One of the more interesting entries into the Negima anime franchise Ala Alba takes place between the Mahorafest and Magical land story arcs and it ignores all previous adaptations and tells its story directly from the manga. The first episode covers the story of Negis partners having to defend their White Wing badges from the rest of the class as whoever holds the badges gets to remain part of the team. The second episode goes through one last vacation that they all take together and it also introduces a far more likeable Anya to the story. The third and final episode covers the last few days before departure where everyone is either training or unwinding in preparation for what will surely be an uneventful trip. This is probably the entry Im the most torn about. Its the most well animated entry in the franchise with Shaft keeping their signature weirdness far away from it and its also the most accurate adaptation so far. Its not 100 percent faithful but its seemless enough that you cant really tell whats been removed or altered. Its also the first appearance of Kotarukun that didnt just use him as a constant gay jokeThe Neo manga really sucked okay?. But then there are a few big problems that to be fair it couldnt possibly have avoided. It was set after the Mahorafest story arc which was one of the biggest and arguably best events in the manga and it doesnt even bother trying to explain its references to that story... It doesnt bother telling you who has a pactio card and who doesnt nor does it bother telling you why Negi was fighting Chau or who the hell that Colonel Sanders guy is. Im not saying you cant just jump into this story without reading the manga but youll have quite a few questions as you watch it. And even if you have read the manga? Well for me personally I cant watch this OVA without wishing the entire manga had been animated from scratch in this exact style beginning to end. And the sad thing is that now that Negimas over and a new sequel has already replaced it I know the odds of this ever happening are slim to none. Id like to say Ala Alba is one of my favorite adaptations for all the things it does right and for how damn funny it is but I just cant detach those negative feelings from it. And Im sure Ive said this in at least one of my previous reviews but I absolutely love the Mahorafest arc... Its one of my favorite story arcs in any piece of media ever so it does kind of sting for me that the moment Studio Shaft decide to start adapting the manga faithfully they do so at the very end of my favorite arc just so they can cover one of the more transitional periods in the story... Transitioning from Mahorafest which is peak to the Magical World isekai story arc which is almost as good. But we only get to see inbetween the two which is frustrating but silver lining at least it turned out really well for what it is. Would I recommend it? Conditionally. It may be confusing for newcomers so you should go in with the understanding that theyre not going to hold your hand or explain anything to you but on second thought it might actually be a great way to promote the manga to them. And for the rest of you manga fans who wont be burdened with my personal issues with it its a nice little piece of nostalgia. I give Ala Alba a 6/10