March 19th, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy Negima! Manga Vol 27 (Ch 245) SPOILERS
魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 27 Chapter 245 (manga)
Mahou Sensei Negima! Manga Chapter 245
Summary/Synopsis:
Ako decides to confront Tosaka about “Nagi-san” with Akira following, wanting Ako to stop. Ako says she doesn’t have the qualities of the other girls but even she can do something. So she bursts into the room where Tosaka is reading a book and some other guys are playing cards. Ako offers herself to Tosaka in exchange for Tosaka not doing anything else to Nagi-san. Tosaka’s companions are amazed by this since Ako would essentially be giving up her slave protection rights afforded her by the collar. Two of the guys decide that this will mean stripping Ako for starters, so Akira rushes to protect her. The idea of enjoying two junior high girls is even better and Akira even agrees to a stripping but only if they’ll stop there. Tosaka brings things to a halt by giving Ako the evidence he has about Negi and Nagi being the same person. This stuns his comrades.
Ako and Akira pay Tosaka a visit in the arena as he performs groundskeeper work. Ako wants to know why Tosaka did this. His answer is that he was bored. Ako tells Tosaka that she knows how Mama (Bear), Balgas, and Tosaka were slaves after Ostia fell. She also knows that Mama and Balgas earned money to free Tosaka first and then Tosaka took ten years earning enough money to free them. Tosaka scoffs at this, saying he’s trash and a villain. He chastises Ako for her words earlier because saying such things could get her killed and no one would care. He then goes on to reveal how jealous he is of “Nagi” because Nagi is trying to free Ako and company in a month and a half whereas it took Tosaka ten years to do the same thing for those he cared about. He feels Ako knows what he means when he says that he can’t make it into the spotlight no matter how hard he tries.
Sometime later, Tosaka punches “Nagi” for saying that he doesn’t think he can beat Jack. When Negi starts talking about how powerful Jack is, he takes more beating since to Tosaka, Negi and Kotaro are “monsters” when it comes to power. Tosaka tells him what he did for Ako and beats Negi some more, telling Negi about how it took him 18 years to do what he had to whereas Negi has only taken a month and a half. After taking out his frustrations on Negi, Tosaka leaves.
Ako comes by to see “Nagi-san,” whereupon she kisses him and tells him she loves him before changing it to the past tense. She tells Negi that she had thought about getting him to go with her on a date, but instead asks one thing of him — beat Jack in the finals.
Thoughts/Review:
I know there are a lot of people who don’t like Ako. Me, I’ve never had anything against her. She’s always been a nice, normal girl. So I do feel for her as the guy she fell head-over-heels for turned out to be a mere illusion and nothing more than her 10-year old teacher in disguise. So even though her solution wasn’t a good one for herself, I do like that she made the choice to sacrifice herself for the others.
That said, I know I did not like Negi’s self-sacrifice attempt but that’s a different issue. Negi is the mega-weapon of the group and for him to sacrifice himself served no purpose in helping the others. For Ako, sacrificing herself has no negative impact on the others beyond an emotional one. Her decision to give herself completely to Tosaka to do with as he would does contain some emotion in it, but it was reasoned. She’d judged that if she told Tosaka that, he would not harm her and would release Negi. It wasn’t a decision made in a moment’s time as I see it.
Negi, on the other hand, gets confronted with a problem and his first thought is to roll over and give up (well, not always but that has been his solution to resolve problems many times going back to the Eva arc in volume 3). The stakes are super high and Negi cannot just sacrifice himself in some naive way, thinking that people who want to do him in will suddenly become good if Negi is removed from the board. Negi can only free the girls and get everyone home IF he remains alive, free, and has the battle harem to assist him. So that’s why I like Ako’s self-sacrifice attempt but not Negi’s.
While we are on the subject, look at Akira. She too offered herself to those guys who were talking of stripping Ako, providing they stopped at just stripping. There’s an emotionally-driving act of self-sacrifice that serves no purpose either. Had Tosaka not turned over the evidence to Ako and allowed his comrades to continue, they would not have stopped at just stripping Ako and Akira. Those two girls would have been raped repeatedly.
