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.

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance
Production: Kyoto Animation
OP: 「Anemoi」 by eufonius
ED: 「Hikari to Yami to Toki no Hate」 by Ceui
ムント公式サイト

[ Episode 1: Things I know ]

Long title is LONG. And here I thought Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto was a mouth full.

This premiere surely ended up surprising me. I had no idea what to expect with only barebones knowledge that Kyoto Animation was handling the show and that it once had a two-episode OVA. So while this is a remake to those who’ve already seen the OVA, it is a brand new series to me and after what was shown in the first episode I’m really liking it so far. A lot of foundation was set with this episode, introducing the conflict that is taking place in the Heavenly world and quickly yet carefully presenting the main and supporting cast. The story is shaping up to be pretty epic and the characters, while not yet quite fleshed out, have a lot of promise, especially Munto, Yumemi, and Kazuya. Speaking of the characters, I’m really liking their unique designs so far and it helps in a series like this that has a pretty sizeable cast.

The music used so far was lovely and I can hardly wait for the soundtrack. I’m curious as to whether these are all-new pieces or if some were carried over from the previous OVA series. The OP and ED themes are both lovely, I especially like the OP done by eufonius since it reminds me of Noein’s Idea.

One thing I’m left wondering about is exactly how Yumemi is going to be able to help Munto and his kingdom. What sort of power does she possess? Perhaps it has to do something with the creation of Akuto? Or maybe she is Akuto? At this point it’s too early to tell but I am intrigued as to exactly why she is known as the Girl of Destiny. Munto also seems to be a pretty interesting guy so I’d like to see how he interacts with other characters on top of seeing how he will overcome his apparent weakness that all Heavenly beings seem to suffer when descending to the Lower World. That’s not even factoring in how he’s going to get Yumemi into the Magical Kingdom but I’m sure he’ll find some way. I’m pretty excited to see where this series will go and I’ll definitely be following it to the end.

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Comedy/Romance, Slice-of-Life
Production: AIC
OP: 「笑顔の理由」 (Egao no Riyuu) by meg rock
ED: 「Life and proud」 by 美郷あき (Misato Aki)
TBSアニメーション 「明日のよいち」公式ホームページ

[ Episode 1: The Samurai Is Coming ]

Egao no Riyuu is a light rock tune that compliments the feeling of the show rather well. All the main characters are shown in sequence, plus a couple more that will apparently be the series’ other regulars. Hearing meg rock is a plus, as always.

The first episode was full of ridiculousness and a lot of fanservice, two things that always seem to end up together in one place. At the start, we get to know Yoichi as this samurai with a gentle, kind nature about him. We also know he has a father that never seems to be able to outwit him, the son. So his dad’s excuse to send him out to the city is to train with the Ikarugas, but we know it’s actually because Yoichi’s just too good to for him.

His first step into the city and he’s already causing a commotion. Somehow you ought to see that coming. What better place to start than in a mall? He somehow tripped into a rolling cart… and into a clothing store, passing through its changing rooms and flying conveniently into where Ayame was about to change. After unintentionally copping a feel on her, he then runs into Chihaya and wakes up with her shimapan square in his face. Yoichi gets even more lucky when Kagome is coincidentally right next to him. I found it hilarious how they were looking for Ibuki just by looking at breasts. Always have to have a great first impression before moving in! The perverted fujoshi-type samurai is here!

Despite all of Yoichi’s shortcomings and underhanded samurai tricks, he’s definitely one that is friendly to anyone. Not only that, he possesses great fighting skills, weapon or no weapon. Of course, his technique where he used the wind to knock people out was impressive. I wonder just how he’ll improve himself being at the Ikuraga dojo.

The girls themselves are quite unique in their own way, each having some variety to their personality. Ibuki is the definite big sister/mother of the siblings (with Satou Rina doing the voice, no less) with a lot of heart and respect towards others. Ayame (Tomatsu Haruka’s character) gives off a certain tsundere-esque demeanor, which is always excellent in my book. Looks like she’s also one that plays on her cell phone most of the time, or likes to focus on her luxurious lifestyle. Chihaya seems a little out of place with the green-hair (including two ahoge) and lax nature. And there’s also the fact that a manga-loving meganekko like herself is part of family. I hope to expect some doujin out of her. This is probably the first time I’ve heard Yukarin voice such a character, and with a certain slur in her speech, using “~ssu” every now and then just like Detective Gumshoe’s Japanese counterpart in Gyakuten Saiban. Lastly, Kagome is the cute little girl who looks no older than 8 or 9, yet actually does a majority of, if not all, the household chores and the cooking. Quite a bold one there. So am I to understand that Hanazawa Kana is always gonna have to play the imouto while Haruka is her oneesan?

Out of them all, I’m probably liking Ibuki overall, but that will most likely change as the episodes go by. So far, they each have shown a little bit of their own personality and they all seem really likable. Yoichi is gonna have a lot of fun in this house, I’m sure. The ED theme is called “Life and proud” and is performed by Misato Aki. I haven’t heard her in a long time and it’s nice to hear her again. In general, it’s a soft and calm song that fits the outro harmoniously. Yoichi sitting down and watching the day go by, the girls passing through each time, and then finally the entire cast topple each other over Yoichi.

