Wakaranai

After an eternity of waiting, the new Negima OAD series, again animated by the enigmatic studio SHAFT, has sprung up, released with the limited edition volume 27 of the manga. The release itself is really impressive, accompanied by an assortment of drool worthy extras on top of the actual OAD disc. As usual, the cover for the manga volume has been tweaked to make it superior (although this cover didn’t receive nearly the upgrade that 25 did - battle-stripped Setsuna <3); the packaging features a heap of stunning artwork of the girls in the typical desirable style of Negima (you’ll be holding your nose after seeing Ken Akamatsu’s lovely girls in swimsuits, nekomimi and loli forms~); and the ultimate bonus comes in the form of a set of bookmarks featuring Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Yue and Nodoka, all with cat-ears and all seductively posed in swimsuits - it’s sexiness overload of the best kind, enough to satisfy almost any fanboy! With all of these amazing extras it would be understandable for oversees Negima fans to be gripped by powerful jealousy. Apparently Negima has a larger fan following oversees than it does in Japan, which just shows how mistreated us outsiders are. Despite the extras licensing issues, the non-existent extras offered by US publishers is truly a sign of laziness. We deserve our dosage of Negima hotness too!!

Well, for now, all of this can be seen bellow. These delicious photos are taken from CartoonWorld blog, the author of which was privileged enough to get his hands on a copy.

left Bonus pactio card of Kaede. Right the OVA disc itself featuring Asuna in pactio-made

The above images show the racey, swimwear-themed cover-art for the OAD box. [top left] front; Like the outer cover of the release this prominently features Asuna and Nodoka. Asuna is looking really sexy and Nodoka is looking cute and fittingly self-conscious. I love the ribbon on her swimsuit. [top right] mainly showing off Yue’s surprisingly bold swimsuit. Yue’s sexyness is on full display, and I must say she’s looking very take-homeable. [bottom left] but the back delivers the most fetching artwork of the whole lot, showing Konoka and Setsuna sharing a shy yuri moment. “O-Ojousama where are you putting your hand!?” I think these two are the sexiest of all the Negima girls too. In the background is some bonus win in the form of three girls in loli-mode, Chachamaru (swimsuit + thigh-highs ftw), Asakura and, looking super cute, Chiisame (who’s now a perma-loli it seems - by choice! <3).

But wait, there’s more! Those eye-catching bookmarks that were earlier previewed on the official website are all included.

The one-piece swimsuit and nekomimi combo is a mind-blowing decoction of cute and sexy. OH GOD SETSUNA!

As you can see, this could be the most attractive manga release in human history! And the best thing is that, if you can find a way to get it, it’s only for the generous price of around 3500yen. Truly magnificent!

But the best thing (other than the gorgeous bookmarks) is that the accompanying OVA episode is actually good! I’m still adjusting to this new and wonderful feeling of watching a Negima anime adaptation that is actually competent and not atrocious. Of course, it’s not nearly on the same level as the manga itself - it’s gotta be impossible to match Ken Akamatsu’s art style and character designs! However, it did turn out better than I thought it would. The previous OVA series was really enjoyable and surprisingly faithful, but it didn’t really hit a point in the manga where it had something really meaty to chew through. Probably the biggest fight scene they had to animate back then was a pillow fight! So this episode really takes things to a new level when it portrays that unforgettable clash with the enigmatic and untouchable Fate Averuncus at the gateport. The suspense and shock of those manga chapters was captured perfectly. The sudden violence against Negi and the subsequent spanking Fate & friends deal out on his combat harem were really surprising, and among the most tense and dark moments of the manga to date. It was almost upsetting seeing the usually empowered Asuna, Setsuna, and especially Negi being caught in this state of helplessness and so utterly off-guard.

The music was done really well here. Which I’m really grateful for because the score music prior to that felt too silly and out of place (and sounded a lot like Pani Poni Dash BGM!!). From creepy, escalating strings as Negi senses Fate’s dark presence, to a frenetic electronic accompaniment to the action sequences, the music really pulled you into that dangerous and exciting world that team ALA ALBA landed in.

The animation was imperfect but it got the job done, delivering some pretty impressive action moments, from the spell-slinging of the mages to the martial arts duels of the chi-users, the battle sequence was large scale, elaborate and totally gripping. Another reason I loved this portion of the manga was the totally awesome magic battle that unfolded. Because Negi is essentially taken out of action, the rest of ALA ALBA have to rely on themselves to fend off the lethal attacks of Fate’s cohort. It was really fun to finally see all of the combat-oriented pactios being put to use in a strategic and team-oriented fashion, and to see how the girls handle a desperate and threatening situation like this. So it’s a lot of fun to finally see this animated. It’s obviously not as detailed and gritty-looking as in the manga but it is fast, nearly unrelenting and very well-choreographed. You can’t help but cheer when any of the characters have their badass recovery moment, like Kotarou rejoining the fray with a saving kick or Setsuna intervening in Fate’s attack on Konoka, or when Asuna destroys that chest containing all their weapons and pactios! It’s moments like this, and the sheer number of combatants that makes this probably the best magic/fantasy battle scene I’ve seen animated!

The OVA is off to a good start, but there’s no guarantee that later battles will be done justice. At least we know that panty-shots and ecchi moments can be left completely intact because this isn’t broadcast on television! Negima without fanservice is like ying without yang.