Author: Akamatsu Ken
Genre: Action, comedy, romance
Status: On-going (Volume 26+)

I’ve picked up a few shounen manga over the years. From hit titles like Claymore, Hajime no Ippo, One Piece to a few others. Somewhat recently, after trudging through Naruto and Bleach every week I decided, “Ok. I don’t care if I’m this far already. This shit sucks. I’m dropping it.” So I dropped those two and a few other shounen manga that I was reading just to kill time and not really interested in like Fairy Tail and Psyen. And then I wondered, is there an out-going shounen manga out there that can still provide me that fun and addictive feeling when zipping through the chapters? The last time I felt like that was when I started reading Eyeshield 21 around a year ago.

Lurking on the webz, I came across a Mahou Sensei Negima! thread. I knew it was by the guy who did Love Hina which I loved, but I wasn’t looking for an ecchi harem manga, but a shounen battle manga. Well despite its initial appearance, apparently Negima is a shounen battle manga. So I decided to pick it up since it sounds like what I’ve been looking for.

Here’s a little synopsis for those who don’t have a clue on what this is about:

After graduated from a magic academy, 10-year-old genius boy Negi Springfield was assigned to a huge Japanese school as an English teacher for practical training. To his surprise, the 8th grade class assigned for him is all-girl. In addition to teaching (and being teased by) those 31 pretty girls while trying to keep his magic capability in secret, he’s also looking for clues about his father, who was once known as “Thousands Master” but mysteriously disappeared years ago.

From AnimeNewsNetwork

Doesn’t sound what I’ve been looking for at all, right? I had my doubts too. Taking my chances of getting trolled, I decided I would try it out. I thought at the very least it’ll serve as good fap material.

Don’t let first impressions fool you. This is awesome shit.

So I go in and read. The first two volumes are basically Love Hina with the typical LOL FANSERVICE comedy that Akamatsu is so good at. I found the humor funny, but it wasn’t enough to pull me in yet. When I got to volume 3 or something, it started slowly moving into the fighting territory which I was anticipating. As the series progresses, it suddenly becomes a battle manga. As if Akamatsu was tricking the editors into thinking this would be the typical harem stuff. But what Mahou Sensei Negima! really is, is a mesh between battle manga and harem; and can I say that he pulls it off very well.

The harem isn’t just there for the fanservice and comedy moments; a lot of his students get involved in the whole magic thing and fights as well which is great. One girl is basically a ninja actually and there’s one that knows Chinese kenpo so not everybody uses magic. Actually the fights are more physical than anything. Some of the magic by Negi is used to enhance his physical capabilities making for some really incredible and flashy fights (as seen above).

I expect no less from the author of Love Hina.

The cast is fairly large. Negi has thirty-one girls in his class then there’s a few more that are related to the magical world and stuff. The number may seem overwhelming at first, but Akamatsu gradually develops most of them with their own cute little personalities and quirks. I may not know all their names, but I can tell who’s who at this point which was difficult for me during the first few volumes. I actually have a hard time picking out a favorite girl because there are so many different ones. And yes, all the girls in his class are technically 14/15 years old. Their bodies tell a different story though. :3

As for the main character, Negi himself, he does a great job of standing as a shounen manga protagonist. Don’t let that 10 year old boy appearance fool you, he can be badass during the more serious moments. I’ll admit it was weird seeing a little kid doing all these cool moves and manga-like feats, but that’s something I got used to. One thing I like about him is that he’s able to show sides of both mature and childish. His goal in life is simple and straightforward, but he takes a serious attitude towards it. And like one character said it’s really amazing that at just 10 years old, Negi has found that one goal in life that he will chase after with unwavering eyes.

Yes, the cat ears are part of her battle costume. Awesome, right?

I think any fan of shounen manga can appreciate Mahou Sensei Negima! and what it tries to accomplish. After dropping stuff like Psyren and Naruto which felt generic for me, reading this felt really refreshing. It’s a new take on an old formula. Well sorta. I think one of the best feelings when reading a manga is the one you get when you can’t stop reading. You want to know what happens next, but those bags under your eyes are getting heavier and heavier. Negima is definitely one of the more addicting manga I’ve read and IMO that’s one of the best things a manga can give to a reader, addictiveness.

[ Page 18: ]

When you have teenagers working to become mangaka, the drama is that much more effective, isn’t it? Rivalry and competition burns in their souls, or at least for those who aren’t Eiji. I’m not sure he realizes the extent of his skill but Shujin and Saiko did! If he works like that then he wouldn’t ever miss any deadlines. This guy doesn’t even do names. It’s just draw, draw, draw. Give this guy an anime already. He’ll go by so fast that the anime doesn’t need to worry about going ahead! So the two are now trying to convince Hattori that they want to go mainstream. Let’s see just how it goes.

Eiji is insane. The guy was able to finish both his chapters two and three within less than half an hour. Yeah, he did say it was all already in his head but that’s still an insane feat to pull. I can’t imagine what Saiko and Shujin could be thinking after seeing that but it seems like they just got more motivated after witnessing Eiji draw firsthand. They’re pretty stubborn though with wanting to stay mainstream. It’ll be interesting to see how the next six months in Bakuman play out.

