Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. It’s time once again to look at the work Ken Akamatsu. I really do feel bad bagging on this guy. He writes good stuff but the animes based off his work are just terrible. I really don’t know why this keeps happening. Maybe it’s the studio’s fault, a bad director, maybe he doesn’t have much say in the production of the anime, or maybe he’s just too busy to sit in on the talks. Whatever the reason, if there’s an anime based off his work it’s not going to be good and we can add his latest work, UQ Holder to the list. Getting started in 2013 and still continuing to this day, UQ Holder is the sequel to the Mahou Sensei Negima series set many years into the future. The ending of Negima left a lot of fans mad with it’s out of nowhere ending and many questions left unresolved so Ken started UQ Holder which would continue the series years later with an all new lead, past characters, and insight to one of the best characters in the series. In 2017, J.C. Staff (Shimoneta and Danmachi) turned the series into an anime. Did it continue the trend of Ken’s work being bad anime or did it succeed where many failed? Well I’ve got time to spare so let’s take a look at UQ Holder.
Opening and Ending Theme
The opening is “Happy Material” sung by the VAs of the anime. Just like the one sung in the original anime, this opening is cheery, energetic, and fun to listen to. I do like that they kept this as the opening as it’s the perfect song for this series.
The ending is “Steady-GO!!” sung once again by the VAs of the anime. A good and energetic sung that’s similar to the opening. I thought the song was alright. I would usually skip it but if I wasn’t in a hurry I would listen to it. While not as catchy as the opening I think you’ll like it.
Episodes 1-4
So the anime starts off with Negi and the gang at school where he sneezes and shenanigans ensue (well it took them a while but they finally manage to capture the true essence of the original Negima. Too bad this is the only time we see them). After this we focus on Eva who talks about the hardships of being immortal (saying hello only to say goodbye years later). After the credits we then go to the countryside where a sexy magic teacher named Yukihime is walking to school only to get attacked by her students led by our main character Tota voiced by newcomer Yuka Takakura. She easily beats them and we quickly find out the reason they want to defeat her is because it will allow them to go to the capital. We see that magic is common knowledge now in the world (oh thank God. Chibi, go crazy) and if you want to make it big the capital is the place to go. After class, Tota goes to visit the grave of his parents who died in a horrible car crash where he lost all his memories and was put in the hands of Yukihime who became his foster parent. Here’s another shocker, he’s the grandson of Negi (alright Negi, who’s the lucky student? I know it’s not Asuna). Now that Tota and his friends know that Yukihime can use magic defeating her almost seems impossible until they get help from another teacher named Tachibana who teaches the boys how to use magic (all you have you do is- (Baron): Don’t you dare! That’s a load of crap) except for Tota who doesn’t seem to have an affinity for it (you can always use ki my friend). But Tachibana gives Tota a bracelet which will seal away Yukihime’s magic and he gives it to her as a gift. The next day the boys ambush her (with Tota arriving late because he can’t use magic to teleport) where they catch her but Tachibana comes in and knocks the boys out revealing himself to be a bounty hunter and he’s here to capture Yukihime who has a bounty of 600 million yen (woah, who did you piss off?). With Yukihime’s magic sealed up she becomes easy pickings for Tachibana. Tota arrives and tries to protect her but gets his arm cut off (oh man, that was his sword arm), Yukihime gets sliced up, and Tota gets his other arm cut off (that was his waxing arm. Damn you). As he begins to die from blood lost, Yukihime speaks to him and says he’s immortal. In order to save Tota’s life from the car accident Yukihime made him immortal because she’s a vampire (and that’s what they do). In order to fully unlock his immortal powers, he needs to drink her blood which he does in order to get back up and save his friends. His body gets restored and he easily defeats Tachibana where he passes out only to wake up in the lap of Yukihime (that’s a nice position. Scene here: https://youtu.be/-kti8Q0sIH4) and we find out she’s really Eva who at the request of his dying parents made Tota immortal not that he minds as it allows him to be with her now and forever (he’s definitely got the Negi charm). In order to protect the village from more attacks, Eva and Tota decide to leave and head to the capital where Tota dreams of climbing the Pillar of Heaven because he keeps seeing visions of Negi who tells him he’s waiting for him there (you must go to Dagobah system).
