Archive for the Mai Otome Category


Yuri Anime: My Zhime (Mai Otome), Volume 1 (English

August 31st, 2007

How many fanfics have we seen where the main characters are transplanted to a different location, time or situation than the original source material? The Senshi at an agricultural college, the girls of Marimite visiting (or attending school in) some North American location that just *happens* to be the same place the author lives or attends. There are many series that do that kind of thing within the context of the actual series.

Star Trek:Next Generation used their omnipresent Holodeck to allow a sort of time and space travel (mostly so we could see that characters play dress up) and Xena:Warrior Princess had a few stories which fans called “Uber-Xena” stories, in which Gabrielle and Xena were portrayed as more modern, but equally as silly, characters. (Which led to a whole genre of “Uber-Xena” stories, many of which were better than the actual series. I wrote one Uber-Xena story myself, In the Hall of the Mountain Queen, a title which came to me in a very memorable dream.)

And so we find ourselves regarding the series, My Zhime, aka Mai Otome, in which the characters of Fuuka Academy from My HiME are now suddenly on a planet much like our earth, but more feudal. The HiME are now become Otome – the human nuclear arsenal of each country. The school at which young women are trained to become Otome candidates, Garderobe, is the center of the new conflict. And while all the characters from HiME are moved to the new time/place/location/ their roles, ages and, in some cases personalities, have been altered to fit the new storyline.

I had planned of holding off reviewing this series at all until I finished reviewing all of the My HiME DVDs, but last weekend I decided that I wanted to watch Volume 1. Then, as I watched it, I remembered all over again why I thought it was a vastly superior series to the original. Mostly because it starts off as stupid fun with a hint of plot, continues to be stupid fun with an actual plot, and ends as stupid fun and who cares about the plot, which short side trips to wallow into meaningless angst. The difference is that, IMHO, HiME primarily wallowed in angst with pretensions of having a Serious Plot ™, when in reality, it was all meaningless angst and plot was a self-fulfilling prophecy with reset.

My Zhime, Volume 1, starts off with the arrival of a strange girl from out of the wastelands, at the sophisticated and cosmopolitan city of Windbloom. Yumemiya Arika is strange in the she is a stranger, and that she is clearly an uncultured bumpkin……and she’s just kind of strange, too. But in a good-hearted, honest bumpkiny kind of way. She’s convinced that her mother was, or maybe is, an Otome, so after her guardian dies, she’s come to Garderobe to find her mother. After she witnesses the coolness that is Meister Shizuru Violeta, the Graceful Amethyst, Arika decides to become an Otome, as well.

This plunges her directly into intrigue and politics on both the micro- and macro-cosmic levels, as the great rulers decide her fate and in school as the new student is assessed for her level of threat to the status quo. Because not everyone at Garderobe will become an Otome – only the most talented few. Arika’s immediate rival, Nina, can’t stand the girl, so of course they are assigned to be roommates, along with sweet, blonde, starlet-like Erstin. And this is when I remembered how much I liked this series.

As Arika runs around Garderobe trying to find the council and defend herself (and Chie gets her first lesbian cred powerup) she’s the butt (pun intentional) of many stupid physical, servicey gags. But as she runs around, and later, as she meets her new classmates, I found myself happy to see every familiar face, from Yukino and her pet Haruka, to Ers, or Irina. In fact, as Irina introduced herself I felt something almost nostalgic blossom within me.

This is your basic shounen heroine action series. There will be many battles of one kind or another; an outclassed, apparently idiot savant heroine who will battle her way to the top; magical/mecha creatures; did I mention battles?; conspiracies, politics, intrigue on the grand scale and bullying, teasing and misunderstanding on the small scale; and service.

Yuri in Volume 1 is limited to a single knowing look shot at Natsuki by Shizuru, as she teases Arika in a decidedly sexual way, and Chie’s instant high reading on the Yuri-ometer. Yuri in Zhime is a popular fetish, so we’ll be seeing more as the story progresses.

Art – 8
Characters – 8
Story – 7
Music – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 6

Overall – 7

All the characters I like are older, cooler and gayer. Is it any wonder I like this series better? ^_^





Yuri Anime: Mai Otome Zwei OAV 2

March 5th, 2007

While digging around the intewebs for the picture I wanted to illustrate this review, I couldn’t help but notice people’s shock as they realize that Mai Otome Zwei does not have a real plot! Oh noes! I had to laugh, because apparently these same people are suffering from that selective memory rewrite that fandom frequently resorts to when they “forget” that they are watching trash. ^_^

Folks, I’m here to remind you…Mai Otome was trash. But it was *fun* trash. So lighten up and enjoy the OAVs which will also be trash, but sillier. And, as in the case of this OAV, have more Yuri fodder. It will also likely have the Sunrise Reset we all loathe and abhor, as Arika’s love and belief and faith and hope and lots of other intangible good things completely dispels the largely pointless display of strength shown by the bad guy/gal/entity. Just like Mai Hime. Because Arika is the H-E-R-O.

