Magic circle

An active Midchildan Circle

The magic circle (魔法陣 mahōjin) is the visible manifestation of magical energy being collected by a mage to cast a powerful spell. It also accompanies Device activation and similar power-ups. The circle is composed of intangible light and usually appears just under the caster's feet (even in flight), centered under his or her center of gravity. Depending on the amount of energy released, the circle may spin faster or slower. The circle is generally white with a glow depending on the caster's magic color, with the exception of certain villain characters whose circles are black with a purplish glow.

Function

According to A's manga, the shape of the magic circle is determined by the particular spell being cast. Because magic in the Nanoha universe is similar to programs, each spell includes complex mathematical calculations, and the magic circles are basically the visual representation of said calculations.

Forms

Basic forms

The form of a mage's magic circle is determined by the magic system he or she practices:

• The Midchildan system (ミッドチルダ式 Middochiruda shiki) uses a proper circle, with more concentric rings and squares inscribed in it. At the corners of each ring are the small Greek letters π (pi), δ (delta), ω (omega) and ν (nu).
• The Belkan systems (ベルカ式 Beruka shiki), both Ancient and Modern, use a triangle, with four circles at its angles and the center. The outer circles contain abstract symbols, while the inner circle is inscribed with a cross. The Belkan Circle also appears in the series a few times alongside the Wolkenritter, consisting of two overlayed Belkan triangles circumscribed by a circle.
• The Inherent Skills of Combat Cyborgs use a circular IS Template (ISテンプレート Ai Esu Tenpurēto). Strictly speaking, it is an "energy control formation" (エネルギー制御陣形 enerugī seigyo jinkei) but not a kind of "magic circle" as Inherent Skills are cast with non-magical energy. It is also more technological-looking than the other magic circles, composed of solid blocks of colour and no symbols.
• Practitioners of Formula Eltria use a magic circle known as Formula Plate (フォーミュラプレート Fōmyura Purēto) for their spells.
• Eclipse virus carriers display a circle containing 10-pointed stars when casting spells/skills with Eclipse power/energy.

Variations

Within a same system, there could also be variations of magic circles:

• Summon magic, regardless of system, apparently uses a magic square, whose design is based on the system's regular magic circle.
• A magic loop (環状魔法陣 kanjō mahōjin, lit. ring-shaped magic circle) appears around the caster's arm, fingers or Device in numerous spells or skills (mainly shooting or bombardment type), which is used for strengthening and accelerating the mana charge. The loop generally has straight sides of same length, like the lateral surface of a cylinder. However in rare cases, the loop's flat surface is perpendicular to the caster's arm or fingers and its sides are curved, like a thick edge of a circle.
• Magic tape (帯状魔法陣 taijō mahōjin) is the flat and non-lateral version of magic loop, with same design but thick width. So far it has only appeared as the "floors" for Wing Road and Air Liner.
• A sighting ring replaces the magic loop for magic charge in Teana's Phantom Blazer.
• For a specifically powerful Midchildan spell (in The MOVIE 2nd A's), an extra circular loop is added to the outside of a regular Midchildan Circle, making it a large-sized "double circle".

Multi-system practitioners

Although this is uncommon, an individual who has mastered more than one magic system can manifest magic circles of different form, depending on the currently used system. For example, the summoners apparently only manifest their Squares when summoning extremely powerful creatures, and use regular Circles or Triangles otherwise. When Hayate Yagami casts Hraesvelgr with aiming assistance from Long Arch, it manifests with a Midchildan Circle rather than her usual Belkan Triangle. In the refined DVD version of A's, Hayate also has a Midchildan Circle under her feet and a Belkan Triangle for the muzzle in her Ragnarok spell.

Gallery

Since the release of The MOVIE 1st in year 2010, certain magic circles have been re-designed despite the old ones may still be used, especially in manga. The following summarizes magic circles seen in the Nanoha universe:

System	Regular	Summoning	Loop/Tape	Others
Midchilda (old design)	Midchildan Circle	Midchildan Summoner Square	Midchildan Loop
Midchilda (new design)	Midchildan Circle		Midchildan Loop (interim version) Midchildan Loop (finalized version)	Midchildan Double Circle
Belka (old design)	Belkan Triangle	Belkan Summoner Square	Belkan Loop/Tape (same as Midchildan Loop)	Belkan Ceremonial Circle
Belka (new design)	Belkan Triangle		Belkan Loop/Tape (same as Midchildan Loop)	Belkan Ceremonial Square
Inherent Skills	IS Template	N/A	IS Loop/Tape	IS Template Loop
Formula Eltria	Formula Plate	N/A		N/A
Eclipse	Eclipse Circle	N/A	Eclipse Loop	Eclipse Circle Loop

External links

• Magic circle in traditional magic