In episode 2 Tota and Eva head for the capital on foot in order to avoid bounty hunters and getting innocent people involved (thus the journey shall be the destination). As they walk, Eva breaks the news to Tota that he will forever be 14 (no puberty for you son) and at first it seems like this doesn’t bother him but in truth he’s actually a little sad about this fact knowing that he won’t be able to age with his friends. While taking a dip in a lake he accidently grabs the ass of a stranger bathing in the water and gets attacked (scene here: https://youtu.be/Op8naOPXZ_U). The ass he grabbed belong to Kuromaru who despite looking and sounding like a girl is actually a boy (Isis: That ass begs to differ). Despite the ass grab (he didn’t drop the soap Tota. Manners man) the two do become friends where we find out Kuromaru came from the capital and has been on a mission to slay Eva (so many have tried and so many have failed) in order to return home. When he finds out Tota and Eva are traveling together and he spots Eva he tries to kill her only to fail and get pierced through the chest (fatality). The attack doesn’t kill him as it turns out he’s also immortal (he’s a Highlander) and his clan considered him a disgrace, so they told him to go kill Eva as a way to get rid of him (why? He’s immortal, he’s the perfect soldier). He demands to fight Eva, but she instead tells him to fight Tota to prove his worth to her and the two boys fight in a fast but intense fight where Tota wins and forces Kuromaru to form a blood pact with him making them friends forever (scene here: https://youtu.be/iOLpq2_8Wtw). They then relax at the hotsprings where surprisingly Tota isn’t really who that interested in Eva’s body (scene here: https://youtu.be/znooTxKej04. When you live with her and see her walk around naked everyday her sex appeal quickly wears off on you. (Corbin): That lucky bastard). After the hotsprings Eva decides to make Kuromaru her disciple and he accepts. Tota talks about forming a group of immortals to help out the world but Eva’s already one step ahead of him as it turns out she’s already formed a group like that called UQ Holder (title drop) and the members have come to pick them up.
In episode 3 the group arrives at UQ headquarters which also functions as a hotsprings resort (gotta make that money). In order for Tota and Kuromaru to become official members of UQ they have to take the entrance exam which is delivery one hit on their opponents within 7 days. Kuromaru faces off against Gengoro who has over 200 lives like a video game character (I’m just imagining hearing the Mario music every time he dies) while Tota will be taking on Karin who seems to have distain for the boy (and Eva is trying to ship the two together). Tota and Kuromaru both lose quickly on their first try so they take a step back and decide to train where they meet Shinobu a young maid who works at the hotsprings due to various circumstances and is human (the nail that sticks out from the others). They help her out to stay active and eventually get lost underground when Kota hears someone calling out to him. While underground they meet Jinbei who next to Eva is the strongest person there (too bad he’s an irresponsible badass alcoholic). We find out the person that was calling Tota wasn’t a person at all but instead a talking sword name Kurobo who is actually a gravitational sword (you can change the weight of the sword as much as you what from heavy to light giving you a wide range of attacks and surprises. Which is pretty cool I haven’t seen a weapon like this done before). Jinbei trains the two young boys until finally the seventh day rolls around and the sun is about to set. Kuromaru manages to beat Gengoro by thinking outside the box (what would Tota do bascially) and actually allows himself to get his arm sliced off only to control it and stab Gengoro from behind for the win (Gen. . .Gen. . .Geennnnnnnnnnnn~). As for Tota, we see that he has Karin on the ropes and just when he has an opening he hears Shinobu scream in the distance (a potential love interest is in danger). Tota stops what he’s going and goes to save Shinobu who has become surrounded by monsters living under the resort (this is some pest control). Karin lures the monsters away while Tota saves Shinobu and he uses his sword to take down the monsters ripping up Karin’s uniform (it counts as a hit). At the end both Tota and Kuromaru pass their entrance exams and become members of UQ (which didn’t happen in the manga. In fact, the sword doesn’t even talk).
