The second installment of MTT isn't exactly broomstick-flying intensive. Instead, the sub-plot of the conflict between the magic-users club and the manga club provides the impetus for today's episode. The importance of this episode lies in revealing more about Sae's insecurities and past history and the antagonists' increased interest in the phenomenon of magic. This article, however, is very broomstick-flying intensive. Below are biased observations and unscientific results on styles of broomstick riding. |
Fig. 1 is the riding position used by Takakura Takeo (a.k.a. Takakura-sempai). This position can be very uncomfortable on the shin laid across the bar, if not positioned correctly. Initial discomfort set in within a minute, and the test subject could endure only 3 minutes 30 seconds on the bar. | |
Figure 1 |
Fig. 2 shows the riding style favored by Aburatsubo Ayanojou (a.k.a. the gay guy). While this position may look somewhat effeminate, it really is the smartest of all three. The rider's weight is distributed on the hamstrings and cheek muscles and allows a large variety of adjustments for rotating the supporting muscles. Discomfort was slight and final exhaustion clocked in at 8 minutes 30 seconds. | |
Figure 2 |
This is how the girls ride their brooms. The test subject started screaming as soon as he got on and didn't stop until he finally hopped off at 48 seconds. | |
Figure 3 |
* The title Mahou Tsukai Tai literally means "Magic-Users Club," but it can also be heard as "I want to use magic," and intentional pun. Send complaints about the title of this article to Owen Hsia (oeh1@cornell.edu). |