June 23rd, 2011 
AstroNerdBoy 魔法先生 ネギま！Volume 36 Chapter 329 (manga)
Mahou Sensei Negima! Manga Chapter 329
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Tsukuyomi has Setsuna down and apparently defeated after 32-minutes and 57-seconds, ending as the explosion from Negi and Fate’s battle sounds. Tsukuyomi says it doesn’t matter who wins, which is what Setsuna sites as the difference between them. Tsukuyomi agrees, stating that Setsuna’s worrying over Ojousama (Konoka), Negi, and the others means she has too many worries and so prevented her from winning. Setsuna disagrees as her giant, artifact sword changes form to slender, long form. Setsuna grabs the Hina blade and with blood dripping from that hand, she grabs her new-formed blade and attacks Tsukuyomi, saying Tsukuyomi’s lack of concern for others is why she is defeated. Setsuna slashes Tsukuyomi with her blade, which has a white wing form and in a shower of feathers, Tsukuyomi drops to the ground, mouthing out “Sword of Ala Alba.” Setsuna explains that her new sword gains strength from those she believes in.
Mana and “Poyo” continue their battle with Mana peppering the area with displacement bullets, all of which Poyo manages to avoid. The fight ends with Mana tossing her rifle in favor of a hand gun, which is in contact with Poyo’s head. Poyo doesn’t know what would happen if she were shot with a regular bullet at this range but then Mana could say something similar for Poyo’s claws. However, since Negi has won the fight, Poyo surrenders to Mana’s surprise. Poyo muses about how she didn’t expect a half-mazoku to interfere and that the mazoku had thought things could work out peacefully. However, now things will be chaotic. She tells Mana to leave Mahora and come to this side, but Mana has a reason to stay at Mahora — a boy she’s interested in and whom she plans on observing.
Back with Negi and Fate, Fate tells Negi that they are not friends and will always be at conflict, but if Negi’s plan succeeds, then it will simply prove that Negi is right. However, if Negi makes even a small mistake, Fate will immediately reactivate Kosmo Entelecheia. Negi agrees to this, so Fate tells Shirabe to stop the ceremony and reverse the procedure. Negi says his plan will take ten years and asks if Fate won’t speak to him for that whole time.
Negi’s girls are happy to see him alive and the fight over as Negi helps Fate to his feet. Chisame is bemused by the way boys act and she and Chamo remind everyone that to have the happy ending, they have to still get Asuna and revive the people who’ve been erased.
Suddenly, Fate finds himself shot in the back, the magic beam passing through Negi as well. Both fall to the ground as Takane uses her shadow warrior to shield Shirabe, Shiori, and Konoka. However, a second magic beam attack easily penetrates her warrior and hits Shirabe, who starts dissolving into petals. At the same time, the injured Negi sees that Fate too is dissolving into petals as something approaches from a distance.
Thoughts/Review:
Well now, well now. Akamatsu-sensei loves these twists, eh? *lol* On the positive side, I liked how Fate refused to be friends with Negi, simply choosing to ally himself with Negi for a time since saving the people of the Magic World is the same goal. Interesting that Negi’s plan will take ten years though. That would make him and his harem all adults. Well, I don’t think Negi gets to do his plan but we’ll see. I believe Akamatsu-sensei will keep things such that Chao’s version of history remains unchanged and the circle is still complete.
Still, it will be fun having more revealed next chapter when they meet the approaching figure who attacked Fate, Negi, and Shirabe. Clearly, this person is keen on keeping the ceremony going.
I’m glad the other two fights are over. Setsuna’s battle with Tsukuyomi ended in a somewhat cliched way, though I liked what her new artifact sword did. Sword of Ala Alba indeed. The way Akamatsu-sensei drew Setsuna slicing Tsukuyomi, such a hit should be the death of Tsukuyomi but this being a shounen manga, I have a hard time believing Tsukuyomi is dead. That would be an interesting move on Akamatsu-sensei’s part if he did kill her. Assuming she isn’t dead, then what does Setsuna’s blade do to someone who takes a slice up through their chest?
