Negima! Magister Negi Magi
Negima! Magister Negi Magi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
魔法先生ネギま! (Mahō Sensei Negima!) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genre | Adventure, fantasy, harem[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Written by | Kodansha Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Imprint | Shōnen Magazine Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Demographic | Shōnen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original run | February 26, 2003 – March 14, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Volumes | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Negima! Magister Negi Magi, known in Japan as Magical Teacher Negima! (Japanese: 魔法先生ネギま!, Hepburn: Mahō Sensei Negima!), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from February 2003 to March 2012, with its chapters collected into 38 tankōbon volumes.
Negima! was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series produced by Xebec that was broadcast on TV Tokyo from January to June 2005. A second 26-episode series produced by Shaft titled Negima!?, which is alternate retelling, was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 2006 to March 2007. In addition, four different sets of original video animations, an anime film and a live-action television series have also been produced.
In North America, the manga was licensed for English language release by Del Rey Manga and later by Kodansha USA. In the UK the first sixteen volumes were published by Tanoshimi. Both anime and the second OVAs were licensed by Funimation. Sentai Filmworks re-licensed the series in 2018.[3] In 2023, Sentai lost the streaming rights to Negima and it was removed from HIDIVE.
Akamatsu collaborated with an artist named Yui to write the spin-off Negiho in 2010. In 2013, Akamatsu began a sequel/spin off titled UQ Holder! that focuses on Negi's grandson, Tōta Konoe. Due to the two anime series and live action TV shows having plots that are totally different from that of the Manga and the existence of spin-off manga that are fresh new takes of the Negima plot, Negima has become subject to Transmedia storytelling.
Plot
While looking for clues about his missing father Nagi, Negi Springfield becomes the English and homeroom teacher for Mahora Academy Class 2A (later 3A). Negi soon becomes acquainted with most of his new students including his roommates
After dealing with Evangeline, Negi takes the class on a trip to
During Mahora's cultural festival, Negi manages to partake in simultaneous events thanks to his student
After the festival, Negi decides to go to the Mundus Magicus (Magic World) to look for his father. His partners decide to accompany him and together they form their own brigade, the Ala Alba (White Wing). They are joined by Negi's childhood friend Anya and accidentally by other students who are oblivious to his secret. As they arrive, the team is ambushed by a group of mysterious enemies led by Fate Averruncus, leaving Negi and his group defeated and scattered across Mundus Magicus. After meeting Jack Rakan, another member of Ala Rubra, Negi decides to train in order to become stronger and specializes in Dark Magic, like Evangeline. Meanwhile, Negi's lost companions start to learn the ropes of their new environment and eventually reunite with him.
During another clash with Fate and his companions, Asuna is captured by the enemy and held captive along with Anya, with a body double posing as the real Asuna. Later Negi has an encounter with Kurt Gödel, a former member of Ala Rubra who reveals to him the story of his parents including how his mother was unjustly tried and sentenced to death before being saved by Nagi at the brink of her execution. He also learns that the Magic World is actually a magically created, inhabitable version of Mars, and just like the world itself, the majority of its inhabitants are created by magic. During another clash with Fate, Negi also learns that the main objective of his group "Cosmo Entelecheia" is to make use of Asuna's secret powers to erase the magically created inhabitants of Mundus Magicus and transfer the rest of its population to Earth before it eventually collapses.
By joining forces with the various armies of the Magic World, the members of Ala Alba storm Cosmo Entelecheia's stronghold where Asuna and Anya are being held captive, to stop their plans. During the confrontation a magic gate is opened to Earth just above Mahora, having Negi's remaining students who stayed behind along with the academy's faculty members joining the fight. After rescuing Asuna and convincing Fate to accept a plan to save the people of the Magic World without the need of any sacrifices, Negi discovers that the true leader of Cosmo Entelecheia is none other than his father Nagi, possessed by the Mage of the Beginning, who vanishes after asking his son to look for him and release him once and for all.
After being celebrated as heroes for stopping Cosmo Entelecheia, Negi and his friends return to the academy, but instead of resuming his duties as a teacher, Negi leaves Fate as his substitute and with the help of some of his students he starts working on his plan to terraform Mars for the people of the decaying Magic World to relocate there. The plan involves sealing Asuna's body for one hundred years, and she bids farewell to Negi and the other students after she graduates from middle school. Waking up 30 years after the estimated time, Asuna finds that Negi's plan was a success and that Negi and all her classmates had happy and bountiful lives, but had long since died, all except for the immortal Evangeline, and Chao who exists in this time and has since invented a device to jump between realities. These two appear before Asuna to take her back to the present so she can live out her days with Negi and the others.
Seven Years later, Negi and gang defeat the Mage of the Beginning for good and Negi's father was no longer possessed by him. Negi finally reunites with his father as Ala Alba and Ala Rubra bond together as they celebrate their victory.
