Customer Reviews

Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 2

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This second volume in Ken Akamatsu's "Magister Negi Magi" finds Negi Springfield and his wacky all-girl students off on a quest to find a magic book in the Mahora school's Library Island, an enormous maze littered with traps, giant metal golems and other very unlibrary-like things. If they can find the magic book, and the girls can manage to not place at the bottom of all the classes, Negi can get granted full-teacher status. It should be no problem, because leading the way are members of the Library Island Explorers club. What could go wrong?

Additional stories in volume 2 feature single adventures with a few students, including Chisame Hasegawa, a girl who can't stand Negi or her classmates, but lives a secret life as an internet pin-up cosplay girl, the cute twins Fuka and Fumika Narutaki, who take Negi on a tour around the vast school grounds, and Class representative Ayaka Yukihiro and the story of her and Asuna'a bitter rivalry.

"Magister Negi Magi" is really starting to pick up with this volume. The characters are getting fleshed out and the girls are starting to get their own personalities and motivations. Of course, Negi is still the star and the book is packed with Akamatsu's trademark humor. A great comic, that I highly recommend!

You know how everyone always says the original is the best? Not in this case, cause Harry Potter ain't got jack on Negi! The capers of the pint-sized wizard continue in Negima! volume 2.

Negi is thrown for a loop when he receives a "Final Challenge" from the headmaster of Mahora Academy- stating that if he can manage to get class 2-A out of last place by the end of the semester finals, he will be made a permanent teacher at the Academy. Problem for him, though, is his class contains the Baka Rangers ("baka" being Japanese for "idiot"), five students who are much less than average intelligence- and of course, Asuna Kagurazaka is one of them (the others being Kaede Nagase, Fei Ku, Yue Ayase [surprising, considering her love for anything philosophical], and Makie Sasaki). He tries to do it by magic, but Asuna gets onto him about it, so Negi places a magical restriction on himself so that he can't do magic for the three days prior to the test. This proves to be a bad move, however, as Negi gets dragged along with the Baka Rangers and the Library Exploration group (Haruna Saotome, Konoka Konoe, and Nodoka Miyazaki, with Yue Ayase as the third member) on a quest below the library to find a mysterious magical book that will somehow make them smarter. Of course, hilarity ensues, including one final showdown between Negi and the "rock-and-roller", as he calls it.

This volume of Negima! is I think better than volume 1 in many ways. I liked the subplots, which I will list here:

- Chisame Hasegawa, in which Negi catches her in her secret life of the Internet's hottest cosplay bunny;
- Konoka Konoe, where her and Negi run from her grandfather's attempts to set her up as an o-miai and her confessing a big secret to Negi;
- Fuka and Fumika Narutaki, the twins... as the Strolling Club takes Negi on an abbreviated tour of the campus designed to show Negi what the girls have to offer, you could say.

And as always, the fan service is there, although (disappointedly) there isn't as much as there was in the first novel- just a bathing scene with Fei Ku, Makie, and Kaede, and a solo bath scene with Asuna.

Enjoy!!

~andy~

In this book, Negi is told that if his class passes the finals above last place, he'll be made an official teacher.
Of course, his class has been in last place since the beginning.

Negi's five worst students, nicknamed "the Baka Rangers" seek out a magical book that is said to make the reader smarter. Only it's inside a giant library full of dangerous traps. Negi comes along, but he has sealed his magic until after the finals, making him an ordinary boy.

A few more of the girls and their personalities are shown to the reader in this book. You can't really expect all 31 different girls in Negi's class to be fully characterized in the first two books, can you?

After reading the first volume of Negima, I came to two conclusions. The first was that I definitely enjoyed myself while reading Negima; the subtle adult humor and comical fan-service kept me reading throughout the entire manga. The second was that, though I enjoyed myself, I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in a manga that clearly wasn't to my tastes (I like mature, graphic stuff like Berserk) and one that was already so deep into its run.

Obviously, though, I took the risk and bought the second volume, along with three, four, and five. And I'm glad I risked it. The story, while not exactly getting any deeper into the plot than what it did in the first volume, was delightful and just as funny as it was in volume one. Negi is still trying to get the respect he deserves as a teacher and to get people to stop looking at him as a ten-year-old boy, even though that's what he is (that and a pimp). In this volume, he takes a more active role in getting this to happen, and that includes raising his class's intellectual standards. It becomes a difficult task, however, as Negi must collect the worst of his class and get them to study hard in order to raise their grades. Of course, this involves a lot of magical hi-jinks in a mysterious library and even more fan-service. Later, Negi spends a lot of time during his spring break meeting some of the girls who didn't have much of a role up to this point, and all of it generally involves some sort of affectionate, rather audacious, ribbing toward Negi from these girls.

