(L) Negima Manga Discussion

[pyu]

Originally Posted by Seravy

No he doesn't. The characters in Negi, even the main characters don't go beyond much more than shallow archtypes (or combination archetypes as snoopy pointed out). I've read through all of Negi so far and stuff happens; but character development isn't it. Why do I keep reading? Probably same reason as everyone else, which is the one snoopy listed in his post.

Well, I admit I continue to read because the characters are easy on the eyes.

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Seravy

No he doesn't. The characters in Negi, even the main characters don't go beyond much more than shallow archtypes (or combination archetypes as snoopy pointed out). I've read through all of Negi so far and stuff happens; but character development isn't it. Why do I keep reading? Probably same reason as everyone else, which is the one snoopy listed in his post.

Well, then I'm reading this for a different reason than you. At least I am actually interested in the characters. (I agree that "development" wasn't a good word to use though... More like "defining") And of course, Akamatsu even showed how the personalities of these characters were determined... He merely put a huge list of characteristics and chose a few for every character. So yeah, they are not exactly realistic characters, but IMO this is interesting and original because I find interest in getting to know all 31 of them (and no its not just because of looks). That's all that matters, since a lot of the time photo-realistic characters do not equal interesting or likeable characters. And from what Akamatsu said, he seems determined to make this cast as recognizable as Love Hina's... So let's see how he does it.

[SirCanealot]

Just for the hell of it:
Negima HAS been heavily edited for the American release, but more to the side of putting MORE sexual jokes into the dialog.
Hell, they go as far to change "hai" into "I want a cookie".
Yeah right!

Check out the details here, and start hating on Del Rey:

http://forums.animeondvd.com/showfla...b=5&o=&fpart=1

[Village Idiot]

Ya, I already got the first volume by Del REY and I can already pick out dialog changes.

Hopefully they will just stick with direct translation in the next volume.

[USCPharmacist]

Who do you think will be Negi best perm partner out of the bunch of temp partners he has now? Most people will say Asuna but I think if you analyse each of them you will arrive at a different conclusion.

Let's see what Asuna get. If I use a D&D system to describe her she would have the following stats:

Str 16 (pretty strong for a 14 years old)
Dex 16 (since she is pretty good at sport, I assume she has rather decent dex)
Int 10 (hehehe no need to explain more....)
Con 14 (after all she is still a "normal" 14 years old)
Wis 10 (same as Int)
Cha 15 (I base it on how other perceive her, not her looks. I think people like her, but also make fun of her sometimes)

Positive traits:
1. She has advance spell immunity. It is proven that she is immune to mind altering spells, and status altering spells. I assume she has immunity or at least great resistence to direct damage spell (dds), damage over time spell (Dots), and perhaps area of effect spells (AoEs). On the other hand, you can heal her and buff her with positive spells.
2. She can also banish any summon with her fan.
3. All her attacks ignore magical defense.

Negative traits:
1. She has no martial art training, so she fight like a normal 14 years old
2. Her con is low
3. She can't banish anything if her fan doesn't the sommons
4. Has no range attack

Summary, while people may think she is destin to end up with Negi (I think so too), at her current state she is more of a liability then insurance for Negi. The reason is she can't fight well, so Negi has to spell a lot of mana to buff her up. He will have to spell more time taking care of her than to focus on nuking the enemies. Sure she is immune to enemies spell but if she cannot defeat the other wizard's parner or protect her master then her spell immunity is pointness.
In conclusion i'll give her a C grade for her "tankability".


More on the other temp partner later.....

[SirCanealot]

Err, str, 16? So she's basically a super human 0_o
I think around 8 or 10, or even lower is considered "normal" for a human -_-
But who knows with those bloody Japanese :P

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by USCPharmacist

Negative traits:
1. She has no martial art training, so she fight like a normal 14 years old

Summary, while people may think she is destined to end up with Negi (I think so too), at her current state she is more of a liability then insurance for Negi. The reason is she can't fight well, so Negi has to spell a lot of mana to buff her up.

I wouldn't agree with this- I think she is a good fighter- what pacto does is enhance one's abilities. An example of this is when she

Spoiler:

rescues Negi from being drained of his blood by Evangeline- that's one good kick

- and that's without pacto. I guess fighting with Iincho (who does have martial arts training) buffs you up ^_~ (Where's Iincho? Iincho needs pacto!)

