The whole monster tier being that much stronger than everyone else would probably have worked better if there had been a real final arc. Only Negi ever caught up while Asuna could sort of hang out there by virtue of being a total munchkin.
Oh, and I like Eva a lot. Rakan is the one who gets my indifference.
edited 15th Apr '12 7:57:37 AM by Arha
i would argue that Eva's happy in her own way, especially once she gets more involved with Ala Alba. I mean, she's got reason to be unhappy, don't you think? Pick from the list of being vampirized at age 10, being eight hundred years old with a little girl's body, having to live through the better part of a millennium of conflict (including having bounty hunters coming after her when she didn't deserve it in the early days)...
edited 15th Apr '12 9:54:03 AM by RedSavant
It's been fun.I like Eva; the smugness would bother me a lot more if 1. it wasn't partially justified by the fact that she really is that strong and 2. characters like Alberio and Negi can clearly get under her skin. She is uncomfortably smug sometimes, but I think it's a facade that she's built up over the years of basically being persona non grata to everything, and now that she's surrounded by people who tolerate her, the cracks are starting to show. I kinda wish that we had gotten a few more scenes dedicated to how her outlook has been affected.
Reaction Image RepositoryThe thing about Eva is she's such a hypocrite. She taunts, mocks and belittles everyone on their personal weaknesses, and yet her own personal weaknesses run rampant under the thin guise of her superiority complex. And no one ever calls her out on that, except, in a way, Satsuki during the Sports Festival.
How do so many people misspell Rakan's name? .-.
Also, I can't believe I never noticed that Akamatsu showed us what it would look like if Negi used Eternal Negi Fever.
Hmm...*makes a note for future idea*
Evangeline is my favorite character. She encompasses both the Old Master trope you'd see in a shonen series while being a bitchy loli character from a harem series, thus making her a sort of representative of Negima as a whole.
I never for a second thought she was being unfairly smug, at least in terms of storytelling. She has lived centuries worth of despair from people fearing her for what she had no choice in being. I think she probably fled most of the time, but perhaps that wasn't enough. She might have realized that she had to get stronger in order to protect herself. As such, she forged this persona with the power to match of a absurdly powerful vampire mistress of the night in order to drive people away with fear so that they don't try to hunt after her anymore.
However, the years take its toll, and Eva eventually Becomes The Mask. Her outlook on life has changed and now believes herself to be that vampiric force of evil that everyone sees of her, but still retains her sense of sadness from before.
It isn't until Nagi, HUNDREDS OF YEARS LATER, whom was probably the first person to truly realize she's still that little girl crying out for mommy and daddy. As such, she develops feelings for him due to that encounter, and the rest is history.
That's why she's such a recluse, because she doesn't want the others to fear and drive her away. She could easily beat them down, but what's the point? Of course, she did start targeting Negi when he showed up, but really? I'd probably go insane with boredom if I was trapped in a school with nothing fun happening for 15 years.
She probably...no, most likely saw a lot of Nagi in Negi, especially after their first fight where Negi saved her from her fall off the bridge. That's why she decided to help him with his training after much coaching. She probably sees him as the son she could have had with the man she once and still loves.
Of course, it's Tough Love for Negi.
edited 15th Apr '12 11:39:23 AM by NoLimit
Dang, now I really wish that "Negi beam" had actually been used somewhere.
Great, now I won't be able to stop thinking about Negi being trapped in a book and still somehow managing to kick untold amounts of ass...
edited 15th Apr '12 12:27:29 PM by IAmNotCreativeEnough
himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimariWhether or not it's fair for Eva go be a jerk based on her hardships makes no difference to me. She can be smug about her abilities, though, because she can back those up. She's also rather amusing and has a great dynamic with just about anyone she talks to. Except Setuna.
She may be smug, but she's also genuinely awesome and developed the coolest ability in the series.
Oh, and frankly, the idea that Eva would still be going for Nagi raises an eyebrow for me. First, she seemed to be crushing on Negi a little too much by the end. Second, I can't see Nagi reciprocating even if Arika is dead and unless she wants to get sealed somewhere again she can't just stalk him everywhere he goes again.
Fake!Eva is based on real!Eva at the time she last interacted with the scroll, and on Negi's own memories of real!Eva. I'd say it's rather close to being accurate, especially given that it matches prior behavior by real!Eva.
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.@No Limit
That was a very interesting character study. It actually explains quite a lot. I agree that Eva likely gradually went on to see Negi as a son she never had. Not that that stopped her from making him a substitute Nagi at the same time. The end of the manga doesn't count. We all know it was gainaxed.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and about Evangeline: I don't mind her. Ignoring the parts where she's abusive for the sake of being abusive, she's actually among the characters I like most. Of course, I can understand why other people don't like her though.
edited 15th Apr '12 6:54:34 AM by Sabbo