Media
Manga
Negima! Magister Negi Magi, written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu, was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from February 26, 2003, to March 14, 2012.[4][5] Kodansha collected its 355 individual chapters in thirty-eight tankōbon volumes, released from July 16, 2003, to May 17, 2012.[6][7]
English version
In North America, the series was licensed for English language release by
In the United Kingdom, the first sixteen volumes of the manga were published by Tanoshimi from August 3, 2006, to December 6, 2007.[19][20]
Anime
Introduction original video animations
Before the beginning of the series, three original video animations (OVAs) were produced to introduce the characters. The first two were released on DVD bundled with two drama CDs, with the third being sold separately.
The first OVA is a re-enactment of the first chapter, where Negi first learns of his job as a teacher and is introduced to the students of Mahora Academy 2-A. It ends with profiles of the Baka Rangers (Asuna, Makie, Yue, Ku Fei and Kaede) as well as Ayaka.
The second OVA is a re-enactment of the "love potion" incident of chapter 2, with profiles at the end of Nodoka, Konoka, the cheerleaders (Misa, Madoka, Sakurako) as well as Kazumi.
The third OVA is a re-enactment of chapter 13: Negi's Mahora tour with the Narutaki twins. The tour shows Negi to several of the students (Yuna, Akira, Chao, Satsuki, Satomi, Chizuru, Natsumi, Zazie) as well as others that he ends up missing (Sayo, Evangeline, Chachamaru, Chisame, Misora, Ako). After being chewed out by Haruna for completely skipping her, a final scene introduces Setsuna and Mana.
Television series
The anime began airing in Japan on January 6, 2005, and ended June 29, 2005. The anime follows the story of the manga to a certain degree but also creates its own reasons for certain events happening - most of which take place towards the end of the series - which differ from the original story, as the situations addressed had yet to occur in the source material. The differences between the manga and anime are significant, and most events in the manga never occur in the anime, again due in part to the manga being incomplete during the series' production. Starting in episode 22 and continuing until the end of the series, original work was created so the series would have a conclusion. At one time it aired as part of the Funimation programming block on CoLours TV.[21]
A second series was announced on May 9, 2006, by Shaft and directed by
Spring and Summer OVAs
Two OVAs directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and produced by Shaft have been released, a Spring OVA and a Summer OVA. Both OVA's were released on DVD in English dub on October 14, 2008.
The Spring OVA called Negima!? Haru was shown to a private audience in Japan in April 2006 and was released for the public in DVD on October 25, 2006. It is based on the trip to the Southern Islands in volume 7 of the manga. The story is about how Negi makes up to Asuna after saying to Asuna that she should not mind his business.
The Summer (Natsu) OVA was also shown to a private audience in September 2006, and the DVD was released on November 22, 2006. The beginning is about Nodoka and Yue practicing casting a spell. While training, Yue convinces Nodoka that they cast a spell of the
White Wing OADs
A third set of OVAs (officially an "OAD" or "Original Animation Disc" as these are limited edition OVA releases that are only sold with the purchase of specific volumes of the manga) called Magical Teacher Negima! ~The White Wing~ (魔法先生ネギま!〜白き翼 ALA ALBA〜, Mahō Sensei Negima! ~Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba~) was announced by Ken Akamatsu on his website days after the end of the live-action adaptation's airing.[22] Production was handled by Shaft in cooperation with Studio Pastoral and the entire cast from Negima!? reprised their roles. The new OVAs cover chapters 176 to 183, and are shown in three parts:
- The first OAD covers chapters 176 and 177 and was released on August 12, 2008, together with the release of Volume 23 of the manga.
- The second OAD covers chapters 178 to 180 and was released on November 17, 2008, together with the release of Volume 24 of the manga.
- A limited edition Negima audio drama CD was released on December 19, 2008, and covers chapter 181.
- The third OAD shows chapters 181 to 183 and was released on February 17, 2009, together with the release of Volume 25 of the manga.
Just like previous Negima adaptations by Shaft, Akiyuki Shinbo served as the director, together with the same staff as his previous works.[23]
From the Negi no Ochakai event that was held in May 2008, Ken Akamatsu mentioned that if pre-orders for the first of the OADs exceed 50,000 the staff would consider a film adaptation, and if it exceeded 100,000 views, the staff would consider a third animated series. The counter on the official website reached 82,581 before the first OAD was released.[24] The total sales of three volumes was 245,000 copies.[25]
Another World OADs
A fourth set of OADs was announced in the Mahō Sensei Negima: Ala Alba event held on February 11, 2009.[25] The series is officially titled Magical Teacher Negima! ~Another World~ (魔法先生ネギま!もうひとつの世界, Mahō Sensei Negima: Mō Hitotsu no Sekai).[26] This OAD series, covering the Journey to Magic World arc, was exclusively bundled with the manga starting with volume 27.[25] The first episode, adapting chapters 184 through 188, was released on September 17, 2009; the second, which adapts chapters 189 through 192, was released on December 17, 2009. The third, covering chapters 193–204, was released on May 17, 2010, the fourth on August 17, 2010, and the fifth was released on November 17, 2010.[27] Just like the previous OAD adaption, this series is produced by Shaft in cooperation with Studio Pastoral.[26]
Film
Akamatsu announced in his web diary that they can now initiate "the project" freely because the number of the pre-orders of the new OAD Mahou Sensei Negima! Mō Hitotsu no Sekai was large enough. He said he could not explicitly disclose what "the project" is from now since the sales data turned Akamatsu's personal desire into a real project. He had been saying that the final chapter of the OAD series will be released as a movie if the sales are successful. Weekly Shōnen Magazine announced a "full-length" anime that would be premiered in 2011 and used the term "Negima Saga Final".