Widya Santoso

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by USCPharmacist

I read chapter 50, but I don't see why they can't be the Aoyama sisyters.

They certainly looks like them, but without the bird is hard to tell.

Setsuna certainly use the same style as Mokoto. Although Setsuna can cast spell, which is something Mokoto can't do. (Maybe is from her ____ bloodline).

Well, mebbe I should restate that that in my opinion I don't think it's possible. ?:-) I'll go into my reasons later.

BTW I think the next story arc (the main one anyway, I am sure Ken will put in some filler fan services and comedy) may involve the relationship between the war 20 years ago and Asuna. She seems to have some connection with someone in that old photo that include Thousand Master, and a bunch of other important looking characters when they were young. Want to bet which one of them may be her father eeheeh

Well, if you take the character drama CD's into account, as of the current episode (52) I think we have two characters who have cards but haven't pacto-ed- one of whom is

Spoiler:

Chisame. We know Chisame can't stand Negi, so how is pacto going to occur with her???

I think we may see one story where Negi gets into cyberspace with Chisame, and a few more stories where others in the case may get pacto. Here's hoping for Iincho!

Widya Santoso

[brightman]

Yup, I have a feeling that everyone in the class will get pacto'd eventually... After all the format of the cards allow for it.

[Kyuven]

since when does fighting ability have ANYTHING to do with romance??

[Roots]

Originally Posted by SirCanealot

Just for the hell of it:
Negima HAS been heavily edited for the American release, but more to the side of putting MORE sexual jokes into the dialog.
Hell, they go as far to change "hai" into "I want a cookie".
Yeah right!

Check out the details here, and start hating on Del Rey:

http://forums.animeondvd.com/showfla...b=5&o=&fpart=1

You know, I just saw a copy of the first volume in Barnes and Noble today, but couldn't take a look at it because it was shrink wrapped with a big warning: "FOR AGES 16 YEARS OR OLDER"...

wtf? They didn't edit Love Hina did they? There was plenty of boob-popping in that! This sucks! I HATE buying edited anime/manga ! It makes me want to obtain an illegal scanslation just to spite those bastards :fingers:

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by Kyuven

since when does fighting ability have ANYTHING to do with romance??

Well, when you're dealing with fiction, well romance is always entwined with fighting. Fighting for what's right, fighting evil, or fighting for one's love, all of these can be filled with romance. Not romance as in a love affair, but in an adventure, such as what MSN is all about.

But if you mean romance as a love affair what I think the Chemist is saying is that because Asuna hasn't got a high fighting ability Negi will have to protect her with his magic, rather than Asuna protecting Negi during battles. Some people might find that romantic, actually.

But I think Asuna has plenty ability to protect herself- plus she still has that older guy hangup!

Widya Santoso

[Kyuven]

Originally Posted by Sydney2K

Well, when you're dealing with fiction, well romance is always entwined with fighting. Fighting for what's right, fighting evil, or fighting for one's love, all of these can be filled with romance. Not romance as in a love affair, but in an adventure, such as what MSN is all about.

But if you mean romance as a love affair what I think the Chemist is saying is that because Asuna hasn't got a high fighting ability Negi will have to protect her with his magic, rather than Asuna protecting Negi during battles. Some people might find that romantic, actually.

But I think Asuna has plenty ability to protect herself- plus she still has that older guy hangup!

Widya Santoso

0_o Akamatsu's character relationships couldn't have less to do with fighting ability, for instance:
Keitaro from Love Hina couldn't beat up a cabbage and is actually the target of the other girls' assaults (Naru punch, Motoko's swordskill, Su's weapons, Kitsune's Booze, Haruka's fist, Sarah's ancient relics, a bump in the sidewalk...)
Hitoshi from AI Love You has no fighting ability whatsoever (but A.I. isn't technically a fighting manga either...neither is Love Hina)
people who make romantic match ups between anyone except the most obvious characters in series like this need to learn a little more about the genre: In Akamatsu-style manga, the first female lead the main character meets is the one he ends up with (not counting that Hitoshi knew Kimika and Twenty before he ever made thirty...Twenty doesn't show up until the second volume and Kimika is a supporting character)

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by Kyuven

0_o Akamatsu's character relationships couldn't have less to do with fighting ability

Ah, but wait- in 15

Spoiler:

Negi gets a letter from onee-chan, where onee-chan asks Negi if he has gotten a partner. When Asuna asks what that means Negi explains that it's traditional for mages to have an assistant or 'partner' to join them when they begin working in society. Often these partners become partners in marriage as well as in magic. Later in volume 3 Kamo explains that mages can form provisional compacts, which heighten one's abilities and talents. From those compacts (or pactios), one person only becomes the 'official' partner.

