The strongest sage with the weakest crest vol 1 by Shinkoshoto

Illustrated by Liver Jam & POPO (Friendly Land)

Mathias is “cursed” with the lowest crest, fourth of four, and he’s learned as much as he can within his limitations. He’s decided that if he reincarnates himself, he might get the strongest crest, or he’ll keep reincarnating until he gets it. As luck would have it, he’s successful on the first try! He has no idea how many hundreds of years into the future he’s gone, but he’s reincarnated into a young boy’s body, and everything is very different. His crest is thought of as the worst, while his “brother,” who has Mathias’ old crest, is considered the best. Combat skills have also declined, so Mathias, with all his knowledge of magic and fighting from his previous life, defies all expectations as a strong magic-wielder and swordsman.

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These reincarnation stories are fairly common, and there's nothing super stand-outish about this one. Mathias is completely overpowered compared to everyone else in this world since he has all his knowledge about spells and swords skills. He is still a young kid, so his stamina isn't the best, but his magical prowess is still as grand as it was in his former life. The thing that makes this slightly intriguing is how much the society has changed and flopped on its head. I'm sure Mathias is going to start exploring why that is, and I doubt it's going to be for any good reasons. He'll probably have to fight against the entire society to show them that they've been deceived. There's a little too much of that going on in real life at the moment, so it's not as compelling a reason to keep reading as one would hope.

There's nothing in this first volume that would make it inappropriate for junior high, although some of the battle scenes may get more series as time goes on.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Publisher: Square Enix
Publication Date: July 14, 2020
ISBN: 9781646090402 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy, Family, Magic, ​Square Enix