Tosaka gets to take out his frustrations on Negi and thus his story thread comes to an end. I gather that Akamatsu-sensei softened his character design somewhat so that he wouldn’t come off like such a villain but my opinion of the man has not changed. He is what he is, just as he told Ako. The fact that he gave up the evidence changes nothing for me, but then I never really had any strong feelings about the character.
Back to Ako, her non-pactio kiss puts her up there with Nodoka on that front. I like how she got to have a kiss with her dream guy before letting go of the illusion. I hope that Ako will continue to play a role of some kind in future stories but with the scout team having dropped off screen for ages, I’m thinking that Ako, Akira, and Natsumi will get nothing but cameos from here on out short of Ako getting a pactio (which might happen, but I kinda doubt it at the moment).
A side thought/question for future stories — did Fate know that Negi was disguising himself as an adult? This whole storyline of Ako finding out that “Nagi-san” is Negi made me think of my own theory that Nagi actually created the perfect disguise 10-years ago and became “Negi.” If Fate started to believe this as well, he would undoubtedly be very concerned.
I keep saying I’m going to post my theory article but I actually have to write it first. ^_^; Still, I can’t help but think that Akamatsu-sensei has been preparing the audience on a subconscious level to prepare for a revelation that Negi and Nagi are indeed the same person. We’ll see.
No Negima! 246 next week. I’ll put up a reminder Saturday and try to find some nifty image to share.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Well, nothing changes from what I’ve said. Still anticipating whatever 245 will be showing. Chusetto (Blogdechuse) mentioned the spoilers for that chapter would be popping up sometime around the last week of March.
Still, I do understand just why Tosaka’s the way he is. I mean, he sees himself as someone lowly, and being that way, he believes that the only path open to him is a path appropriate to how he sees himself, that is a “shady” life.
Well Ako and himself may be similar, though in the way they believe that they have no “special” attributes to make them stand out. Ako may have realized this when she heard the story from Chief (Mama Bear/Plushie-san), that’s why she did what she did.
Well Tosaka beating up Negi makes sense. I mean, I’d be pissed off too at having to watch someone who made 18 years of what I consider to have been something of an accomplishment (that proves that I could do something useful) seem like crap, since he could do it in a month and a half’s time, and then blunder about unsurely when it came to the home stretch…
What Tosaka fails to see I suppose is the whys of Negi’s hesitation (like Rakan being a human cheat code), he only sees someone with such potential to succeed losing heart at such an important point. He can’t understand why someone who possesses something (power, fame, etc) he would have given up his soul for is such a slip up, hesitating/doubting himself like some wuss.
So Tosaka is similar to Negi because they have don’t have that much self-esteem? That suddenly makes me curious as to how Negi’d end up if he turns towards Tosaka’s path…though that’s highly unlikely, since he’s got such a helpful supply of tsundere watching out for him…heck, even Tosaka’s acting as a tsundere for him. -_-‘
That said, makes me wonder what Akira thinks of Negi now…still a scumbag? I suppose she understands his reasons for “becoming” Nagi in the MW at least. I wonder if this thing with Tosaka at least gets Negi some sympathy, I mean having to deal with stuff like that at the age of 10…
Well, having Ako do all that and ask Negi to win, he better be getting up before the 20th count…since this chapter is sort of like a setting-up of him getting back up because of that…
Still, this is Ken-sensei so nothing is ever written in ink until it IS. 😛
Since Nagi isn’t dead, it would indeed be possible that he “became” Negi…timeline-wise and event-wise, they’re feasible.
On a slightly unrelated note, it’s been mentioned before that Ken Akamatsu doesn’t kill off characters…hence Nagi isn’t dead. Would it be possible then that Ala Rubra thought the Mage of the Beginning was dead, yet he/she/it may only be pretending to be so, but in fact be lingering somewhere? This also goes for Yue’s grandpa…
Sayo in this case doesn’t count since she’s dead to begin with and even being dead, she still has a presence (she’s a ghost) and role (though minor)
Oh my head. That is VERY serious. Oh crap, that’s a very serious thought: offering your body up, for Negima. Crap, Akamatsu, that is dealing with some serious issues. But its better this than his previous idea: Of having Nodoka raped in the magic world.
