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Zero No Tsukaima #1
Zero no Tsukaima, Volume 1: The Familiar of Zero
The Familiar of Zero is a fantasy and comedy-oriented series of Japanese light novels written by Noboru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka. The story features several characters from the second year class of a magic academy in a fictional magical world with the main characters being the inept mage Louise and her familiar from Earth, Saito Hiraga.
263 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 29, 2014
Zero's Familiar is a manga that has an interesting premise. In a parallel world, the societies are divided between the peasants (most people, who can not use magic) and the nobility (the small minority who can use magic) ruling over them. At an Academy for magic, there is a young girl named Louise. Unfortunately for her, almost no one outside of her teachers, or particularly nice students, call her that. They all call her “Louise the Zero”, because she seems to have “zero” talent in magic.
Of course, in reality, she is one of the more powerful mages, but there is a reason why she usually can't do the spells.
Anyways, on a certain day, the mages mark their progress by summoning, and making contracts with, creatures who become their “familiars”. The rest of the student body taking part in the ceremonies get familiars ranging from frogs and moles to incredible fire-breathing salamanders and even a dragon for one student. Louise, she summons a young high school boy from our world named Hiraga Saito, who is forced to (since he can't go home yet, and seems to be too bewildered to protest much) make a contract with Louise. A teacher notices the unique rune on his hand (which appears somewhere on all familiars when a contract is made), and researches it with the headmaster.
It turns out the rune is the name “Gandalfr” (yes, the author borrows names just to make it familiar to the audience, and sound cool too, of course), and that Saito is the “reincarnation” of the famous mage who assisted the most powerful wizard in the history of their world. Of course, Louise and the others do not know this, as the headmaster fears that Louise and Saito will be the targets of military leaders of various kingdoms who would want to use Saito to win wars. Saito is nearly unstoppable when his powers are active, as the reader will see later on.
Unfortunately for poor Saito, Louise treats him as a combination pet/servant. This isn't as fun as some whose minds are in the gutter might think. She feeds, houses, and disciplines him like a dog, which she also calls him when she is angry with him. Painfully for Saito, this happens a lot. Don't get me wrong, Louise is not a bad person, but she is a victim of bullying from other student, has low self-esteem, and a different set of values that causes her to treat Saito in this deplorable manner. There are hints that she knows her actions are wrong, and the story seems to be one of her admitting this to herself and treating him better. This of course, leads to her and him falling in love.
Only a bit of the above do we see in the first volume of the manga as it is just the set-up for the first story arc. The only reason I can elaborate is the anime. There is a light novel series that pre-dates the other media, from which the manga and anime are adapted, but the manga seems, thankfully, to follow more the tone of the anime than the light novel. This makes it a lot more fun and humorous, and less angsty and so on.
I really recommend this manga, and the anime based upon it/it is based upon. It is terrific, and I assure you that you will really like it.
Of course, in reality, she is one of the more powerful mages, but there is a reason why she usually can't do the spells.
Anyways, on a certain day, the mages mark their progress by summoning, and making contracts with, creatures who become their “familiars”. The rest of the student body taking part in the ceremonies get familiars ranging from frogs and moles to incredible fire-breathing salamanders and even a dragon for one student. Louise, she summons a young high school boy from our world named Hiraga Saito, who is forced to (since he can't go home yet, and seems to be too bewildered to protest much) make a contract with Louise. A teacher notices the unique rune on his hand (which appears somewhere on all familiars when a contract is made), and researches it with the headmaster.
It turns out the rune is the name “Gandalfr” (yes, the author borrows names just to make it familiar to the audience, and sound cool too, of course), and that Saito is the “reincarnation” of the famous mage who assisted the most powerful wizard in the history of their world. Of course, Louise and the others do not know this, as the headmaster fears that Louise and Saito will be the targets of military leaders of various kingdoms who would want to use Saito to win wars. Saito is nearly unstoppable when his powers are active, as the reader will see later on.
Unfortunately for poor Saito, Louise treats him as a combination pet/servant. This isn't as fun as some whose minds are in the gutter might think. She feeds, houses, and disciplines him like a dog, which she also calls him when she is angry with him. Painfully for Saito, this happens a lot. Don't get me wrong, Louise is not a bad person, but she is a victim of bullying from other student, has low self-esteem, and a different set of values that causes her to treat Saito in this deplorable manner. There are hints that she knows her actions are wrong, and the story seems to be one of her admitting this to herself and treating him better. This of course, leads to her and him falling in love.
Only a bit of the above do we see in the first volume of the manga as it is just the set-up for the first story arc. The only reason I can elaborate is the anime. There is a light novel series that pre-dates the other media, from which the manga and anime are adapted, but the manga seems, thankfully, to follow more the tone of the anime than the light novel. This makes it a lot more fun and humorous, and less angsty and so on.
