The whole world is rejoicing, and so am I. :)
Pretty much everyone already knows how this chapter turned out at the end, with one of the best, if not the best development Akamatsu-sensei could ever give to KonoSetsu fans. Many thanks to Washi for the first alert on the Antenna’s feed listings, although I still restrained myself from reading his entry nor any other upcoming entries until I could lay my hands on the chapter itself. And my…what pleasant surprise it was. :3
Akamatsu-sensei knows how to play his cards right when it comes to teasing fans and building suspense into a climax; above all, whenever relationships are concerned. He literally suspended a succulent steak in front of KonoSetsu fans way back when the two first tried for a pactio, only to snatch the bait away by having Asuna wander into the room by chance, and Setsuna ended up too flustered to continue with the rite. Gawd, what an excruciating wait it was for this issue to be finally revisited. However, long as the delay may have been, I’m definitely more appreciative of a gentle flow of events rather than an early plunge into action, so…
…it started off with a laid-back “date” between the two.
Konoka’s pure words pack enough heat to melt a hardened, badass warrior like Setsuna into a puddle of dere. Heh, it only happens with a loved one and it’s not just any loved one. ;)
LOL already planning for their future. Funny how Setsuna’s thoughts here seem to mirror the mental approach of most guys who plan to marry their girlfriend, dream girl etc.
Tsukuyomi and Eva’s words return to haunt her. Strange as it may be, one of the aspects I like witnessing about Setsuna is her inner turmoil with her emotions. Whenever she grimaces at being weak because she was becoming “human”, it probably leans more towards her earlier self as an accomplished warrior who would not allow feelings to get the better of her rather than her heritage as a half-demon. It’s a really painful trade-off for Setsuna to consider, more than ever if it meant severing all of the emotional ties which Konoka tried so hard to build with her over the years and in recent months since they’ve reconciled as mutual friends.
Love how Konoka, being the sharp people person she is, is quick to sense Setsuna’s insecurities and aptly relieves the tension with her playfulness.
Like a great hoard of fans, Setsuna is my favorite from Negima, but it’s impossible to adore her without bringing her most important person into the equation. I know it’s farfetched for me to say this, but I do truly think Setsuna and Konoka are like soulmates who complete each other. Take one of them out of the picture and it’s never the same. Setsuna has her admirable traits but nearly if not all of them are built around her feelings for Konoka and her desire to protect her childhood friend, whereas Konoka in return, strives to protect and preserve Setsuna’s humanity. I absolutely couldn’t agree more with Akamatsu-sensei’s choice of words in describing KonoSetsu as the duo who possess the greatest love between them.
Did I ever mention how much I love “shut up and kiss me already” scenes? ^^
Phwoar… From the look of things, guess they’ve always wanted to do this >_>. Konoka can be such an aggressive lead, especially in the way she held Setsuna and prolonged the kiss despite pactios usually ending as soon as they begin lol. And uh… I like how her hand has crept up from Setsuna’s back to her neck, if that means anything. *Nosebleed*
With that, let me just end it by saying “THANK YOU, AKAMATSU-SENSEI~!!!!” What an awesome milestone in KonoSetsu’s relationship. It’s been a longtime wish but ironically, didn’t expect it to happen there and then :D. New pactio aside, it seems Negi was told of his mother’s identity (and I’m musing at who his potential relatives are lol). Moreover, he may have new powerful antagonists to deal with in the form of the Governor-General and his lackeys. Looking forward to how that would turn out, and looking forward to the others’ reaction once they learn about KonoSetsu’s pactio. ;)
woot! finally they pactio! haf to wait so many months for this!!!!
nyaha! totally loved this chapter. I read without spoiling myself on any other site, so when the pactio was made, me jaw dropped and i stared at the pic for like 2 minutes and then the next page. i stared even longer XD!
I LOLed at setsuna’s future planning xD!
ahhh~~~ love awaited kissu~~~~ kyaaa lol. best pair: setsuna and konoka :D i agree with them being soulmates who complete each other ^^
and yes, konoka looks like the more aggressive one o_o; lol hyun hyun~ totally should go for full pactio lol — wonder how that works ;D
o yes… asuna = obaa-chan now LOL
Ooh yes… I’m curious about the full pactio as well. From the way Chamo remarked about Konoka and Setsuna, it seems the session might last even longer LOL. I’m glad Akamatsu-sensei didn’t just end the “seal-the-deal” there. We waited well over 200 chapters for their first kiss! XD
I actually just learned of this chapter yesterday and immediately I went to mangafox to read it. I then googled Konoka and Setsuna in google to look for blogs that has info on it afterwards. XD
I sooo agree with you. Thank you, Akamatsu! Heh, now to have this printed in English. Lol.
Can you tell me what chapter was that when they almost did a pactio but Asuna walks in on them? I don’t read Negima as much as I used to. I only usually scan for KonoSetsu parts nowadays. ^^;
It’s a bit unfortunate KonoSetsu doesn’t feature as much as we like them to, but it’s great Akamatsu devotes a whole chapter to them when he decides to do so.
Btw, the chapter is Chapter 169. :)
Hehe! You know what?
I started reading all the Negima chapters just because of chapter 252.
I’ve endured the long road in reading all of them for how many days and nights just to arrive on this golden path!
Truly it was worth it! And I’ve found Negima series to be incredibly epic!
I’ve heard about KonoSetsu from some random blogs a year ago but I never started reading or even bothering watching the anime not until this chapter showed up.
I was also like spoiled since I saw an image of the kiss on a blog without having read the said chapter.
But I only took a quick peck and never took a long look at it, and diverted my eyes away from the image.
So somehow I forgot what happened.
I haven’t watch the anime even up to now but I am starting to look for decent fansubs.
However I am truly aware of how the manga can own the anime big time.
I’ve just felt the anime to be lesser great than the manga even though I haven’t watched it yet.
Also, was that KonoSetsu Pactio kiss really what they called a deep kiss?
I want others to confirm it! >_< But oh well, I could see their mouths open so it looks like it. lol
I hope there could even be more screen time for the two in the future.
This couple is super adorable together and you're right. Without the other, one is incomplete.
Setsuna is also my fave character here. Her coolness just attracts me, and coolness is even increased to maximum when she wears a bodyguard suit with a sun glass.
Also Konoka sure is surprisingly aggressive. XD Although that's still to be expected knowing how open she is. Setsuna is all so shy to her ojou-sama and can't even make a move romantically. XD
It must have been one heck of a hard road to marathon all of the chapters before that. Good for you, L4000M! :D
Good intuition. My advice, don’t watch the Negima TV series by Xebec if you can help it. I watched it and I felt like smashing my face into a concrete wall. In my personal biased opinion, it was that awful. Negima!? is slightly better but it’s no where near as good as the Manga. Stick to the newer OVAs like Ala Alba and the upcoming Mou Hitotsu no Sekai. They’re the best simply because Akamatsu himself is in charge of the script composition. :)
To quote akayuki, it involved tongue action, so I guess it was a deep kiss? ;)
That one of the reasons why I adore Setsuna too. Plus, it’s cute how she can be a total badass with enemies but all shy and mushy whenever she’s around her princess lol. Good thing Konoka is bold, otherwise things will never move forward.