I hate unsolicited advice about anything pretty much all the time. And I particularly hate it when people try to talk me into changing my mind about something when I've sampled it and rejected it, such as an anime series.

So though I'm disappointed that Pete hated Negima!? I'm loath to try to convince him to give it another try. Yet there's an aching feeling that I should do it.

So, Pete, take this for what it is: just some explanation which you can accept or reject. Just keep in mind that Obama's America doesn't meddle, even in a good cause.

Pete rejected it half way through the second episode because he didn't like the art, and because he doesn't like vampires, and because it seemed like the girls were being treated as dispensible.

That's the Evangeline plot arc, and it ends at the end of episode 3. Given how early in the series it is, I don't consider the following to be a spoiler: the purpose of it is to establish the Evangeline character, who is IMHO the second most important character in the series after Negi himself.

And its purpose is to establish the relationship between the two, which is very complex. Evangeline hates Negi's father with a passion. The purpose of those three episodes is to explain why Evangeline doesn't ultimately transfer that hatred to Negi himself, and indeed eventually comes to think of him as a friend and colleague.

So this isn't a traditional vampire story, by any stretch. And after ep 3, Evangeline never drinks blood again in the entire series. (She doesn't need it for sustenance; rather, it gives her a power boost.)

Also, the girls are not treated as expendable.

Finally, ep 3 has the first partnership (Asuna) and the first transformation to armor form (also Asuna). Plus there's the rare pleasure of seeing Asuna pick up a row boat and throw it at Eva.

Once that's complete, most of the series foundation has been laid. Most of the rest gets laid in ep 4, when the black spots start appearing, and Shichimi and Motsu show up and explain what's happening.

What I'm trying to say is that the first two episodes are very atypical in nearly every regard of the rest of the series. Yeah, they're dark. Evangeline is trying to kill Negi. But it doesn't stay that way, and I really like the way ep 3 ended.

Also, the Eva arc is the only story line that Shinbo lifted from Akamatsu. Shinbo created all the rest of the series storyline himself, which is another reason it doesn't feel the same.

...moan... ah, crap! But it's really good!

And I hate it when people say this kind of thing to me. Sorry, Pete.

UPDATE: I figure Pete is getting revenge on my for my having inadvertantly trolled Wonderduck the other day.

UPDATE 20090710: I've been sitting here cringing, waiting for Pete's response. But Pete's wife and daughter are back now after two weeks away, and I suppose he's got better things to be doing right now than to be browsing the web.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 07:21 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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