072 – The Merry Month of Maids
I swear maid costumes are overused...
This was a funny chapter; straight away I knew it wasn't part of something bigger. It is a little uneventful, however, it wasn't totally boring, the maid cafe idea is a well used one though, but just a lot of frames here that’ll give you a chuckle.
073 – Soft on the Outside, Clever on the Inside
"This is not what it looks like! It's all a misunderstanding!!!"
I found this to be quite amusing, sure, we get the usual lamentation of his own uselessness by Negi, but it focused on another class member, and Yotsuba was a more interesting one. The reflection of Negi over how bad he was in various areas was kinda annoying, I mean, yes, you may be bad, but just accept it… it’s a bit overdone now, no need to dwell on it.
074 – Here, There, and Nowhere
A ghost??? Another overused element
A fairly random chapter in which it gets revealed a class member is a ghost (seriously, this is the weirdest class ever). The final part was pretty funny when they thought the ghost had moved on, but she only shifted places. While the class was trying to catch the ‘evil’ ghosts (total misunderstanding), a characters shows they have some special ability with their eyes… I think this is a pretty irrational chapter, not because of the ghost, but how things panned out.
075 – The Logic of Illogic
Heh, this one reminds me of a creator of monsters...
A chapter focusing on Chachamaru, surprisingly she develops human emotions, unsurprisingly, she falls for Negi. I was surprised that her creator was Hakase, and somehow or all rather, Chachamaru becomes Evangeline’s partner; I do wonder how that had happened. A lighthearted chapter, it was quite funny since it’s loaded with gags.
076 – Strange But True! Love’s Practice Run
no privacy
Didn't really see where this was going until around half way, not terribly interesting, but it’s bearable. Okay, it’s not too bad, and we do get to see an older Negi (15 year old in fact, and might I say, much better than the 10 year old look). Asuna’s slowly starting to like Negi I think, since he’s having so much influence onto her (even dreaming of him). Actually, the title is really appropriate for this chapter (especially the first three words).
077 – Strange But True! Love’s Practice Run
wow, handsome Negi (way better than the annoying 10 yr old kid look)
Finishing what was started in the previous chapter, this one’s pretty funny. Loved all the ‘fail’ moments and Negi getting smashed by Asuna, and how Kamo was the mastermind behind all the gestures, getting Negi to make his moves. I think it was a bit of a shock to Asuna (and the reader) that her crush, Takahata, is in a relationship.
078 – Draw Curtain: The Negi Gran-‘n’-Run
*smile*
I thought this would be a typical chapter and it began that way, not interesting me that much. As the chapter progressed though, it was quite cool, and funny at how Negi’s schedule for the school festival became more and more packed. In the end, I quite liked this chapter, it’s lighthearted, and there are quite a few good moments, and it seems to make the school festival (when it finally happens) going to be quite good.
079 – The Sweet Truth of the World-Tree Legend
run away!
This chapter explains the World Tree Legend and that it’s true, but a bit hard to understand the legend, I couldn't really make head or tail of it. It seemed scattered and unfocused, as such, the chapter was confusing and wasn't that great.
080 – Signs & Portents at the Pre-festival Gala
ta-da!
Kinda a mess of a chapter, but it seems that there are some hidden agendas from many people, from students in Negi’s class to the mages of the school. This chapter focuses on Chao, a character we haven’t seen much before, it would be good if we found out more stuff, but most of them are still being kept in the dark…
Overall
classic
A lighthearted volume, but this is not a bad thing, as I enjoyed most of the chapters. It promises that the next chapter will be the start of the school festival, so I can't wait for that one as it seems quite interesting. Not a bad volume, even though it seems that it doesn't really go anywhere.
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Credits: due to it being faster and more efficient I just took these pictures from scans online instead of scanning the tankobons themselves. These were scanned by the groups "Red Hawk Scanalations", "Mahora-Manga" and "AquaStar Fansubs"