Endings and new beginnings.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Ken Akamatsu
Translation: Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley
What They Say:
The war is over, and all that’s left is the save the Magical World from imminent destruction. With the help of Asuna and others in his class, Negi is working to put his plan into effect. Meanwhile, Negi’s students are realizing just what a heartbreaker the little boy has become.
Content:
With their adventures in the Magical World finally over, our heroes have little choice but to return back to their school lives. However, things back at Mahora have certainly started to change, with Fate even stepping in as a substitute teacher for Negi. As Negi has become deeply involved in his plan to save the Magical World, he doesn’t have quite as much time as he used to for hanging out with the girls. However, they all seem to be moving and changing in their own ways as well. Chachamaru worries and frets over her future, and ends up deciding to be Negi’s assistant, staying by his side and aiding him in his grand endeavor.
Meanwhile, Chisame finds her everyday life to be just a little dull after having escaped from her previous nightmare, and decides to hunt down Negi to give him a piece of her mind. In the process, she also is able to learn that Negi’s plan is to embark on a terraforming project with the help of Ayaka. Afterwards, Sakurako’s group tries to hit on Negi, Kotaro, and Fate’s grown-up forms, only for silliness and minor heartbreak to occur as a result. Later on, Ayaka tells the story of how she got her pactio-card, which allows her to force anyone to meet with her, Setsuna deals with her knowledge of Asuna’s royal heritage, Yui regains her memory, and Negi and Asuna take on Eva in one last duel.
While Eva battles with her pupils, Setsuna learns the shocking truth that Negi is now an immortal like his master, and Asuna will have to sleep for a hundred years, a period that her current personality likely won’t survive. After a humorous aside in which we see the whole class gathers together to discuss Negi’s flirtatiousness, the final event begins, in which the entire campus must attempt to capture the young teacher.
In Summary:
It certainly is a nice change of pace to see things set back in the academy after such a long absence, and yet it feels a little bittersweet that the series appears to be ending so soon. The attempts made to wrap up some of the girls’ arcs are appreciated, as are some of the rather humorous situations that pop up here. Even so, it is a bit of a letdown moving from the epic battles of the last several volumes to the more generic harem fare presented here. On the plus side, we do get a little action thanks to Eva, and we even get some nice final twists for Negi and Asuna. Hopefully the last volume will manage to really bring things to a satisfying close, as even if this volume feels like a bit of a step down, there’s still plenty to love.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: A
Age Rating: 16+
Released by: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: Jan 29, 2013
MSRP: $10.99
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