"Magister Negi Magi" is an anime adaptation of a manga series by Ken Akamatsu. At the time, Akamatsu was still coasting off the success of his previous manga/anime series, "Love Hina". "Negima!" initially seems to follow a similar plot outline, a young awkward boy being thrown in with numerous girls. Ultimately however, it branches off into something a little different. Think 'Harry Potter'.

It's a new school year and the girls at Mahora Academy are eager to get back to work, especially hot-tempered fourteen-year-old Asuna Kagurazaka. Asuna has a huge crush on her former homeroom teacher, Professor Takahata, and hopes to have him again this year.

Unhappily for Asuna, her new homeroom teacher this year is ten-year-old(!) Negi Springfield, a Harry Potter-like child prodigy from Wales who has come to teach English in Japan. The girls of 2-A take an instant shine to Negi, mobbing and fauning over him, much to his embarrassment. The one exception of course being Asuna. Asuna is not particularly fond of little kids in general, least of all one who has just replaced the object of her desire, and strives to make life as difficult for poor Negi as possible. Their relationship is further strained when Asuna discovers she must also board with the hapless young professor. However, the relationship between Negi and Asuna takes an unexpected turn when Asuna makes a surprise discovery about her young professor.

I suppose it's giving away too much to say that Negi is a wizard in training, his job at Mahora Academy being part of his training. Negi must refrain from using magic and keep his profession a secret, or else face expulsion and disgrace, or worse, being transformed into a furry ermine. Despite these risks, Negi sometimes can't resist and frequently gets himself into trouble as a result. Despite his power, Negi has yet to learn how to control his magic, leading to some hilarious and embarrassing situations. For instance, Negi's sneezes have the ability blow girls' clothes off, frequently Asuna's. This further sours Negi's relationship with Asuna, even though Negi is always very embarrassed and apologetic afterwards. Much of the series focuses on the odd couple relationship between Asuna and Negi and their growing friendship.

Negi's problems go far beyond Asuna. Although his students are very fond of him, Negi has trouble getting them to take him seriously as a teacher. As far as the girls of 2-A are concerned, Negi is just a cute kid. They would rather play with him and mother him than take lessons. While an older boy might exploit the situation to his advantage, Negi at age ten is more than a little frightened by all this female attention. Whenever a girl expresses an interest in him, Negi looks borderline terrified.

The relationship between Negi and Asuna is by no means the only focus of the series. Each of the thirty+ girls in Negi's class has her own unique personality. Among them:

Nodoka Miyizaki: A shy, quiet girl, fearful of people and men in particular. Nodoka would rather spend her time working in the library than socializing. Her eyes are almost invariably hidden by her long bangs. Despite her general aversion to men, Nodoka develops quite a crush on Negi and struggles to express herself throughout the series.

Yue Ayase: A cool, introverted loner and Nodoka's best friend and roommate, Yue is immediately identifiable by her long blue hair and the bizarre juices she is always drinking. Yue tries to help Nodoka win Negi's affections.

Konoka Konoe: Asuna's best friend and roommate. An extremely warm-hearted and kind girl, she is very welcoming toward Negi, unlike Asuna. Her position as the Dean's granddaughter allows her to convince him to let Negi board with them. Like many of the girls in 2-A, she seems to have a slight crush on Negi.

Ayaka Yukihiro: A snotty rich girl and the Class Representative. Ayaka has a sense of her own superiority and tends to talk down to her classmates. Of all the girls in 2-A, she is the most open in her affections towards Negi, often openly flirting with him in class. She has a longstanding feud with Asuna.

Chisame Hasegawa: An introverted computer nerd, Chisame is one of the few girls who does not instantly take a shine to Negi. Though talented with computers, Chisame is none too popular with her classmates due to her cold manner. Unbeknownst to them, Chisame leads a double life on the net where she has a completely different identity and personality.

Fuka and Fumika Narutaki: Twin girls who happen to be the class mischief makers, Fuka and Fumika are known for their immature personalities and numerous pranks. Negi himself was one of their victims on his first day in class.

Evangeline McDowell: A sly, devilish girl with a hidden past, Evangeline is one of the few girls to know about Negi's secret even before he arrived. She has a longstanding grudge against Negi's father, and thus Negi, and has sinister plans to extract her revenge.

Chachamaru Karakuri: Evangeline's friend and partner in her diabolical schemes, Chachamaru happens to be none other than a robot which the other students are curiously oblivious.


The animation in "Negima!" is not overly elaborate, but it is bright and colourful. I liked the fact that it's mostly hand drawn, unlike many pretentious computer animated series' today. One thing I did find slightly irritating, the need to exaggerate facial expressions whenever Negi or some other character is angry of upset. The arm waving, the mouth gaping, I found all this really annoying. I know this is all just in keeping with the original manga, but still...


The following is a list of episodes from Volume 101 with a short summary:

1. 'Asuinus in cathedra': Asuna's hopes for the new school year are spoiled when a new Welsh boy takes the place of her crush as the new homeroom teacher. However, Asuna accidentally makes a shocking discovery about her new young professor.

2. 'Omne initium est difficile': Asuna blackmails Negi into using his gifts to try to gain the love of her former teacher. Meanwhile, the class of 2-A throw a party to welcome their cute new teacher.

3. 'Amantes, amentes': Negi makes a love potion for Asuna to help her gain Takahata's affections. However, Negi's plan backfires when Asuna forces Negi to drink the potion himself.

4. 'Nullus locus est instar domus': Negi tries to help some of the low achieving students to bring up their grades. Asuna forces Negi to take a bath, something he loathes. Unfortunately at Mahora, the only baths are communal ones.

5. 'Fama volat': Negi gets a letter from his sister asking him to find a partner. Negi reunites with his old friend Chamo, a perverted talking ermine who has made his way to Japan to help Negi out in his undertaking.

6. 'A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi': Rumours are circulating that a vampire has been preying off of students in Cherry Blossom Lane. Negi decides to investigate, but is shocked when he discovers the identity of the vampire.


"Negima!" is on the whole, a fun series with just the right amount of humour, action, sorcery, and romance. Despite the youthful characters, I'd use a bit of caution in showing it to young children, as the humour is a little risque. The fact that the plot revolves around a bunch of teenage girls lusting over a ten-year-old is bound to raise some eyebrows. I suspect the only reason they got away with it is that it's about girls pursuing a boy, and not the other way around. In any event, young kids would probably be grossed out over the romantic subplots. Otherwise, "Negima!" is highly recommended.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older