Maids! Maids! Maids! This is the theme for today
apparently.
This is show about a hardworking, rather boyish, very
much feminist fine young girl who also happens to be the president of the
school council… Oh yeah and she works in a maid café… Hmm... This rather juxtaposition
oriented main character gives us the basis for what turned out to be quite a
fun anime. The anime manages to tell the story of this girl from the
perspective of her school life, and then transitions to her afterschool job and
regales us with the adventures and mishaps that occur due to this rather odd career
choice. As you can imagine with these sorts of anime there is also a guy
involved… Oh yes people it’s a Romantic Comedy that awaits you.
There aren’t really any major problems with Maid Sama
(given the expectations involved here), however the premise is rather touch and
go. As I said the plot is based on the life of this girl (Ayuzawa), her school life, her work life and the circumstances
revolving around her and the male lead in this anime, Usi. And regardless to
the fact that this has been played off beautifully, the idea isn’t exactly original.
Anyway, at first this anime starts to sound like a generic boring Romantic
Comedy but the way in which this one in particular is executed it rather tantalizing There are some rather interesting, and sometimes hilarious, plot
twists and there is a constantly running, very amusing, sub-plot at work as
provided by three guys from Ayuzawa and Usi’s school (all entirely centered on their infatuation with Ayuzawa). The comedy elements of this anime
are largely based around the reactions of the three afore mentioned guys in
regards to Ayuzawa,
and mainly Ayuzawa’s reactions to Usi as his
continued attempts to woo her go on, despite being turned down at every turn. There
is quite a varied range of characters involved here and they all work to
provide another amusing aspect to this anime. The characters include people who
work at the maid café and people Ayuzawa and Usi know from school. When
all these random characters intertwine it usually provides an interesting turn
of events, as proven when the plot goes a bit crazy and some rather strange
people show up resulting in some of the funniest, and tense, moments in the
entire show. The character development is also surprisingly good considering
the type of anime at play here, I half expected that the only character
development to occur would be to the main leads, but I was wrong (luckily).
Throughout the anime the backgrounds and back stories to the various characters
involved is explored in a heart-warming way. However, unfortunately, a large amount
of characters are left out from this process (I guess beggars can’t be
choosers). The worst part of this series so far is also one of the best
features, its Ayuzawa herself. She is a funny,
amusing, independent character but she can become incredibly aggravating, and
at times I found myself shouting at the screen “What are you doing!” But, as I
said, she is also the backbone of the series and a valued asset.
Now, as for the plot development… It’s rather good actually.
But only in regards to most of it, you see in general the anime starts off well
and becomes something much better resulting in an ending that leaves you quite satisfied.
However there are some parts (usually two or three episodes long) where you’re
left hanging because the plot had ground to a complete halt. This is the terror
of filler episodes, oh yes. But luckily in regards to filler episodes there aren’t
that many relatively speaking, and of those that are present they’re actually quite
amusing, so it’s all good. It has that classic climatic curve going on, and it’s
played so well that to some affect you won’t see the ending coming (I won’t say
anymore don’t you worry).
But overall Kaichou wa Maid Sama is a very interesting
anime that manages to play off the Romantic comedy genre perfectly. It’s
entertaining, incredibly funny and the supporting cast of characters do provide
a nice backstory and filler for the more mundane parts. And the ending is
rather amazing, simply because it’s rather shocking; it creeps up on you if you
will.
This is what I would call a “summer anime”, something to
watch throughout the summer when there isn’t much work to be done.
Premise:
5/10
The idea is a staple one straight out of the “how to
write a anime” handbook. Usually this would mark it down much more than this,
but it’s been played off so well the general premise is bearable.
Plot
Development: 7.5/10
The plot development is the savior of the terrible premise
at work here, although the general idea starts off bad it manages to morph in
to something enjoyable, and incredibly funny.
Animation:
8.5/10
The animation is very good, and suits the anime
perfectly. It’s got the “GTO affect” going on where the animation may not be absolutely
amazing in terms of sheer quality, but it works with the anime so well if it
was any different the anime just wouldn’t be the same.
Characters:
6.5/10
The character line up is very amusing, but it would be
nice if they had more substance to them, and if they were featured more heavily
throughout the anime (Aside from the two leads, of course).
Character
Development: 5/10
The character development involved here is surprisingly
average, by no means is it bad, but it isn’t amazing either. Although work has
been put in to develop the less important characters (which is nice) you don’t
get as much of a background knowledge or feel for the two leads (especially as
far as Usi is concerned).
Fluidity:
7/10
This show flows very well, there are no dodgy transitions
or weird jumps in the plot, this means at no point are you left feeling that
what you’re watching shouldn’t be happening etc.
Music:
6.5/10
The music for this anime is relatively good, and it fits
quite well, but I can’t help get the feeling that the anime could have done
with some better music, more fitting to the genre, having said that it’s very
mood setting in the important parts.
Intro:
8/10
The intros for the anime are very good, as I’ve said
before the intros are important for getting you in the right mood, and this
does the job just right.
Outro:
8/10
The outros for this anime fist just as perfectly as the
intro, and leaves you feeling satisfied and happy at the end of each episode.
Personal
Enjoyment: 9/10
Although this anime is based on such a staple premise I absolutely
loved it, it’s funny and kept me going through a very boring week off.
Total: 7.1/10 (Good)
Stuart Macdonald
