Negima 23

Is this a extremely sad and desperate last resort at redeeming a spectacular failure? I get it now, it is the "Plan X": When ALL ELSE fails, kill off main character to generate buzz! I do not believe Akamatsu approved of this developement since this is so out-of-sync with his style.

I'm not so sure it's totally out of sync with where Akamatsu-san's going with the manga. There does seem to be a connection between Negi and Asuna's pasts. Both Negi's father and Takahata are involved in that link somehow. I also find it interesting that she died at the World Tree given it's significance in a later story.

I think she'll be saved and that the tree _and_ Negi are key to that. It's possibly other class members may be as well. I've noticed in the manga that there doesn't seem to be a single girl not there for a very definite reason. I think it's quite possible this is something that will occur in the manga eventually (although maybe not exactly like in the anime), but if so I'm a bit surprised Akamatsu-san would allow it to be revealed now.

Still, this seems like a development more along the lines of the manga than the anime so far. The manga's far more serious in its stories. Negi was just barely saved as a child, most of his village was killed. Negi, Asuna and Setsuna were nearly killed in Kyoto. Negi probably would have been killed if Eva hadn't arrived when she did in fact. The story after that one placed Negi in danger again, with a very familiar face from the past. So now we have Asuna in danger (let's assume the death's not permanent yet), something that really hasn't happened in the anime so far.

Hmm... interesting.

So it looks like they borrowed a bit from the manga in a way, the village backstory sounds similar to Negi's own backstory, with Takahata saving the day this time around rather than the Negi's father...

So here is my thought... perhaps this is a Akamatsu-sensei development, but one that hasn't yet played itself out in the manga (granted I'm about 20 chapters behind). It's my opinion that Negi = The Thousand Master, and somehow like Evangeline, he's been forced into a younger version of himself and simply has no memory of who he really is.

I am expecting at some point in the story that this will be revealed and the transformation will be reversed near the stories end, with Negi turning back into his normal mid-20's self (which would then make the entire Asuna/Negi story make a lot more sense.).

Which this could be the opening for. Negi goes back in time to find out what brought about Asuna's condition/curse, and while doing so discovers what has happened to him. Note: The time-frame is right, since Negi is 10-years old atm. So these final few episodes will answer all the questions and end the series with these two discovering their connection and destiny. (siblings, romance, partners?)

Just my two yen

Tensai: A frew problems with that. Eva's age isn't due to the curse, in the Manga when she has her flashbacks to both meeting and getting defeated by the Thousand Master her real appearance is that of a 10yo girl. She just uses her magic to make her look older. In fact when the Thousand Master first met her (and saved her from falling off a cliff) she looked like a 10yo. She also reverted to that form in the soup that the Thousand Master used to trap her in when she lost her concentration. Apparently Eva became a vampire when she was 10, so that's why her real form is that of a 10yo girl and will always be so. The curse just keeps her from leaving the school grounds and using her magic. (I find this amusing, she's like the lolicon's dream girl, she'll never grow up. She's already over 300 and still looks like a little girl. LOL)

As far as Negi there's a photo of him with Takahata, his father and the Principle when he was really young. I'm pretty sure that photo shows up in the manga too, and you actually get to see it, it's not obscured by the light glare on it as it was in the anime.

Yeah, I was just indicating that Eva's spells did indicate that magic could be used to conceal someone's actual age. Bad wording on my part, meant to indicate that she could not appear as an adult due to the constraints placed around the school.

I did check the photo in the manga, I presume you are referring to the one picked up at the end of the Kyoto-arc. While there is a young Asuna in the photo, there is no sign of Negi. Which make sense because she would only have been 5 at the time she was with his father and his companions. But you could be referring to another one, so I'll go and check it out.

I'd have to go reference the specific chapters, but I don't think we've ever gotten any real exchanges between Negi and his father, other than his mysterious appearances in the past (and I'm thinking that in times of extreme stress, his true-form is manifesting). Of course it's just my speculation, but there have been odd comments made throughout the manga to support this idea (for example the amount of power he has, the similarity between what an older Negi should look and his father, etc).

Just a thought... and because Asuna can't die darn it!!!

Actually, the photo is 20 years old. Asuna is no where in that picture. Also, if you've been keeping up with the latest chapters of the manga (98 was the most recent), then you would know that *SPOILERS*The man all the way on the right is NOT Takamichi, but rather his mentor. Rumor is he's actually the little boy in the photo.

As for the episode, I was absolutely shocked when I saw it. It's pretty much shooken up the whole Negima community. Some people are saying that the anime has finally redeemed itself, or so I hear.

I was thinking of that photo, but I don't think that's Asuna either, it said the photo was taken 20 years ago and Asuna's just 15 (I went back and looked). It does look like she was about 5 in the dream she had where we found out she knew Negi's Dad in the past though. There's definitely a connection between them. They've also pointed out numerous times how she looks like Negi's sister.

If Nagi (Negi's Dad's name) did somehow revert to a child and start anew, shouldn't his sister know about it? She hasn't done anything to indicate she thinks he's anything other than her little brother.

Didn't see that one coming..
I do seem to recall seeing somewhere in the manga a flashback to Asuna as a child meeting the Thousand Master.
Now Negi's village also burned down, but it Asuna's remembering things from 10 years ago it can't be the same fire as that was only 6 years ago, unless she spent a few years in Eva's little pocket world.

Gomen Gomen.... Orz

When I originally saw that picture, I had just figured that it was a typo or mistranslation, because it certainly looked like Asuna. So either the young child in the picture is Negi's sister or Takamichi (though the age still would be a bit off, I figured Takamichi for his 30's)

Anyway, aside from pictures and such, I still think it's not a terrible theory, which was the main point I wanted to make. There are still all the little comments and weird timing. Asuna was with the group about the same time that the Thousand Master died, and right around the time that Negi was born. You have to wonder now if what happened to Asuna 10 years ago is somehow connected to Negi or his father as well. Luckily, at least in regards to the TV series, it will only be a few weeks until we find out where this storyline is going.

But Orz again...

Geez. I guarantee you Asuna will come back alive. Think of Mai Hime!

I'm really wondering if Negi and Asuna aren't related. That would explain why she resembles Negi's sister so much. :)

*SPOILERS* According to Newtype(Japan), Asuna died due to a contract she made with a demon. That's pretty much all they said. If this is true, then it's pretty safe to assume that the demon is Wilhelm.

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