Why is the Negima anime so...bad?

[NeoCrow]

I've loved reading the Negima manga ever since it came out translated in English and wait now patiently for vol. 5 of it to come out. Some of Ken Akamatsu's best work yet indeed.

Naturally, when I heard a Negima anime was being made, I was pumped for it. The artwork I originally saw had all the characters done up and colored as they appear on the mangas perfectly and even looked like they were worked on by the same people who did Love Hina...

Then I saw the actual TV anime, learning that what I originally saw was from some sort of promotional OAV... As soon as I saw the pastel color haired nightmare I was worried, but I let that little detail go by.

However, I'm hearing a LOT, and I mean LOT of bad stuff about the TV series from people who have watched fansubbed episodes. And even in Japan it's coming under fire.

"The animation is bad!"

"They altered the plotline from the manga!"

"Looks cheaply made!"

These being but a few comments that are...nicer, that I've heard about it. My question is...how did this happen? How did Negima end up apparently in the hands of a studio that either does not care about the source material or is practically dirt broke, scraping the series by in hopes people will be fine with it and its changes?

I mean I heard even one of the best scenes from the manga...the Eva/Negi fight was altered from being on the bridge to the roof of a building. A ROOF!? Why?

>_<

Anyway, any light to shed perhaps on whya great manga from a popular artist is apparently turned into crap anime?

[Headcrab]

From a Bridge to a roof huh? Wow what a change......

[Mecha Washu]

You bring up some really good points. I'm a huge fan of the negi manga, and I have to say from first hand viewing that the anime version of it is absoutely terrible. The character designs have no line-width variation, dull life-less colors, and most importantly the show completely lacks the quality fanservice that the manga has. I'm totally stunned that ken allowed such a production to go underway without more supervision.


If anyone has more info on who's asleep at the wheel behind this mess I'de really like to know.

[ZODDGUTS]

Yeah I've seen the series myself a complete dissapointment at best it's verly average. The animation looks so cheaply made that it looks like it was made back in the mid 90's lol. :P The comedy/jokes in the anime fall flat there not funny at all the first 4 minutes of the first episode was horrible. The manga may be funny as hell but the anime isn't.

At the very beginning I was worried that Negima wouldn't be good because in my opinion they did a bad job of the Love Hina anime it had good animation but it was nowhere near as good as the manga I guess the person to blame is the director and the scripwriters for doing a bad job.

But when I heard that Hiroshi Nishikiori was directing the series I really had high hopes because I love Azumanga Daioh he did a good job with that funny series. The OVA he directed for Negima was really good it had fanservice, it was funny and good animation the only thing that needed to be 'fix' was Asuna's eye color. The TV series which isn't directed by Hiroshi has none of that plus bad changes in hair colors.


I just hope next time Ken Akamatsu decides on a better animation to animated his next work maybe Gainax? :smokin:

I'm totally stunned that ken allowed such a production to go underway without more supervision.

Hmm I do remember just before the TV series began he commented that he was worried about the animation quality. I don't remember the exact date of his website diary when he said that it was somewhere around late December. I don't think that Ken has time to check on the anime progression he has to do a new chapter each week for Negima which makes him a very bussy man because of his work he has to do. The only way I see Ken checking on the anime progression is if the animation studio is near where he lives which I doubt.

[Ironfrost]

How popular is Akamatsu in Japan? I know that in the west he's one of the top selling manga artists, but maybe he's more successful abroad than he is at home. The anime isn't spectacularly bad - it's second-rate, to be sure, but a lot of other second-rate series get on the air without anyone being particularly bothered.

Perhaps Akamatsu just isn't such a big name in Japan, so the studio just treated it as they would treat any other non-flagship series?

[John]

I don't know what the exact circumstances surrounding the production of the Mahou Sensei Negima anime series are, but apparently the mediocre quality of the program is the result of several factors. Reportedly the first director attached to the production was replaced at the last minute. I don't know the details.

The Negima anime is produced by Xebec, an experienced and talented sub-division of Production I.G. Xebec was a natural choice to animate Mahou Sensei Negima because Xebec is also the studio that created all of the Love Hina anime. But since it was recently reported that the Xebec staff that was working on the outstanding Sokyuu no Fafner would switch over to working on Negima when Fafner ended, it may be that Xebec simply wasn't capable of producing a labor intensive, high quality show like Fafner and another anime TV series at the same time.

