Episode 19 revolves around Aisaka Sayo, a jibakurei that has been around for the last 60 years. Sayo can’t remember how she became a jibakurei, and only hopes she isn’t sticking around for revenge. As she narrates her story, we get to watch Sayo as she observes and participates in lots of clubs (without the members noticing her). The one group that Sayo can really identify with is Evangeline and Chachamaru, since they have been in the same class for a long time as well. Sayo is confused about if they are ghosts, however, since they can’t seem to see her. While watching them arrange flowers, Chachamaru’s suggestion to add tsuwabuki triggers a memory in Sayo, but it’s not clear why.
Meanwhile, Asakura Kasumi is researching about the old clock tower for an article, when she notices something about Sayo on the roster. No one knows who Sayo is, and there is wild speculation about her being a transfer student who was sick or expelled (or a printing mistake). Kasumi decides to investigate, and searches online, but to no avail. However, with Nodoka’s help, Kasumi finds Sayo’s original class roster, and gets the idea to look through student poetry anthologies. There, Kasumi finds a tanka written by Sayo. The tanka reads, “Planting tsuwabuki with her small hands, looking forward to when time is filled.” Suddenly, Sayo remembers that she had a little sister, and that her sister had tried to plant a large garden of tsuwabuki near the clock tower. Sayo’s sister believed if the garden was completely filled with tsuwabuki, their mother would come back. One stormy night, however, Sayo met with tragedy while trying to defend her sister’s garden…
Kasumi remembers the large tsuwabuki garden near the old clock tower and runs there. As Sayo follows along, she steps on the old brick that her sister inscribed, “So that mother will come back.” Sayo suddenly breaks down crying, and Kasumi is able to see her for the first time. Kasumi immediately whips out her digital camera, but finally decides not to take a picture of Sayo crying. In a heart-warming moment, Kasumi can’t bring herself to exploit Sayo for journalistic purposes. Kasumi’s courage continues the next day in class, when she speaks up about how Sayo has been left off the class trip roster. Braving ridicule, Kasumi tells her classmates about Sayo, and Evangeline discretely casts a spell allowing everyone to see Sayo. Everyone takes the news really well, but I guess that’s not surprising, considering what other people are in the class.
For everyone that has stuck with Mahou Sensei Negima’s shoddy production values, and uneven quality, this was the episode that made it all worth it. The animation is beautiful (I was completely thrown off by how good it was), and the music is even better. Sayo’s sad piano-wood flute theme is wonderful, and really sets the mood perfectly. The directing is skillfully handled, and Kasumi and Sayo really get a chance to shine. It was the perfect mix of mystery, sadness, and happiness that would have made the TV series a classic if it was present in every single episode. I’d say episode 19 is worth watching, even if you have given up on and skipped most of the other Mahou Sensei Negima episodes; it’s that good.
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Kabitzin – who has written 1940 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
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Sayo is officially the cutest thing EVER IN THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING
If I was only going to get one episode focusing on me, I’d want the staff that did Sayo’s episode to do mine too!
If im not mistaken and which was really emotional (for me it was) that the brick said “So that mother and sister will come back” I could be wrong tho
Whew, nice review. Now I know why she’s always there and everyone doesn’t seem to notice her.
It really was a nice episode and reminded me a bit of the Moe-chan story from Love Hina. The only thing that the studio dropped the ball on in this entire episode was the huge plot hole in the end. We got an 3 episiode arc describing how Nagi’s Infernus Scholastica spell and the school’s power-grid failsafe are supposed to block Evangeline’s magic powers and then in this episode she just effortlessly casts the spell at the end. Akematsu’s original story provides that only Negi’s blood can give Evangeline magic powers when she’s confined on-campus. Then again, the studio’s already hacked out Nodoka’s pactio (and it seems, Kotaro, too) so I guess we’ll chalk it up to infidelity to source material.
Actually Negi’s blood will allow Evangeline to get off campus and turn back into her normal self. She can use magic, just not at full power. I know nothing about the manga really except that it’s a little more….perverted….so can’t help you there.
Only by drinking ALL of Negi’s blood can Evangeline break Nagi’s spell to leave Mahora Gakuen and regain all her old powers. As it is, she can only actively use magic with catalyst potions. By drinking SOME of his blood, Eva can temporarily activate spells without catalyst potions. This is explained much later in the manga, after the class trip to Kyoto. Otherwise, she would need to rely on potions for her spell activations, such as when she materializes Sayo.
All in all, this is an example of the animation studio’s disregard for much of the canon. If you know nothing about the manga, then you really owe it to yourself to track some down and read it! The manga is immeasurably superior to the anime in almost every aspect. It’s not just about the ecchi. Stoptazmo.com has almost all of it (when the site is actually up).
HAHAHA, love those screencaps captions XD
I should mention: starting Ep 18 they got a new Director for the Negima Anime. Clearly one who is good, for this ep to be produced. It’s a pity he had to take on a FUBAR work and make something of it in the remaining episodes. Which is why you should be warned that the anime version of the Kyoto arc is NOT the highlight – the anime sets aside lots of time (at the expense of Kyoto) for its own original arc starting Ep 22. Arguably, Ep 23 and 24 have had quite a bit of money poured into them too, though Ep 19 still stands as the ultimate highpoint ^^
Notes for the Manga: Sayo’s story is different. The anime generally disregards certain Canon limitations (you’ll see what I mean in Ep 26), but I’d imagine Eva’s spell in Ep 19 isn’t one which requires lots of power, just advanced knowledge. Mind you, by Vol 12 I’m beginning to wonder if Eva’s “suppressed, weak form” is stronger than it used to be in Vol 3 – but that’s a tangent. In short, the Manga is more like a Shounen action story than a harem genre.
this episode is very touching and emotional. being in school with no friends for 60 years, no one could see or hear her, i feel kinda pity for her. but it had a happy ending.
i love the story of her very touching… nearly made me cry.
the part i love most is when she saw wad her sister wrote for mum and sis to come back. reali made me sad and touch as i feel tat she had a wonderful sister.
I wonder what is the name of the song in this episode…i really like it and really what the music sheet…does anyone know the title of the song?
Definatly one of the best episodes in the series. I like how it depicts her during the WW2 era. And to add a nice end twist the principal is related to her as his crush. Very neatly done. This episode almost relates to what my grandfather did in WW2 Germany.