RTFM Negima| How Not to Adapt an Anime

A look into the anime adaptations of Mahou Sensei Negima, as well as an analysis of the quality of said adaptations. Join me as I question the quality of my own tastes by talking about something I like, just so the internet can shit on me for liking it. Part one of a two part delve into Negima's anime and manga.

[@Dekunut.6260]

This series deserves a proper reboot.

[@RandomManIncorperated]

same with Rosario Vampire

[@WhiteDarkness3113]

@@RandomManIncorperated and maybe To Love Ru and Zatch Bell, and that anime about a girl that changes personality every time her bell rings (I forgot the name, I apologies)

[@DannyBoy246]

I watched the dub and honestly, It's kinda like Naruto's english voice actor. Negi's voice just grew on me and now I can't imagine his voice as anyone else.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Same

[@WimpyKelv12]

I actually thought up an explanation for his ‘wrong’ accent, in the manga he at least once insisted that’s he’s a “proper British gentleman” or something along those lines, maybe he fakes the RP accent so he’s taken more seriously instead of being seen as a sheep farmboy from the (actual quote) “back hills of Wales”, helping keep his intellectual image. This is surprisingly similar to Sheldon Cooper suppressing his natural Texan accent…

[@falerob1]

For me it's dub over sub for negima

[@Hazamatoxin]

Yeah lol NGL I just got used to it, in fact i never really found it that jarring outisde of the dodgy british accent.

[@RandomManIncorperated]

It Also Still Wild That His Voice Actor Is The Brother To Frieza's Voice Actor The Late Christopher Ayers

[@Akari-br7ci]

You don't know how good it feels to hear someone else say that they love Negima. It is easily one of my favorite manga of all time. Every time I try to get someone to read it, they usually associate it with the anime and want nothing to do with it. I'm sure you know how frustrating that can be. So thank you for helping spread the word about this amazing series. It means so much to me.

[@Flamelance_Accendo]

The series deserves a proper anime adaption from the Manga. I have no idea why companies make all these changes. Its so disrespectful lol I remember seeing UQ Holder come out as an anime and I felt pretty mad about that at the time because... they're literally just skipping things again.

[@theman61384]

Ive been saying it for years. The manga deserves a proper adaption. It could've been one of the best.

[@Flamelance_Accendo]

@@theman61384 It has that potential for sure.

[@andrewtodaro2874]

I too tried to get into UQ Holder, but it just doesn’t hold my interest as Negima did.

[@dhayris160]

All of Ken Akamatsu’s works seem like that. The Manga are always so much better.

[@SenpaiYuriYT]

this video needs to be spread all across the anime community, negima is such a fantastic series that gets swept under the rug, This would honestly be as poplar as the likes of naruto if the anime was made as a proper adaptation. its a series i grew up with and its so sad that its not as popular as it should be

[@millabasset1710]

I need to re read the manga. It has remained my favorite manga of all time for my entire life. However I don't think I'm big on the Magical World arc, I need to think about it. I don't like UQ Holder right now, Ken Akamatsu has lost his mind and I don't know what he's trying to say in UQ Holder, nothing is being answered in relation to the final arc of Negima. The school festival arc still remains the best one.

[@SenpaiYuriYT]

@@millabasset1710 I just started re purchasing all the manga again and I remember not liking the magical world arc but I'm actually getting into it more, but yea UQ holder is going nuts

[@kevinskinner4986]

I will say that 1000% Sparking from the non-canon series is one of my favorite openings of all time.

[@josephtafur]

Same

[@erinsama6547]

im one of Ken's fans. my first read was A.I. love you. he is a great story teller, and an amazing artist. he has his own style. i bought all of negima and ai love you manga. he inspired me to draw. he changed my life.

[@kozhikkaalan]

I totally get you man. I was very inspired to draw by negima too

[@TakaCode]

As a person who has own all the Negima/UQ Holder anime I wished they just adapted the manga properly. Despite Negima and UQ Holder being my favorite manga series as not being a manga purist the animes were disappointing. They are okay as standalone but their become garbage when you compare them to the manga. Maybe in the next decade we will get a real adaptation of Negima/UQ Holder done by MAPPA, Bones or Brains Base

[@TreyVA]

What’s the best Negima anime?

