Mahou Sensei Negima! Anime Final

When I first got into anime and manga, one of the first titles I actually got into was Mahou Sensei Negima!? After a disappointing T.V. series run by the producing company Xebec (It still does not exist in my mind) and an excellent run of multiple OVA series, the anime movie conclusion was a film I had been long anticipating since it came out. After it finally got subbed, I immediately watched this film, and let me admit, it was not at all what I was expecting.

The story picks up where Mou Hitotsu no Sekai left off. Asuna is safe and sound, and everyone returns to the school, happy and safe. When they get back, they start planning for the graduation ceremony. because they are in their last year of middle school. However, Negi is told that he has to pick one girl to make a permanent Pactio with one of the girls, and all the other girls would loose their memories. As Negi struggles to make his decision, Mars start hurdling towards Earth.


The plot for this movie is one of the weakest plots I have ever seen in a movie, American or Japanese. I know that it is a "sequel" to the OVA, but you would think that they would end this movie better instead of focusing on the slice of life part of it. Honestly,this could have been a regular T.V. Anime and I think that the plot could not have changed a bit, and it still would have worked.

Besides the plot, I have two major problems with this movie. One is the fact yes, the girls will loose their memories if Negi does not pick them, but some of the girls are magical to begin with, so why were they so worried? Also, a good chunk of the class did not have a pactio with Negi anyways, so why are they still trying to compete for his affection? But why people like Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Natsumi and Chahamaru are worried confuses me. Asuna is the Imperial Twilight Princess, Konoka is a healing mage, Setsuna has a Pactio with Konoka, Natsumi has a pactio with Kotarou,and Chachamaru runs off magic, and if I'm not mistaken has a "doll pactio" with Evangeline, just to name a few, given that half the class is magical anyways, so they would not loose their memories because of Negi.

The other problem I have with the movie is why is Mars hurdling towards Earth? Yes, it does provide the only bit of action for the movie, and yes it does help provide the solution for Negi's big problem, but in my mind, it just doesn't make any sense.

Animation for this movie was inferior to the OVA's. True, while the OVA's had a bigger budget, but the animation for the movie was just off. It still kept true to the manga, like for colors of hair, and looks, but it was lower grade quality. I think that they could have down way better, especially since the fans (such as my self) were waiting for this, and waiting to see an awesome grade movie. One animation point I will give, however, was when then girls used their patio, which came across mahou shoujo like, and it wasn't just boring instantaneous.

Overall, I think this movie was a let down for fans of the manga. It copped out big time on the solution to Negi's problem, and the plot was not that good too boot. If they're going to make a movie about Negima, please, don't glaze over the Negi vs. Fate fight, and please make a better plot and better animation. All of the anime series concerning Negima! have been failures in mind, and the movie is no different.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Some anime are gems. Some of them are just a bit strange. Some of them are random, but also you can make sense of them. Denpa Onna to Sieshun Otoko is mostly all of the above, for its wit, beautiful art, and inspiring story. It randomness will take you on a journey to outer space like you've never experienced it before.

The story follows Niwa Makoto, a young boy who is to move in with his aunt, Upon arriving at his aunts house, he finds that their a strange thing in the entrance of the house: a young girl wrapped up in a futon. She then claims to be an alien, though really she is his cousin, Touwa Erio. As the story progresses, you start to find out that there is something more to her, and Makoto's journey growing up.

For a start, I will admit, the first thing that drew me to this anime was the fact that it had SHAFT studio written all over it. As any anime fan would know, SHAFT has a unique way of telling the story:they use pictures and word on the screen to reference what they are talking about. Wanting that effect, I picked up this anime. Although they didn't do it in traditional SHAFT style, due to the fact that it was a collaboration between SHAFT and Starchild Records, it still felt like an all around SHAFT production, it still felt like something unique.

The story in the anime is actually pretty alright. Niwa Makoto comes to live with his aunt, and it's basically his adventures from there. However, I wish they would touch more on one important thing: Why does Erio think she's an alien? We do know that she went missing for a while and she came back thinking she was an alien, but I want to know why. Also, the interactiong between Makoto and the other girls in the cast in my mind subtracts from Erio's story, and even the other girls are not too well developed.

The characters in the story were alright as story goes. Our male lead, Makoto was kind of bland; he looks just like every other harem male lead, even though this is not technically a harem, and even though he is trying to Erio, he is just, flat. Next we have Mifune Ryuuko, though everyone calls her Ryuushi due to the way he name is spelled; she is the hyper active one, and in my mind, the anime could have easily gone on with out her, or at least give her less screen time. In other words, everything about her character annoyed me to some extent. Also, we have Touwa Meme, Makoto's aunt, who is very eccentric her self, just lounging around and doing what ever she pleases. She looks like shes in high school, acts like she is in high school, but she's actually forty. Next in our little "harem" is Maekawa, who just calls Makoto "Transfer Student" due the fact she cannot remember his real name. She also wears bizarre outfits, such as a fish outfit, and thus make her one of the most interesting characters in the cast. Last, but certainly not least, we have Towa Erio, self proclaimed alien, and is often wrapped in a futon. She has lost all her memories in an accident, and is often alienated from the rest of the cast due to her eccentric-ness.

SHAFT did an excellent job on the art work. It was fluid, eye-catching, mezmorizing, and yet had a ting of something special to it. If you have seen anything produced by SHAFT, then you know that they will use creative imagery to convey meanings, and that the color pallette is unique, using bold colors. The way that everything is drawn is also unique in a way that I cannot describe with out it loosing meaning. True, in this production, it had a bit of a shuojo like feel to it, for example the sparkles in Erio's hari blowing in the wind, and the girls being way prettier than the men, but over all, still a very shaft like production.

In my mind, this anime is a very good watch if you want a slice of life with a bit of the super natural. Erio can provide some cute parts, and the rest of the cast is enjoyable. I say learn the language and launch your self into outer space, and if you can do that: at least attempt to fly with a bicycle, and pick up this anime. It's worth all twelve episodes, and then some due to the fact I am praying for a second season.