Episode 4 goes by in a flash. Tota, Kuromaru, and Karin go to help out an orphanage in the slums along with some other members from UQ. While there Tota comes across a man named Kaito the martial artist (he’s looking. . .for a challenge) and master of the flash step. He takes an interest in Tota and begins teaching him how to do the flash step effectively. But little does Tota know, Kaito is a werewolf mercenary working for this group called Powerful Hand (not the most creative people when it comes to names) who have come to destroy the homes of the people in the slums and purge them from the Earth. After a few days they attack the slums setting it on fire and attacking the group. Karin gets shadow molested by this guy named Xiao (well that’s a new form of hentai) while Tota and Kuromaru take on Kaito in his werewolf form and this blind samurai. Tota gets taken out quickly by Kaito who knows how to keep immortals down leaving only Kuromaru to fight. He does his best to fight the two off but Kaito uses the flash step and just knocks Kuromaru out with multiple punches (never saw it coming).
Episodes 5-8
The fight continues in episode 5 where Tota manages to break the seal Kaito put on him and gets back up to fight him with his fists turning into black gauntlets (he’s starting to unlock his true power). With this major power boost Tota is able to keep up with Kaito and push him to the limits until he has no choice but to use his ultimate technique, a flash step that’s even faster than the speed of sound (wow, he went Flash on us. Or Quicksilver if you’re a Marvel fan). Kaito manages to punch through Tota leaving a big hole in his chest which should have killed him but Tota taps into his family power Magia Erebea the same technique Eva created and the same technique she taught to Negi which turned him into the badass mage we know today. The only drawback to this technique is that there’s a good chance you’ll get lost in it and lose your mind. With Magia Erebea, Tota recovers fully and then proceeds to beat the crap out of Kaito. While this is all going on Karin manages to defeat Xiao by using her holy power. Her immortality is probably the strongest form of immortality along with Tota’s. Her body cannot be damaged. She can feel pain but as far as damage to the skin, there won’t be a scratch on her. Tota manages to beat Kaito who welcomes the sweet embrace of death (he mastered the quick step, he fears nothing) but Tota manages to fight the Magia Erebea from taking over his mind, and returns to normal completely fine (alright Tota, way to fight off the darkness). Since they’re both exhausted they decide to settle this with arm wrestling where Tota beats Kaito again this time using his own strength instead of relying on Magia Erebea (scene here here: https://youtu.be/LBhgoaVPwLw). Even though Kaito is defeated and the blind swordsman stands down (again, doesn’t happen in the manga. If anything the fighting continues) it’s too late to save the slums as the fire has spread enough that no one can stop it (I’ll handle this. *Picks up phone* Yes, I would like to order 1 Deus ex Evangeline). Sure enough, Evangeline does show and uses her ice magic to stop the fire and save the slums forcing the blind swordsman and Kaito to retreat.
Episode 6 focuses on Kuromaru where we find out he’s developing feelings for Tota.
(Isis and Mira): YESSSSS~!
(Nitsuj): Yes denied!
(Isis): No! You are not spoiling this for us!
(Mira): Yeah! We finally get to see a yaoi couple unfold and you can’t stop it.
(Nitsuj): Well that’s just it, Kuromaru isn’t technically a boy.
(Isis and Mira): WHAT!
(Nitsuj): Kuromaru comes from a clan of demi-humans called the “Yata no Karasu” who have a unique trait among demi-humans, they’re born genderless. Kuromaru is genderless and will remain genderless until his 16th birthday where he will decide what he wants to be a boy or a girl. However, because he’s developing feelings for Tota his body is slowly becoming that of a female but he still wants to be Tota’s brother in arms. Sorry to burst your bubble but I don’t think your yaoi wet dream is real.
(Isis): So close.
(Nitsuj): Anyway, Karin finds out about his body and tells him to be a female that way she can have Eva all to herself (oh Karin, she likes op badasses with dicks). Ikku, another member of UQ overhears their conversation and decides to help Kuromaru out by having him go on a date with Tota. Changing his hair color (he’s got a lot of choices in this series) Kuromaru goes on a date with Tota under the disguise that he (or she) is Kuromaru’s cousin who came to visit. They go to the capital where Kuromaru enjoys being around Tota as a girl and even Tota admits he finds her cute and says that if he were to get married he would like it to be someone like her. While in the observation deck of the space tower, the two get attacked by Xiao and a mysterious sword wielding man with multiple arms named Asura (appropriate name and fighting style). Tota gets captured and Kuromaru does his best to save him but because he’s not used to fighting in the body of a female he can’t use his chi all that well to fight and gets easily defeated. But once he turns to his true form he’s able to fight, save Tota and force Xiao and Asura to retreat for the time being (scene here: https://youtu.be/i5UpO44tq_g). In the end Kuromaru is still unsure what gender he wants to be but he knows that in the end he wants to be beside Tota now and forever.
