This
series is broken up into two seasons and a special. The
first is self-titled and the second has the suffix of "Something
More Beautiful." There is also the "Summer Special"
that takes place between the two seasons and is just a fan-boy
filler.
Mahoromatic
is an original take on a typical maid fantasy anime. Mahoro,
an android, has a very deadly special power capable of destroying
her enemy in a single blow. The problem is she only has
398 days to live.....and using the ability shortens her
life span. To try and live the rest of her life out as normal
as possible she takes the role of becoming a maid in the
service to Suguru.
Mahoro
has no experience being a maid but catches on very quickly.
She cooks, she cleans, she has a pet android panther, she
takes baths with Suguru in the nude....don't we all wish
we had a cute maid like that? Well, despite her ignorance
as to what the job entails and her....*ahem*...assets, she's
quick to come around, and quick to develop personal feelings
for Suguru. Just how personal through? She's keeping a huge
secret from Suguru, one that if he knew could make him despise
her existence. All I'll say is you'll see the "secret"
from a kilometer away before its actually revealed and by
then it hits you like dead thud. But hey, the setting wouldn't
be complete without a complicated romantic agenda......but
that's why this series isn't complete.
But
it is completely full of annoying characters. The absolute
worst is Suguru's teacher Saori Shikijo. She's an 8th grade
school teacher that has the major hots for Suguru. She has
huge breasts, a great body, and one hell of an annoying
personality. Nearly every episode she shows up unwanted,
flaunts her boobs, gives Mahoro an evil stare, havoc ensues,
and then she eventually leaves. Saori does make for a good
rival to Mahoro and they execute it very well early on.
It just gets cliche after a while.
Suguru
does have some other schoolmates that are less annoying.
The girlfriend trio being Rin, the shy and mature type,
Chizuko, the token cute little girl with a bottomless stomach,
and Miyuki, a friend of the family. Rin and Chizuko serve
little purpose other than filling character gaps. Miyuki
on the other hand has a bigger yet still mild role. She's
a long time friend of Suguru's....and in love with him.
She just never gets the nerve to say it and, typically,
Suguru is too dense to notice.
The
first "season" is very fun show. By itself I'd
rate it a 8.5. Its original and is carried out plot-wise
very well. From the countless full frontal shots Mahoro
honors us with, the well animated action scenes, to the
serious change in the tone of the storyline, the 1st season
is an anime fans delight. Then we get to the second season.....
New
characters, new allies, new enemies, new ways to waste an
animation budget. The characters introduced in the second
season are weak and pointless. The plot for the second series
is "huh? wha? oh you're serious now?" You got
a group of people called "Management" who control
every aspect of politics on the globe and have shaped mankind's
existence since day one. They're the bad guys! It sounds
epic but isn't pulled off worth a damn. You could actually
cut the first 10 episodes out of this seasons 14 and have
a more complete anime. There were a lot of hints and some
foreshadowing as to the bigger picture, and the filler episodes
did have some cute moments, but does it end with a huge
bang? Yes it does and It was worth wading through most of
the garbage in the beginning.
---
If you don't want to know the ending do not read the green
text! ----
You'll
either lover or hate the ending to this series. Its typical
Gainax story shredding. They get a series that could be
legendary and trip in a pool of urine taking the final episode's
script down with them. Episode 13....*flash*....*bam*....the
battle of the ages rages as Mahoro is forced to use her
ultimate weapon. The result is her glowing ashes being wisped
away into the sky. Fast-forward twenty years.....
Episode
14; Suguru has turned into a hunter of those who were in
the syndicate "Management" and were responsible
for Mahoro's death. But that's not how Gainax presents it.
Mahoro made a promise to come back to him after the fight.
Well she died....so that's not going to happen right? So
Suguru is now mad that she didn't keep her promise, got
depressed, and started beating up other androids.
Now
he's on another planet carrying a large sword that activates
like a saw and his looks have degraded to that of a downtrodden
middle-aged bum off the streets. The future is so bleak
even his business partner attempts to kill him, but thankfully
Suguru is part android now and can't be killed with a simple
backstab. Ironic huh?
Here's
the kicker. (kick to the gut really) Twenty years after
Mahoro's death, Suguru just got stabbed, is depressed, and
decides to stop at a street bar while he waits for a hospital
to open so he can get fixed. While he's sitting there the
scene changes to a space station where there are "god-like"
essences wondering what to do with some memories. With some
theological twisted reasoning they come to the conclusion,
in a backhanded way, that they're not needed. Now we go
back to Suguru drinking.
Suguru
is half drunk and the next thing you know, literally out
of thin air, Mahoro walks up behind him and asks, "I'm
looking for a boy named Suguru." He shrugs it off at
first and thinks its just the booze. Once he realizes its
the real Mahoro he breaks down and they go walking into
the street light. So the bottom line.....after twenty years
of torture all these "tech-goddesses" had to do
was snap their fingers and bring Mahoro back. Original presentation?
Absolutely. Swift kick to the face of Suguru? Not at all.....(aim
a lot lower).
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In
the end you get a good series that has some of everything.
Action, adventure, drama, and at one point you could even
call this a romantic comedy. From episode one of the first
season it pulls a 180 not far into the second and becomes
a serious, deadly, depressing show. But whether you like
the ending or not you have to respect its originality. You
end up with a good anime but the roller coaster ride is
a bumpy one with a lot of needless turns and twists. Prepare
for whiplash.
Oh
and the summer special? Just a fun little comedic romp through
some thick fan-service. |
