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REVIEW: Negima!? DVD Season 2 Part 1


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khryoleoz



Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 158
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:03 pm Reply with quote
I agree more with Chris Beverage's review. This adaptation is what the Negima franchise, including Akamatsu's manga, should have been all along. And I love the ED theme accompanying the SD sequence.
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rizuchan



Joined: 11 Mar 2007
Posts: 980
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:33 pm Reply with quote
Suddenly, I want this. Actually, I've been rather intrigued by Negima for a while. But that's the thing, to anyone that's actually a fan, should I go ahead and watch this one, or should I watch Negima! first? I generally like comedy Anime, but harem type shows like Love Hina are rather hit-or-miss with me.
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:35 pm Reply with quote
So, the commentary track isn't a notable extra?

Also, Funi dubbed the OP and ED (Original is still used if you're listening to the Japanese track), so I expect they'll probably dub Happy Material when it pops up in the second half.

Rizu, I'd say don't bother with the first series except for episode 19 and maybe the last plot arc. The episodes are mostly worse about plot, the characters have less depth, the art and animation is horrible, and the comedy is no where near good enough to make up for all its other shortcomings.
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loka



Joined: 05 Nov 2006
Posts: 373
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:41 pm Reply with quote
"The series drifts from one magical confrontation to the next through a series of clumsy character-building episodes, displaying neither the drive nor the sweet sentimentality of the original."

agreed.

so
rizuchan wrote:
should I go ahead and watch this one, or should I watch Negima! first?


i say the first.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:44 pm Reply with quote
So the feeling of Deja Vu as compared to Pani Poni Dash that I had when watching this had some basis to exist.

I thought this was worth my money. What they did to the opener on the English dub was kinda bizarre, be sure to check it out both ways. I kinda prefer the way it was done on the sub track, and would have loved to hear that emulated on the dub side.

The first series, like Love Hina had key episodes that really clicked, but most of the time, was just taking up time until the next 'good' episode.

The first half of this seemed to be more consistently good entertainment overall when compared to the first series.
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merr



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 487
PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:41 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The decision to dub the opening and closing themes was not one of those occasions.

I'm totally confused about what that statement means. Are you saying the dub songs were good or that they sucked?

Personally, I thought all the songs were some of the best song dubs I've heard in a very long time. The singers really managed to capture all the energy of the original versions, and the lyrics generally flowed quite nicely. Besides, I still don't understand why people think dubbing the songs is somehow worse than just leaving them in Japanese. If people want to hear the original version, it's there for them to listen to. Just let Funi dub the songs so people who enjoy them can listen to them if we want to.
[/rant]
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Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1164
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:08 am Reply with quote
That's what TRSI and FUNi should have added as a sort of pre-order special: the Chupacabra shirt! Razz

I need to get around to watching the second disc.

Quote:
"I'll show you a hole!" ~Asuna
"That joke is just way to obvious to say, am I right?" ~Chamo

Razz
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billborden



Joined: 09 Jun 2007
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:14 am Reply with quote
I really have to go with Carl on this one; the first time I saw this version, I was appalled. It actually was not the animation that was the problem; I enjoy well done surrealism(see "ef--a Tale Of Memories" as an example); but what they had done to Akamatsu-sensei's story. This almost feels like a shounen fighting anime: no real story, just cyclical conflicts with panty-shots mixed in. After letting it rest a year, I've looked at it again, but my opinion has not changed much: I still appreciate the visuals, but the story is tripe. The manga is still the best version of the story, but if you plan to watch it animated, watch the the Xebec version (Negima! without the "?").

As a point, what I've seen of "Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" seems to suggest that mine is not entirely a minority opinion, as it clearly harks back to the original Xebec/manga story--and the Xebec visuals--rather than to this mess.
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Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1164
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:26 am Reply with quote
billborden wrote:
As a point, what I've seen of "Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" seems to suggest that mine is not entirely a minority opinion, as it clearly harks back to the original Xebec/manga story--and the Xebec visuals--rather than to this mess.

I hardly consider that OVA to contain anything close, visually, to what Xebec did in the first series.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
Posts: 4456
Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 5:13 am Reply with quote
Not quite.The OVA is extremely funny.and the fanservice is basically the same in the manga versions which made it popular.I disagree with the review for the story cause it should be a B- and not a C.I highly recomend it to anyone who's a fan of the series and harem altogether,though the dubbing the OP and ED leaves something to be desired.
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billborden



Joined: 09 Jun 2007
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:33 pm Reply with quote
Asrialys wrote:
billborden wrote:
As a point, what I've seen of "Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" seems to suggest that mine is not entirely a minority opinion, as it clearly harks back to the original Xebec/manga story--and the Xebec visuals--rather than to this mess.