Episode 7 serves as the introduction to Kirie a fan favorite and our loli for the evening. The episode picks up where episode 6 left off with Karin, Ikku, and Kirie meeting up with Tota and Kuromaru (so Kuromaru, did you take a ride on the bone train? I heard this one never tires out). Kirie drags Tota away where she tries to step on him because he failed to protect her 6 times but he has no idea what she’s talking about. She then gets attacked by Xiao and is about to die until she reveals her ability which is turning back time. That’s right, she’s a time traveler and can turn back time as long as she creates save points using sand and a burning stick (as long as the stick is burning she can go back to that save point anytime she wants) which takes her back to her save point when she dies and she can bring anyone she wants as long as she’s touching them at the same time. So far she’s done this 6 times (counting the last one, 7) and each time she’s died (wow, it’s like Re:Zero). The eighth time however is different as Tota was ready for Xiao this time and knocks him away with Kurobo. Once Xiao is taken care of, Kirie continues to talk to Tota about a meeting she went to at the Orbital Tower and in that meeting she met Fate who wants to kidnap Tota and he succeeded. In the first playthrough he destroyed Tota’s body, took out the others, all while claiming he was Tota’s legal guardian (really Negi? Out of all the people you could choose to look after Tota you choose the one who tried to destroy everything. Are you mad, boy? Scene here: https://youtu.be/brnthRet7d4). Luckily, Kirie was able to kill herself and has been trying to save him (and failing miserably. This really is Re:Zero). The others hear their conversation and want to help, so they come up with a plan where they’ll kidnap Fate instead and Kirie will bring him to a save point that’s underneath their headquarters (trapping him in the web). They use Tota as bait to get Fate’s attention and as he waits for Fate to show up he decides to look up Fate on his phone where Eva phone chats him and tells him the story about how he and Negi were comrades in the past but 20 years ago after Negi supposedly died he changed and became the most wanted man in the world (and yet he can walk freely in a train station and not get arrested or attacked). When Fate finally arrives everyone is about to attack but Tota calls it off when he sees his friends from the countryside are walking with him and it’s too late to hide as Fate sees him and is making a B-line for him.
Things go by fast in episode 8. With Tota’s friends in danger he goes and approaches Fate and screams out terrorists to cause a panic. During this confusion everyone attacks and despite Fate having allies watching his back, Kirie is able to grab him but her moment of hesitation allows Fate to turn her into stone (you just had to hesitate). With Kirie stoned (and not the good kind) the group has to go to plan B, straight up brawl. We mostly focus on Tota taking on Fate where he actually surprises Fate with his somewhat impressive fighting able to land a few hits until Kirie restores herself to normal and they go back to the original plan where they succeed this time and travel back in time where they’ve trap Fate (enter my web said the spider to the fly) in the underground labyrinth (and no singing goblins to welcome him). Once there he’s greeted by Eva (still not as good as David Bowie but still more than welcomed) and the others where he stands down realizing that if he and Eva fight they’ll more than likely kill each other (even though they did fight a little in the manga and it was hands down one of the best fights in the series) and even if by some incredible stroke of luck Eva goes down first (a very incredible stroke of luck. Like it’s Christmas morning and your parents got you that Ferrari you’ve been asking for a long time) he would still have to contend with 4 very pissed off immortals with powers he knows nothing about. He strikes a deal and agrees to answer one question from everyone who caught him in exchange for his safe release. Ikku goes first where he asks Fate why he wants Tota to which he responds he needs Tota to save Negi who is still alive (yeah I figured) as well as the world. Tota asks if this is true and Fate tells him to ask Eva about the facts. Karin’s question is a two parter, does Eva and Fate have feelings for Negi (well Eva, yes. Fate, obviously). Fate says that Eva has feelings for Negi’s dad Nagi and not wanting to get on Eva’s bad side doesn’t talk about her feelings for Negi (she decided that if she couldn’t have Nagi she would have his son and if he can’t have the son she’ll have the great grandson. She wants to get down and dirty with a Springfield). As for him, he says he loves no one (lies). Kuromaru goes next where he wants to know if the matter of rescuing Negi is urgent right now to which Fate says not yet but in 20 years it will be. Tota finally gets to ask his question which is did he kill Tota’s parents and he says yes (okay, you can kill him now). Pissed by this, Tota is ready to beat the hell of Fate but before he can get the chance Negi appears (looking good Negi) telling Tota not to believe everything Fate says (yeah the man lies a lot). Before Negi can tell Tota the whole truth, Kuromaru under the orders of Eva destroys the communication device on Tota which allowed Negi to communicate to him (scene here: https://youtu.be/NkK5WzssH58, damn it Kuromaru).