Okay, so this OAV focuses on the doing in Elias, home to our favorite President/Otome comedy pair, Yukino and Haruka. I have long loved Haruka, from the moment she fought her own death long enough to haul off and belt Shizuru in Mai HiMe. I have to respect that kind of bull-headed tenacity. I like Otome‘s Haruka even better. In the beginning of this OAV, we learn that I am not alone.

Elias is in the middle of a terrorist threat. Chie (whose “cool” rating bounces up and down like a heart meter during the Tour De France during this episode) has developed “Operation Silent” in order to surround and disarm the terrorists. So, of course Haruka shows up with a giant megaphone and starts screaming at them. Stupid? Yes. I loved it – laughed like a hyena just for the fact that Haruka has a *giant megaphone* stowed in her tank.

As I said, I am not alone in this – when Yukino’s rival for the Presidency shows up (with ladder-climbing ex-evil Otome Tomoe in tow) the watching crowds shout him down saying that they LIKE the Yukino/Haruka combination – it’s goverment and entertainment all at once. The crowds go on to cheer Marshal Haruka because she’s 100% Haruka and nothing else.

In the middle of this tense, highly realistic scenario we find that Arika is one of the people on the bus being held hostage. She does not yet know this, because she is sound asleep. When she does wake up, she immediately gives up her identity, and the fact that she can’t materialize anymore, because Mashiro is missing. Always a bright bulb, our little Arika. Chie is about ready to explode with frustration, when Operation Silent begins.

Yukino, who had gone out, bravely, insanely, to speak to the terrorists alone, ends up with Arika on the bus, having been traded for all the innoncents who have been set free. There ensues a very touchy-feely conversation whose sole purpose is to remind us that Yukino and Haruka are a couple. This becomes important in a second.

There’s lots of shininess as the Otome all swing into action – and an extra measure of kaboom and swoosh when a “Child” suddenly appears and attacks everyone. (Yes, like a “Child” from Mai HiMe only, not.)

Chie’s Otome powers appear to have turned her into Saint Tail, a joke which very few people will get, but the ones I care about will, so I don’t care. Magician Chie is one the one hand quite sexy and on the other mind-bogglingly stupid. But it makes for great fanart. “Hey Aoi, watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!” …Another reference that no one will get. Still doesn’t matter, I’m on a roll!

When Yukino’s life is more endangered than it was before, Haruka moves heaven and earth to save her – their coupleness is reaffirmed in the perfect love perfect trust and perfect understanding they have with one another, which ends up in the cool screencap above.

So, when Haruka goes down, like all the Otome before her, we actually feel *bad*. Because we get to see how truly brave and yes, insane, but powerful, loyal yadda yadda she is – and how much she really loves Yukino. Like her “death” in HiME Haruka’s moment of being a hero in Zwei was full of win.

The end of the OAV leaves us with one less powerful Otome in our arsenal, but a last minute appearance by the one person who was missing will surely even the score. (No brain cells will be needed for the final OAV, I’m thinking. “I believe in you, Nina! “I believe in you, Arika!” Arrrrhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Whoosh! We win. Yay.)

Ratings:

Art – 8
Character – 8
Story – who cares, I mean really
Yuri – 6
Service – 6

Overall – 8

Peronally, I LOVED this OAV. Loved it with all my love. Yukino and Haruka 4tw.





Mai Otome Zwei OAV Anime

January 10th, 2007

As we begin I never did an overview of the Autumn 2006 Anime season because, frankly, there was (and is) damn little yuri to be found anywhere. The few series that have anything are mostly minor characters in minor roles.

There was, of course, the Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV, Kohitsuji no Kyuuka, which I have reviewed previously. And there are a few series I’ll be covering in the upcoming days, as well. And also of note to fans was another continuing anime going direct to DVD, Mai Otome Zwei.

Like most other OAVs, Zwei is pretty much for the established fanbase. There’s no introduction, no set-up – you’re just thrown into the story, such as it is.

(Let me back up for a sec, because I know I get new readers all the time. If you have no idea what fanbase I’m talking about, you’ll want to take a moment to read my comments on Mai HiME .)