Originally Posted by Kyuven

people who make romantic match ups between anyone except the most obvious characters in series like this need to learn a little more about the genre: In Akamatsu-style manga, the first female lead the main character meets is the one he ends up with (not counting that Hitoshi knew Kimika and Twenty before he ever made thirty...Twenty doesn't show up until the second volume and Kimika is a supporting character)

And is it any surprise that Asuna

Spoiler:

becomes Negi's first provisional contract? And I think it's true that Negi and Asuna have become much closer with their contract. Heck, in 51 Negi doesn't even sneeze when Asuna holds him close to protect him.

Widya Santoso

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Kyuven

Keitaro from Love Hina couldn't beat up a cabbage and is actually the target of the other girls' assaults (Naru punch, Motoko's swordskill, Su's weapons, Kitsune's Booze, Haruka's fist, Sarah's ancient relics, a bump in the sidewalk...)

Actually, Keitaro becomes quite a fighter himself in the later chapters of Love Hina...

[Kyuven]

Originally Posted by brightman

Actually, Keitaro becomes quite a fighter himself in the later chapters of Love Hina...

i KNEW someone would bring that up -_-
he's a pretty decent fighter but he still gets naru punched to oblivion (even in the last page of the last chapter)

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by Kyuven

i KNEW someone would bring that up -_-
he's a pretty decent fighter but he still gets naru punched to oblivion (even in the last page of the last chapter)

That's because Keitaro is a gentleman- and no gentleman goes around hitting women (well, mebbe except for Sarah, but then she is no woman!)

[Kyuven]

Originally Posted by Sydney2K

That's because Keitaro is a gentleman- and no gentleman goes around hitting women (well, mebbe except for Sarah, but then she is no woman!)

there are several scenes of him (and Seta) fighting Motoko and winning

[Sydney2K]

Originally Posted by Kyuven

there are several scenes of him (and Seta) fighting Motoko and winning

Well, wait- fighting and hitting someone are two different things. When Motoko challenges someone (like Seta or Keitarou) to a fight, she is initiating a one-on-one 'equal' contest, one that the challenged party can freely enter (or not.) Motoko expects to give blows and receive them. In Love Hina though, you never see Motoko actually struck. In her fight on the beach in vol 13

Spoiler:

Motoko is beaten, but you don't see the blow. On the ship (where she is dressed up as Lupin III's Jigen) it's Keitarou's superior chi that vanquishes her.

When Naru launches Keitarou into orbit though, she's punishing him for his indiscretions. It is an act of anger. There has been discussion by people who don't like LH because what Naru is doing is physical abuse. Certainly we would not accept it if Keitarou hit Naru in anger- not only because it's not Keitarou's nature, but because society doesn't countenance men hitting women. The other side of the coin is that one shouldn't countenance Keitarou being abused either.

Widya Santoso

[Kyuven]

well, what keitaro does to these girls unintentionally can be construed as worse than hitting:
1) pulling down their skirts (off the top of my head, he does this numerous times to Naru, at least once to Mutsumi, and once to Shinobu, and once to sarah)
2) Accidental gropings (i won't even bother to count these)
3) Bath "accidents" (i'll never forget when, after the whole "dream" thing he was dumb enough to run into the girls' bath of his own free will to tell everyone that he found a game about an apartment manager working at an all girls' dorm, not to mention he's seen each and every girl naked at least twice)
4) Walking in on a girl while she was changing (he's done this mostly to Motoko and Naru)
5) "Accidently" landing right on top of these girls: Each.And.Every.One.Of.Them. has been pinned down on the ground by Keitaro (even KAOLLA)