anything else.
Rose is amazing. The thing that was so good about that scene where she lost her team is that we didn’t need to know anything about them. The fact that it impacted her that much told us everything we needed to know.
The bear and Usato slapping her hand away was funny. It was good when it bit her and then him, giving them something else to bond over. There were lots of great interactions throughout which is why I think it worked so well.
The title got my attention on this one too. It was definitely a fun watch, and I’d be more than up for another season. I actually thought we were going to see more characters die during the later battles, so it did a good job of getting me invested in the action, too.
Yeah, it didn’t feel like everyone was going to walk away which made it nice when then did.
And yeah, making a statement like that’s the title was really clever. Instant hook!