Furthermore, Negima TV series Xebec Studios has announced that the Negima anime will be extensively revised and improved for its DVD release. That implies to me that Xebec was forced to produce and release the Negima anime faster than they wanted to. Keep in mind that it's relatively rare for manga creators to have direct creative control over anime adaptations of their work. Based on statements creator Ken Akamatsu has made on his personal website, he has not been directly involved in the production of the Negima anime. Also keep in mind that most anime studios often work on a comission basis. As in, a financing partnership is formed which agrees to pay Studio X to animate Title Y. It's very possible that the corporate sponsors of the Negima anime demanded that the series be ready for TV broadcast by a certain date, which didn't leave Xebec Studios' animators enough time to polish the show.

The Gundress anime motion picture was released to Japanese audiences before it was finished. The same may have happened to the Negima anime. When corporate sponsors decide that they can earn some profit by turning Negima into an anime series, they simply hire Xebec Studios and tell them, "You'll have the anime done by this date. Make any compromises necessary to meet that deadline."

[Lunay]

While I cannot explain what went wrong, here's a interesting comment I read in the march issue of Newtype.

Director Nagisa Miyazaki comments, "I didn't make this anime into one of those show that only focuses on the appearance of the characters."

Could it be that they intentionally simplified the characters so that the viewers can focus on the characters background and personality? Or were they simply rushed? Remember, this anime has 31+ characters, all of them with different personality. Maybe it was intentional to change the artistic style to differentiate the 31+ characters? I have no clue...

[Twinbee]

It could be laziness that causes the character designs to look mostly the same. To me, the real problem with the TV series is that the key to making the manga funny and "work", the fanservice, is gone. What's the point. Watching Negima TV is like watching a R rated movie edited down to make it PG. All the good stuff is absent, making the rest trash.

[ZODDGUTS]

It could be laziness that causes the character designs to look mostly the same. To me, the real problem with the TV series is that the key to making the manga funny and "work", the fanservice, is gone. What's the point. Watching Negima TV is like watching a R rated movie edited down to make it PG. All the good stuff is absent, making the rest trash.

lol Sorta like Scarface movie when it was shown on USA Network all the good parts i.e. cursing and bloddy parts were edited/removed out. I mean what was the point of showing the movie then? Even Conan O' Brien said that on his show. :P

[NeoCrow]

I also heard from a friend whom gets the fansubs of the series that the reason the fan service was cut down (or rather out) was cause of the channel Negima TV is on...Tokyo TV or something? Whatever station had the first season of Girls Bravo...they don't like fan service basically.

I soon as I heard this latest addition to the train wreck that is the Negima anime, I nearly fell out of my chair. How can you call it Negima...or an adaption of Ken's work if fan service ISN'T in your show? Just implied as they cut away or flash a cute animal on the screen or something. O_o I mean look at the first volume of the manga where Negi sneezes or tries to use a spell. It either causes skirts to fly up or clothes to be shredded. It's part of the comedy/charm of the series.

Honestly, I'm one of those people whom has to argee now with those whom protest and say "Pull the plug on the anime!" If they're not going to make it even remotely like the manga source material, then there's no point at making it at all. I mean, I can deal with slightly toned down stuff like in the animes of Ikki Tousen and Ai Yori Aoshi, but not this major butchering in Negima's case. -_-

I mean I know studios can be downright evil with manga artists' works in anime form, in terms of butchering or altering, but this is just an insult to end all insults. Its too bad Ken can't have a say in things, I think he might be annoyed with what has happened to his work if he had the time to see.

