aizengard Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I know it took a while but it's done. Thanks to The Hawk for editing it and everything else. Intro Hello everyone, this is my review of Mahou Sensei Negima, also known as Negima! Magister Negi Magi, also known as…forget it, let’s get on with it. Negima’s story starts off with a middle school student named Asuna and her 9 year old teacher Negi...yes, you just read that right. It turns out that Negi is a Magi, which apparently means Magician in training. One day Asuna sees Negi casting magic to save a girl who fell off the stairs. This is apparently a bad thing because Negi tells her that no one is supposed to know that he’s really a Magi and if anyone finds out he won’t be able to practice magic, and he’ll have to go home to England. This might not be a bad idea actually because, well, did I forget to mention that his whole class is made up of love-struck schoolgirls who ALL seem to have the hots for him? Did I mention he’s 9 years old in a class full of middle school students? Ladies and gentlemen, that’s just the tip of the iceberg; it only gets weirder from here. Storyline The story here supposedly focuses on Negi. I say supposedly because most of the focus seems to be on Asuna who is supposedly not the main protagonist. To be fair I’ve only seen five episodes of it but…well, I’ll get back to that in just a second. Getting back on topic, one of the best parts of any good story is character development, right? Negima takes this advice to heart by taking a few little chunks of character development and randomly throwing them into the series before going back to being…Negima. Like I said, I’ve only seen five episodes of this so maybe from episode six onward it turns into a great storyline juggernaut but I seriously doubt it. From what I’ve seen, Negima is all about the stupid fun, not so much about story, and I use the term “fun” loosely while putting emphasis on “stupid.” For example, in the episode when you find out that Negi is looking for his father. He mentions it, and the show goes back to doing what it does best. Well, so much for that, you almost had a real plot going on for a second there but you just couldn’t stick with it, could you? From big revelation to boob contest in a matter of seconds…the term “awkward transition” just doesn’t cut it here. By the way, that boob contest has one of THE most disturbing things I have ever seen. Remember Satoko’s death from Higurashi? Worse than that. But to be fair, character development and an engrossing plot are hard to pull off when the main character’s harem (still disturbing) has at least thirty girls in it! Really? You could take up a full episode just by introducing everyone who has a name in this series! How can you even remember all of these characters, much less try to relate to them or fit them all in the story convincingly? They try a little with Asuna, like the scene where she told Negi that both of her parents died, but anything that vaguely resembles a story is quickly thrown out the window and replaced with fanservice. For example, when Negi sneezes he accidentally summons a whirlwind that tears off some of Asuna’s clothes. I think I can pretty much just leave it at that. In fact, I think I can sum up the series with statements like that. Characters Two words; “Walking Clichés.” Okay, I guess I can’t get away with that, but honestly…the characters in this show are just bland. Asuna is that one girl that treats the main character like dirt but secretly, she’s practically gagging for his wizard staff. Notaka is that one girl who blushes like crazy if the main character so much as looks in her direction. Ayaka is that one girl that’s just begging you to hate her, and the list goes on from there. Negi is a little harder to nail down. Of course the obvious choice is that he’s the token little kid character, but then again he’s also the hero of the story. Maybe some people like Negi’s kind of character, but personally I just find him to be annoying all around. Oh, and we can’t forget Professor Takahata, who might be the most bland character in the entire cast. All we really know about him (for now) is that he’s been taking care of Negi for a while and he…seems to have a thing for Asuna. Wow. What’s even worse is that Asuna seems to have a thing for him. Excuse me for a minute, gotta go throw up. Animation The animation here is pretty basic and bland. Nothing really sticks out, except for the fact that once in a while I could almost swear that Asuna’s eyes switch colors. Also, am I the only one who gets annoyed by the transparent hair that keeps showing up in anime? Where you can see a character’s eyes through their hair? Yes, I know I’m just being nitpicky, but there’s really not much to talk about here. Although I will admit that the character designs aren’t half bad, the rest goes from average to below average. A good example of this is the opening which has your usual upbeat anime theme song while showing…a slow motion game of volleyball? So like I said, not really bad but not really good either. By the way, Takahata kinda looks like Father Anderson from Hellsing. Go ahead and let that mental image roll around in your head for a while. Here's another thought, what's with that white haired girl in the background that never does anything? She's just kind of there, and for some reason she makes me think of the Toasty guy from Mortal Kombat. You know, the guy who pops up randomly when you--never mind, let's keep moving on. Music Probably the worst part of the entire show. It sucks, it’s bland, it’s poorly composed, it sucks, and the only piece of music from Negima that could possibly be considered good is the opening. The opening is upbeat and catchy and it fits the series pretty well, it’s much better than anything else this show has to offer. Besides for that, well, you could always mute the TV and load up some DragonForce to make everything that much more EPIC. Voice Acting Well, I have some good news about this. It’s about the same no matter which dub you listen to. And by that, I mean they’re equally annoying, and neither of them are really that good at all. Greg Ayres is a GOOD voice actor so why, oh why, do they have him playing a little kid with a bad British accent?! On the Japanese side, it’s way too obvious that Negi is played by a woman. This problem is pretty common I know, but you know what else is common? Gay sex. And I’ll say the same thing about both of these situations; if it’s going to happen then I don’t want to be in earshot range when it’s happening because I don’t want to hear anything that’s going to make me lose sleep tonight. Anyways, the only voices I actually liked somewhat were Asuna’s English voice and Notaka’s Japanese voice. Overall, I’d stick with the Sub just to avoid little-British-boy Greg Ayres. Summary I know I’ve pretty much spent this entire review putting Negima down, but really, it’s not all that terrible. It’s the kind of show where you have to be into this kind of show to like it, I really don’t know how else to describe it. I do like the occasional harem romance anime, but this series just…doesn’t work for me. It didn’t make me laugh, it didn’t make me think, and it didn’t make me care