Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Animum Mutare]

Negi is still out, but the girls have a plan. I have to say I like that this is being followed through, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the girls handle the fact that they’ve basically lost the core of their plans. That said, it’s almost sure that Negi will need to come back to fight with Fate. The fight has been hyped too much at this point, and the arc conclusion just wouldn’t feel right if Negi was left out of it.

This chapter is basically going to work like a little summary of events so far, and the current statuses of enemies and allies alike, framed by the characters using the exposition to fill each other in, of course. It is a little helpful at this point, admittedly. With as many girls as Negima brings into this, we need reminders of who is still fighting, and the two enemies left by Fate’s side.

Diagrams - Deceiving Evil 101

Plan B is being laid out by the remainder of the force with Negi, and it isn’t unacceptable. The girls know they can’t go head-to-head with Fate without Negi there, so they opt for a stealth route to just snatch both the key and Asuna and run away. Sadly, the plan feels like it’s doomed to fail from the very beginning, just from the virtue of knowing that in a series like Negima, this kind of thing isn’t going to be pulled off. After all, that would mean there’s no fight with Fate, which by now is a certainty.

Everyone has their own clearly defined roles for this, further enforcing the idea this is some kind of carefully formed RPG-style party. There’s the steal group to sneak in and grab Asuna, the long range tactical group to grab the key from a distance, and the decoy/battle group to draw attention away from the others. It’s well thought out, and an indication that all of these girls had a place in the group since before they were given Pactios.

Doomsday Device calibration is a must

We’re left with a single page of Fate, and a very cryptic comment. Exactly who are they planning to resurrect? My only guess would be the Mage of the Beginning, who Nagi Springfield defeated back in his confrontation with this group.

Final Flash: Decent setup chapter, but solely setup with a little bit of summary.