[Starchild]

Akamatsu explains some factors behind the scene in his web diary. Suggestive.
http://www.ailove.net/diaries/diary.cgi

[xFANCY_MOOSEx]

I basically agree with all the comments listed

Well, first off I think the main issue is the plot changes. Now, I know that manga-anime transtitions usually involve changes, but the way that they changed was up to the point that it's unrecognizable. I mean, first off, does anyone recall Asuna have two different colored eyes from the manga? Not that I recall from the cover from the first, also, what's with the absence of fan service or it being toned down? Poor Ken, they ruined his decently made manga

[Flounder_81]

Ken's got some pretty bad luck as far as manga-to-anime conversions go. ^_^

[Yowvapa]

Akamatsu explains some factors behind the scene in his web diary. Suggestive.
http://www.ailove.net/diaries/diary.cgi

That is nice, but as long it is not translated, we do not know what he wrote.

[ZODDGUTS]

That is nice, but as long it is not translated, we do not know what he wrote.

Actually we can: http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Use that to translate what he wrote into English. ^_^

I mean, first off, does anyone recall Asuna have two different colored eyes from the manga?

Actually yes but it's different one eye color is blue and the other one is purple look more closely at cover vol 1 and you can notice the slight difference of eye color. In the anime they changed her eye color to blue and green.

[NeoCrow]

Actually Asuna DOES have one green, one blue eye, it's just really hard to see the color difference on the manga covers compared to the animes...though the OAV they did had her eyes WAY stronger in color than the pics I've seen of the crappy TV series.

Which posts on Ken's journal there talk about the issues with Negima? Translations of Japanese to English always are spotty...

Also, does anyone know if the manga is still going in Japan and if so, how far it is along?

[ZODDGUTS]

Actually Asuna DOES have one green, one blue eye, it's just really hard to see the color difference on the manga covers compared to the animes...though the OAV they did had her eyes WAY stronger in color than the pics I've seen of the crappy TV series.

Which posts on Ken's journal there talk about the issues with Negima? Translations of Japanese to English always are spotty...

Also, does anyone know if the manga is still going in Japan and if so, how far it is along?

That's debatable I got volumes one and two in front of me and I can clearly see that she has one light blue eye color with a slightly greenish color but to me it looks more like the color of Sky Blue on the right her eye color is dark blue or light purple pick your choice, she has the same eye colors in the front cover of volume 2.

[NeoCrow]

Huh... Really? O_o Well, guess it was decided that they'd be one green, one blue in the anime...though with this mentioning, I really have to wonder what variants Ken was going for really though in Asuna's eye coloring case... I'm thinking perhaps some Yuna from Final Fantasy X/X-2 influence maybe...

[ZODDGUTS]

The animators likely decided to change Asuna eye color to a clear green color instead of drawing it like the color it was in the manga why because they felt like it lol. I wasn't surprise when I saw Asuna's eye color in the anime I mean they did change some of the girls hair colors. Poor Kaede from being brown hair in the manga to a crappy faded grayish hair color in the anime. :$%&#!:

[Tyrenol]

While I do agree that the direction was bad for something like this, I also gotta agree with the idea that it was a rush job and toned down for kiddie-viewing.

Currently, Negima's also contending with a lot of anime that features more T&A and more "beatdowns on weak male leads." It's bad enough that the people who are actually giving Xebec money to become too demanding. But then you have the unforgiving fandom... You circus clowns should quit trying to equate regular anime with hentai. Okay? ^_^

Go watch something like Girls Bravo if you guys want flesh. Negima is still a good show despite its hoping around of the manga parts. And I'm now feeling pretty sorry for Ken and the Xebec people; being so overworked and all.

[ZODDGUTS]

While I do agree that the direction was bad for something like this, I also gotta agree with the idea that it was a rush job and toned down for kiddie-viewing.


Go watch something like Girls Bravo if you guys want flesh. Negima is still a good show despite its hoping around of the manga parts. And I'm now feeling pretty sorry for Ken and the Xebec people; being so overworked and all.

Well that's your opinion I for one am dissapointed on how Negima turned out and no I'm not just talking about the fan service. I've hardly laughed watching Negima the comedy seems to me bland and as people have already said the animation is weak. I don't care much for the music either the opening is boring/bland I do like the ending song but the music used in the series seems well annoying to me. Overall this series to me is verly average I've come close to dropping this series but I do keep hoping that it will improve I'll give it another 3 or so episodes but if it doesn't improve I'm done watching this series and I'll just stick with the manga.