about the character’s relationships, I just couldn’t get into it at all. Part of the problem is that it seems like the series is trying to juggle too many things at once, and doesn’t really succeed with any of them in my opinion. Another problem is that plague on anime and bane of all good stories everywhere, fanservice overload. I mean really, is it necessary? Try it out if you really like the genre, but if you don’t, this isn’t going to get you hooked. All in all, I give Mahou Sensei Negima a 4 out of 10. Thanks for reading and tell me what you think. Next time it's Elfen Lied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prompto Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Negima! is baaaad compared to Negima!?. Rushed and the ending is awful. If you haven't already thought about it, watch Negima!? instead. Negima!'s dub was ear splitting aaaa. Oh, and we can’t forget Professor Takahata, who might be the most bland character in the entire cast. All we really know about him (for now) is that he’s been taking care of Negi for a while and he…seems to have a thing for Asuna. Wow. What’s even worse is that Asuna seems to have a thing for him. Excuse me for a minute, gotta go throw up. I don't ever think he really considered her that way. Asuna did, duh, but I'm pretty sure Takahata never actually thought of her like that. Here's another thought, what's with that white haired girl in the background that never does anything? Ghost. Much more important in the second season. Otherwise, good review. :3 Pretty much up everything I thought in the end, and the majority of what you need to know. Fanservicey bit did get ridiculous in the end, since they did waaay too much of it. The manga had it, too, but it wasn't always just put there for giggles and shits. ~_~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aizengard Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) the takahata thing was the hawks fault i dint word it right and for got to edit it. Edited January 20, 2011 by aizengard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiltas Crysten Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Can't say a thing about the anime, but I've read the manga (which isn't finished yet), and well... I can tell you one or two things about it. Mahou Sensei Negima! could be compared to Katekyo Hitman Reborn!. It starts out as a simple Gag-Manga. Most of the early story is simply stupid and just introduces more and more characters (which I can only remember half of the names...). There are several gags which are supposed to be funny, but there are hardly any gag-mangas which can become really popular, and (aside from the kid teacher) Negima! doesn't really stand out. The result is that the author turns it into a battle manga, and it actually works quite fine this way. The later story (according to my opinion) is worth to be read, but it really takes a while for the plot to get into gear. You have to have patience if you're interested in the story, but aside from that I could recommend it. Sorry for butting in. *bows* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hawk Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Otherwise, good review. :3 Pretty much up everything I thought in the end, and the majority of what you need to know. Fanservicey bit did get ridiculous in the end, since they did waaay too much of it. The manga had it, too, but it wasn't always just put there for giggles and shits. ~_~ Fanservice...it's everywhere these days. Anyways, glad you liked it. the takahata thing was the hawks fault u dint word it right and for got to edit it. Yeah, that'd be me. Whoops. You see, I'm pretty much the editor for Aizengard's Anime reviews, and that little bit there was a...miscommunication. I took some of Aizen's notes the wrong way and figured that the...attraction was mutual. Ah well, as they say in CoD: Black Ops when you commit suicide, "mistakes were made." Can't say a thing about the anime, but I've read the manga (which isn't finished yet), and well... I can tell you one or two things about it. Mahou Sensei Negima! could be compared to Katekyo Hitman Reborn!. It starts out as a simple Gag-Manga. Most of the early story is simply stupid and just introduces more and more characters (which I can only remember half of the names...). There are several gags which are supposed to be funny, but there are hardly any gag-mangas which can become really popular, and (aside from the kid teacher) Negima! doesn't really stand out. The result is that the author turns it into a battle manga, and it actually works quite fine this way. The later story (according to my opinion) is worth to be read, but it really takes a while for the plot to get into gear. You have to have patience if you're interested in the story, but aside from that I could recommend it. Sorry for butting in. *bows* Huh, good to know. Kind of makes me wonder what would've happened if the story started out like that. As for you "butting in," if you want to call it that, feel free to "butt in" anytime. A little extra insight never hurt anyone. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstraLunaSol Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Read the manga. :\ Really, the show does suck, if you read it it's tons better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aizengard Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Read the manga. :\ Really, the show does suck, if you read it it's tons better. thanks i'll try it sometime wow i only got a few replies maybe i should have put hentai hentai as the tag... im kidding. but does anyone know where else i can post this? Edited January 20, 2011 by aizengard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narga_Rocks Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 thanks i'll try it sometime wow i only got a few replies maybe i should have put hentai hentai as the tag... im kidding. but does anyone know where else i can post this? Well, you put it in the right spot. Just that not many check here. You can also put it in FFTF, since nothing is exactly "wrong spot" when it is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aizengard Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Well, you put it in the right spot. Just that not many check here. You can also put it in FFTF, since nothing is exactly "wrong spot" when it is there. that place is odd...i'll just keep it here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florete Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Well, you put it in the right spot. Just that not many check here. Couldn't he put it in Written Works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narga_Rocks Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Couldn't he put it in Written Works? I actually did think about that. It can work there, too, kind of. I mean, he did write it all and it is kind of creative. I just didn't think it quite fit with stories, poems, and songs. Even the "etc" makes me think something with a similarly artsy theme. But if he wants, he can place it there as well and then post a thread in the "feedback" forum for responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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