Mana and Poyo’s fight ended much as Mana’s fight with Kaede ended, only with Mana getting the win. Its still cool imagery seeing the two fight and end up in their final positions with Mana holding a gun to Poyo’s head. Mana made it pretty clear that she’s going to be hanging with Negi and if observing him means fighting with him for Ala Alba, then sobeit. I think it is time for Mana to make it official and get her pactio. ^_^
As to Poyo, I still wonder about her and her people. “Mazoku” is how they are classified in the Japanese, but I’ve long had the sense that they are not the same as the other denizens of the Magic World. I’ve felt that the are true lifeforms, like the humans from Earth who’d migrated to the Magic World. So, now I wonder where Poyo and her kind live. This chapter almost made it seem like they too are Magic World residence whereas prior to this, I had the impression the mazoku and people like Setsuna’s clan and Kotaro’s clan were from another dimension. Maybe Akamatsu-sensei will clarify things before the manga ends.
Well, another good chapter which wraps up three storylines and starts what I believe to be the final storyline to conclude the massive Magic World arc. I’m looking forward to seeing where things go.
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Assuming she isn’t dead, then what does Setsuna’s blade do to someone who takes a slice up through their chest?
I’m going for “the Jubei-Chan effect”. (^_^)
Before you read further, you might want to consider watching Jubei-Chan instead. Where else can you see Yui Horie (Makie, Ayu from Kanon, Tohru from Fruits Basket, etc) voicing the bad-arse reincarnation of Yagyu Jubei (link = nsfw language)… directed by the same mind that produced Kodocha? (^_~)
That said, JUBEI-CHAN SPOILER TO FOLLOW:
Her sword appears to kill people… but when you later see them, they’re alive and they’ve realized how futile their centuries-old quest for vengeance is. (And once they’re freed of their hatred, these ruthless swordsmen go on to all sorts of amusing occupations, from florist to construction worker to editor.)
END JUBEI-CHAN SPOILER
I thought when poyo said come back to this side she was simply refering to the demon world.
Setsuna and Tsukoyomi remind me of bleach, no matter how fatal the wound looks yomi will “get better”.
Wow, what a cliffhanger!
One of the bad guys who appears in one episode of Jubei-chan is a (extremely pathetic) spoof of Tenchi, iirc. Since someone brought the series up…
On another note, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when Negi took out the bounty hunters who were after Nodoka, one of the bounty hunters was a demon. Negi apologized for hitting the guy extra hard because it was the only way to knock the demon down. The impression that I got throughout that whole sequence was that demons were all from “somewhere else”, though the exact implications of that idea weren’t entirely clear. Poyo pretty much confirmed that idea when she first appeared, and iirc one of the things that she clearly revealed was that she was from neither Earth nor the Magical World. In short, demons are from somewhere else – though where exactly that is remains unknown. Evidently Mana’s demon-side comes from the same general place as these particular demons, given that Poyo asks Mana if she’s going to come back.
While I don’t believe that it’s been outright stated, I think it’s been implied that bird demons and dog demons are from the Magical World. The Mazouku represented by Zazie, Poyo, Mana, and the bounty hunter, are a completely different type of creature. And apparently as a rule they’re extremely tough (when not being confronted by things such as Asuna’s demon-banishing sword, of course…).
This episode, of course, ends with the question of who exactly it is that just appeared. Lots of possibilities on that one, of course. MotB is probably out, since he or she is supposed to still be locked away. Chibi-mage is unlikely, since she wants to find out what her “ancestor’s” plan is. Dynamis is a possibility, using an extremely loose interpretation of the agreement that he made (He’s not attacking Negi; rather he’s attacking Fate. The fact that Fate just agreed to work with Negi, and that Negi happened to be standing in the way of the attack…). But I personally doubt that. The problem is that we’re running out of mysterious cloaked mages at this point…
Minor nitpick, Red Hawk corrected their translation to say 32 minutes, not 37.