I really recommend this manga, and the anime based upon it/it is based upon. It is terrific, and I assure you that you will really like it.
July 18, 2024
mejor vean el anime <3
January 21, 2021
Actually reading the omnibus (1-3) but since GR still doesn't count that as three books... I really like this series (watched the anime when it aired) so I was eager to finally read the manga I bought a few years prior. In this one we meet Louise who summons Saitou as her familiar. Chaos happens! While Louise is a bitch at times she has her kindness and she can be really sweet as well (as evidenced that she stays with him when he is in pain, buys him the sword he wants). I love that Saitou is also not easily deterred by Louise's attitude, in fact he stands up to himself, despite that she may just blow him up. Oops. I am not sure how I feel about the other girls. I think it is quite rude for them to flirt with Saitou so much.
I love the stories in this one and I cannot wait to see what is next because something exciting happened at the end of this volume (and I already have a good suspicion who it is).
The art is really fun and playful, I love the style.
I love the stories in this one and I cannot wait to see what is next because something exciting happened at the end of this volume (and I already have a good suspicion who it is).
The art is really fun and playful, I love the style.
September 27, 2019
Gostei! Este promete :D
March 26, 2013
Y'know, I really miss those old fantasy novels where some ordinary fellow from our world gets sucked through a whirligig and ends up in some fantasy world where, instead of being killed as a heretic or starving to death in the streets because he can't talk to anyone, he works his way up to become a bad-ass hero. Sure, it's just wish fulfillment, but what else do you want from the fantasy genre. It's not like Rand al'Thor and Kvothe are any less of Gary Stus.
ZnT (The Familiar of Zero) gives the genre a slight twist in that the hero is a Japanese teenager who finds himself in a bog-standard medievaloid fantasy world. He's there because an inept mage-in-training accidentally brought him there while trying to summon a familiar. Which basically means he's now her slave. On the bright side, this means he gets to help her dress and undress. On the downside, he has to both sleep and eat on the floor, do her laundry, run errands for her, risk his life for her, and generally get treated like a dog that hasn't been house-broken.
Of course it turns out there's a reason he was summoned and being an Earthling gives him knowledge that comes in handy between his beatings.
ZnT (The Familiar of Zero) gives the genre a slight twist in that the hero is a Japanese teenager who finds himself in a bog-standard medievaloid fantasy world. He's there because an inept mage-in-training accidentally brought him there while trying to summon a familiar. Which basically means he's now her slave. On the bright side, this means he gets to help her dress and undress. On the downside, he has to both sleep and eat on the floor, do her laundry, run errands for her, risk his life for her, and generally get treated like a dog that hasn't been house-broken.
Of course it turns out there's a reason he was summoned and being an Earthling gives him knowledge that comes in handy between his beatings.
March 10, 2015
I saw the anime in tv, its a bit diffrent but not that much, and did you know that saito kissed or got kissed by 6 girls!!!!!! one: Kirche two: louise three: sesta four: princess/queen henrietta five: tifa and my fave: (i litarly fliped) TABITHA!!!!!! YAS!!!!! AHHH ok im done!
March 22, 2025
I am probably quite biased about this series because I was enamoured with it in my teenage years but with that being said I can admit that there are quite a few things I dislike about it too. To start things off if you decide to read or watch this you will need to be willing to endure constant tsundere behaviour by the main girl character that often leads to the main male character getting physically beaten.
I have read this manga and also watched the show and am the first to admit that it does get slightly tiring watching yet another misunderstanding between the two only for them to make up afterwards and then the cycle will repeat itself over and over however, with all that being said there are lots of things that I can say are positive about this series, the plot being one and the side characters having very distinctive personalities that make the world feel a lot more alive.
This series will always be quite high up on the list for me but I feel if I watched it again now as an adult I definitely would not enjoy it as much as I did as a child.
I have read this manga and also watched the show and am the first to admit that it does get slightly tiring watching yet another misunderstanding between the two only for them to make up afterwards and then the cycle will repeat itself over and over however, with all that being said there are lots of things that I can say are positive about this series, the plot being one and the side characters having very distinctive personalities that make the world feel a lot more alive.
This series will always be quite high up on the list for me but I feel if I watched it again now as an adult I definitely would not enjoy it as much as I did as a child.
January 25, 2019
It is a very good story, i love it
February 3, 2025
Funny, flirty and magical. I love a good magical girl story. Really easy and enjoyable to read. Blitzed through two volumes in one evening.
February 16, 2024
Is anyone reading books on 2024 today?
Although this book aren't available on any book store at my country, the only way to read is download online novel that upload by anomalous in reddit.