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB
Genres: Sports, Comedy
Production: Madhouse
OP: 「Hekireki」 by Last Alliance
ED: 「8 AM」 by coldrain

Welcome back.

OP Sequence: “Hekireki” by Last Alliance

Loved the song as soon as I saw the OP sequence. It’s a very catchy rock song and the lyrics fit perfectly with the show. I’m dying for the single right now. The visuals accompanied by the song are just amazing. The OP even gave us a little Takamura vs Hawk clip which I’m sure many manga fans were fapping over. They used the leaves a lot which refers back to Ippo’s beginning in the boxing world. Seeing them again in the OP, it may symbolize that this is not only a new beginning for Ippo, the new featherweight champion, but for all the characters and show as a whole.

Bricks were shat across the interwebz when the new season was announced; and now it’s finally here with a refreshing updated look. With that said, I consider the first season of Hajime no Ippo to be my favorite anime series so seeing the show once more was exciting.

First off, for this post I’m just giving my general impressions of the show based on the first three episodes, I am not going to continually blog this for these two reasons:
- I’m a manga reader and I prefer to blog something I’m not familiar with.
- This season has enough material for AT LEAST 100 episodes and the manga is still on-going with no sight to an end. I don’t want to commit to blogging something that long. I want to stick with something fresh every season or two.
I don’t think anybody on the site is watching this so I figured I should at least do a “first impressions” post for this show.

I think the biggest difference between this season and the last one that most people have noticed is the music. Staff-wise, the two greatest changes are the director and composer. The first season IMO had a fantastic OST which featured a lot of guitar riffs. We have Imahori Tsuneo to thank for that who previously worked on Trigun and Gungrave. So when people go in with the new season, they’ll probably feel irked at the “medieval” sounding songs. I felt irked myself and I’m not even sure if I’ll get used to that. Well it’s only been 3 episodes, so the OST has plenty of time to win us over. Hirano Yoshihisa is in charge of the music for this season and he’s worked on popular shows such as Death Note and Ouran High School Host Club. Death Note had a superb OST so I’m hoping Hirano has a few tricks up his sleaves.

The animation so far has been very clean and solid. I love how during some moments the gleam on the boxing gloves looks more brilliant than usual under the stadium lights. Madhouse has stepped up their game over the years. I did notice a few QUALITY moments, but this show will be a very long running series so I can overlook that. As long as the fights have amazing animation, it’s all good. :3

If you thought the matches in the first season were good, you haven’t seen anything yet. If done right, New Challenger will raise the level of epic. Most of the first season concentrated on Ippo, but as New Challenger follows the manga it will cover a lot of the other boxers more such as Takamura, Aoki, etc.

So far, the show has been a joy to watch. It feels like I’ve met up with an old friend after a few years. It was nostalgic to see all these characters again and immerse myself in the boxing world. This show alone has made 2009 a pretty decent year for anime.

ED Sequence: “8 AM” by coldrain

A fun and relaxing ED. Probably intended for a cool down from all the action and stress. I’m reminded at how awesome the facial expressions are in this series. This and GTO’s have to be the funniest I’ve come across. The song is all in English, which I didn’t even realize until my third time hearing it when I read the subtitles. There’s nothing special about this ED in particular. It’s pretty… average.

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Science Fiction
Production: MADHOUSE
OP: 「RIDEBACK」 by MELL
ED: 「Kioku」 by Younha feat. GOKU
RIDEBACK-ライドバック-

[ Episode 1: The Crimson Iron Horse ]

Ballet and Ridebacks are the future of transportation!

After what seemed to be an eternity, RIDEBACK has finally arrived and dear lord does it rock. I remember being extremely interested in this series as early as late 2007 and early 2008 but not having any idea when a concrete air date was going to be announced. Well, I can certainly say that the long wait was worth it. Everything was of amazing quality. The animation is topnotch which is to be expected of MADHOUSE. It’s the kind of stuff that makes your eyes water in wonder at the insane amount of beauty. The music is an absolute joy to my ears. I particularly loved the pieces that played during the opening ballet, sakura petal scene, and the very end of the episode. I’m expecting a pretty decent soundtrack in the near future. I must also say that I very much love the OP and ED themes provided by MELL and Younha, respectively. It’s good to see Younha back on the Japanese-scene too and even better that she sung Kioku in Korean (she’s been releasing stuff in South Korea for a while). MELL, of course, is all sorts of awesome as always and I can’t wait to get my hands on both singles.

The story and characters introduced so far are pretty interesting as well. Rin has already received quite large portion of character development so far and it’s only been one episode! The ballet scene painted a wonderful portrait of how she views the world around her and how she feels connected (or rather disconnected) from it. Her mother seems to be the basis of much of her development and reasons for once being in ballet but because of her injury and result loss of passion during her down-time, she has given it up. Though, as evidenced by her time riding Fuego, she hasn’t completely left it all behind.