Will you be reviewing the omnibus?
If Chao’s future becomes a reality and Mundus Magicus is not saved, then the whole point of the series until now and all of the heroes’ struggles become a pointless Shaggy Dog story. Frankly, I’d feel like I’ve wasted years of my life reading this if it all turns out to be useless in the end.
Also, the arc needs to end p already. It’s become so convoluted it’s simply ridiculous, and the fact plot keeps pulling everyone into situations where they all are powerless to stop things and they only can be saved by plot devices is lowering the story’s quality at a breakneck pace.
Here’s an analogy I was thinking when I read this chapter… getting this close to stopping the ritual to destroy the magic world is like trying to take down a multi-stage missile heading for its target… if the missile is damaged, then one of the rocket stages separates and the missile accelerates at a higher speed…
I’m going for “the Jubei-Chan effect”. (^_^)
Now that I know what this is, I will be on the lookout for it. ^_^
I thought when poyo said come back to this side she was simply refering to the demon world.
Yeah, most likely but I still wondered.
Setsuna and Tsukoyomi remind me of bleach, no matter how fatal the wound looks yomi will “get better”.
There’s that too. After all, if Negi’s plan works, then Jack and the others will “come back to life” as it were. Being a shounen manga, it isn’t like those manga-ka can go killing folks at will. Akamatsu-sensei got away with a lot of death by having all the dead be the equivalent of holographic lifeforms.
One of the bad guys who appears in one episode of Jubei-chan is a (extremely pathetic) spoof of Tenchi, iirc. Since someone brought the series up…
*lol* Now, I am curious. ^_^
In short, demons are from somewhere else – though where exactly that is remains unknown. Evidently Mana’s demon-side comes from the same general place as these particular demons, given that Poyo asks Mana if she’s going to come back.
That’s pretty much what I have been thinking, but this chapter gave me pause on it.
While I don’t believe that it’s been outright stated, I think it’s been implied that bird demons and dog demons are from the Magical World. The Mazouku represented by Zazie, Poyo, Mana, and the bounty hunter, are a completely different type of creature. And apparently as a rule they’re extremely tough (when not being confronted by things such as Asuna’s demon-banishing sword, of course…).
Well, see, I wonder about that. Some “demon” creatures in the series have been summoned by ofuda-type spell slips. Tsukuyomi used them and so did Fate during the Kyoto arc. On the other hand, using Konoka’s power, Chigusa was able to summon “demons” in order to have them fight Setsuna and Asuna. Among them were members of the “bird tribe,” which is where Setsuna came from. Now, considering that the story has been strongly suggesting that Magic World creatures and people cannot (easily) exist on Earth, combined with the way the bird tribe folks were summoned, I tend to think that they are types of mazoku, or at least live in the same realm as the mazoku.
This episode, of course, ends with the question of who exactly it is that just appeared.
Yep. Your excellent rundown of the list of suspects only lacked Asuna (^_~) but because the mysterious, cloaked mage could be anyone, including someone we’ve not met, I decided to pass on even speculating.
Minor nitpick, Red Hawk corrected their translation to say 32 minutes, not 37.
I’ll fix that, thanks. ^_^ Your second question has been answered now. ^_^
If Chao’s future becomes a reality and Mundus Magicus is not saved, then the whole point of the series until now and all of the heroes’ struggles become a pointless Shaggy Dog story.
I wouldn’t say pointless. I have a real problem with paradox stories and retconning into stories. That said, paradox stories done properly can work out quite well as can some retconning.
The thing is, if Chao’s history doesn’t occur, then how’d she come back in time to get Negi to change it in the first place? After all, with history changed, there’s no need for her to come back to start the change in the first place.