Episodes 9-12 and OVAs
At the start of episode 9 we see that after keeping his end of the bargain, Eva allows Fate to escape with no resistance. After that, we see Tota try to get answers out of Eva on Negi but she refuses to tell him anything (he has a right to know Eva). Things get hectic as we receive a blast from the past with the arrival of Ayaka the class rep now in her golden years and a grandmother (you still a shotacon?). She’s come to visit and she’s bought her granddaughter Mizore who immediately tracks down Tota and challenges him to a fight because he comes from a family of lady killers (it’s true. Great grandfather had princesses and vampires after him all the time. Grandfather managed to get 30 middle school girls to fall for him at the age of 10. Being a lady killer is in Tota’s blood) and Negi broke the heart of Ayaka. Mizore manages to get a hit on Tota but he quickly gains the underhand and tosses her off a balcony where he immediately saves her and she instantly falls for him deciding that he shall be her groom (scene here: https://youtu.be/fm7Askrg-84, see! He barely did anything. His lady killing skills may be unpolished but they’re dangerous). A battle of the maidens (plus Kuromaru) begins as a few of them (i.e Mizore, Shinobu, and Kirie. Yes she’s tsundere for him) battle to scrub Tota’s back as part of this love ritual Ikku told them. They wind up fighting each other where Yukihime manages to do the deed before them and tells Tota to come to see her later so they can talk (Ayaka managed to talk some sense into her). Later on he goes to meet Eva at the peer in her true loli form where he asks her if she was in love with Negi (see Eva, it was obvious. Even someone like Tota noticed it). She confesses and says yes, she was in love with Negi and still is but the Negi we saw last episode wasn’t the same Negi we know and love. Eva explains that 20 years ago Negi saved the world from a mage called Lalda Baoth aka The Mage of the Beginning aka Life Maker (aka crazy bitch trying to destroy the world). While not immortal she is undying and takes over the bodies of those who defeat her in order to live on. Lalda took over the body of Negi 20 years ago and even though his mind hasn’t been taken order completely it’s only a matter of time before it happens. Eva and Fate have been trying to save him but their methods differ so Fate decided to go it alone doing what he believes is right. Eva drops the bomb and reveals that Tota is actually Negi’s clone.
In episode 10, after Tota finds out he’s a clone he takes the news surprisingly okay. It hurts him a little bit but he doesn’t go through the whole woe is me story you expect people to go through when big news is given to them about who they are. Mizore takes Tota to the Mahora Martial Arts festival which is doing their preliminary rounds where the winner gets to fight in the main tournament which will be held on top of the Pillar of Heaven (a chance to reach the top in one go). Tota tries to enter but finds out that all the participants are pre-determined meaning he has to wait till next year to enter. He soon runs into Ayaka and Mana who is now the headmistress of the academy (and looking good. The 80 years have been kind to you) who tell him that Negi was their teacher here in Mahora (tell him about the time you guys fought off a robot invasion at the festival). They take him to visit Negi’s classroom where we see Saya is still there (so nice to see all these familiar faces again) and they tell him not to worry about being a clone because in their eyes he truly is Negi’s legacy. Mana then receives a call telling her that one of the participants in the tournament is injured (convenient much?) meaning a spot has opened up and she has the perfect replacement. Tota gets placed in the tournament and the first person he fights against is a girl named Cutlass who calls him brother and tries to kill him (sibling rivalry on full display here folks). At first, Tota loses to her but the encouragement of his friends helps him get back up (scene here: https://youtu.be/XSnXFhlO35k). Before the fight can continue Negi shows up and with him are Nodoka and Yui along with Jack (really? You two are following the evil Negi? I can understand Jack, but I thought you two were smarter than this). Eva arrives along with Karin and we have a stand down between UQ and Ala Alba.