[@theman61384]

Chao's identity revealed was what really got me interested because I did not see that coming

[@kozhikkaalan]

As someone who randomly stumbled upon a few volumes of Negima back in school and was really impressed by its art and world-building, I was totally dismayed by how the overall anime world acted like it didn't even exist. When years later, I saw bits of the anime adaptation, I thought "damn, they think the manga is so trash that this is the kind of adaptation they decided it was worthy of". It was this feeling of dissonance I couldn't get over. Now seeing this really well-made video and seeing the comments under it, I'm so happy to discover that there are others out there who think the manga was good and think it deserves a less insulting and more worthy adaptation

[@millabasset1710]

Now that UQ Holder ended in a train wreck, I honestly welcome the XBEC and Shaft anime. I know they're not the real source material, at least they have some semblance of a story which is something the Negima manga struggled with. The Magical World arc was never really completed, Ken really ruined what he was building towards with Kyoto and the school festival. UQ Holder from beginning to end is just a mess.

[@MikeDeAngelisMook]

This anime was my true dip into anime, the only anime I watched before this was dragon Ball z, I really liked this series and it got me to start watching other anime. Now while I do like this anime I do agree that the bonga is far superior and really different. But I still enjoy the anime itself and I really hope that it gets a proper adaption at some point. Would also like a proper adaption of love Hina as well and maybe a. I. Love you. I don't think that one got an adoption at all.

[@andrijadjordjevic9203]

konoka and negi didn't buy asuna a birthday present in that episode,it was a new alarm clock you see,earlier in the episode negi was concocting some magic potion and konoka accidentally drank it and during her drunken haze,she and negi accidentally break asuna's alarm clock and therefore she's late with her paper delivery,and so the rest of the episode is negi and konoka going shopping to buy a new one

[@ctw737]

good to see someone else who can appreciate FMA 2003's ending

[@PuipinM]

This was a really high-quality video of this genre. Well done mate!

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

I can't hate the 2005 Xebec version of Negima, that version of Negima alongside with Suzuka and Moonphase I remember watching on the old FUNimation Channel at my Dad's house in Dallas, those three shows are the reason that I started watching serialized Anime.

[@connormackay6018]

Honestly I like Negi's voice acting in the dub, it's nostalgic.

[@TheSelfHatingWeeb]

A shocking number of comments I've gotten say the same. I can't say I get it with Negi, but I know I have plenty of older dubs with bad voices I love so I'm in no position to talk.

[@desmondmalone438]

Me too the voices there is my favorite

[@josephtafur]

Negima was an mess adapting into a anime but I love the animes no matter what.

[@4WaveRider4]

Negima! Was my first manga back in 6th grade and has been my number one manga ever since ✨✌️✨ the only thing I liked about the English dub is that asuna was the voice of Nami and some other notable voice actors make an appearance as well 🙂 I still don’t know why they spent hella time and money making multiple spin off animes instead of sticking to the source material 😑 it’s not like you had very many projects going on at the time anyway Ken Akamatsu

[@sleekslack]

What made me impress the most is how they design each girl, I mean, you got all trope from the whole class XD robo girl, shy girl, odd eye girl, ghost girl, athelete girl, vampire girl, or even a mime girl. That's genius for design those girls to begin with.

[@Emblyon]

I will forever remember asuna kicking Evangeline in the face and her being all WTF!? what happened to my barrier?! WHY!?!?!? why can you kick me?!?!?!

[@RandomManIncorperated]

ASUNA: BECAUSE IM MAGIC BITCH

[@CuppaGi]

This needs more views, how have I only JUST been recommended this? Negima was my favorite Manga, and I was livid when neither of its adaptions were true to the source material. All we really had was some handful of OVAs which covered specific parts of the manga. And fucking hell, the "Anime Only Ending", what a shitshow. The animation is bad, there are points where you can see they changed backgrounds at the last second such as Negi vs Kaede. They constantly look as if they're fighting on the ground, but the background is them fighting in the air.