It's a good Isekai novel I had read for a long time and it's the best novel I had read. I leave full star on my rating. 10 out of 10
Although this book aren't available on any book store at my country, the only way to read is download online novel that upload by anomalous in reddit.
It's a good Isekai novel I had read for a long time and it's the best novel I had read. I leave full star on my rating. 10 out of 10
July 28, 2020
This book pretty much tsun-dares you to read it. Okay, it’s not that bad, but it’s certainly not any good either. Boring characters, dull writing, and sloppy art all combine to make for one heck of a slog.
The world’s worst magic user has accidentally summoned as her familiar a teenager from our world. She’s textbook tsundere and he’s textbook isekai overpowered protagonist. They’ll get together, sorry to spoil the ending I won’t stick around for.
The derision with which the story treats Louise’s perceived lack of magical talent makes no sense either, since her misfires are frequently destructive on the level of a fire at a munitions depot. I’d say more about the guy but he’s a self-insert nobody.
Characters are paper thin - the busty one, the quiet one, the grossly horny headmaster, etc. One male noble might as well just scream ‘I’M CONFLICT!’ since he gets introduced with zero fanfare into the story and immediately causes a battle scene that they can’t even illustrate worth a damn.
Literally the only thing the art seems to care about is detailing panties and there are better ways, dear reader, to get an eyeful of those, if that’s your thing.
It tries to be funny and never actually manages it. This book even wastes a talking sword, which is practically an unforgivable sin in my book. It reminded me a bit of Toradora, which I really like, if you stuck it full of caesium 137 and caused it to hideously mutate into an entirely unnatural abomination.
The most accurate part of the title is the zero, since that’s the percentage chance I’ll be reading the next volume.
The world’s worst magic user has accidentally summoned as her familiar a teenager from our world. She’s textbook tsundere and he’s textbook isekai overpowered protagonist. They’ll get together, sorry to spoil the ending I won’t stick around for.
The derision with which the story treats Louise’s perceived lack of magical talent makes no sense either, since her misfires are frequently destructive on the level of a fire at a munitions depot. I’d say more about the guy but he’s a self-insert nobody.
Characters are paper thin - the busty one, the quiet one, the grossly horny headmaster, etc. One male noble might as well just scream ‘I’M CONFLICT!’ since he gets introduced with zero fanfare into the story and immediately causes a battle scene that they can’t even illustrate worth a damn.
Literally the only thing the art seems to care about is detailing panties and there are better ways, dear reader, to get an eyeful of those, if that’s your thing.
It tries to be funny and never actually manages it. This book even wastes a talking sword, which is practically an unforgivable sin in my book. It reminded me a bit of Toradora, which I really like, if you stuck it full of caesium 137 and caused it to hideously mutate into an entirely unnatural abomination.
The most accurate part of the title is the zero, since that’s the percentage chance I’ll be reading the next volume.
July 28, 2013
3.75 stars.
No creo leer el manga, pero hicieron un gran trabajo con la adaptación al anime. Hermoso, me hizo llorar y los finales son únicos. Está lejos de ser el mejor anime de la historia, sobre todo por sus capítulos de relleno y su fanservice, pero por alguna razón, se convirtió en uno de mis animes preferidos. Será por Louise-y su puro corazón-, será por la relación de Louise & Saito, no lo sé, me dan demasiada ternura. Hay una última situación bastante grave que da fin a la historia, pero no me termina de convencer, salió de la nada y por eso no me llegó mucho. Aunque muchos se indignaron con lo que Louise hizo para proteger a su amado, yo la aplaudo, es más, creo que me hubiera enojado si no hacía algo para impedir que Saito no esté en la lucha final. El fanservice llega a ser muy molesto, sobre todo por el ova, pero aún así, me encanta <3 El final es hermoso, perdí la cuenta de cuantas veces retrocedí para verlo, desde que vuelve Saito hasta el minuto final. Lástima que quede inconclusa, pero para mí no acabó jajajaja.
No creo leer el manga, pero hicieron un gran trabajo con la adaptación al anime. Hermoso, me hizo llorar y los finales son únicos. Está lejos de ser el mejor anime de la historia, sobre todo por sus capítulos de relleno y su fanservice, pero por alguna razón, se convirtió en uno de mis animes preferidos. Será por Louise-y su puro corazón-, será por la relación de Louise & Saito, no lo sé, me dan demasiada ternura. Hay una última situación bastante grave que da fin a la historia, pero no me termina de convencer, salió de la nada y por eso no me llegó mucho. Aunque muchos se indignaron con lo que Louise hizo para proteger a su amado, yo la aplaudo, es más, creo que me hubiera enojado si no hacía algo para impedir que Saito no esté en la lucha final. El fanservice llega a ser muy molesto, sobre todo por el ova, pero aún así, me encanta <3 El final es hermoso, perdí la cuenta de cuantas veces retrocedí para verlo, desde que vuelve Saito hasta el minuto final. Lástima que quede inconclusa, pero para mí no acabó jajajaja.
