Just to let you know Johnny, you don't need to use spoiler tags in episode threads.
Well i must say the first episode was handled very well, as expected from SHAFT (especially when they have a budget). I absolutely love how the scene where Negi was stabbed was handled. As Johnny said, much more impact then the manga.
Was a huge surprise to hear Ishida Akira voicing Fate. He's personally one of my favorite voice actors, and he's shown on many occasions in the past that he can voice a bad guy perfectly.
Also, it was nice how they included a few pieces of music from
Negima!?.