[@MinakoAino2112]

I remember watching the 2006 Negima anime in high school and liking it mostly because I had never read the manga. I just recently got the time to start reading it and has been my favorite manga I have read in a long time. I’m incredibly disappointed this never got like a full good anime adaptation.

[@messelina]

Which site are you using to read the manga?

[@DarkTraveler09]

Ah yes, the world of Negima. I remember when I got into this series, and I was both intrigued, yet, confused. Then I found the manga, which I own every volume. And I occasionally re-read it from time to time. Sadly, I wish someone would do a full-on adaptation of the series, since the manga hand been done for awhile. Regardless, I still enjoy Negima all in all, both it's great strengths and odd ends. And yeah, the side story one (where all the crazy stuff happens that has no ties to the manga), I do actually enjoy despite all the weird randomness. But yeah, if anyone is interesting in this series, please...for the love of god, read the manga first.

[@Crimsontiger133]

Hey this was the first and only anime Harem I have ever watched and Negi's voice has stuck with me for so long. I for one liked it. PS: I didn't even know that anime had categories back then.

[@horaciosi]

The fact that you never mentioned Kei Haneoka's wonderful soundtrack is lunacy.

[@cyan5196]

Awesome video i wanted to decide whether i should watch it or not, ur video really helped me decide

[@millabasset1710]

Honestly the only good thing about the two bad anime adaptations are the music. I know "magical battle" is midi.. But it has a nice beat and fits for fighting. Happy Material is a better song for the OVAs and UQ Holder's recent cover. 1000% SPARKING is an addicting song. But yeah the 2005 anime was disappointing.. My first time watching it was not pleasant. The 2006 anime as its own thing is fine, but it just shows another failed attempt.. Around when Negima neo came out, Akamatsu was halfway through the Mahora Festival.. SHAFT had no logical excuse to ignore the source material.

[@Arrowflight]

I cant lol the fish dancing scene was my favorite!

[@christiansmith4159]

You earned my sub with this one man. This was a fife vid. And totally killed it

[@johnathanfunk6745]

The Spinoff Negima Series felt like it was trying to be Pani Poni Dash

[@josephtafur]

Because it was

[@bluubandette8871]

Even tho my mom sent the manga to me by accident, I love and admire the style for a long time

[@matthewlugo2417]

The manga is amazing and the fights are badass

[@Ryuryusu]

14:38 it’s Xebec that’s all you needed to know have you seen Black Cat and Pandora Hearts

[@remixchild]

Xebec… The company I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot poll

[@tenchimuyo69]

Asuna seemed to big sister like to be a true Naru clone. Or at least, Asuna developes into someone nicer much faster than Naru ever did. edit: maybe I should watch the video first lol Also, Mitsumune Shinkichi is a pretty good composer, but for some reason, his best tracks were largely reserved for the latter half of the anime it seemed. I think there was a problem with whoever was responsible for actually editing his music in. Mentioning Wakamoto Norio was also pretty good since he was in this anime...

[@NyxTheNerd]

I've been debating on watching the anime, as I'm loving the manga. I'm on the 4th volume (I'm reading from my library, and they have 10 volumes of the books that have 3 volumes included.) and the world is awesome.

[@BlueBlazeKing]

Keep with the manga , at this point you’ve read past where the anime gets rid of stuff or ends

[@NyxTheNerd]

@@BlueBlazeKing I did, I finished the manga. Did not regret that decision.

[@johnathanfunk6745]

That presents wasn't for her Birthday. It was to replace Asuna clock that got broken earlier in the episode

[@kieranprior3873]

it was a birthday present in the chapter the episode was based on so it was just a simple mistake.

[@imassubs]

15:00 Usually who decide whether it will have anime or not are the sponsors or the publisher. For Negima, his manga was too popular not to be adapted. I mean, this is about author of Love Hina. However, adapting Negima would be too expensive considering that the fight animation would only become more complex, so the project decided to stick to the romcom content, and this is where the live action came from as well. The spin offs and later projects were tests to see if the audience would demand too much to see a long adaptation like Bleach or Naruto, but history proved otherwise.

