Sept. 19th: If you can’t wait for a proper release, there’s a DDL sub file here.
Keeping initial impressions short (80+ screencaps ahead):
- Animation and art in the first half was rougher than expected, especially the opening sequence, but serviceable. Apparently they saved up all the budget for the fight scene, which takes the entire latter half of the episode.
- The story is incredibly telescoped, again, in the first half, which is unfortunate. The second half sets up the basis of the main Magic World plot, ending right at the Forced Displacement Magic.
- Soundtrack is a fairly high point as usual…
- …though the voice work remains much the same as Ala Alba – much to be desired, though the core cast at least were acceptable. Hopefully this will improve in OAD2.
I was a bit apprehensive watching this, being the first time Negima is animated as a full-fledged action title. Luckily, my fears were misplaced (mostly) as even the peeved side of me can admit that this was well done.
The content of the entire episode should be obvious: “I see London, I see Wales, I see a Gateport, and what’s that I smell? A dashing white-haired pretty-boy! Oh, bloody hell…” As mentioned, the first 15 minutes is a whirlwind tour of ‘why we’re going where we’re going and how we’re going to get there’. It doesn’t skip enough to be horribly confusing, so even viewers new to the series would be able to keep up. OAD1 is so obviously a springboard for a larger story that it’s exploding with plot ends, but it doesn’t actually go anywhere; it feels like they wanted to hurry things up for the fans, but don’t want to lose a new audience completely, and the episode is hamstrung by it.
Seriousness aside, though, it was fun to watch it for what it is – one of my favourite manga of all times animated, and very faithfully. This more or less renders all my other objections moot, so let’s get the screencaps rolling.
***
I swear, “iiiiiiincho!!?” is the default way of calling her for 3-A.
“And here… we… go.”
Now this is an expression we don’t get enough of in the manga.
Let the Negiiiii!’s begin.
Don’t mind us, we’re just chillin’.
A cut that can be easily taken out of context, if you know what I mean.
There are exactly 5 frames between Fate appearing and him knocking down Setsuna.
オーウンやで。
Will the day ever come when we see Anya actually fighting in a battle? All those fire spells have got to be good for something besides rocket-launching Negi.
“This hand of mine glows with an awesome power.”
Yes – Negi really did smack Fate with his own spear after bloodily ripping it out of his chest.
Oh God, Fate’s two-and-a-half-spins were hilarious.
Well… a transformation sequence certainly wasn’t expected.
FLAWLESS VICTORY?
DENIED!
For some reason, I can totally see Konoka cosplaying Reimu.
Beautiful curves. Where did they come from.
“Loser says ‘what’.”
“What?”
“A present, from me to you.” Ishida Akira really makes Fate even more awesome than he already is.
