As a long time reader of the manga series, I've looked forward to the various animated versions of Mahou Sensei Negima. The first anime adaptation was good, but it deviated too much from the manga, and attempted to play on the viewers sympathies too much. The second adaptation began well, but became a joke very quickly, and bore no relation whatsoever to the story proper aside from maintaining the character base. Of the two seasons, the first was by far the better, especially as Negima!? ended up as a very poor, supernatural style PaniPoni Dash. I won't even talk about the two OVAs, Haru and Natsu.... Uponhearing of the third iteration of the series, Mahou Sensei Negima: Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba, it seemed that hope was not lost for a decent animated version, especially as the story was supposed to follow events from certain chapters of the manga.

Unfortunately that hope was in vain.

The main problem with this OVA is that even though the story is pretty much the chapters from the manga in animated form, it's not really designed to appeal to anyone but fans of the manga. This is, unfortunately, a poor move as the OVA doesn't actually enhance the story or develop the characters in any meaningful way, and is little more than eye candy for the existing fans of the manga.

That said, the Ala Alba iis a very good adaptation of the chapters it covers. It's so good in fact, that the viewer would be able to watch the OVA and skip the relevant chapters, and they wouldn't miss a bit of the story. As adaptations go, this is up there with the most complete. The biggest problem with it is that it won't appeal to newcomers to the series, or to those who have only watched the anime versions, as the story is taken from the middle of the manga so there's no real explanation about events or characters.

As far as animation and design goes, this is actually very well made. The characters, backgrounds and settings are taken directly from the manga, with only a minor alteration here and there. The animation is fluid and the visual effects are well used. However, like the notorious Negima!? and the OVAs, this is a SHAFT production, and whilst they may be a great animation studio, they do have a tendency to do some rather odd things with animation at times. Their penchant for this rears it's super deformed head in this OVA on several occasions and, more often that not, it serves as a distraction rather than an enhancement.

In terms of sound, the OVA will definitely appeal to fans of both anime series. The OP is a new rendition of the notoriously boppy "Happy Material", whilst the ED is a slightly more martial take on "Kagayaku Kimi e". The music used throughout the series has a decidedly upbeat tone which, given the lack of any truly serious events in this section of the story, isn't a bad choice on the whole. The sound effects are atmospheric and well choregraphed, with the most impressive being the distorted vocals when a spell is being chanted, which is then overlayed by the characters voice. The effect is rather surreal at times.

The biggest plus for the OVA is that the gang is all here. The various (and numerous), seiyuu from both anime series, and the Haru and Natsu OVAs, are all gathered together once more.

One interesting thing that arises because of this though, is how a different look and feel can affect how one hears things. This is especially true for those who have watched either, or both, of the other two series. The characters, as a whole, have become more, or less, likeable in the OVA, although I should point out that this is in terms of individual characters and not as a group. Given that each character is played by the same seiyuu, and is essentially doing the same things and behaving in the same manner as before, I found this changed perception gave the OVA a slightly odd feel compared to the other efforts.

Negima is notorious for having oodles of characters however this OVA, being simply an animated form of certain chapters, doesn't really have the scope to develop them in any meaningful way. One thing that does get highlighted is the disparity in terms of "power" between the girls that have contracts with Negi, and those that don't. Aside from that though, there isn't really anything else.

I did actually enjoy Ala Alba, as it made a nice change to see what the anime adaptations could have been like if they'd followed the manga. However, this is an OVA that will only really appeal to fans of the manga, although fans of either anime series who have yet to read the manga may want to check it out as it will give a taste of that version.

On the whole, it's not a bad OVA, and it does have some plusses going for it, especially how closely it follows the manga. That said, I would have preferred to see something that added to the overall story rather than a glorified version of chapters I've already read.