Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 5

Volume 5 picks up where Volume 4 left off and while half of the manga is dedicated to a humor story (though an important one), the 2nd-half is dedicated to the main story arc with new enemies, new allies, and further proof that "Negima!" is much more than a lolicon ecchi-fest. With Asakura (Kazumi) having learned Negi's secret, Chamo-kun uses her to scout out potential partners for Negi. Chamo-kun will get ermine dollars and Asakura gets to have some fun and more. A contest between several pairs of girls we've been previously introduced to is formed with the goal of kissing Negi. Asakura has rigged video monitoring in the inn for the contest and provides the play-by-play for the rest of the girls who are watching it on TV. What they don't know is that Se-chan provided Negi with paper dolls which when activated create a duplicate of him so that he can help Se-chan and Asuna patrol the inn grounds. The duplicates cause all sorts of fun and the girls that kiss them create flawed magic cards. Only Miyazaki manages to kiss the real Negi and create a real card, which she is given a copy of though she doesn't know its true nature. Meanwhile Asuna is given a copy of her card so that she can activate her special weapon when she wants and she can communicate with Negi no matter how far apart they are. Miyazaki overhears this and discovers the card creates a book for her, which then reveals to her information of things going on in the form of a picture diary. So as Asuna, Negi, Chamo-kun, and a paper doll in the form of a mini Se-chan head to the temple to deliver the letter and finish Negi's quest, Se-chan guards Konoka-chan along with Yue and Saotome. Negi and Asuna soon find themselves in a magic trap where they battle Kotaro, a powerful kid in the Kansai Group. Miyazaki follows the action from her book and eventually comes upon the fight in person. Using the book, she helps Negi and Asuna as they fight for their lives. Meanwhile Se-chan is attacked as another kidnapping attempt is made on Konoka-chan and has to defend Konoka-chan with her life. The story continues to become more interesting. Even the kiss contest was very interesting though it only added little to the main story arc. However, the groundwork is clearly being laid for some of these girls to have greater roles as we see with Miyazaki. I like how her character is being brought along. The amount of fanservice has dropped off in this volume. It is still there, but considering the sheer amounts of it in Volume 4, it is a relief to have it cut back so much. Peter David is not part of the English adaptation in this volume, so his trademark humor is missing. That's not a problem, just an observation. Del Rey continues to do a good job with the honorifics, translator notes, spell dictionary, a display of the botched cards, some character sketches by Akamatsu-sensei, and an English preview of Volume 6. Bottom line: "Negima!" continues to impress with its interesting story an

More crazy adventures from Akamatsu Ken, featuring his young wizard Negi Springfield and the girls who have the hots for him. If you have been following the series to this, Volume 5, then you are familiar with the style of the book and its characters. Here, it's part two of the school trip, with the kids in Kyoto facing off against menaces of their own creation as well as new challenges The Kissing Contest in the first section is hilarious, with Asakura and Chamo arranging a contest amongst the students to see who will be the first to kiss Negi. Of course, things never go as planned, and hijinks ensue, even in this unorthodox situation. The romance between Negi and Nodoka heats up from her attempted confession last issue, and Nodoka is determined to be the kisser. However, there are some unexpected twists, and even the stalwart Yue reveals secret longings and gets into the game. Next up is the revelation of new player, Kotaro, who challenges Negi and Asuna, after isolating them from the rest of the crew. Nadoka's new abilities are revealed, and she lends a hand to the two battlers. (Powers which manage to flip up her skirt every time they are used. Ahhh...Akamatsu...) Kotaro is a great new character, one who will play an even larger part as the story unfolds. Finally, a trip to Movie Village in Kyoto, famed as the place where Samurai dramas are filmed, allows for more action from Konoka and Setsuna. This is a good chance to get the gals in period costumes, and for Sestuna to play the Knight Errant. Volume 5 is a somewhat transitional book, setting the stage for the climatic battle that will come in future volumes, and allowing some of the girl's to get charged up. It is nice to see the Konoka/Setsuna storyline expanded on, and Kotaro is a great character and an interesting foil for Negi.