I’m pretty excited to see where RIDEBACK will go from here. Everything so far has been amazing and the cast seems to be a one I’ll really like, especially the members of the RIDEBACK club. What will be the direction of this series, I wonder? Will there be competitions? Team versus team, perhaps? Or maybe even one-on-one? It’s hard to say since I haven’t read any of the manga but that just makes me even more excited not knowing what to expect in future episodes. I’ve only seen two new shows of the season so far (the other being Akikan) but this is easily the best I’ve seen so far and anything I watch after this will be following-up an amazing premiere.

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Production: Sunrise
OP: 「sympathizer」 by 栗林みな実 (Kuribayashi Minami)
ED: 「彩の無い世界」 (Iro no Nai Sekai) by 妖精帝國 (Yousei Teikoku)
『KUROKAMI 黒神 The Animation』 オフィシャルサイト

[ Episode 1: Doppeliner ]

The OP is just great stuff. Kuribayashi Minami is always good to have for a theme song, but this was rather different from her previous works. Not that that’s bad because I love this direction too; I usually don’t hear Minami sing these kind of songs. It’s fast-paced and edgy so you can tell that there will be a lot of action fighting. Though I don’t think it’s as awesome as Shining Days or Crystal Energy, but that’s probably my My-HiME/Otome fanboyism talking. All the main characters are introduced here along with the antagonists, plus a few mysterious ones that we’ll be seeing later, and of course, Excel and Steiner!!

In short, high school student Ibuki Keita has a constant run with bad luck, as people around him are getting killed in accidents one by one. It all started with his mother’s death. As a child, Keita was walking with his mother when they meet eyes with a woman, a look-alike of Keita’s mother. In other words, a doppelganger. The next day, Keita’s mother was hit by a car. Sometime during his young childhood, his friend also passed away.

While having a bowl of ramen, a young girl called Kuro and her pup Punipuni walk over to the cart starved. Keita offers his bowl to her. He talks to the cart owner about doppelgangers and how seeing your own doppelganger means death will come your way. Kuro joins in the conversation and corrects him by saying those aren’t doppelgangers, but doppeliners, which exist to keep the balance of Tera. She goes on to mention terminology unfamiliar with Keita, but her explanation runs short as a cloaked man strikes Kuro with a baseball bat. All seems hopeless as Kuro gets beaten to a pulp until she gets up and pulls a flurry of punches. Kuro suddenly takes leave “to kill her brother.” The police arrive at the scene but the defeated cloaked man is nowhere in sight. At home finds out his best friend Risa is killed after meeting her doppelganger at a concert. Right in front of his eyes, Keita’s next-door neightbor’s kid is hit by a truck at high speed. A man who looks like Keita’s childhood friend is seen gathering people who are doppeliners of people such as Keita’s neighbor Mayu and his friend Risa. He declares they are now “Master Roots.”

Okay, that wasn’t short at all.

By now, most of you should know that there are considerable differences between the anime and the manga, so I won’t delve deep into that, as there are already enough nitpicking to go around. Because this is “The Animation,” it’s safe to conclude that this was intentionally conceptualized as an alternate telling of the original story, set in its own universe. Eej of One Man Army, an Army of One sums it up for what you want to banter about. Personally, I don’t mind some of the changes made, but it gets me wondering why bother changing characters and other things at all because there was nothing wrong with making an adaptation that was strongly following the original work. I’ve yet to check out the dub since I don’t actually have iaTV (not a lot of people would have this channel, let alone know of it), but if I manage to find it online, I’m definitely taking a look.

Kurokami’s ED theme is called… well I think its name is “Sai no Nai Sekai,” but I can’t really tell yet. Everywhere else, I see its “Irodori no Nai Sekai” but that’s clearly wrong, looking at the kanji and all. I even saw just the “Iro” part, but I still say that’s wrong. Anyway, the song is performed by Yousei Teikoku, one of my personal favorites for having a distinct gothic sound to their music. The song starts off a bit calmly and at a steady pace but gradually the atmosphere adjusts itself to a more gloomy mood, so to speak. The ED sequence mainly depicts the city being torn and destructed from god knows what, with Kuro watching and walking, day changing to night, at the buildings that look like they’ve been bombed. Unfortunately, the outro lasts for only a minute, but the full version sounds great.

The premiere itself wasn’t bad. A lot of things happened (involving Keita) and Kuro’s fight scene was animated amazingly. I especially enjoyed when she was owning the guy while the awesome fight music was playing in the background. Seiyuu talent is decent. I’ve heard Noriko before but not a lot. Her role as Kuro is pretty fun to say the least. It’s a good choice as you can hear the difference from her cute voice when she’s all over her ramen to her intimidating and deep voice when she’s in the fray.

Well, the anime is set for 12 episodes so this would definitely end sooner than expected. Perhaps Sunrise can remake it again after the manga ends. Regardless, the anime itself is still quite enjoyable and with a shift from the original work, I’m eager to see just how this will turn out.