Boy do they drop a lot of curb balls in episode 11. Before everyone can fight, Tota gets sucked away by Albeiro who was the one who created Kurobo. He’s on Negi’s side (of course he is) and has bought Tota into his world to convince him to join Negi (okay, you guys keep wanting him to join Negi but you don’t explain what you’re going to do with him). He shows Tota a little bit of Eva’s past such as how she met Nagi and followed him around until he became hers and met Negi who would eventually become her student (and how was this episode of My Life supposed to convince Tota to join Negi again?). It finally gets revealed that the Eva in this flashback is the real Eva who got sucked in as well. Albeiro disappears and the two come face to face with Lalda where they fight her but seeing as how they’re in her mind and she controls everything beating her might be difficult (especially when she can summon 2 of the 3 people Eva loves to distract her). Tota gets pulled down by the others who are also trapped in this world of illusion (I have no idea what’s going on) but gets saved by Asuna. How is this possible you ask? Because half of Tota’s DNA comes from Asuna meaning she’s his grandma (which means that Tota is the result of inbreeding because from a technical standpoint Negi and Asuna are related to each other). Anyway, the real Asuna is on Mars in a crystal (and that’s a whole another story that would take me forever to explain and even then only those who read the manga would be able to follow it) and she helps them get back to reality (where not even a second has past since they entered the illusion) where she tells them how to defeat the others once they return (scene here: https://youtu.be/JNkeTRaw_SU). Once everyone returns they set their plan into action. Karin takes down Jack by blinding him in the eyes, Korumaru ties up Nodoka and Yue, Eva freezes Cutlass which leaves Tota to take on Negi (what the hell did I just watch? So many things happened yet they were so rushed through and not explained that I have no idea what just happened. Was following the manga really that hard guys?).
In the final episode Tota and Negi clash where Eva and Fate come in to help him out. Fate uses some magic which allows them to speak to the real Negi where Fate says that his plan is to make all of humanity immortal that way Lalda won’t be able to possess anyone else in the future (that still doesn’t solve the main problem). Negi says that’s a good plan however in the end they would still have to kill him because he’s Lalda (exactly. We’re trying to save Negi not discover the fountain of youth). Their connection gets severed and Negi takes down Eva and Fate leaving only him and Tota where he subconsciously activates his lightening mode and the two fight in the sky (it’s turning into DBZ). Just when Tota mounts a comeback, Jack stabs him with a buster sword from behind and everyone else gets taken down but in the end they win because they stalled him long enough. Negi and Tota get transported to some field where Negi comes face to face with his students (in their teen years, nobody wants to see a bunch of old ladies. Although some of them have aged like fine wine over the years. 80 is becoming the new 30). We find out that all of these girls were created through the memories of Negi and Asuna and a bit of their DNA was added into Tota so technically speaking Tota is the grandson of Negi and everyone in class 3-A (well he hit the jackpot in the grandma department). They all attack him with most of their attacks doing nothing and then Asuna’s spirit shows up to tells us that Negi is still in there and the reason Nodoka and Yue are working with Lalda is because them being near him is keeping Lalda from completely taking over Negi (they may not have a solution to the problem, but they can at least provide the temporary patch). Lalda decides to retreat and says that they’ll settle the score at the top of the tower (scene here: https://youtu.be/foQibOjPvRw). Once everything is settled in a day or two goes by returning everything to normal, Tota confesses to Eva who rejects him saying he’s 500 years too late (read the manga), and we end with all the girls (including Kuromaru) chasing Tota (scene here: https://youtu.be/LAZFFiLsWtc).