[@andrewtodaro2874]

I’ve read the manga. It seemed like a story where the main character was ripping off the popularity of Harry Potter while surrounded by a harem of 30+ female characters with ecchi fan service in it, but there’s more, it’s...got... everything in it! A fun fantasy adventure with lovable female characters that all pander to a particular otaku niche fetish and check off the boxes of anime tropes. I was a huge fan, I read every volume, grew attached to the characters and I was a little sad and disappointed that it ended in a rushed manner with many plot holes unresolved. It’s such a shame it’s no longer in print anymore, like it’s forgotten ☹️ I hope they bring in back as a 20th anniversary edition ( which is next year) so manga readers can experience it too!

[@talkaboutrandon7870]

I did. I do. I read the f*ng manga and I cry. The 15 year old me cried. I wish someday, it gets a really good adaption 😢

[@HenshinHeroesMedia]

If i'm in the minority, i'll say this: negima is better than love hina. Yeah, i said it

[@desmondmalone438]

Actually for a long time I watched Negima without knowing the manga was wondering how the manga would be like and I am so happy I was curious enough to read and I now hate the anime for screwing it up it still entertaining but the manga is just way better for me to go back to it as much but I can for the manga this is my childhood series by the way

[@sweetlydrc2052]

There’s so many versions of Negima that I get so lost 😭😭😭

[@astarteswillum5259]

I can still remember the chant.

[@horaciosi]

First an adaptation in name only. Then an OVA of the still running Magical World arc instead of the recently completed School Festival arc, not to mention it's left unfinished. Then a movie that instead of finishing the Magical World OVA, it's an alternate ending of the manga and finally an adaptation of the sequel manga (without the first manga getting a faithful adaptation) that skips important scenes and arcs. Is lack of common sense a requirement when adapting Negima?

[@rulercamelot3687]

She FUCKING DIED LOLOL WHAT HAHAHAHAHAHA I'mma give proper thoughts after the vid I just had to put this here Edit: I love that someone is talking about Negima properly, even though it's from two years ago lol Negima is easily my favorite manga, and this makes me super happy to see. I wonder how the hell this video only has 1,376 views and you have 268 subs, ridiculous

[@NegiSpringfieldTV]

Well, I am very glad I saw this. I can't wait to see what you think about the anime. I think we might even feel the same about it. Oh well...I subbed, hit the like button, rung the bell and can't wait to hear this.

[@TheSapphireLeo]

You could say Shaft SHAFTed it? *Rimshot*

[@edissonamparo4689]

i bought all 38 volumes for 20$ and wanted to see if it was a good series

[@velkielle7587]

Was it?

[@maskedhombre625]

You didn’t reference the Xebec OVAs from before the first anime or the Shaft Spring and Summer OVAs

[@DaoFAQ]

Wow, glad I saw this before I knew better

[@WinterFlowerSakura]

I like to say one thing have you read the other manga of Negima Neo which has added a little more different or similar to the scenes of Negima and characters too.

[@TheSelfHatingWeeb]

Never read the Negima Neo manga, is it any good?

[@WinterFlowerSakura]

@@TheSelfHatingWeeb in the manga of Negima Neo similar story to the beginning but further in one of manga volume has Negi's childhood friend Ayana that became a transfer student in Negi's school in the class and she is added as number 32. Also Fate is in there too which he acts different than in his other manga in this where he has emotion and became a prince that feel in love with Asuna wanting her to become his bride.

[@WinterFlowerSakura]

@Naquin Green One thing I notice different in the manga of Negima Neo is Negi's childhood friend Ayana became a transfer student in Negi's school and Kentarou showed up at a different debut at Negi's school than at the school trip arc story.

[@WinterFlowerSakura]

@Naquin Green There's also one difference scene but similar to the OVA summer vacation scene but a lot in the manga of Negima Neo play different in the beach scene too.. There's a website where you can read the manga of Negima Neo if you like for me to help you where you can read it.