[NeoCrow]

I'm not talking about the fan service in general myself. Granted that a major chunk of Negima's comedy happens to come from that if you read the manga. The animation is indeed the big problem factor that I've seen. And while there is a lot of comparison in this topic between the anime and manga...well, the fact that it really does give off an impression of being a rush job that no one is really putting any effort into...and altering all sorts of stuff most likely to keep the budget down rather than attempt to make it stand out amongst the other animes its most likely competeing with.

[Baka Deshi]

"They altered the plotline from the manga!"

Huge surprise there. :rolleyes:

[Urashima Otaru]

Couple things the whole eye thing she is supposed to have different colored eyes one is like a teal and the other is a dark blue. Yeah this does not live up to the manga in art style, story and fanservice, which by the way is one of the things that makes Akamatsu sensei's comedy so great. The animation in it is pretty bad to the characters don't always look the same their running and other movements don't always look fluent. And man that hair color really makes me mad espcially after the little introduction OAV they had when they did everything right. I really wish companies would keep the Anime made from Akamatsu sensei's work true to his original idea. I was disapointed when they changed so much in the story, I was also disapointed when they did that to love hina anime but I didn't hate it the team that did Love Hina did a pretty good job with character development and storyline since they did have to shorten it down, and I loved how they took things that where only breifly mentioned in the manga and tuned them into entire eps. All in all since they did change it I think we should treat the Negima Anime as a different series and not try to compare it to the Masterpiece that is Maho Sensi Negima.

[NeoCrow]

Here, here. *raises glass* At least Love Hina the anime retained the characters proper colors and stuff as well. Still wish they could a gone more into it from where they ended with like going to Su's country, Motoko's trying to get into Tokyo U., ending up lying on getting in just like Keitaro, and dealing with her sister again...

I'm wondering if this is but one example of a number of animes in which it seems like from what I've heard butchered (changed) or shortened things from the original material... I've a few other mangas turned into animes have had bad things happen to them.

I just recently picked up DearS the manga and liked it quite well...a Chobits like series, but good nonetheless. However, I hear from various people on the net that the anime is awful. I looked it up to see it isn't very long either. O_o

Same goes for Tsukiyomi: Moon Phase compared to its manga counterpart. Even hearing (say it ain't so) That Ah My Goddess the TV series is bad in terms of animation. O_O;;;

[ZODDGUTS]

That Ah My Goddess the TV series is bad in terms of animation. O_O;;;

Well the only "bad" animation that's in AMG is some slight off drawn faces of characters other than that it's good lol there's actual blinking you hardly see that in anime. :P

Well here's some screenshots for Ep: 10 which is a new animation team taking over which is the same team that did Fahner so it's going to look good right? Well....

http://kagechidori.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ngm11_ai.JPG
http://kagechidori.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ngm11_ki.JPG

Heh even Ken Akamatsu had high hopes for the Fahner team on doing a good job but even he was dissapointed here is what he has to say in his 3/9 online Diary blog about ep 10:

"A while ago (2/4), the report from Starchild was that starting from this episode, the animation would be improved . . . U~n, to tell you the truth it doesn't really look all that different. "

http://www.ailove.net/diaries/diary.cgi

[Tyrenol]

Yeah this does not live up to the manga in art style, story and fanservice, which by the way is one of the things that makes Akamatsu sensei's comedy so great. All in all since they did change it I think we should treat the Negima Anime as a different series and not try to compare it to the Masterpiece that is Maho Sensi Negima.
Everyone's expectations are way too high.

Yeah. A couple of things in episode 10 where Asuna can be seen throwing the ball while she's suppose to be out. And the constant hoping around from manga episode to manga episode.

But I think we should just let it play out and hope for the best. In fact, I have to say that it's better than the other anime that's currently running along side it. Even Gundam Seed Destiny. :P

[BlackAngel]

Hey I recently found out that the subs i got dont have episodes 25-26 anyone out there have them, I honestly really enjoy the show and would like to see the end. So either post a resource here or get back to me at neverknowsbest666@gmail.com if you dont want it public but whatever. I really apreciate it.

[Gasaraki]

You can't ask for fansubs on this site, besides the DVD's are already coming out in the US and those ones have the slightly higher quality version anyway.

