Negima!? Spring & Summer Specials

Set after the events of the first Negima TV series, the 2006 double-episode Negima!? Spring & Summer Specials follows 10-year-old wizard-in-training Negima—who teaches at an all-girl academy—and a number of his students on school break. In the opener, the group heads off to an island for fun in the sun, where—unfortunately—Negima angers Asuna, after which everyone meddles to try and bring them back together. In the second, the destination is a giant spa, where a magic spell goes awry, tying Negima and shy Nodoka together with an unbreakable red thread. Adapted from two of the manga short stories, these specials are light on content, existing primarily to show off improved animation/design and provide naughty fan service above and beyond what the TV series offered. The episodes do manage to briefly focus on each character—quite a feat for such a large roster—but the priority here is clearly to showcase the girls in skimpy bikinis and find excuses to remove Asuna's clothes (a newcomer to the series would likely feel a distinctly sleazy vibe from this compilation). Presented on a dual-language disc, rated TV-MA, DVD extras include “Schoolgirl Commentary” by the English voice actors. Not a necessary purchase, except for completists. Aud: P. (L. Martincik)