[@WinterFlowerSakura]

@Naquin Green I add it to my homepage on my cellphone but I'll give you the name of the website.

[@jabjab6019]

Sunday vs Magazine brought me here 🍪

[@forbiddensuper2369]

Anime series that butchered the manga Twin star exorcist Ajin Rosario vampire Shaman King Soul eater ElDlive Silver gaurdian

[@toymaster40]

I remember being excited for silver guardian only to immediately stop halfway through and just give up

[@ShinOrochi]

At least Shaman King got anime remake now (Even if it's mediocre at best) lol

[@phantomknightpercival120]

The Shaft version was my gateway to the manga. Well I watch the Xebec version amd I liked it at first. But then after reading the manga, it became my reason why I started ti become more interested in more series like Negima. Shame the series have never been mentioned more ways than 'that Harry Potter rip-off'. Which kimda irritates me.

[@AnimeKingKaz]

I remember liking the library episodes 🙄😔

[@enthymeme4856]

Nice video.

[@davidhouston4810]

I read the Manga First, (All volumes) long before I ever saw the Anime. I loved the Manga, otherwise I would not have bought them all, With Many Manga I get a few books in then lose interest. Though I believe you make some good points, I was not as disappointed by the Anime as you appear to be. I agree that I prefer the original Japanese Voice acting, But I do not hate the English Dub. It makes it more accessible to English Speakers. I also like the time watch story line as it was followed in the Manga, Better than the Anime. So, Where as I agree that the Manga should be read first, the Anime was not as bad as you say.

[@christiancuban95]

I preferred Asuna to be his love interest tbh, but in the Negima ?! Neo manga they end up together . Also since the timeline technically restarts at the end of Negima ! they all technically have a chance so I’m cool with that . Although it shows in UQ Holder that he ends up with someone else but that was before she awakened and went back in time so it’s all good .

[@Technus]

I enjoyed the dub to some extent, but the anime as a whole left much to be desired. I would've wished they made the anime more like the manga

[@bravevalkyrie1999]

Yes

[@consulargeneral8136]

I watched it for the firat time when animax was still om DSTV I wi kot lie its my first and best favourite slice of life then second tokyo mwe mwe why? They where my first ever anime shows... so saugh of made sence.

[@虎太郎-p8l]

we all need a decent and complete remake, specialy the festival arc and magical world arc, that's the full execution of akamatsus' plan to transform negima from comedy harem to full shounen fantasy... Im still waiting 😢

[@TheSelfHatingWeeb]

Agreed, it's one of my top series for "if I won 2 billion dollars in the lottery like that one guy I would fund a full adaptation". Maybe now that Akamatsu is in politics he can use government money for it under the guise of promoting international commerce or something.

[@Yeoj444]

Dissing the og anime? I got the cool ass 6 disc collectors box set. 😅

[@johnathanfunk6745]

@ The Self Hating Weeb. You forgot to mention the live action series which kind of went into the Chao arc.

[@emtobed]

I read the Negima manga before I saw the anime. The anime version is okay,

[@izukuafton5389]

well i like negi voice its funny XD i watchted the dubits funny man

[@newwaveplus]

The second anime, having an original ending as well, is way superior to the first one

[@teemychow6483]

Watched both versions of the anime and ovas, still wouldnt want to read the manga.

[@zodiyac]

1:12 not based on US market that’s misleading and wrong

[@TheSelfHatingWeeb]

Big O season 2 was co-produced by Cartoon Network and most sources credit the shows popularity internationally with getting it a second season. Studios like TRIGGER have begun to collaborate more frequently with western companies on projects. Last year Crunchyroll made a deal with Fuji TV for "anime development and production". Maybe I overstated things saying the US is responsible for a lot of series getting a season 2 or that it has a connection to series not closing the door on a series with an anime original ending, but the west is getting it's grubby fingers into anime so I think that aspect of the statement is true.