If you are already familiar with Mai Otome, then slipping into the OAV will present little difficulty. It picks up a year after the TV series ends. Like most action stories, it begins with a short vignette that sets our protagonist up as a powerful superheroine. It then follows that up with a quick change of place and tone, to show that she’s also still a young girl and comedic relief… a technique used in many, many James Bond movies, without the “girl” part. ^_^

The plot, which is the predictable “fight an unknown opponent who/which is massively more powerful than us good guys” has some good elements. That is, right off the bat the opponent removes the most powerful forces we have (almost in order of power, in fact) so that by the end of the first episode our resources are significantly weaker than we should be able to expect. The problem here is that this plot complication is incredibly overplayed in anime, so while it’s well done – it’s also kind of “uh-huh.” It’s not like we’d really expect that the new mysterious enemy would be easy to handle…where’s the drama/angst/power-ups/new transformation in *that*?

Secondly, the relationships. As I mentioned, this OAV is strictly for the previous fanbase. All relationships are assumed. You simply need to know before you start who everyone is, and all the in-jokes of their relationships and personalities. Which works fine for me. In fact, I saw that as a strength, that no time was wasted restablishing prior relationships, except through interactions that read as quite natural. So, if you don’t know the couples, you wouldn’t see anything that even remotely resembled Yuri (with one notable exception, also pointed out by Zyl.) If you *do* know the history, it’s easy to see Shizuru’s and Natsuki’s interaction as that of a long-term couple.

The notable exception is a single line voiced by the eccentric Professor, a former Schwarz rebel now working with Garderobe. As she puts it in her eccentric mix of Japanese and English “[Shizuru]’s definitely getting a pretty girl now” – followed by a typical jealous/denial reaction from Natsuki and accompanying titters from the gathered cast and crew. The teasing feels like a group of old friends having a little fun at their friend’s expense…which is exactly what it is supposed to feel like.

The fact that the relationships are understood makes the OAV feel more comfortable and less strident than the Otome TV series. The weakness here is that if you were a first-time viewer, you wouldn’t be getting any of the in-jokes.

All that having been said, if I had not already watched both Mai HiMe (and yes, and I am refusing to refer to it as “My” HiMe”, because that totally misses the point) and Mai Otome (whaddaya gonna call that in English Bandai, huh???) I probably wouldn’t have given the time of day to this OAV. Because in and of itself, it has no depth, no body. It is a fanfic of a fanfic. Mai HiME created the characters, personalities, powers and backstories. Mai Otome played with those in an alt-universe setting, altering some of the relationships, adding others. (Moving Tate away from Mai and sticking mopey Nina with him, for instance. Changing Chie and Aoi from a fanon couple to a canon couple, that kind of thing.) This OAV doesn’t have time (or to be fair, the need) to do anything else other than write a new battle story with the same pieces as before.

But it’s hardly over. Like the Marimite OAVs Zwei will be released piecemeal over a series of months. I believe the total is 4 episodes, so who knows what they may add in terms of character development. My guess is that we’ll get to see Nina’s new relationship with Serge/Tate, but probably not much more.

Whether the plot will hold up, or turn into another Sunrise reset is also a matter of some speculation. Check back after Episode 4. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 4 (inappropriately worn thong bathing suits, unecessary jutting breasts w/nipples during transformation)

Overall – 6

As the first installment of an Otome fanfic, Zwei is a decent enough way to kill an hour. ^_^





Drama CD: Mai Otome Miss Maria was Watching: Garderobe Secret Diary, Vol. 1

September 26th, 2006

Well, it’s not often that I can say that something made me want to gouge my *ears* out. And yet, Mai Otome Drama CD, Miss Maria was Watching: Garderobe Secret Diary, Vol. 1 absolutely made me feel this way.

I have always assumed that fanservice was primarily a visual medium – it’s well known that men respond to visual cues more strongly than women when it comes to things sexual. (Incidentally, they also respond to colors differently, which is why, ladies, your guy thinks that woman over there looks hot, when you think she looks cheap. Just FYI.) So I thought “How bad could it be?” when I got this Drama CD.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know two things about me: 1) I love Drama CDs and; 2) It takes a lot to make me squirm.

This Drama CD made me squirm. It made my lips peel back in disgust and once or twice I even flinched. I mean really. This last was particularly bad as I was driving at the time so, as a warning, maybe you should only listen to this CD on the bus or plane. And only then if you your aisle-mates won’t mind you occasionally going, “Ewwww!” or “Argh!” out loud.

The basic plot is simple (it would have to be, as this is clearly written for several steps below the Lowest Common Denominator) Miss Maria, the disapproving hypercompetent head teacher of Garderobe, keeps a secret diary of everything that goes on in the school. Each scene on this Drama CD covers one of the more vile occurrences. Miss Maria gives us a bland summary and then we hear what “really” happened.