Now, for the problems. One I had was the number of characters and the fact that most of these characters were shoved onto me before I could get a grasp on some of the ones who came before. A lot of the times it seemed the author was overwhelmed as well, as the characters don't always do what would be normal for such a character. Example, Asuna, one of the lesser minds in the class, quotes a classic Russian novel. Another, though this is not fault of the manga, is that the pages were aligned too close to the binding and it was hard to read some of the stuff inside.

As a comedy manga, this is definitely one worth reading, and one I'd quickly recommend to anyone looking for this sort of thing. Yes, it's a little more mature than the stuff in Shonen Jump, but I'm all for that. Negima was especially good for me, someone who thought he had his interests and tastes locked-in, therefore I give this manga even more credit. It was a great find (I thank the person who recommended this to me) and one I plan on following all the way through to completion.

Ken Akamatsu's "Negima" started off on uneven footing, with an unoriginal storyline that didn't seem certain of where to go next. But the second volume solidifies that storyline, taking Negi and his students into more serious adventures and escapades. (And bunny suits!)

Negi Springfield receives an alarming message from the Dean: If his class comes in last (as they always have), he won't continue as a teacher. Terrified, he accompanies the Baka Rangers (the worst students) in search of a magical book that will make them instantly smart, on the legendary Library Island.

Problem is, it's guarded by a giant killer statue, and traps and puzzles meant to dissuade the dumb. Soon Negi and his Rangers are on the run for their lives, desperately trying to get back before the decisive test. Will the book give them the knowledge they need... or will they be forced to struggle on without its help?

The stories continue with Negi getting to know some of the girls in his class. He pays a visit to Ayaka, a poor little rich girl with a massive crush on him, but Negi's presence brings up a saddening memory of her childhood. Mischievous twins play with his mind. And seething nerd Chisame tries to use her sexy Web persona to strike back at Negi, only to get burned when he sees her frolicking in a bunny suit...

Akamatsu tightens up his plotlines in the second volume of "Negima," with more focus on Negi as a teacher and a pal, and less on naked girls. Okay, there's still nudity, but usually used for comedy and not titillation, like Chisame's final humiliation. And even Akamatsu acknowledges the absurdity of this, by having a flustered Negi splutter, "Boy, any excuse..." if the girls strip.

The Library Island story is perhaps the best here -- it has action, humour and it shows how attached Asuna is becoming to Negi. And there's a message woven in there, not too subtlely, about how the only way to succeed is hard work, and that a teacher should work hard to help his students and not just leave the bad ones behind.

Negi doesn't get much exposition in this one; it's focused on his students. The revelation of Ayaka's late baby brother makes her more than just a spoiled rich girl, and Akamatsu handles this tragic twist with delicacy and poignancy. And we get to see a bit more of Konoka, the Dean's cheerful granddaughter, who is being pressured to marry in her mid-teens.

The "Negima" series gets more solid and sweet in its second volume, showing that Ken Akamatsu was getting into step as a fantasy storyteller. A vast improvement, and a fun comic read.

Negi is once again put to the test as he must rush the 2A class into studing (normally they wouldnt ever do work!) and if they fail a test to see what grade group is the smartest, that means no job for Negi! Fun and detailed graphic novel! I thought this book was exciting and funny. I liked this novel the best of the first three Negimas so far! Have fun!

The manga series about the ten year old British boy magician (Negi) who becomes an English teacher at a girls middle school in Japan continues here. This time around, Negi finds out he will lose his job if his class comes in last in the big exam. So, the worst students go to Secret Library Island, where there is rumoured to be a magic book that makes you smart. I don't want to give away the ending, but the series would be over pretty quick if Negi lost his job. Some different girls get highlighted this time, including the loner, the class rep and the twins. But with 31 girls, some of them have not been developed at all yet. Hopefully, we will get to know them all in future volumes. So far this series has been delightful, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Volume 2 of Mahou Sensei Negima! actually betters the premiere volume of Ken Akamatsu's third manga series following A.I. Love You and the much-acclaimed Love Hina. Me, I like Negima! better than LH. The adventures of the 10-year old magician Negi Springfield and his adorable and wacky junior high school girls continue. The resemblance to Harry Potter still astounds me, though I doubt Harry's sneezes would cause schoolgirls' uniforms to explode,

"Dear Negi-kun. If 2A doesn't finish in last place, you'll be made an official teacher." Negi Springfield, a ten-year wizard who's an English teacher at the Mahora Academy, receives this note from the headmaster. He has only three days to do it, and fears that he'll be fired if he fails. The students think the class will be broken up, with the students redistributed to other classes. The Mighty Morphin Baka Rangers (baka means stupid in Japanese), including Asuna, are the main reason why his class is in last place.

