While I didn’t enjoy this episode quite as much as the first three, the Mou Hitotsu no Sekai OVAs remain by far the best adaptation of Akamatsu Ken’s stellar manga series. Shinbo-san must be the busiest director in the business, but if that makes him too tired to overwhelm the character of the source material with his mannerisms, so much the better – like Goldilocks’ porridge, this blend of Negima and SHAFT is just right.

The focus this time is on Chisame and her long vigil watching over Negi as he lies comatose, struggling to master the shadow of Evangeline inside him. This is one of the key moments of the manga, of course – when Negi once and for all chooses not to follow the path of his father but to pursue darkness instead. His guide on this part of the journey – taking the reins from Evangeline – is the irreplaceable Jack Rakan. His presence injected enormous life into the manga and the OVA is no different. He’s a filthy-minded and greedy bastard who just happens to be the biggest badass in the Magical World.

We also catch up to a number of the girls, scattered throughout the Magical World – Nodoka treasure hunting, Asuna and Kaede dragon hunting, Konoka healing Kaede and dragons, Ku-fei working on her mad skills. But the main focus here is on Negi’s training, and manga readers know that the best part of this arc is still to come – as Kotarou joins up with Negi and Chisame and we get to see just what a rapscallion Rakan really is. I wish this was rolling out as a TV, not OVAs – this is just way too long to have to wait for Negima this good…