Cheerleader Trio, Madoka, Sakurako and Misa

GTW, with the end of the martial arts tournament and Kotarou being invited to train with them, I was hoping to see a Kaede training session after the festival... did Akamatsu forget about it?

OK, another cheerleader rant by yours truly but somehow I think I need to get this off my chest.

I've been trying to think lately about the main and ultimate source of the phenominon known in this series known as "cheerleader neglect". Who's to blame for Misa, Madoka and Sakurako for being looked down, ignored and pretty much all out laughed at for being super-insignificant even though there's hopefully still plenty of story left. (at least in the manga) Part of my thinking has come about from two of the alternate interpretations of the Negi franchise that are out there.

The first of these interpretations, of course, the current LA series airing in Japan right now. While I haven't followed the series, I have heard things in regards to certain aspects of the story. The first of which was the replacement of the cheerleaders in the "Negi/Konoka shopping" storyline with Asuna and Setsuna. While many people told me "it makes more sense and just makes the characters more interesting", it got on my nerves in two ways. For one thing, this is one of the few chapters by which the cheerleaders actually are individualized and given personality in the entire series. While Sakurako got her cute bursts in the first three volumes, you see her and the other two in context and its more about their own reactions in the face of Negi, Konoka, Asuna and Ayaka. The other reason it got on my nerves is the fact that the story "gave the fans what they wanted"...which of course is KonoSetsu instead of character development. (I could probably get into a whole rant about that but I will stop myself) The other aspect that sort of got to me was the "cheerleader dissapearance" around the point of episode 14. While the LA followers know now its connected to "the plot" of this series, I noticed a lot of negative feedback when it first happened with stuff like "the cheerleaders did nothing in the plot anyway" or "maybe they got jobs on other series". But of course, when Zazie and Misora dissapeared in the next episode, then people started to say "this is the big plotline!" While I know the cheer girls have done next to nothing in the LA (either due to the writers finding nothing or the fact that no one really pays attention to them), the feedback shows that they really get no respect at all.

As for the other interpretation, that turned out to be ep. 14 of the XEBEC Negi anime, which I actually hadn't seen. And let me say this: the cheer girls do more in this one episode than in Negima!? and the LA combined. While this is pretty much another interpretation of the Negi/Konoka shopping trip, the characters get more development along the similar path as the manga as we get a great interpretation of the chapter. Watching this really made me wish that the cheerleaders did get more focus in the actual story. (not to mention showed the Konoka I liked before she became merely "the girl Setsuna is obsessed with")

As I think over the whole sad situation Misa, Madoka and Sakurako find themselves in, I continue to ask myself when it will end. Outside the first anime which has its moments for them (even at the cost of characters who don't get that much focus like Chizuru, Misora, Zazie and some others), what has become of them? In "Negima!?", they just hang out in the background and act as one annoying cheer voice. In the LA...yeah. And as for Akamatsu...well he actually has an excuse but it still doesn't explain their lack of focus. While some could state they did get some stuff in the early volumes, you have to realize that everyone outside mystery characters (Eva, Setsuna, Zazie, Chao) got a bit of focus when he was still painting in broad strokes. I do realize he is part of the problem but at the same time I understand why: it may not be their time yet, they may have something in the story but its just going to have to wait until after Magic World is over. (which hopefully won't take up the rest of the series or a zillion months making all of them the age as they entered and the rest old ladies or grown up) But outside some slight interactions and interesting things (Misa's "Reverse Genji" plan, Madoka's relationship with Ako, Sakurako's luck power), they never seem to really have the time to interact with Negi on their own in a way that makes them relevant...maybe not along the Asuna/Nodoka/Setsuna line or the Evangeline/Chao line but at least more along the lines of Natsumi, Ako or Akira, who have some important bonding time with Negi but not super-obsessive or tied to his own plot. And of course, the less the cheerleaders get in the manga, the less the cheerleaders get elsewhere in other renditions. Of course, the closer we get to the end, the less time that could happen...but I just don't want this neglect by pretty much everyone from Akamatsu to the fanbase to the renditions to make people think the cheer girls are there for nothing.

(Of course sadly if Akamatsu didn't want to spend time with cheerleaders, all he could have done was just create a class of 28 girls instead of 31. Sure there would be no Sakurako but there would be no complaints or stupid jokes if there was nothing to complain about.)

Out of all the cheerleaders, most people seem to love Madoka. Me, I'm a Misa fan myself, what's the appeal?

Kugimi probably gets more due to her slight raised appearance in the Ako story. That and she just seems a bit more tomboyish. To tell the truth, Misa's probably my #2 of the cheerleaders...though she isn't in my top ten of Negi characters, she could be if she did some stuff in the story.

Favorite Cheerleader?

Kugumiya, I'd say. Then Sakurako, then Misa. Misa's dirty talk just doesn't do it for me. But I still like her.

^Jumping on the bandwagon... (Post harvesting...)

Kugimiya is my favorite out of this trio... (Eighth favorite character out of all the classmates...)

Her mysteriousness and seriousness kinda make me feel like there can be a lot that can be covered on her...

Now, all of the trio are in need of serious development, and equally, but the thing that appeals to me about Kugimiya is that sense of some ability she may have that she hasn't shown yet...

Kakizaki is the second person on the list...

Yeah, she's kinda like Shiina and she's gotten some development about wanting to get with Springfield, but it's all still minimal...

Maybe there will be some sort of secret that she may reveal... (Including the fact that her boyfriend has never appeared in the manga yet...)

Shiina makes the bottom of the list mainly because of her personality...

But even then, there's still her affinity to cats and her super-luck that would make a good development story...

Maybe her super-luck can be attributed to some sort of super power she may harness...

Sakurako is my favorite among the cheerleaders! We both have alot in common!

Even my classmates (those who are familiar with Negima, that is) said that I remind them of Sakurako in terms of personality as I'm always the cheerful and hyper type (in school especially). They even nicknamed me "Sakurako Jantan" which literally means "Male Sakurako" in Malay Language.

We both seem to have super-luck (well, in my case that would be getting straight A's for my exams even without studying) and we're more or less the same height.

For members who know that I make my own music and have heard them, you can sense the "Sakurako-ness" in my tone when I rap (my friends would say I even sound like her when rapping).

The differences between Sakurako and I are:

She gambles, I don't...

She play lacrosse, I don't...

She's female, I'm male...

^Heh, I thought you'd say Kakizaki was your favorite since you go on about saying that you love being the same height as her...

That would be more like Hakase... (Who seems to only care about her research or stuff...)

But hey, you'd be the ultimate Shiina counterpart if you go karaoke-ing a lot...

I was just kidding at that point and the truth is that I'm around 164 to 165 cm, which would be around Sakurako's and Kakizaki's height range. I could be either, I but prefer sticking to 165 cm...

But I still count that as super-luck as I never liked to study. Also, I never mentioned that I got an expensive logitech webcam for free during a lucky draw.

I do karaoke as well, but at home and not all the time. The closest to this is that I make my own music during free time and I rap in a hyper tone! XD

Look at my avatar and signature and you can tell who my favorite cheerleader is...

Misa Kakizaki

We are similar in every way...

We share the same birth date (15 May 1988) and the same blood type...

We share the same register number (7) and we hate carbonated drinks...



Now you see this? THIS is what its all about! THIS is what its all about!