When Asuna tells Negi that maybe his lack of confidence in his students cause them to lose confidence in turn, and that his use of magic to help them proceeds from that, Negi decides to put a 3-day limitation on his magic use, making him a normal human being.
The Baka Rangers decide to hit Library Island, the largest library in the world, in search of a mysterious book that's able to give the reader knowledge of everything.

The main story here, the Library Island adventure, with its hidden chambers, spiral staircases, trapdoors, is the highlight here, with an unusual game of Twister, doors to their escape route that open when the correct answer is given, and a giant robot-like stone statue are part of the fun. It has kind of a Raiders of the Lost Ark feel to it. And remember, the Japanese word for dish is "osara," not "osaru," which is the word for monkey.

Some of the other students are introduced in detail, such sa the precocious Narutaki twins, who give Negi a tour of the campus, including at one point, the girls' locker room at the gym. They seem young, but more mature for their age. Another is the class rep, Ayaka Yukihiro, who has a crush on Negi and who butts heads with Asuna. At one point, Asuna calls her Scarlett O'Harlot. Ouch!

Finally, a holographic letter from Negi's sister reveals the concept of male/female pairing between wizards. This leads to a big misunderstanding when Class 2A think that Negi came here to find a bride. Naturally, all the girls want him.

Lots of fan service here, including baseball janken (rock-paper-scissors), which turns out to be the equivalent of strip R-P-S, where whoever misses a question has to remove a piece of clothing. Needless to say the MMBR's turn out to be the most naked students in a matter of minutes. "What a raunchy bunch," sighs Negi. The presence of the World Tree,a thick and gnarled tree, seems another similarity to HP (i.e. the Whomping Willow). According to the legend, "if you tell someone you have a crush on that you like them, it will come true."

However, my two favourite characters remain the cute Konoka Konoe, she with long black hair and a darned cute smile, and Nodoka Miyazaki, the shy library girl with hair that covers her eyes. Yes, it is quite a chore to remember 30 students, but at times, a sidenote with the number and name of student is listed by the panel. Great humour, silly fun, and lots of cute girls.

In Volume 2 of "Negima!," Akumatsu-sensei his trademarked lolicon ecchi fest, but unlike Volume 1, there is a greater sense of story here. That makes for an improved manga, but still an extremely ecchi one.

The first half of the book is dedicated to Negi-sensei, the "Baka Rangers" (of which Asuna is a member), and the members of the Library Club (of which Konoka-chan is a member) going on a quest to Library Island to find a magic book that is rumored to be there to make you smart. Since Negi's career as a teacher depends on his getting his students' exam grades up, he's along for the ride, howbeit without magic!

The second half of the book contains stories allowing us to explore the campus a bit more and to get to know three other girls - Chisame-chan (a cosplay, Internet Idol) and the Narutaki twins. The relationship between Asuna and the class rep Ayaka is explored with some nice depth added to both characters and for me, the highlight of the volume. Ayaka's deep attraction to Negi-sensei is a bit odd, but then Akamatsu-sensei seems to provide at least some explanation to it. I suppose it is also his way of having a shoutacon element added to the story to be fair (the opposite of lolicon). ^_^;;;

Finally, the element of Negi looking for a female partner is brought up when he receives a letter from his older sister in England. However, nothing more is made of it other than being used as a vehicle to show Konoka-chan in a kimono to take pictures for an omiai (arranged marriage meeting).

Del Rey does a really good job again. As is standard, all of the normal honorifics are in the text (and explained for the unlearned). Extras include more initial character sketches by Akamatsu-sensei, a section on some Latin terms, a section on spells Negi uses, and the ever-excellent translator notes. The preview of Volume 3 in Japanese is included and it looks fantastic!

Bottom line: If you enjoyed the first volume of "Negima!," you'll enjoy this one a little more. There's still way to much ecchi content, but that's to be expected of a title by Akamatsu-sensei.

I'm warning you now people, you should not take this series lightly. Even if you have not read Akamatsu's work, like me{other than this one}, you'll still become addicted to this series. Trust me, people, you should read this.
Description-

In the first chapter:
Negi gets a letter saying that if his class doesn't come in last place, then he will be made into an official teacher{that's talking about the test that will determine if you pass onto the next grade or not, and the class has always come in last place}. But unfortunately, lots of other rumors spread around as well ^_^. Then the Baka Rangers, along with Negi, decide to take a trip to Library Island, where a rumored magical book is kept that could help them for the test.

In the second chapter:
The Baka Rangers go through many different levels on Library Island, and just when they think they've practically gotten the book, they have to play a game similar to Twister where you have to answer questions. But unfortunately, they get an answer wrong.

In the third chapter:
The Baka Rangers spend the time on the "paradise of books" on a part of Library Island.

In the fourth chapter:
The Baka Rangers, including Negi, make it out of Library Island {chased by a "rock man", answering questions along the way.}.

You wanna see the results of the test? You'll have to read this!!
Highly Recommended.