[ Page 17: Battles and Copying ]

MINE MAKES YOU HAPPY

Goddamn, not only is Miyoshi a hottie, she can really pack a punch. Sometimes I envy Shujin for being Shujin. I wonder if Miyoshi shops at the same place Hirano Aya does…

Anyways, the dynamic duo sets their sights on mainstream manga, a ballsy move on their part. I myself would’ve thought a cult manga would be ideal, but it’s kinda true that it’d be more popular with mainstream titles. Still, with mainstreaming, that might have to meet a whole lot of expectations. You can tell from today’s Japanese manga that a lot of mainstream titles are still popular, but the quality doesn’t appear all too great as of late. Still, it’s quite the interesting move, and even Eiji’s not listening to his editor. Mangaka of the Rebellion?!

Man, the new name is not good. It’s not bad either but it is pretty plain and, like Saiko said, overdone. If they really want to get into mainstream then they’ll have to do better than that. The end of the chapter is pretty crazy though and I couldn’t help but laugh at how Saiko and Shujin along with Eiji had their editors going “WTF” at their latest stuff. Oh, and Miyoshi is awesome. I really like the mood she brings into the series.

[ Page 16: Early Results and the Real Deal ]

This was a very powerful chapter, especially the ending where Saiko dumps the old pages into the sea. I’m aware that questionnaires are vital to manga creations, but I had no idea it was this striking, though it does make a whole lot of sense. You can’t get anywhere further without proper feedback first.

Being in 3rd place sounds good enough for anyone, but being the stubborn teenagers they are, they won’t settle for anything lower than Eiji. Eiji’s pretty lucky to be the guy he is; he doesn’t have to worry about anything. I’m sure he won’t really care if he’s #1 or not, it’s just about his strong devotion to manga that really matters to him. With Ashirogi Muto determined to beat Eiji, it looks like they have to change their strategy and bend the rules to better themselves regardless of Hattori’s advice.

So, the guys came in third in the end. Bummer. Not to mention all that hard work they put into making a serialized version of their manga was all for nothing. Well, technically not “all for nothing” since I”m sure they learned something from it all that will show in their next project. Still, I’m not sure about their decision on going mainstream. If you think about it, Death Note wasn’t exactly what people would call mainstream but yet it did marvelously from what I can tell (say what you will about the ending). Bakuman is shaping up to be in the same vein as Death Note as well. Then again, it’s interesting to see that the characters are being guided in this direction and I await to see what the results of this will bring for them.

[ Page 15: Send and Reply ]

Saiko and Shujin are really cramming their asses off. The look on their faces tells you that much, haha. But it’s really great that they’re trying their best at it. I just wished Shujin got Azuki’s e-mail sooner instead of just lagging his time. If I were him, I would’ve had the e-mail thing straightened out from the start. I’m amazed he wrote so much for a message. Going over the character limit already tells you so much. I don’t think I’d let myself do that, knowing that I’m typing with buttons on a phone anyway.

Azuki’s replies go by really fast too! I don’t think she’s the type of girl that plays around with her phone a lot, but I’m guessing when there’s a new alert, she’ll respond ASAP. Her messages are quite cute.

Anywho, with their pen name acquired and their one-shot published, it looks like there another step towards their dream. Now if only they can top Eiji, right?

So this chapter had Saiko and Shujin waiting on the results of Akamaru Jump and the choosing of a pen name. I thought they would’ve gone with the names they use already but I suppose Miyoshi’s idea was good too. I gotta say though, Saiko really loves to deprive himself of sleep. I swear it looked as if he was about to drop dead from exhaustion when he was trying to think of a message to email Azuki. Anyway, I wonder just how serious Hattori is about them “winning”? Eiji clearly has talent and so does Saiko and Shujin, so just how does their manga stand against Eiji’s? Hopefully that is revealed in the next chapter.

[ Page 14: Dinner and Graduation ]

“Go, Saiko!”

The two lovebirds are just the sweetest couple ever. Yeah, it was ridiculous how Mashiro kept Azuki waiting while they were standing there for over half an hour. C’mon now, you shouldn’t make a lady wait so long. Well, now that she’s gonna move soon, she tells Mashiro she’ll wait forever for him. As corny as that is, it tells you that her love (and his love for that matter) is undeniably the strongest thing in the world. Indeed, graduation is always dramatic.

+ Graduation! Love! Go for the gold, Moritaka! (It’s starting to sound like an episode title) The Saiko/Shujin combo are at it again. This time, I think they’re feeding frenzy is madness.
- Azuki moving? WRYYYYYYYYY

This chapter was so touching. The news about Azuki moving was pretty unexpected, yet not totally out of the ballpark. I was wondering if Saiko and Azuki were going to talk to each other before the move. Thankfully, with the help of Shuji and Miyoshi, they were able to do so. Though, I find it pretty hilarious how they stood outside for nearly half an hour before either of them said anything. Hell, two girls passed by them twice and asked “They’re still here?”. Azuki’s reply to Saiko’s question was depicted beautifully. The two-page spread made it all the more powerful too. I have to wonder just how much Saiko wants her though. It must be a lot since he’s not willingly to wait three years to be serialized. He and Shujin may not have a choice though…