No chapter, damn, especially as there was no action in this chapter.
After reading this chapter, I can’t believe that Ken-sama would have Negi lose the fight with Rakan. It would totally suck if he wrote it that way.
Well, Since nothing’s been revealed yet about the current match, I guess we’ll just have to wait until after the chapter break if Negi would stand up before the 20th count.
Looking at Ako, offering herself to Tosaka like that, I guess it was the only way she can think of to at least help Nagi-san/Negi-kun. She was kind of desperate to come up with that decision.
Since Akira came out of the blue and just included herself too–to stripping, I guess she’s really tired of the pain Ako feels about knowing that Nagi-san is actually her 10 year old teacher.
Regarding AstroNerdBoy’s theory(a simple for now, since you haven’t posted it yet), My friends and I have thought about that, and we’ve come up with such conclusions that I figured I shouldn’t be posting yet, for it might coincide with your conclusions too.
No Negima 246 spoilers this week huh? Well, kind of off-topic but I’ll be going to Japan soon, and I figured that I might as well help in uploading the images. But where can I buy the Weekly Shonen Magazine?
And would it be better if I take a picture of the Chapters or just scan it (using of course, a scanner. 0_o) I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it coz’ I’m gonna be at least stuck in my bedroom watching TV or playing my PSP. X)
Anyways, thanks for the updates and reviews( really helpful! :P). I’ll try to help if I can. 😀
@ Renzo: it wasn’t desperation, but still that decision of actually offering herself like that was a gamble, even if she did think about it and considered the possibility that Tosaka would drop the blackmail since he had such a similar/relatable past…
As for Tosaka, although I do understand why he acted that way both before and after Ako came to “negotiate” with him, he is still in the end trash (well to me anyway, besides he admits this himself)…wouldn’t seeing people in a similar situation as what he, Bargas/Vargas and Teddy Bear-san had been in during the past at least change his treatment of them?
Well, perhaps that’s him being jaded or bitter about such a past so he thinks that since he suffered as a slave, other slaves should suffer the same as they did…
Still, having said all that, it doesn’t change the fact that he did at least let Ako off from having to make such a sacrifice…and gave Negi a slightly deserved beating (since Negi really needs to grow a pair, especially if he feels such a need to play the hero all the time…and besides, since Negi didn’t even try to defend himself from the blows, it just makes the beating he got more deserved)
@Anon1 — I think Akira pretty much accepts what Negi did at this point.
A question about your theory: If Negi is Nagi, how would you explain him saving himself six years prior and saying “You’ve gotten so big” at the time.
Well, I’d need to verify the English against the original Japanese just to make sure the English is correct. ^_^; That said, assuming the quote it correct, he would know that he’d become a child and would remark on having “gotten big.” Plus he’d said it before and would have to say it again to complete the circle.
What about the saving himself part? Sorry for questions btw. I just really like reading about theories and speculation. Negi being his own dad sounds like it would be a REALLY unexpected but clever twist.
Whew. I’m neck-deep in training on my new job at the moment, but I’ll see if I can squeeze out something about my theory sooner rather than later. ^_^;;;
Ken-sama is spelling Tosaka’s name as “Tosaca.” Wasn’t sure if you knew that or not.
The only thing i can’t figure out is who is Negi’s mother. I mean the Thousand Master was famous so it could be anybody.
I’m glad that Ako had a smile on her face at the very end. I hope she’ll be okay, though– last time she was rejected pre-series, it left her with really bad self-esteem issues. I can’t see this breakup being anymore pleasant.
That said, I bid a fond farewell to Ako/Negi. And start shipping Negi/Tohsaka.
yeah right \:_; as if negi and tosaka really fits hurray for gays