This magical comedy is moving into a new home today.
Earlier today, Sentai Filmworks announced that they acquired the rights to Negima! and Negima?!. The publisher will announce home video, TV, and digital plans for the shows at a later date.
The series was originally licensed by Funimation in North America. Funimation took to Twitter to confirm that their license had officially expired.
We say goodbye to Negima as our time with the franchise expires tonight. This child teacher taught us much through the years! pic.twitter.com/gOpNhyczpT
— Funimation (@FUNimation) January 19, 2018
Both titles are based on Ken Akamatsu’s Negima! Magister Negi Magi manga.
Negima!
Negima! originally aired in the Winter 2005 broadcast season. The 26-episode series was directed by Nagisa Miyazaki (Kagihime Monogatari – Eikyuu Alice Rondo, D.C. ~Da Capo~) at Xebec, with Nobuyoshi Habara (D.N.Angel, Fafner) working as chief director. Hatsue Kato (Pokémon Origins, Major: Yūjō no Winning Shot) provided character designs for the project, while Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Planetes) took charge of series composition.
Funimation described the show as:
The girls of Mahora Academy are excited to meet the school’s newest teacher—Negi Springfield! Teaching Class 2-A is Negi’s last step before earning the title of Magister Magorum, and if his pupils discover he’s a wizard-in-training, he’ll be turned into a weasel! Mahora’s littlest instructor is going to learn a big lesson—for the only boy in a school full of girls, magic’s the easy part!
Negima!? Magister Negi Magi
Negima!? is a 2006 retelling of the Negima! story, which aired in Fall 2006. Akiyuki Shinbo (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei) directed the title at studios SHAFT and GANSIS, with Kazuhiro Ota (Pani Poni Dash!, Eiga Happiness Charge PreCure! Ningyō no Kuni no Ballerina) providing character designs. Kenichi Kanemaki (Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~, Boys Be…) was in charge of series composition for the project.
Funimation described the series as:
Wizard-in-training Negi Springfield is the newest teacher at Mahora Academy, and the girls of Class 3-A are gonna keep him up all night cramming for a final exam in willpower. But there’s more on Negi’s syllabus than flirting and spells. Darkness is closing in, and bonus points are available to the cuties that aren’t afraid of a little extracurricular phantom fighting!
Source: Sentai Filmworks (Press Release)
