Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 11

The beginning of this novel isn't super great but once the tournament gets into play, its absolutely amazing. The ending is amazing and worth every cent. Among the best fight scenes ever without losing the series' humor and strong storyline.

This is the eleventh volume in the ongoing manga series, with no end in sight. This is the second book in a row that takes place during the Mahora Academy Festival, which still hasn't concluded by the end of this book. The book begins with Negi going through day one of the festival for the fourth time, so that he can do all the things he didn't get to do the first three times (it's magic, don't you know). Then we finally get to day two, which concerns the second round of the big martial arts tournament. Negi and many of the supporting characters are in this tournament. I won't give away any of the results, but I will mention that only six of the eight second round matches are completed in this book, so it may take a while. There is more action than humor this time around, what with all the fighting and all, but it's still a very enjoyable entry in the series.

The Mahora Festival continues in the eleventh volume of "Negima," but Ken Akamatsu is building up to what is obviously going to be a stunning storyline. While this volume focuses mostly on the martial arts tournament, Akamatsu skillfully weaves in new character developments and a delicious cliffhanger. Negi and Kotaro are using the magic watch to repeat the same day of the Mahorafest, with Negi helping out each of his students -- even Chisame, who is involved in a cosplay contest. Finally the boys just get to rest and relax in Evangeline's resort, where Kotaro shows Negi some new fighting moves. But Negi isn't sure -- even with Kotaro's tips, can he defeat a grown mage? He'll soon find out, as the martial arts tournament gets underway, with several of Negi's classmates (and some hostile mages and robots) involved. But behind the scenes, the devious Chao Lingshen is manipulating the tournament. Can ten-year-old Negi defeat Takahata, whose power is greater than anyone at Mahora Academy ever suspected? Ken Akamatsu does a stunning job balancing character development and action in this one -- there are some truly stunning duels, both magical and physical. And while it ends on a cliffhanger (hinting at a big event in the next volume) it's pretty clear that whatever is coming up may be his most intense and best-written story yet. The first half of the manga is pretty comic, with the boys doing stuff like accidentally ripping off Chisame's cosplay clothes. But then the story is devoted to the skills Kotaro is teaching Negi, such as the ability to run incredibly fast and utilize chi. And Akamatsu creates incredibly inventive, complex and suspenseful action scenes, from "cloth-fu" to Takahata's devastating magic and Negi's inventive spells. We also get some new insights into characters -- Akamatsu reveals Kotaro's hardscrabble childhood, Web idol Chisame's lack of self-esteem, and we learn that Takahata is a stunningly powerful mage, albeit a handicapped one. At the same time, a student we thought we knew suddenly turns out to be more dangerous -- and mercenary -- than anyone suspected. The Mahorafest storyline is rapidly building to a climax in the eleventh volume of "Negima," which almost perfectly balances action, comedy and character development. But what will happen next?

AUGH! The cliffhanger... Always the ending that leaves you hungering for more, and then whimpering that you must wait until November to get it... I feel a bit like Akamatsu gave us a double-whammy here, though, as both the ending of Vol. 11 AND the preview of Vol. 12 leave me going, "Uh, wha???" Here's the deal: Vol. 11 brings us Day 1 all over again for the 4th time (after all, Negi still has to visit the remainder of his students during their different club's exhibits and events during the festival), and then follows up with the next round of fighting in the martial arts tournament. The beginning of the story gives us Negi and Kotaro enjoying the festival simply as 10 year old kids; no patrolling, no magical battles. Just plain fun and standard hi-jinx (skirts flying up, students thrilled or embarassed by Negi's attentions, etc.). After going through an exhausting 4th run of day 1, Negi begins to really dwell on his upcoming match with Takahata. How can a 10 year old possibly be expected to compete against a man, not just of Takahata's age, but also of his experience? Negi begins his fight with Takahata at a very strong advantage, using a technique Kotaro teaches him with only hours to spare... But even this technique has its limits, and it is only the beginning of a very long, passionate battle with a few good surprises. This covers the latter part of the story and is, as the previous reviewer said, the "meat" of it. Ku Fei and Asuna inspire Negi to give the fight his all, just as Negi inspired Ku Fei not to give up in her fight against Tatsumiya. In addition, speculation continues with regard to Chao Lingshen. Who or what is she? What is she up to? Why did she purchase the tournament? And what is her purpose for controlling it and as many of the players as she possibly can? And does she control anyone besides Tatsumiya, whom she - spoiler alert here - has paid off to take the fall in her fight with Ku Fei? I was disappointed to see just how much of a merc (mercenary) Tatsumiya really is at the end of the story. When Takahata follows Setsuna's paper mini-me's trail to Chao's hideout, he is stopped by Chao and Tatsumiya. Tatsumiya says to Takahata, "I'm on the job." Is this because Tatsumiya really is a merc at heart? Is the price simply right or is there a different reason for her to accept Chao's employment? This is where the story ends - Takahata facing Tatsumiya on one side and Chao on the other, after Chao has told him that she needs him to stay put until the festival is over... What are her plans? And can I handle waiting until November to find out??? Good story - a deeper look into Chisame Hagesawa's personality (the student with the website/blog and tons of fans), a little better understanding of Takahata's past and what influences him now (born into the world of magic, but unable to use incanted spells), and another appearance by Evangeline's adorable puppet, Chachazero (whose lines are just as cute as c

...and spend some quality time with your students. Of course, that means another time turn and another day without sleep... but who sweats the little things. Negi makes the rounds of the fair, making sure to check in on all the students he's been neglecting of late. A short stop at the classes' Horror House leads to some disturbingly cute cross-play which sends the Class Rep's blood pressure a'risin... after that, it's off to a plethora of locations... Yuetchi's Philosophy event, the Yakitori bar, Yotsuba's fine cooking, Maki's rhythm gymnastics, and so on... the main event, though, seems to be Chisame's odd reluctance to participate in the grand underground CosPlay competition... so it takes a little oneupsmanship from Maki and the Class Rep (as well as some gentle prodding by Negi) to even get her considering it. Once all the duties are done, it's time to catch up on some rest... and what better place to do it than at the resort? This first few chapters of this volume are pretty much just festival service, giving everyone a little screen time while giving Negi a break from all of his time tripping (it's fun to watch him try and keep track of who he has and hasn't met at various times of the day). The art is a little busy, but that's to be expected with all the detail needed to keep the various festival sites distinct from one another... plus, Akamatsu-sensei's art is always at least a little busy to begin with... just a bit more so here. Anyway... pick it up, enjoy it, and watch the sparks fly as the Tourney proper begins! (Suprise! The meat of the book is actually the first round of the tourney! Takamichi v. Negi! wooo!)