11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Download! Buy it! It's worth it!, February 9, 2005
Those of you that have been reading Negima through the various scanlation groups will know that volumes 3 & 4 is where the manga starts to pick up its pace. While the first two volumes where standard Harem-manga-filler, from volumes 3 and 4 Negima starts to forego its harem roots (don't worry, the drawings STILL have a good amount of fan-service) and starts moving into the fantasy-action genre, which, quite frankly, suits this title a whole lot better.
I won't go into any more further details, as it would spoil the plot for you. I will say that volumes 3 and 4 is where the manga starts to get GOOD! What I WILL go into detail is why you should choose to buy the Del Ray version rather than downloading this from a site somewhere.
First of all, Del Ray has put enormous effort into providing a translation that actually reads well on paper. Rather than "dumbing down" the script, Peter David's (yes, THAT Peter David) adaptation of the script is hilarious and the dialogs read well and genuine. Even though I don't agree with David's interpretation of some of the characters, I like David's version.
The sound effects are translated, which is good, considering the fact that the author uses them often. The honorifics are untranslated, and a special section is added at the front of the book giving valuable information about what they mean. Translation notes are provided at the end of the story, which give a lot of valuable information about Japanese culture and explain a lot of thing that are missed.
The translation is by no means perfect. Fans of Negima that have been following the title through the scanlation groups will especially notice one HUGE error. Del Ray however has vowed to correct that mistake in its future publications and reprints. Not only does this add to Del Ray's integrity as a publisher, it also means that my first edition copy with that mistake will rise hugely in value in the future (as "error-prints" tend to do)!
Finally, nothing beats reading this title on paper, without the computer screen hurting your eyes. If you've been downloading this, now's the time to leave the computer screen, cough up the cash, and start reading it the way it should be read, dammit!
For no other reason than to support publishers like Del Ray, that put such an enormous effort into providing translation worth reading!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Class Trip!, January 21, 2005
The fourth volume in the Negima! manga has Negi taking his class on a feild trip to Kyoto and Nara. This is not only for fun and education, but Negi has it on good authority that the
"Souther Master", his father, once lived in the aera. However the headmaster of the acdemy want Negi to deliver a letter for him. However the headmaster warns Negi that their will be danger in just traveling to Kyoto and the letter only compounds the danger. With this new danger, his class acting like they always do, and a few other suprises make this volume the most exciting of them all!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good!, January 31, 2005
Graphics, story, everything, it's all very good. If you've liked the series up to this far, this is a very nice compliment. Akamatsu is now giving each girl a story, so it's like little "episodes". Anyway, if you haven't read the first one, I'd suggest you go read the reviews there. It's a must buy for those keeping up with the series, and the series is a very good one itself.
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