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I started from Chapter 1, which 'tricks' you with a faux story off the bat, then switches to the actual story, for seemingly artistic reasons. it's actually pretty cool, and I kid you not, you might be wishing all of it was like that intro- but I'm getting ahead of myself...

This is frequently called a 'Slice of life' manga- but that's not exactly true. It's just abysmally slow. there is a huge plot just hovering over the lives of the characters, but it is pointedly ignored as far as actual development goes. it's just 'always there', unchanging- and sending out a little hint of progress ... now and then, which will be shot down by the governing structure of the story.

I read 20 chapters of this brilliantly drawn, but ploddingly plotted work before dropping it- and I'll let you know that I wanted it to go somewhere badly, but I'm not patient enough. This is someone's rent payment. A story that will be drawn out from 10 chapters of actual story to 200 with 'filler'- all 'to keep the lights on'. If it delivered more entertainment- I wouldn't care- but the slow and sloppy plotting leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Instead we focus on a bunch of minor characters who... let's assume will fit into the big story somehow, eventually. They go on about everyday life, and this is what makes it 'seem' slice of life, but its really just a vehicle to lengthen the actual plot. How can I know for certain? Because anything that happens in this 'slice of life' ends up meaning nothing in the most anti-climatic way. Now, in fairness the author could be intending that every significant soap opera wrinkle die quietly in apathy (usually overlooked, but occasionally pointedly ignored)- but 'whatever'-

'let's make motions like things are going on while we figure out what to do (and collect a paycheck)'. This is like 'Lost'- but with less effort.

Anyway. If you try to pay attention to the plot, you'll probably hate this. If you actually like the caricature-level stereotype characters... 'More power to you'.

For me, 20 chapters of people talking shit, doing nothing, or accepting absurdity is enough.

Also the title is stupid and means nothing.
Maybe by the end that won't be true- but for now one of the words is a misreading of a character's name, and everything else is garbage.

I'll keep this one short, based on the most notable points.

For about the first 2/3 of the series:

The anime seems like an action fantasy adventure with romantic potential.
Building the world and demonstrating the power structure progresses.
Character development and relationship building are weak, but present.

For about the last 1/3 of the series:

... It's unrealistically anti-war- considering the story.
Things happen pretty close to randomly.
The anime becomes a melodramatic soap opera.

At the end:
The conflict element (& resolution) is severely downplayed
Other dumb, unexplained shit happens.
The shipping... is not satisfying.

It's tough to pinpoint without spoiling, but this is one of those stories where events are strung together, plot points are forced, and everyone is pretty stupid, so they can choose to move the plot forward.

I had hope from the beginning- No, I actually enjoyed it for a bit-- but I'm glad it's done now.

Hitomi (the female protagonist) is notable as one of the relatively rare, non-sexualized female leads of the time. Unfortunately, they still make her fickle, selfish and shrieky- so she doesn't really do well as a 'hero' or role model- and the ending is just an unexplained illogical, 'pat' ending.

I don't recommend it unless you're a hardcore fantasy fan, can look past large plot holes, and don't mind stupid characters.

Negima!? is an odd alternate version of Mahou Sensei Negima!

By itself, it's the story of a 10 year old Mage who wishes to make it in the world of magic, while also on the lookout for clues about his missing father. He gets an appointment at a girls academy, and (trigger harem flag) must keep being a Mage a secret. That's pretty much it. Each episode different things happen- usually focusing on or involving one of the girls in his class, and slowly reveal.... slowly change Negi into... hm...

'Stuff happens'?

If you are new and wonder if you should start here or with the other ... version- it depends on how much viewing you plan on doing.

If you just want 'a taste' to decide if you like it, or only want to watch the bare minimum- I recommend you ignore this and go to 'Mahou Sensei Negima!'
If you already plan on watching them all, then I think it would be better to start here.

I'll explain myself in a bit.

I think the idea of 'rebooting' the series was to improve the plot of the first story while keeping the character elements and other parts that worked in the first, and it does improve some of the plotting compared to the earlier version in the early episodes.

It also changes the overall tone of the anime, and makes a few changes I think work against it- so I'll get to that right now.

In this series, there are a few things I like less:
The art is generally lower quality. The multi-camera collages are neat, but don't offset the generally lower quality.
The sound is pretty flat, with minimal special effects.
Many character arcs are quite abbreviated.
The bg music is frequently intrusive, with it's level being too high, or the limited selection itself off-putting.
The Pactio cards (the items produced as a function of Negi making a pact with a partner) are changed drastically in Negima!?- going from a permanent representation of a useful contract, to a disposable reflection of the luck-based, (& frequently gag-like) manifestation
The largest story arc is pretty close to a waste of time.
A lot of episodes within that arc are pretty much filler.