On May 17, 2011, the official site opened with the new title Mahō Sensei Negima: Anime Final and was released in Japanese theaters on August 27, 2011, as a double-bill with Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven Is a Place on Earth.[28][29] The movie provided an alternate ending to the Journey to Magic World arc. A CD was released on August 24, 2011, featuring the theme songs of the movie along with the off vocal versions.
Live-action series
A
Like Negima!?, the live-action series has an entirely different storyline from the manga and the first anime series.
Music
A large amount of music related to Negima! has been released. Aside from the numerous opening and ending theme songs used in the two anime adaptations, four OVA sets and the film, several
Video games
Negi Springfield appears as a playable character in the 2009 PlayStation Portable fighting game Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen.[35]
Notes
References
- ^ Brenner 2007, p. 89
- ISBN 9780345539441.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (February 4, 2018). "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Both Negima TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ AI Love Network main. ailove.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ マガジン「君のいる町」一挙3話掲載、「ネギま」は完結. Natalie (in Japanese). March 14, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ 魔法先生ネギま!(1) (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ 魔法先生ネギま!(38)<完> (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Mays, Jonathan (August 28, 2003). "Del Rey announces Tsubasa, XXXHolic manga". Anime News Network.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (February 27, 2004). "Del Rey to Censor Akamatsu Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (February 27, 2004). "Negima to not be censored". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Phillips, George (February 29, 2004). "Akamatsu's Thoughts on Negima". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! 1". Del Rey Manga. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! 28". Del Rey Manga. Archived from the original on October 29, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Manry, Gia (October 3, 2010). "Kodansha USA to Take Over Del Rey Manga Titles (Update 3)". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! 29". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! 38". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! Omnibus 1". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Negima! Omnibus 9". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Negima Volume 1. ASIN 0099504154.
- ^ Negima Volume 16. Penguin Random House. 6 December 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- Funimation Entertainmentreduced its programing on CoLours TV, Negima was one of the shows that was eliminated from the lineup.
- ^ "Ken Akamatsu's 2008's diary" (in Japanese). 2008-03-29. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ "Mahō Sensei Negima: Ala Alba announcement in official blog". 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ "Regarding the counter in official blog" (in Japanese). 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ a b c "Negima's 2nd Original Anime DVD Series Reportedly Announced". Anime News Network. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ a b "News article on Neko to Negima! to Seiyū-san blog" (in Japanese). 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ "Ken Akamatsu's Blog" (in Japanese). 2009-08-13. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ "Hayate, Negima Films Double-Billed on August 27". Anime News Network. 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- ^ "『劇場版 ハヤテのごとく! HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH』/『劇場版 魔法先生ネギま! ANIME FINAL』8月27日より同時上映にて公開!公式サイトオープン !" (in Japanese). animeanime.jp. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ^ "Ken Akamatsu's blog". Ken Akamatsu (in Japanese). Retrieved May 18, 2007.
- ^ "Anime News Network News". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
- ^ "Negima! Live Action". Cast List. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
- ^ "Negima! Drama Lead Selected". Anime News Service. Archived from the original on 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- ^ "Negima! Live Action Cast". Mainichi Interactive. Retrieved 2007-09-10.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Konami Mashes Manga Characters Together For PSP Fighter". Siliconera. January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
Further reading
- Beveridge, Chris (August 2, 2006). "Negima Vol. #1 (also w/limited edition)". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the originalon July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Beveridge, Chris (September 4, 2006). "Negima Vol. #2 (also w/limited edition)". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Santos, Carlo (November 15, 2007). "Negima! Magister Negi Magi GN 15". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Dungan, Mike (November 9, 2004). "Mahou Sensei Negima! Vol. #03". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Høgset, Stig (May 31, 2005). "Negima!". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. T.H.E.M. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Liversidge, Ross (June 18, 2008). "Anime Review: Negima: The Series". UK Anime Network. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Martin, Theron (August 22, 2006). "Mahou Sensei Negima! DVD 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Morton, Bryan (January 8, 2008). "Negima! Vol. #6". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Smith, Lesley (February 2008). "Negima! The Complete Series". ISSN 1541-4817.
- Thomas, Mark (March 25, 2008). "Negima Box Set". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- Brenner, Robin E. (2007). Understanding Manga and Anime. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313094484.
External links
- Official Negima!? website (in Japanese)
- Kodansha Comics (NA manga publisher)
- TV Tokyo's Negima!! (live-action) website (in Japanese)
- Starchild's Negima!! (live-action) website (in Japanese)
- Konami Japan's PS2 Negima!? game (in Japanese)
- Marvelous Interactive's Mahō Sensei Negima! GBA game (in Japanese)
- Negima: Shiroki Tsubasa (in Japanese)
- Negima: Mō Hitotsu no Sekai (in Japanese)
- Negima: Anima Final (in Japanese)
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia