MAHOU SENSEI NEGIMA
Even David Copperfield never had this many fangirls
Review by: Craig "Magic Bus" Norris
Length: 26 episodes
Genre: Drama, comedy, romance, fantasy
Watched: 1-26, subbed
Here's a weird role reversal. I'm used to series where the male students lust after the hot, older female teacher. Now, imagine a series where the middle school girls lust after their male teacher who looks just a few months removed from being fed strained peaches. Well, that's exactly what we've got here: a young teacher with a rigid staff he uses to work his magic. And no, that is not
a filthy sexual innuendo.
Plot synopsis: After finishing his studies at magic school, ten year-old Negi Springfield is given his post-graduate assignment to become a master magician: teaching English at an all-girls school. The only catch is: he's not allowed to let anyone know that he can use magic. Easier said than done, considering all the strange things that start happening at school after Negi shows up. Now Negi must brave vampires, evil magicians, and more than a handful of schoolgirl crushes if he wants to prove that he is a master magician.
Artwork: Since the original manga was created by the Ken Akamatsu, the same person who brought us Love Hina (God bless you, sir!), it was no surprise that the same animation studio responsible for the Love Hina anime was placed in charge of the production of Mahou Sensei Negima. So expect the same quality of art made famous by the bumblings of Keitaro and the dreaded Naru Punch™. The bright and vivid character designs are the centerpiece of the show, as, even with over 30 schoolgirls crowding the screen at times, each character has a distinct visual presence, with no one ever blending into the background. The artistic style fits the show perfectly, able to pull off the comedy and drama with an equal degree of success. So, while the art does nothing truly innovative, it captures the essence of what the show is all about.
Music: The score is alright for the anime itself, but taking it away from the series is like removing a tapeworm from your cat; it will not take long before it shrivels up and dies. The tracks sound like they were all made by one guy on a synthesizer in a sound studio in about half an afternoon. With all the magic spells and romantic tension whizzing around, the soundtrack could have been a lot more inspired. Sadly, however, it travels the beaten path, and offers nothing but run-of-the-mill filler noise that really doesn't do the series justice.
Characters: One thing I give this series lots of credit for is that it has somewhere in the neighborhood of forty regular characters, and it tries to develop them all. Granted, some aren't developed nearly as well as others, but the effort was made. The pivotal presence in the cast is Negi, whom all events revolve around in one form or another. As a ten year-old, he's very unsure about his ability to be a teacher, most specifically his ability to lead. He takes great pains to understand everyone, taking notes about the personalities of his students in his class roster. The main female character is Asuna, who has a very stand-offish personality which stands out amongst a class full of bubbly teenagers. She is very self-reliant, even to the point of ignoring her feelings when they steer her towards people. However, that doesn't stop her from developing a huge crush on her teacher from the previous year, the noticeably older Takahata. Takahata helps Negi adjust to his new teacher's position, but also seems to know about Negi's magical background. Asuna's main rival in, well, just about everything, is Ayaka, the class president. She sees Asuna as boorish and crass, and constantly holds her wealthy status and ladylike
demeanor over her head. Plus Ayaka, along with about half the class, thinks Negi is the cutest thing on two legs. Nodoka is a shy, bookish girl who has a pronounced fear of men. However, she feels none of that when she's around Negi, so almost by default she falls for him. Of course, what magician is complete without a fuzzy mascot? Enter Camo, a talking ermine who helps Negi with some of his magical problems. I found his presence to be rather unnecessary, as he
provides information that Negi could have just as easily researched at the library. When he's not giving exposition, he's really just an annoyance, mostly to the viewer. Evangeline is the creepy goth girl who sits in the back of the class and seems very disinterested in the class's activities. However, before you start throwing around terms like ADD and depression, know that there is a
damn good reason why she hates school, and not because it's "hip" to be apathetic. Of course, running through all the members of Negi's class would take up too much of my time (as well as most of the MB that Geocities lets us have), so I'll stop there. I will only elaborate further by saying that the appropriate cliques are present in the class, including the cheerleaders, the martial artists, the bookworms, the twins, and even the dumb girls. I'd say it's just like a real classroom, although I must confess that I've never shared a classroom with a ninja, a ghost, a vampire, and an android before. Although I did sit next to a stripper in my environmental politics class. My rib is still sore from the time she asked to borrow my notes and I tried to stuff them into her underwear, but I digress.
Plot: Despite heavy attempts at character development, some decent plots are thrown in as well. Most major story arcs don't last more than three or four episodes, so taking the series in small chunks at a time is certainly feasible. Plot material ranges from light and funny to tragic and morose, with most of the series being more uplifting than depressing. Sometimes the character development and plot interconnect, as individual characters become the story for a particular episode. While the plot does enough to hold my attention, it realizes that it is merely a vessel for the characters, who are the real reason why the show is so successful.
CHICKS!: Negi's class roster stands at 31. All of them girls. Cute, naïve little schoolgirls (well, most of them). Yes they are underage, but they are so vibrant and full of energy that it's easy to forget sometimes. My personal favorite is Nodoka, but then I always seem to gravitate toward the shy ones. There's someone for all tastes present in Negi's class, whether you like net idols, reporters, gymnasts, shrine maidens, tech geeks, and even pink-haired twins. And that's not even mentioning the legal chick, Shizuna the campus counselor, who has a heart of gold and a chest of grapefruits. Since they're all so diverse, it puzzles me why most of them would be interested in the same guy. That makes me both fascinated and infuriated by Negi. When I was ten I was still getting over my embarrassing bed-wetting problem, and he's got more schoolgirls hanging off him than a set of monkey bars. Now *that* takes magic!
Overall: I would have to say that Ken Akamatsu has at least equaled the success he garnered from Love Hina with Mahou Sensei Negima. Equally impressive is that, despite the heavy romantic undertones, large cast of females, and frequent comedic moments, the series manages to be successful without using large amounts of fanservice. Combine that with interesting plots and engrossing characters, and the final product is a series that surpasses the expectations of everyone
who has become irrevocably jaded by Harry Potter. There's a lesson to be learned here: give the Japanese 30 schoolgirls, and they'll make a good idea better.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Wonderful characters
+ Fitting artwork
+ Not too much plot, not too little plot
- Weak soundtrack
Rating: 9/10
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