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Reviewed by Lisa Anderson At first glance, it’s easy to associate Negima! Magister Negi Magi, more commonly known as Negima, with Harry Potter or A Wizard of Earthsea. You take one boy, place him in a magical academy, then send him on a test to prove his abilities. Instead of saving a kingdom or slaying a dragon, 10-year-old Negi is sent to Japan to teach English, and at an all-girls school to boot! Adjusting to the new school won’t be an easy task. Due to his age, Negi is treated more like a younger brother than a respected teacher. All the students find their new teacher adorable, except for Asuna. The teacher that Negi replaced, who he happens to be old friends with, was also the one man Asuna had a secret crush on. Despite being forbidden to use magic, Negi can’t resist at times…and who of all people happens to stumble across the new teacher’s secret? Asuna does, and she promises to make his life a living hell…what better challenge for a magic prodigy? So the two form a deal - Asuna will keep Negi’s magic a secret if he will help her out with her crush on his friend. In classic comedy fashion, the pair end up creating more trouble than solutions. It doesn’t help when gradually more people are added to the mix. Like Love Hina, Negima should delight many of a fan of Akamatsu’s work. While the main idea sounds cute and comical, Negima is definitely best left to older teens. Panty shots and undressing scenes abound, taking every opportunity to show off the developed anatomy of the all-girl school. There’s even a consistent reason for it - Negi has an unusual allergy that causes him to sneeze, summoning a strong gust of wind…which just happens to blow of the clothing of any nearby female. At first all this makes it easy to assume that there’s nothing more to the manga than that, but that isn’t the case. Despite the large cast of 31 female students, each is covered in detail as time goes on. The first volume only covers a small, core group, but later volumes make sure that each student receives a fair amount of fleshing out. (If you’ll pardon the pun) Each girl also has a distinctive look, making it easier to tell them apart. On the downside, the sheer amount of people makes it rather difficult to keep track of names at times. For anyone bad at putting names to faces, a scorecard would definitely come in handy. Thankfully they include a class list, spotlighting it at times in the course of the story. It serves as a very handy recap, especially given Negi’s habit of writing observation notes next to each girl’s picture. The plot also has more to it than a cute kid surrounded by pretty women. Negi has a goal he truly believes in - to one day become a master wizard. He doesn’t have exact plan on how to reach his goal, which makes it rather hard for him to find his way at times. There are many points where Negi is forced to seriously think on his actions and goals, something rather difficult for any 10-year-old, even a prodigy. The girls also have serious points in their back stories, making them more than setup tools for a hot spring scene. The artwork for Negima is rather impressive. While the characters can be cutesy at times, the overall look to things is more detailed. With such large settings, there are many little things that deserve a second or third look. The students are also rather sharp and details, each noticeably different than every other. When you add spells and fights, Negima is easily the type of story that needs a second read, if only to catch the little things missed the first time around. For anyone that enjoyed Love Hina, Negima is definitely worth a read. At times a romantic comedy, at others a magic adventure, the story holds something for almost anyone. If you shy away from a bit of exposed flesh, Negima is definitely something best avoided. That aside, it is full of comedic situations and sudden bouts of serious reflection. With 31 girls to choose from, it is almost impossible not to find a favorite character, or at least someone with a familiar personality. While a bit predictable at times, Negima still holds a unique spot in the long line of romantic comedies, making it a worthwhile read. Comment on this review of Negima v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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