Showing posts with label Ken Akamatsu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Akamatsu. Show all posts

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I Reads You Review: NEGIMA, VOL. 28


Creator: Ken Akamatsu; Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley (translation and adaptation)
Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback, 186 pages, $10.99 (US), $11.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-52160-6 (ISBN-13)
Rating “OT for Ages 16+”
Negi Springfield is a ten-year-old wizard who dreams of becoming a Magister Magi (a “Master of Magic” or “Master Mage”), a special wizard who uses his powers to help normal people. Negi’s primary reason for becoming a Magister Magi is to find his father, Nagi Springfield, the legendary mage also known as the “Thousand Master,” who is believed to be dead. After graduating from the Merdiana Magic Academy in Wales, Negi becomes an English teacher at Mahora Academy in Japan, where he deals with 31 older girls, each very special in her own way.

Negima!, Vol. 28 opens post-Ostia Festival. Negi has managed to free his enslaved friends. As Negi and company prepare to leave Magical World for their homeworld (Earth), they discover that they have been branded as outlaws. That is when Negi encounters Kurt Goedel, the Governor-General of Ostia, who plans to arrest all of them.

This sinister man also claims to be well-acquainted with Negi’s parents, especially Negi’s mother, Arika Anarchia Entheufushiaa, the Queen of Calamity. Goedel offers to pardon Negi and company if they attend his party, the Governor’s Ball. Also, Negi and his friends make a shocking discovery about Magical World and its location.

I always find Negima a difficult read whenever I receive a copy for review, as I have with Vol. 28. There are so many characters, and the story seems (at least to me) to be too busy. Still, I’m a sucker for team books, and this is essentially a team book or the shonen manga equivalent of one. Such a large cast is always bound to yield many interesting and engaging characters, and out of all those sub-plots, surely some of them will capture the imagination.

This time around, Negima offers something to keep readers interested and me coming back – at least for a while. Negi’s parents, their connection to Ostia, Goedel’s part in these mysteries, and the truth about Magical World are the kind of storylines that grab you. I must also admit to enjoying the dynamic of Negi and all those girls – some with romantic feelings for him. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

I Reads You Review: NEGIMA!? neo, VOL. 6



Creators: Ken Akamatsu (story) and Takuya Fujima (art); Alethea Nibley, Athena Nibley (translation and adaptation)
Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback, 196 pages, $10.99 (US), $11.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-52059-3 (ISBN-13)
 
Rating “OT for Ages 16+”
 
Negima! Magister Negi Magi was a manga created by Ken Akamatsu (the creator of Love Hina) that followed the adventures of a Welsh preteen wizard who teaches at an all-girls high school in Japan. The series spawned several anime productions. One of those anime, entitled Negima!?, re-imagined the series and also inspired the manga series, Negima!? neo.

Ten-year-old Negi Springfield is the greatest prodigy to ever graduate from his magic school in England. Negi dreams of becoming a Magister Magi (master mage) so that he can better protect the ones he loves. He also hopes his exploits will led him to his father, the legendary mage, Nagi Springfield. Negi teaches English at Mahora Academy, an all-girls junior high school in Japan, where he must deal with 31 beautiful girls who are often overly affectionate with him. Negi must also do his job without using magic.

In Negima!? neo, Vol. 6, Negi and his master, the vampire Evangeline AK McDowell, take a trip back in time to watch Evangeline and her master, Negi’s father, Nagi Springfield, fight off a Yuletide demonic invasion. Next, Akira Okochi, one of Negi’s students and a member of the school swim team, befriends a lost and sick baby dolphin. Finally, Makie Sasaki and Yuna Akashi take a trip by train in order to celebrate an anniversary only one of them remembers.

My prior experience with Negima!? neo was Volume 1, and I wasn’t crazy about it. I found the fantasy and comedy too broad, as it encompassed several genres, including action, horror and science fiction. I also found the narrative to be on otaku overload or fan overload. The series seemed more like a parody of anime.

In this volume, the stories focus on the characters and their relationships with one another. There is certainly a lot of fantasy action – as in the two-chapter, time travel episode with Nagi and Evangeline. There is high school fun and heartwarming drama in the tale of human-animal interaction, “Grand Bleu Friends.” Fanservice abounds in the breasts-and-booty fest, “The Longed-For Love Lingerie!?” A heartwarming tale of friendship offers innuendo and martial arts in “A Pair of Cherries.” So genre and the usual Negima!? neo antics are plentiful here.

It is all, however, character driven. When told from the point of view of character, Negima!? neo’s wildness and genre extravagances don’t seem like mere excess. Experiencing this manga through the characters is the way to really enjoy it.

B+