You know how an anime gets cancelled, then the last 6 episodes or whatever are 'trying to wrap up'- where they force everything important in all the sudden? This doesn't do that. It's the opposite- as if they expected it to run for a season, and someone told them 'Hey- you can do another, that's ok, right?'...

Overall, the tone of Negima!? is much more random, nonsense and slapstick- (NOT 'in a good way'). In fact, any gag is probably fair game- so 4th wall breaking dialog, narrator/character conversations, and tons of transitions with quick comments/skits are wedged in. The plots are a lot more loose as well, with one episode being people following a person around most of it, and a bunch relating to the 'Black Rose Baron' mystery character, and the mystery behind them (spoiler- don't expect much, but they play it that way from the start)...

Wheras
Mahou Sensei Negima! was a Magic school faux-harem anime with occasional comedic exchanges. It feels like it was written for teens & maybe younger.
Negima!? on the other hand really tries to be funny a bit too hard- in that even when successful, it frequently lowers the 'magical feel' of the show. It feels like it was altered specifically to suit children- maybe even families. Negima!? is also very slow paced, despite stripping quite a bit out (since they replace it with a lot of nonsense).

Mahou Sensei Negima! -> Negima!?
This sequence is a 'step down' I think. Except for the plotting, most of the other strengths of Negima!? are atypical of the series (randomness, humor)

Negima!? -> Mahou Sensei Negima!
This sequence is a 'step up' in my opinion. Except for the plotting, you'll get improved character arcs, and more natural development. It's also more story focused, with less randomness and forced humor (mostly).

Negima!? isn't bad- it's just not as good as Mahou Sensei Negima!
There is little it adds- in fact it strips out quite a bit more- but even so, I can see people liking either one better (though I think more would like the original based on the character-building alone).

This is an OVA. It is actually 'stand alone' and has little to do with the main series. This presents itself as one of those 'ever popular' historical period re-envisioning episodes, and seems to use the 'personalities' (more or less) of the characters at the end of the series- but not really. Long story short, this OVA is constructed like a filler episode, is completely disconnected from the series, and probably isn't worth watching unless you're a completionist.
In addition to the characters being 'off', the plot is weak, and resolved multiple times by what I assume are blatant and intentional Deus ex Machina resolutions. ... You my find the nonsensical/quirky outcomes humorous (I think that was the intent), but in comparison to the original series, this episode is a bit of a let-down to say the least.
I don't know why they made this. It's not horrible, but it's not very good either. It was probably created as 'light-hearted', intentional nonsense- but doesn't quite pull it off.
Watch it if you want, just know it presents as a 'proper (but bland) story' for about 2/3rds before spiraling into insanity/obscurity. There is a reason the main series is ranked around 500 (good), and this one ranks in around 1700 (nowhere near as good). The reason is they are two completely different anime.

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Quick & Dirty:
Comical, creative, and clever. Likable, especially if you like mermaids. It's pretty short, and is worth a try.
[Ed: Oh- I guess I should mention one of the mermaids is an oppai-having masochist, so a few episodes are particularly... Um... yeah- use your imagination... Anyway, if you like that sort of thing, there ya go.]

Detailed Review:
Essentially a modern day mythological reboot of mostly nautical monsters as personable characters, this creative anime is a comical look at the 'real' monsters of old, some retelling of their history, and how they relate to an ordinary human. Hijinks ensue.

Story: 7
Although the meat of the story is ... nothing spectacular (it's slice-of-life), between the creativity and humor I give it a higher rating than I normally would.

Art: 6
The art and animation are good, focusing on a simpler style, but being slightly inconsistent within that style. It does a good job for what it is, though.

Sound: 7
The voice acting is quite good, and the effects and music are good as well. No ambient sounds in most scenes even though they're usually outside.

Character: 7
Though the types of characters chosen is pretty boilerplate- the interactions and dynamics of each are used more creatively than most, and even the stereotypical types are given quite a bit of personality beyond each cliche.

Enjoyment: 7
I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

Overall: 7
As a mythological 'reboot' with a lot of clever innovation, it's pretty good.

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Quick & dirty:
It's 4.5 mins long, & 1/3 is the outro. I laughed every episode, so far- so that counts for something. Try it- it's too short not to.
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Detailed Review:

By the numbers:

Story: 7. Though there is a 'story', it's really a vehicle for situational ... gags- not that there is any problem with that.

Art: 6. Acceptable. Both art and animation are only ok- gets the point across, doesn't look crappy- won't win any awards. Small amount of fan service.

Sound: 6. Voice acting is good. All classic voice stereotypes. Good sfx. No ambient scene sounds. Nothing exceptional.

Character: 6. The first 'likable' character is also the 'villain'. The interplay between the primary characters is a little discouraging to me, but that's just me.

Enjoyment: 8. It can be unexpectedly funny.

Overall: 7. I have no idea what's with these short anime, but whatever- this one's worth taking a look at.