There is an OVA that came out in 2018 where we see a little bit of the backstory of Eva. It starts off with fanservice (as all OVAs do) with Kirie, Karin, and Kuromaru in the hotsprings where they get joined by Eva where Kirie asks her if she really rejects Tota’s proposal (I mean Nagi’s gone and Negi’s possessed, Tota may be the closest you get to getting inside the Springfield pants). Eva reverses the question and asks Kirie about her feelings for Tota which she outright rejects. Eva begins to remember her first love and we take a visit into the past where Eva was still a young immortal wishing she could die. While on a battlefield begging to die, she gets picked up by Dana the Witch of the Rift and bought back to her castle where the only way to escape is to defeat Dana. Eva tries to defeat her but she’s clearly outmatched (well that’s a first. Usually it’s Eva who has everyone outmatched). During her fight to escape she meets Tota who is there being trained by Dana on how to control and use his powers (it’s a long story. Basically, Eva fearing for Tota’s safety treats him like a child and forbids him to leave HQ. She gives him no explanation and even leaves him behind to go with Fate. Tota runs away only to meet up with Eva again where she was out with Fate and Tota lets his emotions get the better of him and begins to mouth off to her. That’s when Dana shows up and takes him away along with Kirie and Kuromaru). Tota and Eva soon develop a friendship with each other where she helps him with his training (by actually explaining what the whole point of it is) and Tota becomes the first person she can rely on and trust. Now, you’re probably wondering how this is possible, well the answer to that question is Dana. Whenever she falls asleep she creates rifts in time meaning that the Eva, Tota sees is actually her from the past long before she met Tota, Negi, and even Nagi. Also, there’s a time difference as well. For Tota, a day or two goes by before he sees Eva again but for Eva, it’s years before she sees Tota again (a love that lasts through time). As they continue to hang out with each other Eva starts to develop feelings for Tota which she keeps to herself (meaning, Tota was her first love and that’s what she meant when she said he was 500 years too late). We return to the present where Tota is training with Jinbei who accidently blasts him into the hotsprings and he lands on a naked Eva who blasts him away with her ice magic (and the amazing part is this OVA followed the manga exactly. Why the hell couldn’t the rest of the anime do that?).
The other two OVAs follow stories from the manga as well. In the second one Kirie and Kota stop time and are stuck with each other and in the third one, Tota and Karin drink a truth potion and have to be locked up with each other. The OVAs are decent and do a good job following the stories from the manga as well as giving us insight into the characters (again, why couldn’t the anime do that).
Final Thoughts
Well I’ll give the anime this, out of all of Akamatsu’s work this is probably the best but it’s still pretty bad. The anime skips a lot of stuff, changes up things that didn’t need to be changed, and adds things that make no sense. What could have easily been a 24-26 series turned into a messy series where we skipped a major arc entirely, skipped over the introduction of a good character, and even missed out on the development of Tota and the others. The characters are really nothing special, they fall into that typical shonen characters category. Tota is the lovable idiot, Kuromaru the loyal friend, Kirie the tsundere, etc. so nothing new character-wise. I will say I did like the focus on Eva, as we see just how lonely she is and how she desperately needs a friend or someone to care for her.
The animation is decent, it matches the style of the manga. The music is faithful to the series and the fight scenes despite some of them being cut short are good and well-animated. The anime can also be quite funny and shows off Akamatsu’s comedic side which is something the other animes failed to do. Like I said, this anime does some good things and is the best adaptation of Akamatsu’s work. I just wish they would have followed the manga more as they would have gotten a lot more story and development from it.
Final Score
The final score for UQ Holder is a 4/10. It came so close to working but the choices and the change ups just hold it back. I honestly do recommend reading the manga as it’s a good read. Will we ever get a good adaption of the Negima series? At this point unlikely but I still hold on to hope that someone will come along and adapt this series correctly and show off just how good this series is. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
*All videos, clips, and music are not owned by me and belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved*
Thanks for reading. As always feel free to leave a comment in the comment section or send your comments, feedback, or request to iamprojectnitsuj@gmail.com
And follow me on twitter for updates and other stuff: https://twitter.com/ProjectNitsuj