[ZeroRyoko1974]

to bad for dub fans, the dub is about as literal as ADV's dub of Ghost Stories

[IsaacBrock]

Maybe I'm just not hard to please, but I enjoy the anime.

[earsofdoom]

Which on are you watching? Mahou Sensai Negima or Negima!?

[Somyungi]

I watched mabey 4 -5 episodes but never really got far into the anime after hearing it didn't go too far. Even watching the first episode dubbed didn't help in wanting to purchase it. I should look into the 2nd season to see if thats any better.

[Gibb]

It's a shame because I want the figures that come with the FUNimation DVDs, but I hear the series is so bad I don't want to bother. I've read through volume 12 of the manga (which is fantastic), and I'm sure the TV series will only fail to compare. (just like Love Hina)

[IsaacBrock]

I'm watching Negima! What is the difference?

[earsofdoom]

I'm watching Negima! What is the difference?

The difference is Negima!? is good and Mahou Sensai Negima is bad.

[ZODDGUTS]

I watched mabey 4 -5 episodes but never really got far into the anime after hearing it didn't go too far. Even watching the first episode dubbed didn't help in wanting to purchase it. I should look into the 2nd season to see if thats any better.


It's not a second season it's a remake.

The difference is Negima!? is good and Mahou Sensai Negima is bad.

Yup. ^_^

[IsaacBrock]

Someone should post screenshots of the two side by side.

[Baka Deshi]

Which on are you watching? Mahou Sensai Negima or Negima!?

Guess you didn't notice that this thread is two years old...

[mdauben]

The difference is Negima!? is good and Mahou Sensai Negima is bad.
Well, I may be tossing a live grenade into the thread here, but while I am enjoying Nagima!? I think that Maho Sensei Negima! is a much better series.

The first seven episodes of Nagima!? that I have watched seem almost totally devoid of any character development. Even the main characters of Negi and Asuna seem very one-dimentional, and there seems to be little depth to their relationship. Indeed, Asuna seems to pretty much ignore Negi outside of their interactions during magic battles, in favor of pursing the (rather lame) "chupacabra research club" running joke.

Now, I'm not saying I think Nagima!? is bad or anything. I like the frantic comedy pacing of the episodes and the action is pretty cool. Its just that I like a bit more depth to even my comedy anime, and to me that is where Nagima!? fails.

Not having read the manga, I can't comment in relation to the source material, but between the two anime, I just like Maho Sensei Negima! better. :D

[Tiran]

I much prefer the comedy - action of Negima?! to the fanservice of MS Negima, but that's just echoing what others have said.

[earsofdoom]

Well, I may be tossing a live grenade into the thread here, but while I am enjoying Nagima!? I think that Maho Sensei Negima! is a much better series.


Everyone's welcome to there own opinion, Im just speaking generally that more ppl seem to like Negima!?.

Though Negima!? hasn't gone very far in yet, I've been watching the raws up to 12 and theres some nice Setsuna and Konoko development (about how they met and such) so im sure the characters will get more depth as the series goes. ^_^

[mdauben]

I much prefer the comedy - action of Negima?! to the fanservice of MS Negima, but that's just echoing what others have said.
There certainly is a notable difference in the style of the comedy between the two. Mahou Sensei Negima! is pretty standard anime comedy with lots of fanservice based gags. The comedy in Negima!? is quite different, and has a more frantic, wacky style to it (the changing graffiti on the blackboard behind Negi in class, the background chatter of the characters, the surealistic frog and cat, etc). Its the kind of comedy that reminds me a bit of FLCL or Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (both series that I liked). Judged purely on the basis of comedy, I might be willing to agree that Negima!? is actually the better of the two.

For me, though, the anime that I love the best are the ones that appeal to me emotionally. In that respect, for me at least, Mahou Sensei Negima! was much superior. I started caring about the characters in that series almost at once, while I still have not developed much empathy for the Negima!? characters.

Indeed, Asuna's death in Mahou Sensei Negima! was extreamly distressing just because I was empathising with the characters so much. If she were to die at this point in Negima!? it would not have anywhere near the impact, I think.
That may change as the series progresses more, but it hasn't happend yet.

Just my 2¢ :naughty: