Simple and sweet.

The complete series of Negima is given to you in an almost plain-looking slipcase. On its cover is a group shot of the core cast members, though it’s not all of those you’ll see. The cream/lime green color scheme goes over very well to make the box art stand out, and on the back you’re treated to some screen shots and a very good summation of the series. The actual DVD casing is a fairly standard tri-fold with six discs, each sporting a member of Negi’s class. Behind the transparent disc holders is a full group shot of the entire class. What’s really handy is the episode listing on the back of the case (when folded) for each disc. I found it really neat that all the episodes are in Latin, which is also the language that spells are cast in the series. I’m sure the translation of those titles below them aren’t entirely accurate, but who speaks Latin anymore to correct the translators? I just found it to be quaintly amusing.

The disc menus themselves are also as simple. Music livens things a bit, but by and large you just get a standard DVD menu with nice artwork to the side. This doesn’t necessarily work against the overall presentation, but it doesn’t really make anything stand out or unique. It’s standard-issue and decoratively utilitarian for the viewer’s needs.

The sweetening of the pot.

For all its standard presentation, Negima does offer some nice extras. Each disc sports character profiles of class members and textless versions of the opening and ending theme songs. Each disc also holds a fair amount of Funimation trailers, such as: DBZ, Case Closed, Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabbotage, Kodocha, Fullmetal Alchemist, and a whole bunch more. For the sake of space I’ll not list all of them, but they’re all worth giving a look at. Disc two had English actress commentary for episode 7, but that seems to have been an uncommon, and rather dull, feature. The extras present on each disc that most attracted me were informative pages on life in Japan as it relates to school. It ranges from the educational system of Japan to communal bathing and customs. It’s like having a Wiki entry with each disc, and that’s pretty nifty for anyone interested in learning about how another culture handles such necessities of daily life. I think it’s those features alone I looked most forward to with each set of extras. Everything else seemed no more than what ought to be present.

And the verdict is…

Negima is a charming series that’s well-worth watching. When I’d first heard of it, I was finally coming off of Ken Akamatsu’s other series, Love Hina, and Harry Potter’s popularity was growing. I was heavily under the impression that Negima was going to have all the love-related stress of Love Hina, with just a magical theme to it like Harry Potter. While there are crushes that run rampant through Negima, it’s no more than your typical puppy-love situations and, despite it’s naming, Mahora is not a magic academy. There are perverted jokes and humor throughout, though, but nothing major–just vanishing panties and comically enlarging boobs. Still, such things do make me wonder how Negima kept a PG rating. I found the series to be highly amusing and, overall, light-hearted. Whatever drama is present, is easily pushed to and from the background and that makes it an easy viewing.