I hardly consider that OVA to contain anything close, visually, to what Xebec did in the first series.


Are you certain your thinking of the correct OVA? I'm not referring to the Haru/Natsu specials, but to "Mahou Sensei Negima!: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" that just came into release in 12/08 and is ongoing. While not completely naturalistic (a la "Mahou Sensei Negima!"), it is no where near as distorted and surrealistic as "Negima!?", and the story--the part that is most important-- follows the manga much closer than "Negima!?" ever did.
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 2248
Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:54 pm Reply with quote
Dorcas_Aurelia wrote:

Rizu, I'd say don't bother with the first series except for episode 19 and maybe the last plot arc. The episodes are mostly worse about plot, the characters have less depth, the art and animation is horrible, and the comedy is no where near good enough to make up for all its other shortcomings.


I second that opinion; the first series has one emotional high-point (19) but that's about it. The rest of it is just usual harem fluff only a lot more Rolling Eyes -inducing than normal. People compare it to Love Hina, but I say its even inferior to that.

Even Ken Akamatsu was miffed about Xebec's version (though I don't know how he felt about Shaft's). There were comments made in the commentary on !? about how flat the characters were in the first one and it made the more emotional parts of the later episodes awkward because there was no variety in the characters' behavior up until then (most notably Brina Palencia's comments about Yue).

But whatever, I'll stop now...
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 5:37 pm Reply with quote
billborden wrote:
Are you certain your thinking of the correct OVA? I'm not referring to the Haru/Natsu specials, but to "Mahou Sensei Negima!: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" that just came into release in 12/08 and is ongoing. While not completely naturalistic (a la "Mahou Sensei Negima!"), it is no where near as distorted and surrealistic as "Negima!?", and the story--the part that is most important-- follows the manga much closer than "Negima!?" ever did.

I'm going to have to say that I agree that the White Wings OVA is still closer to Negima!? in art style, and the plot of the first series was just as pointless as the second, except for when it diverges from the manga. Give me an hour or so and I'll find pictures from all three series to compare character designs.

Also, remember the "combat" sequences from the White Wings? Which show are they closer to do you think? I'd say the one with the better animation.

I won't disagree with you that White Wings is closer to the manga than Negima!? but that's because it's supposed to be as close as possible. I don't mind SHAFT's deviation because they were trying to be different, but Xebec adapted the early volumes that were least like the rest of the manga in content, then butchered the ones where the story started turning into what it has become. Fans have been clamoring for a true adaptation since the first series ended, so White Wings being made isn't really a repudiation of the second series.

the Rancorous wrote:
Even Ken Akamatsu was miffed about Xebec's version (though I don't know how he felt about Shaft's).

He couldn't have thought it was too bad, or he wouldn't have let them handle White Wings.
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Unit 03.5-ish



Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 1540
Location: This space for rent
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:39 pm Reply with quote
Someone's probably going to blueball me for saying this, but this show always looked to me like what would happen if Harry Potter got his own convenient high school harem. That idea does not appeal. I don't like Harry Potter, and I don't like harem shows.

Guess where these Negima shows fit into my viewing schedule?

EDIT: If it was my show, I'd have called it "Harem Potter". Laughing
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Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1164
PostPosted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:52 am Reply with quote
billborden wrote:
Asrialys wrote:
billborden wrote:
As a point, what I've seen of "Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" seems to suggest that mine is not entirely a minority opinion, as it clearly harks back to the original Xebec/manga story--and the Xebec visuals--rather than to this mess.

I hardly consider that OVA to contain anything close, visually, to what Xebec did in the first series.


Are you certain your thinking of the correct OVA? I'm not referring to the Haru/Natsu specials, but to "Mahou Sensei Negima!: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba" that just came into release in 12/08 and is ongoing. While not completely naturalistic (a la "Mahou Sensei Negima!"), it is no where near as distorted and surrealistic as "Negima!?", and the story--the part that is most important-- follows the manga much closer than "Negima!?" ever did.

Yes, I was talking about the new OVA.
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