Asuna continues her run of very poor luck, as Negi tries to help her on her paper route, but they end up weighing too much for Negi’s staff to handle. Then she gets totally rocked on an English test and is forced to stay after class. Asuna, Kaede, Makie, Yue, and Ku Fei make up the Baka Rangers; apparently they are well versed in staying after class. Yue easily gets out after the first quiz (she just hates studying, but is really smart), and the rest eventually pass, but poor Asuna can’t seem to get her score up to the required 6/10. To make matters worse, Takahata-sensei stops by and finds Asuna is the only one left. Mortified, Asuna storms out, and it’s not till much later that she finally scores a 7. She then forces Nagi to bathe (he is a stinky brat who hates bathing), and there is some usual harem hijinks as the class tries to determine who gets to keep Negi based on bust size. Through the power of herbal enhancers magic, Asuna edges out Chizuru for an explosive victory.
Negi gets a magical letter (lol, you can play and fast forward it?) from his sister asking if he’s gotten a partner yet. Negi explains the important RPG implications of mages having a partner, and the twins Fuuka and Fumika Narutaki overhear the conversation. Both Asuna and the twins suspect that “partner” == “harem interest” and so like a bad game of telephone, word gets out that Negi is a prince in search of a girlfriend. This leads to a class-wide Negi-chase. At the last moment, the mob is distracted by a swimsuit snatching ermine, and Negi is saved. The ermine, Kamo, claims to have been sent by Negi’s sister to help him find a partner, but as Asuna later discovers, he’s actually a wanted underwear thief. Kamo wants Negi to hook up with as many girls as possible (so he can earn some ph4t 3rmin3 $$$), and tells Negi that Nodoka is the perfect partner for him. In a rather simplistic scheme, Kamo gives Nodoka a fake Negi-lovu-lovu-letter and then tells Negi that Nodoka has been kidnapped by some thugs. They both rush to the same location and Kamo urges them to kiss and complete the pact… until Asuna rushes forth and stops them. Kamo does manage to pass a bizarre sob story on to the gullible Negi, and so is allowed to stay. Meanwhile, Evangeline seems to be working on some nefarious scheme.
The animation was still bad, but these episodes were fairly entertaining. I like Kamo’s character, because he brings a unique aspect to Negima. In most harem series, the females are just inexplicably attracted to the lead, whereas in Negima, Negi has the power and intelligence to be a playah and Kamo’s got the tools to be a pimp. Or matchmaker, if you prefer. Nodoka looks much better now that she has discovered barrettes, and it sure was convenient how everyone was looking the other way when Negi was zooming around the entire campus on a staff. BTW, if that staff belonged to the Thousand Master, why can’t it carry a young boy and a skinny athletic girl…? If it’s that weak, then no wonder the Thousand Master was so willing to part with it! What the heck is Negi gonna do when he gets all fat from the cooking that his class gives him? Er, I mean “all handsome and tall like the Thousand Master”.
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I feel silly leaving the first comment on my own post like this, but check out Xebec’s site! Those Stellvia animated gifs are soooooooo cute!
I’ve watched this anime up to episode 5 and am now suspicious of it.
Before it was sort of playing around and setting things up. I thought it was cute and funny and got a little hooked…but at 5 it seemed like they attempted to put a lot of stuff in at once–the letter from Negi’s sister, Kamo’s appearance, and the encounter with Nodoka…also, Asuna (probably the main reason I watch it) got sort of pushed to the background. It just all seemed a little unpolished. Does it improve after this or just keep bringing up situations that seem to be going somewhere, but end right where everything started?