This manga series is about Negi Springfield, a ten-year-old wizard from Wales, who is assigned to teach at a girls middle school. In this volume, Negi and his students are on a field trip. Various plot complications ensue, such as a contest to see which girl will be first to kiss Negi, and battles with supernatural beings. This is a very fun series that should appeal to fans of Love Hina. The biggest problem with the comic is keeping track of who all the girls are. But it's still a cute, funny, exciting story.

In this volume of Negima!, it begins when the papparazzi Asakura and the ermine Chamo scheme a competition among the girls. Their objective was to find Negi and kiss him passionately. Of course, there is a purpose for this madness. Negi, on the other hand, doesn't know anything about this and decides to go patrol the hotel secretly. He uses the paper dolls Setsuna gave him to make copies of himself in his room while he's away. To activate the paper dolls, he must write his name on them, but since he sucks at writing with a brush, a lot of confusion arises. I don't want to reveal too much, so I'll leave it at there. In the next part, Nodoka (the girl who confessed her love to Negi) eavesdrops on Negi and Asuna talking about the probationary contract cards. She then starts to activate her power and because of that, she has an important role in this part. Negi and Asuna and some other girls go to the arcade and meet a boy named Kotaro. Negi and Asuna sneak off to deliver the letter to the KMA (Kansai Magic Association). They arrive at a temple but inevitably, get trapped within it. They go on a panic raid but then see a familiar face: Kotaro! Then, Negi and Asuna were able to escape thanks to Nodoka's magic. The story then moves to Setsuna and Konoka running away from the KMA and the girls think they are more than just friends. Paper doll Negi arrives to the scene and the KMA try to kidnap Konoka out in the open. But they aren't going to let that happen are they? I think Volume 5 is the most action-packed one of the series yet. It is very comedic and will not make you want to stop reading it.

Negima! Vol. 5 has three parts. In the first part, you'll see a funny confusion. Asakura the paparazzi and Chamo arrange a competition to see who will be the first to kiss Negi, who of course knows nothing about such a mischief. Since he has to patrol around the hotel secretly, Negi uses Setsuna's magic paper doll when he goes out. The doll, which is an instant doppelganger, becomes your stand-in if you write your name on it in Japanese with a writing brush appropriately -- Do you think Negi's familiar with writing brushes? I won't tell you any more as I don't want to spoil it. The next day is a free activity day. While students go sightseeing, Negi and Asuna visit the main temple of the Kansai Magic Association to deliver the letter. They enter the gate, and then find themselves in a strange place, where once trapped no one can exit. Negi and Asuna encounter Kotaro the new enemy there. Kotaro is very strong. It's a crisis! Nodoka, the girl who confessed her love for Negi in the previous volume, performs an important role in this episode. It is amazing how she uses her new magic item spontaneously and effectively. And now, where is Konoka? She is pursued by the enemies. The last parts of the book depicts the adventure of Konoka and Setsuna. Setsuna the guardian takes Konoka to a famous tourist spot Eiga-mura (Cinema Villege) in order to hide her in the crowd. There are a lot of open sets of the street scenes of the Edo Period. You can try on costumes of famous historic figures. (I've never been there, though.) Setsuna's usually a bit too formal with Konoka because of her faithfulness. But now she enjoys a short rest -- until they are attacked. This is my most favorite volume so far. The girls with various personalities are not simple followers now. They act decisively not only for Negi but also for their friends. The last scene is very picturesque... (I know it could sound stupid to comment that the graphic novel is picturesque, because all graphic novels are made of pictures. But you sure understand what I mean if you read the book.) By the way, since English is my second language, I'm not sure whether the translation style of the book is natural or not. But when Kotaro calls Asuna "One-chan," it should be pronounced "O-Nay-Chan." It would be better to spell it as "Onee-chan / Onei-chan" or such. (Onee-chan means "older sister" in the literal sense of the word. It sounds amiable and cute when used between siblings or good friends, or if the caller is a kid. But if not, it is kind of rude. Although Kotaro is neither Asuna's sibling nor friend, he is a kid, so this cheeky cub's manner is not so bad.)