[@zodiyac]

@@TheSelfHatingWeeb “the west is getting its grubby fingers into anime” 🤮🤮🤮🤮 worst thing ever anime will eventually become the trash that is american media with gender and women equality politics everywhere side note does part two of this video spoil the manga ? 🤔 maybe i should read the manga before watching it

[@millabasset1710]

@@zodiyac Women's emancipation isn't a bad thing first off, also anime is already westernized lmao, that happened with right after ww2 ended.

[@zodiyac]

@@millabasset1710 i didn’t say i don’t want women in anime reread my comment i said i don’t want to turn into the trash state that is westerner media just look at velma also anime is not westernized (using the westernization of japan after ww2 is not a fair argument because everything about japanese society was westernized in that period) if anime was westernized than it will have a mandatory gay and trans characters in every anime and a mandatory “everyone can be anything they want gender is not real” theme in every anime just like the trash that is westerner media 🤣

[@konaccha]

Anime was a letdown. The SHAFT arcs were okay, but they SKIPPED THE RAKAN FIGHT AAAAAAaaaaaaaaa UQ Holder actually made a full on ending for Negima around 100 chapters in, where SPOILERS, Touta goes to view a parallel universe which is the Negima "Good" Ending.

[@konaccha]

@Naquin Green spoilers: The good ending in UQ covers the fight between Negi and Nagi (corrupted by the Mage of Beginning Ialda). He works together with his entire crew and everyone from Mundus Magicus to defeat his father and save him from Ialda with Asuna's power. This then leads into Negima's original ending. It is also revealed that Negi marries Chisame.

[@konaccha]

@Naquin Green Well Negi confesses to her at graduation and she well, rejects him lol. He tries again and she rejects him again. As years go by and he tries again, she finally agrees and he marries her.

[@konaccha]

@Naquin Green Chisame had feelings for him as shown since the MahoraFest arc (Chamo had her really high on the list) and his biggest supporter in the Mundus Magicus Arc. However, she's always had a pessimistic view of herself, thinking that she's not good enough. She rejected Negi because she knew other girls liked him and thought that they would be a better fit for him. It wasn't until the third time that she realized he was dead serious just for her and no one else which made her really happy and she accepted (She was already really happy the first two times but couldn't accept that he was picking a weeb degenerate online cosplayer like her over the other amazing girls in the class) As for Touta in UQ Holder, it was revealed in the manga that he was actually not the child of Negi. Someone took Negi's cells and cloned him and the resulting child was Touta. I forgot how he got magic cancel, I need to reread, but Touta isn't the only child cloned from Negi's cells.

[@konaccha]

@Naquin Green We're introduced to another character in UQ Holder who is out to kill Touta. We find out that many clones were actually created from Negi's cells. Someone was hoping to use his power + magic cancel after Negi got invaded by Ialda and disappeared. The timeline of UQ Holder is where Asuna was still frozen in time because Chao Lingshen did not have a parallel world jumping Casseopia and thus, Negi could not save his father and became the new host for the Mage of Beginning.

[@konaccha]

@Naquin Green It was revealed that Touta went back in time due to Evangeline's master's power and he rescued her. They had a few adventures together and she took a liking to him. So much so that when he left to return to the present, she couldn't help but feel attracted to Nagi and then later Negi (Because Touta is a clone of Negi). She rejects him in UQ Holder though when he confesses because he was much too late.

[@SantiagoAgnes]

I don’t know what he’s talking about. This series was just another harem series but with magic. What really pushes it is that the harem protag is a TEN year old boy. Like the creator thought “How can I make a harem manga more degenerate? Ah yes use a child!”

[@fellasyouknowwhenyoudrinkw2231]

What's the show at 10:57

[@fellasyouknowwhenyoudrinkw2231]

Nevermind I figured it out it's Baccano

[@afckingmess]

I grew up watching Negima! dubbed on some anime channel we had. It was the only one I was used to, as I never got involved in reading the manga, or watching Negima?!. I miss this show, it brings back a lot of memories. Edit: God... I don't remember the animation being SO HORRIBLE. My GOD, it's so frustrating to watch.

[@Lunafreya_Nox]

Same... I dnt even remember som now but I remember I watched the remake I mean coz the graphic was already good and eyes of asuna was beautiful green and blue.