At this point, it seems to me that even in Chao’s future, humans are living on Mars. Further, all along, there have been warnings that Negi’s plan will lead to the future Chao saw.
What I see happening is that the people of the Magic World do return, which automatically makes the hero’s struggles worth while. However, there will be unexpected and unintended consequences which results in Chao’s coming to life. Indeed, I would find it ironic if Negi were still alive 100 years from now (hey, with the aid of magic and future tech, it could happen) and Old Man Negi sent Chao to the past on purpose to complete the circle.
Also, the arc needs to end p already. It’s become so convoluted it’s simply ridiculous, and the fact plot keeps pulling everyone into situations where they all are powerless to stop things and they only can be saved by plot devices is lowering the story’s quality at a breakneck pace.
I will admit that I am looking forward to Asuna being returned to the harem and the arc ending. It is the longest arc to date.
That said, I smile when I read your comments because I had similar thoughts during the Mahora Festival arc. Reading the story on a chapter by chapter basis is one thing. Reading the entire arc as a whole is something else. When I read the entire Mahora Festival arc, things work together quite nicely IMO. I suspect that in the end, the Magic World arc will prove the same.
Here’s an analogy I was thinking when I read this chapter… getting this close to stopping the ritual to destroy the magic world is like trying to take down a multi-stage missile heading for its target… if the missile is damaged, then one of the rocket stages separates and the missile accelerates at a higher speed…
That analogy may well turn out to be what happens here. It will be interesting to see though.
Even if Negi completely averts the bad future, that doesn’t mean that Chao’s future will be saved, depending on what type of time traveling theory Akamatsu uses.
If he applys it DBZ style, then going back to the past to avert a bad future will have no effect on your own, creating no paradox.
Akamatsu’s earlier usage of time travel was inconsistent with itself (Negi re-visiting the three days of the Mahora festival seems to indicate a fixed, time-loop style of time travel, but the bad future after exiting Eva’s resort seems to imply a malleable timeline, where you can change the future by acting in the past.
…the mysterious, cloaked mage could be anyone, including someone we’ve not met, I decided to pass on even speculating.
Call me stubborn, but I still think Nagi’s going to show up on the other side of this battle a la Jecht/Sin in FF10. Maybe now, maybe later.
One of the bad guys who appears in one episode of Jubei-chan is a (extremely pathetic) spoof of Tenchi, iirc. Since someone brought the series up…
*lol* Now, I am curious. ^_^
Even given how much funnier a joke is when it references the familiar, I really wouldn’t recommend letting that be “the Decider” in this case.
If you want a story that’s weird and funny on its own merits, has lots of bad-arse swordplay from a character voiced by girly-girl Yui Horie, and sometimes plays your heartstrings like a Stradivarius (JC2 is in the same league as the Banner of the Stars series in this aspect)… definitely, watch Jubei-Chan. But if you want to see an amusing sendup of Tenchi, rewatch Vandread instead.
Daichi-sensei (the director) is by far at his best when he takes an existing story and puts his own zany/heartwarming spin on it a la Kodocha. When he starts adding parodies and in-jokes, he quickly slips into the KyoAni Aren’tWeClever(tm) degenerative spiral. The worst I’ve seen him do this is in Jubei-Chan (especially JC2), sometimes almost derailing the story with it – and it’s usually not funny or clever*. (I suspect that’s what junior meant by “extremely pathetic”, not that the spoof character has that personality trait.)
* At least in the sub and the dub. For all I know, they’re brilliant jokes that aren’t (or can’t be) translated well.
“On the positive side, I liked how Fate refused to be friends with Negi, simply choosing to ally himself with Negi for a time since saving the people of the Magic World is the same goal.” I was really glad he refused as well, it would’ve been way too cliche. Though I have a feeling Fate will warm up Negi eventually. On another note, with a friend/rival like Fate, is there a point in keeping Kotaro?
Hmmm. Maybe Asuna is the Lifemaker.