Okay, that’s not fair – not every scenario is vile. Just most of them. They mostly deal with underwear, nakedness, exploitation and the like, usually with a cheerfully clueless Arika happily moving through her days not being able to identify situations that any sane person would run from.

One of the more notably amusing scenes is one where Akane finds herself at Backstage, greeted by what appear to be Headmaster Natsuki and her pet Shizuru as employees of the store. In reality they are employees dressed up as Natsuki and Shizuru, voiced by the same voice actresses, which totally worked for me. As the story goes on, it become plain that they are, in fact, really Natsuki and Shizuru, pretending to not be themselves…and they are *not* employees, but actually owners of the contraband store.

There is a story in which Erstin loses her mind and ravages all the available females around her…it’s all fake, of course, she’s just pretending to have lost her mind. Let’s put it this way – she doesn’t ravage *everyone* – just those that you’d expect Erstin to desire. ^_^;

The lowest point of the whole thing comes when we learn about the origin of Tomoe’s infantilism fetish. I will not tell you how that came about. You wanna know, buy a copy of the CD yourself. I’m just trying to forget I ever heard it at all.

The bonus track is a cute (for this CD, anyway) retelling of Natsuki and Mai’s early years at Garderobe as roommates, and a lovely little scene where Natsuki reveals her hardcore crush on Shizuru-oneesama. We’re also introduced to lil’ Tomoe, who hadn’t yet developed all her later issues and as a result, is kinda cute.

If the best thing about this CD was the end track, the worst had to be what they did to Chie. Her 1000% lesbian cool power-up cred from Mai Hime to Mai Otome took a HUGE hit on this CD.

Lastly, the epilogue was, I have to admit, rather amusing. Arika, Nina (unwilling and whiny, as she has been throughout the thing) Irina and Ers all decide to steal Miss Maria’s infamous diary. What they find is not at *all* what they expected.

Ratings:

Story – Ugh. Ughughugh. Ugh.
Characters – Erstin – 10, everyone else 3. Arika fails completely for stupid, Nina for whining.
Yuri – 8 but it’s all service all the time. There’s nothing approaching one woman’s actual heartfelt attachment to another’s, except for Natsuki’s feelings for Shizuru.
Service – 12

Overall – 4

You want to either be a real perv, a real hardcore fan of Otome or one of the voice actresses before you want to get this thing. Or me, irresistibly drawn to the siren call of Drama CDs. Sigh.





Yuri Anime: Mai Otome

April 7th, 2006

moccThere were so many things wrong with Mai Otome (or Mai Zhime if you prefer,) that I had very low expectations of it from the first. And with the cataclysmically badly written reset ending that made the first 24 episodes of Mai Hime meaningless, I expected a train wreck at the end of this series.

I’m pleased to report that my low expectations were surpassed. ^_^

Don’t get me wrong – Mai Otome is not Haibane Renmei…or even Stellvia. It’s a fanservice-filled action romp through several tedious fetishes with a plot thrown in for good measure. But given that, the ending was pretty damn good. The key point, I think, is that unlike Mai Hime, which was very serious in all the moments outside the fanservice-based moments of “humor” (look, heh heh, her tits are big! Heh, look she has no underwear, heh), Mai Otome was actually fairly light hearted, (with copious amounts of fanservice-based “humor,” as well, duh.)

Things the end of Mai Otome *didn’t* have:

– Giant Shizuru x Natsuki lovefest reunion

– Nina getting a clue

– Mashiro comprehending that rebuilding the palace was *still* a bad idea for her subjects – even if it had her happy giant sunflower on it, instead of a giant laser.

– Spontaneous reincarnation of every person who had previously died. (They sort of brought back a few key people, but that was done with an actual tie-in to the plot. And it was nothing like the “our viewers are idiots” mass reincarnation from Mai Hime.) In fact, they so very did NOT bring some people back, that I can only assume that that was the major complaint they had heard on the first series.

Things the ending *did* have:

– The calvary thundering down the hill to the rescue about three dozen times. And as stupid as each one was, I enjoyed it every time. :-)

– A really amusing, if obvious, gag involving Miss Maria.

– Chie and Aoi lovefest reunion

– Haruka getting a moment of actual cool

– All the Otome getting a moment of actual cool

– An epilogue which not only made some sense, but gives the most obnoxious plot complication (Nina and Sergey) a chance to reset in a semi-organic manner.

Ratings:

Art – 8 (On a head-to-head comparison, the art for Mai Otome is SO much better than that for Mai Hime)
Characters – 8
Story – 7
Music – 7
Yuri – 5
Service – 8

Overall – 7

Overall, I really think that this ending was as good as we could have hoped for from this series. This summer there are 4 Mai Otome movies slated for release…let’s see if they can manage to not ruin the TV series for us, shall we? ^_^