Negima!?

Negima!? (ネギま!?) is an anime television series created by Shaft. It is an alternate retelling of the Negima! Magister Negi Magi series. Directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, it aired from October 4, 2006 to March 28, 2007 in Japan. The anime was accompanied by a monthly manga series by Takuya Fujima called Negima!? neo. Both series feature the same characters and locations.

While both series feature the same characters and locations, Negima!? focuses more on magical battles and comedy than the original anime. This new season aired on TV Tokyo's late afternoon time slot rather than on late nights, like the original anime series did.

Plot

A dark sinister tale befalls ten-year-old Negi Springfield and class 3-A. One year after Negi's arrival at Mahora, two representatives from the Magic Academy arrive at Mahora with the news of the disappearance of a mysterious artifact known as the Star Crystal. The Star Crystal holds a power that not even the Thousand Master could control. Even though the reason or the cause behind the Star Crystal's disappearance is a mystery, the effects of the artifact begin to envelop Negi and his students. Surrounded by a menacing power, Negi and the class must cope as the dark power harasses and attack the class at a moment's whim. Simultaneously, Negi places his thoughts towards his missing father, while the supporting cast do all they can to provide assistance.

Negima! Magister Negi Magi

Negima! Magister Negi Magi, known in Japan as Magical Teacher Negima! (Japanese: 魔法先生ネギま!, Hepburn: Mahō Sensei Negima!) is a manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu, known for his best selling title Love Hina. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 2003 to 2012, with the chapters collected into 38 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha.

Negima has been adapted into two television anime series, the first created by Xebec aired in the first half of 2005 and followed the manga, while the second is an alternate retelling of the series by Shaft titled Negima!?. In addition to four different sets of original video animations and an animated movie, a live-action television series has also been produced. The manga was being translated into English and published by Del Rey Manga in the United States and Canada until Kodansha established a U.S. division in 2010 and finished the release, while the series is licensed for distribution in the United Kingdom by Tanoshimi. Both anime and the second OVAs were licensed and dubbed in English by Funimation in North America.