June 4, 2018
I like the concept, and the story itself isn't bad, but the main character, Louise the "Zero", is suuuuuuch a horrible person. She treats her familiar, a teenage boy she accidentally summoned, terribly. I mean, I get tsundere, but she doesn't even treat him like a person at first, and she still abuses him, like screaming at him to get down and act like a dog. I mean, why do I want to follow a person like her?
Which is a shame, as if she wasn't horrible, the story could work. I'm still a bit curious, but Louise pisses me off with her awfulness, so it's pretty unlikely I'll read any more of this series.
Which is a shame, as if she wasn't horrible, the story could work. I'm still a bit curious, but Louise pisses me off with her awfulness, so it's pretty unlikely I'll read any more of this series.
April 5, 2016
Volume one of Zero no Tskaima revolves around second year students attending an academy for wizards. Louise, otherwise know as Louis the zero for her lack of ability, is bullied and teased for not being able to correctly complete a spell. When required to summon a familiar, Louise summons Saito, who happens to be a human. Though she is judged even more for this incident, Louise and Saito begin to understand one another as they are threatened by evil forces and required to put an end to their fury.
March 26, 2020
Hodnocení: 2/5
Tak tohle byl docela šok. Z anime (seriálu) jsem byla docela nadšená - líbil se mi, měl šťávu a chvílemi i vtip. Ale z mangy tedy ani jedno nečiší. Hodnocení 2 hvězdičky - je to ok a lehce se mi to i líbí. Ovšem jak říkám, zklamání oproti anime.
edit 03/2020:
je čas si v době karantény pustit nějaké anime...a ve službách Nuly mi přijde jako skvělý nápad. Manga mě sice nechytla tolik, ale navnadila na anime o kterém vím, že je lepší...
Tak tohle byl docela šok. Z anime (seriálu) jsem byla docela nadšená - líbil se mi, měl šťávu a chvílemi i vtip. Ale z mangy tedy ani jedno nečiší. Hodnocení 2 hvězdičky - je to ok a lehce se mi to i líbí. Ovšem jak říkám, zklamání oproti anime.
edit 03/2020:
je čas si v době karantény pustit nějaké anime...a ve službách Nuly mi přijde jako skvělý nápad. Manga mě sice nechytla tolik, ale navnadila na anime o kterém vím, že je lepší...
July 24, 2014
Creo que es un gran choque las diferencias entre el anime y el libro. A pesar de que viendo el anime desde el principio se puede notar que es un anime de categoría ecchi, el libro contiene los pensamientos de los personajes que son bastante mas pervertidos de lo que yo me esperaba inicialmente. Pero igual lo disfrute.
August 7, 2012
Le pondría 3 y media en realidad, pero bueno, no se puede.
La saga de Tsukaima es de mis preferidas y la que me introdujo de cierta manera al mundo de las novelas ligeras. El primer tomo es sencillo pero entretenido.
Le lei hace más de dos años así que no puedo recordar demasiado.
La saga de Tsukaima es de mis preferidas y la que me introdujo de cierta manera al mundo de las novelas ligeras. El primer tomo es sencillo pero entretenido.
Le lei hace más de dos años así que no puedo recordar demasiado.
February 19, 2013
Slightly different from the anime - Saito is more vindictive and actually pranks Louise a few times which she totally deserves. This book is roughly the first six episodes minus the parts with Siesta being sold off to that jerk noble and the appearance of Princess Henretta.
October 7, 2024
Loved it. I'm a big fan of the anime so I was extremely curious about the novel. First book is the same as the anime, but beacuse it'a being told from Saito's point of view, it feels a little different. I read "Baka-Tsuki"s translation, great job!
July 24, 2012
Je to vtipné, mám tuto mangu moc ráda :-)
September 4, 2012
Very fluffy and cliched fantasy series that I found charming nonetheless. I'm not sure if the awkward writing is a result of the author finding his feet or the translation team being amateurs.
September 25, 2012
Magic girl...what else is better with tsundere magical girls?
April 25, 2016
the funniest light novel that i ever read.... especially louise and saito.... the funniest couple ever
October 28, 2016
This series has a decent start. Even though Louise treats her familiar like trash, he still serves her well.
April 2, 2020
Typical
This is basically exactly what you would expect. I'm not super impressed to be honest. It's kinda cute but the MC is annoying
This is basically exactly what you would expect. I'm not super impressed to be honest. It's kinda cute but the MC is annoying
June 23, 2013
Saito!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews