Mahou Sensei Negima! ~Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba~ OVA 1 Discussion / Poll

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by TnAdct1

When it comes to a movie, I still say the best manga story to adapt for it is the "Wilhelm" storyline,

Spoiler for Wilhelm Arc:

although we do need a prologue piece to explain the Pactios Negi has made at that time and his training with Evangeline (as Negi's training and the Pactio he has with Nodoka both play a part in this story).

Spoiler for Wilhelm Arc:

The pactio's don't need to have an extended explanation, really. It's a magical item they have to read Negi's mind, that's all the audience needs to know. Those few who haven't read the manga will go 'oh, cool, a mind-reading book' and carry on watching. Negi's training is easilly covered if Eva merely mentions it somewhere before the fight starts.

In my opinion the biggest problem with the tournament arc is that it is just too big to be encompased in just one movie. It's possible, but you'd have to leave out certain fights and rewrite plot points. Unlike OVA's, movies often need to be able to stand alone.

For starters we should keep in mind that it will be impossible to introduce each and every member of class 3-A and keep the central in the plot. That might work in a manga (and even then Ken rarely does this) but in a fast-paced and short movie this is asking for suicide.

Extended plot points will have to be rewritten, or left open for a sequel. If you want to shoot the tournament arc, and just the tournament arc, you first of all need to make it clear to the viewers why they are fighting. For Negi, this means explaining his father. This can be done in five minutes, but would remove the major impact of the final fight. Without fully knowing Negi's past with his father, there is no way to fully apreciate the final fight. This on its own forms a major roadblock for the Tournament Arc as a movie, And that's without touching Setsuna's fight with Eva, which is also heavilly reliant on background information.

The Wilhelm Arc sounds much more likely, mostly because it explains some of the big points that later become important.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Keroko

In my opinion the biggest problem with the tournament arc is that it is just too big to be encompased in just one movie. It's possible, but you'd have to leave out certain fights and rewrite plot points. Unlike OVA's, movies often need to be able to stand alone.

I was thinking that the movie could just focus on the actually tournament, and keep the interaction from characters back stage along with people watching the matches on the slide lines. Then you can end with

Spoiler for Manga:

Nagi and Negi's fight.

But even saying that, i can still see how it would be tricky to animate should a story for just a movie.

I'd love more then anything to see the whole festival arc animated, and that's whati hope would be chosen if a third season is to be made. Even if that means going back in time before these OVA's.

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I was thinking that the movie could just focus on the actually tournament, and keep the interaction from characters back stage along with people watching the matches on the slide lines. Then you can end with

Spoiler for Manga:

Nagi and Negi's fight.

But even saying that, i can still see how it would be tricky to animate should a story for just a movie.

It's not just tricky, even if you remove all the background interaction, you'd still be stuck with a lot of screentime to fill. Not to mention that a lot of the fights are dependant on the background of the characters, without explaining them there is no real attachments to many of the fights.

Also, there is no way any director worth their salt will use such a plot-filled manga to make a movie with only fights. Sure, some of us would find that cool, but from a directors point of view that's one of the biggest no-no's in the book.

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I'd love more then anything to see the whole festival arc animated, and that's whati hope would be chosen if a third season is to be made. Even if that means going back in time before these OVA's.

I'd love the see the whole manga animated with this OVA aproach. It's probably just wishfull thinking, but seeing how the style of animation is quite simple, and the small catchup before the OVA began, it almost looked as if this was one episode of a series.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Keroko

Also, there is no way any director worth their salt will use such a plot-filled manga to make a movie with only fights. Sure, some of us would find that cool, but from a directors point of view that's one of the biggest no-no's in the book.

Yeah that's very true. Another huge reason against the tournament being chosen as movie material.

Originally Posted by Keroko

I'd love the see the whole manga animated with this OVA aproach. It's probably just wishfull thinking, but seeing how the style of animation is quite simple, and the small catchup before the OVA began, it almost looked as if this was one episode of a series.

I'm sure every manga fan here would love for that to happen, and personally i don't see why not. I'm sure in Ken's eyes it'll just be going over what was already done in the first series (even though we seen some anime original material here and there), so i don't see why they can't just carry on from the Kyoto arc that the first season did. Everything after that was anime original material, so i'm sure it would all work out.

[mdauben]

Just watched the fansub of the first Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba OVA. Damn, after all this time, it looks like they are finally getting it right! I wish they would go back and adapt the whole manga series from the start like this, it would actually be worth watching.

I can dream, can't I?

[TnAdct1]

Originally Posted by Keroko

Spoiler for Wilhelm Arc:

The pactio's don't need to have an extended explanation, really. It's a magical item they have to read Negi's mind, that's all the audience needs to know. Those few who haven't read the manga will go 'oh, cool, a mind-reading book' and carry on watching. Negi's training is easilly covered if Eva merely mentions it somewhere before the fight starts.

Personally, I wasn't going to go into too much detail about how the Pactio system works

Spoiler:

(after all, the only real Pactio action in the Wilhelm arc is Nodoka using her mind-reading book to find out about Negi's past).

Instead, I'd just explain that Negi has Pactios with four of his students as part of a prologue that sets up the story.

[rainnydaiis]

I finally got around to watching this ova. First of all the art and the coloring are done quite beautifully. Although I got to say that this episode tended to go to fast for my likings. It seemed to skip from here to there without a good explanation or details, but what do you expect from a 3 part ova.

[Guardian Enzo]

It's amazing that something so simple took so long - a Negima anime adaptation that just tries to capture the look and feel of the manga, without reinventing or re-imagining needlessly. There's a reason this manga is one of the most popular in the world - how could it never have occurred to anyone that the best way to adapt it was simply to be faithful to it? Amazing.

[yezhanquan]

Somehow, series from Shounen Magazine always get a bad transition, be it Samurai Deeper Kyo to GetBackers to School Rumble to Negima.

[Random Wanderer]

Conclusion: this is one of the most accurate manga conversions I've ever seen. I just read through the manga for the first time last weekend, so I had the whole thing fresh in my mind when I saw this. I'm impressed. This is how this kind of adaptation should be done.

The only thing that concerns me about the OVA in general is that, from what I read, they're going to skip chapter 181 completely. Given that that was my favorite chapter out of this section (Anya's reactions to seeing everyone's level of skill, and to meeting Evangeline for the first time, are just perfect), I find its exclusion disappointing.

[Asrialys]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Conclusion: this is one of the most accurate manga conversions I've ever seen. I just read through the manga for the first time last weekend, so I had the whole thing fresh in my mind when I saw this. I'm impressed. This is how this kind of adaptation should be done.

The only thing that concerns me about the OVA in general is that, from what I read, they're going to skip chapter 181 completely. Given that that was my favorite chapter out of this section (Anya's reactions to seeing everyone's level of skill, and to meeting Evangeline for the first time, are just perfect), I find its exclusion disappointing.

The way I see it (and how it always seems to have been for every Negima adaptation), they try to give everyone a part. Any focus on Chapter 181 will limit it to just the club members. With only three chapters and pretty much no chance to show any story, they're going the comedic "filler" route and will show everyone enjoying their summer (with some training every now and then). The second episode alone will feature just about every member of the class. It's unfortunate, but they need to give every characters some love.

[Garylisk]

Originally Posted by Asrialys

It's unfortunate, but they need to give every characters some love.

Which is already hard to do in a couple of episodes.

And hey, I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but... did anyone notice at the beginning when Negi and Chao are chanting spells, they are chanting in Japanese, but sort of "in the background", you hear their voices a second time, chanting the actual words of the incantations in Latin and ancient Greek. It's so hard to make out, though.

In a dark room, with surround sound speakers, it gives a very creepy effect, almost as if someone is chanting a spell right behind you

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Garylisk

Which is already hard to do in a couple of episodes.

And hey, I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but... did anyone notice at the beginning when Negi and Chao are chanting spells, they are chanting in Japanese, but sort of "in the background", you hear their voices a second time, chanting the actual words of the incantations in Latin and ancient Greek. It's so hard to make out, though.

In a dark room, with surround sound speakers, it gives a very creepy effect, almost as if someone is chanting a spell right behind you

Yep. I thought that was a really cool way to do it. It's like a distorted echo effect, but in another language. And it wasn't just during that fight, but everytime a magic incantation was used. I think it's so the Japanese viewers can understand the spells, yet still get the feeling of it being a real "foreign" magical incantation.

It also helps hide any potential difficulty the voice actors might have had with Latin pronunciation.

[Sian]

and doing it in a stylish way even

[Shiroi Hane]

Actually, two of Yue's spells were in Japanese only for some reason (the manga has them in Latin with furigana).

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Shiroi Hane

Actually, two of Yue's spells were in Japanese only for some reason (the manga has them in Latin with furigana).

Hmm? I heard Latin in all of them.
Practe Bigi Nar Lux/hikari
The second one which is much too long for me to type out. And...
Practe Bigi Nar Vente/kaze

In the first and the last it's hard to hear the Latin because the spell itself is only one word (Lux/Vente respectively) but it's there.

[Vexx]

Here's the review from the "angry Negima-loving anime-adaptation-hating grouch" .....

I actually enjoyed this one... a LOT. Why the hell couldn't that last season have come close to this in terms of plot and execution --- at least *paralleling* the manga as this OVA did.

The opener would have thrown someone unfamiliar with the manga off but it was perfect as in "Let's drop our cameras in on the Negima story and see whats happening, eh?"

Pretty satisfied with the magical combat effects and LOVED the spell voicing sfx.

Typical Akamatsu silliness with the badge game but made for a nice way to get lots of the characters some air time. Enjoyed the Asuna action bits particularly and that she was actually played as having a few clues.

Just pretty nicely done, dammit! 9/10.