In the end of volume 29 (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/magical_teacher_negima/v29/c267/16.html) they translate it something like : After sealing Princess Asuna, she began hitting us with her full power.)
And now that it’s been hinted that she’s awaken/waking up, would this explain the http://www.mangafox.com/manga/magical_teacher_negima/v35/c329/19.html ??
If he applys it DBZ style, then going back to the past to avert a bad future will have no effect on your own, creating no paradox.
So, this would create an alternate universe timeline?
Akamatsu’s earlier usage of time travel was inconsistent with itself (Negi re-visiting the three days of the Mahora festival seems to indicate a fixed, time-loop style of time travel, but the bad future after exiting Eva’s resort seems to imply a malleable timeline, where you can change the future by acting in the past.
When it came to going back to the past, everything Negi did had a closed-circle. Everything they did in the past did not change the present and indeed, going back into the past made sure certain events happened in the present before Negi had gone back into the past at all. ^_^
Call me stubborn, but I still think Nagi’s going to show up on the other side of this battle a la Jecht/Sin in FF10. Maybe now, maybe later.
Well, anything’s possible. ^_^
Thanks for the additional information on Jubei-chan.
Though I have a feeling Fate will warm up Negi eventually. On another note, with a friend/rival like Fate, is there a point in keeping Kotaro?
Well, assuming Fate lives…*lol* They could form a trio.
Hmmm. Maybe Asuna is the Lifemaker.
There’ve been some thoughts about this. While I have my radical theory on Nagi’s location, I have decided not to speculate too much on the Lifemaker/MotB/etc.
anybody still monitoring this thread i’d like to point out 330 raws are out (in questionable quality) on mh. two big in your face surprises imo, some very unexpected characters. i imagine scans will be out shortly too… probably know all this already though don’t you
About time travel in this manga, I don’t think there are any inconsistencies.
In the first part of the school festival, Akamatsu showed us all possible examples of time travel
without historical change (the only possible use of the pocket watch in my opinion).
When Negi and co have been trapped by Chao, they have really gone missing for a week. The reason is that Chaos’s trap has always been on (unability to travel to the third day) hence her victory message.
Something wrong happened when they return in the past to make it possible.
Akamatsu has shown this with several unusual effects (travel instability, teleportation in the sky, Negi knocked out and the break down of the watch) and the fact that they had planned to make the travel in several steps (how the watch could know the final destination?).
Something wrong happened when they return in the past to make it possible.
I always saw that as a foreshadowing of the true depths of Negi’s power as well as the fact that the person Negi saw as a youth (Nagi) may have time traveled back to save him.
I also think Negi was one of the accident causes as he surely has powers related to his inheritance.
he’s at least the one whose mana pool has been exhausted.
Asuna was also present.
And the fact they were on a sacred place which we don’t know much about for now.
My last guess about this accident is “to force at a particular time their presence” can be summed up as “to force a kind of Kosmo entelechia where negi & co are present” (a combination of two spells: time travel + past change).
I feel Mahora (and the other sacred places) has an aura similar to Kosmo entelechia described by Zazie, the most ideal place possible for a individal (all the campus for Mahora).
Negi’s rescue by Nagi could also be a reflux of Kosmo Entelechia.
It’s been a a few weeks since this chapter came out and I’m still kind of pissed that we didn’t get to see the entire, or at least more, of the Setsuna/Tsukuyomi fight.
I thought that Setsuna was important and that this was an important fight for her. Apparently I was wrong.
It’s been a a few weeks since this chapter came out and I’m still kind of pissed that we didn’t get to see the entire, or at least more, of the Setsuna/Tsukuyomi fight.
I thought that Setsuna was important and that this was an important fight for her. Apparently I was wrong.
Yeah, that was a bit disappointing. I guess Akamatsu-sensei felt he had nothing in terms of personal growth for Setsuna to deal with, so with it being just a fight, he pretty much gave it a miss. Ditto Mana’s fight.