Anime Review: Kaichou wa Maid-sama

Anime: Kaichou wa Maid-sama (The President is a Maid)

Genre: Shoujo, Drama, Romance, Comedy

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

General Setup: Misaki Ayuzawa is the student council president of Seika High, a school that has recently transitioned from an all-boys school to co-ed. The girls are still a minority and Misaki, a self-professed hater of the male gender, has taken it upon herself to improve the quality of life for the female students. However, she has a secret that she would do anything to keep from being revealed; in order to help out her single mom she works as a maid at a cosplay cafe. Misaki’s world is turned upside down when Takumi Usui, the most popular boy at Seika High, discovers her secret. At first she despairs that she will  lose her tough reputation as the ‘Demon President’, but when a few days pass and Usui has not told anyone of her secret she becomes confused. To make matters worse, Usui soon becomes a regular at the cafe. What are his motives?

Characters: Misaki is a hard worker, refusing to quit, even to the point of exhaustion. She has a strong personality, but is open to constructive criticism. Even though she is embarrassed of her workplace she doesn’t hate the job. Not much is revealed about Usui’s personal life. He keeps a close watch on Misaki and helps her several times. Usui doesn’t seem to care what other people think about him. He is liked among his classmates, but prefers to be alone.

Plot: Most of the plot centers around Misaki and her job at the ‘Maid Latte’ cafe. However, it is complex in that it shifts to cover a wide spectrum events in her life. Halfway through the anime the focus changes from Misaki’s efforts of keeping her secret safe to a love triangle. All in all it is a fun show to watch; I have done so three times!

Ending: The anime does not cover all of the content revealed in the manga, but it comes to a good stopping point as any. Some threads are left untied, but the ending feels resolved.

Things to Watch For: Just be aware that one of the side characters likes to cross-dress.

Humor: This show is funny! Most of the humor is presented in the form of gags. For example, when the boys of Seika High are acting up, as they often do, Misaki will whip them into shape and send them flying, literally. Also, there is a group of boys from Seika that frequent the Maid Latte and provide comic relief.

Moral Lessons: Keeping peace means listening to everyone’ suggestions, even if you don’t like them. Trying something new and getting out of your comfort zone is beneficial in the long run. You can’t do everything by yourself.

Sights and Sounds: One of the things I liked about this anime was that some of the characters are in a band and you get to hear them play on multiple occasions. It’s like watching a miniature music video in the middle of the episode! As a whole the soundtrack has a light happy feel, but there is also a driving force behind the music. I especially liked the little violin sound clips played between commercial breaks. The animation for Kaichou wa Maid-sama is not the best, but it’s not the worst either. About medium, I guess. There is something about watching this anime that is calming.

Other Media: Kaichou wa Maid-sama is based on a complete manga series by Hiro Fujiwara. One OVA has been made for the anime.

Fillers: I am almost next-to certain that there are no fillers in this anime (my definition of fillers is staying true to the manga). There are a couple times when the anime takes a slight diversion from the main plot. These may or may not be in the manga; it’s been a while since I read it.

Length: There are 26 episodes in the anime.

Where to Watch: You can watch Kaichou wa Maid-sama for free on Hulu.

Video Review:

Anime Review: The World is Still Beautiful

Title: The World is Still Beautiful/Still World is Beautiful (Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)

Genre: Fantasy, romance, comedy, shoujo

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

General Set-up: Nike is a princess of the Principality of Rain, a nation whose rulers have the ability to summon rain. In order to maintain peace with the powerful Sun Kingdom Nike agrees to an arranged marriage with the Sun King, Livius I. When she arrives in the Sun Kingdom she is surprised to find that the Sun King is younger than she is. The two are off to a rough start when Livius throws Nike into prison because she refuses to summon rain for him. Will they ever get along?

Characters: Nike is 17 and the youngest of four sisters. She is brave and headstrong, but also has a compassionate heart. She quickly realizes that Livius’ rough facade stems from pain in his heart. Livius appears to be 12, but is actually 15. He is mature beyond his years and has seen much of life’s pain. Under his care and guidance the Sun Kingdom has grown to be the most prosperous nation in the world in just three years. Livius is the character who changes the most in the anime.

Plot: The concept behind this story was familiar, but with original touches. The plot was straightforward, but with enough pizzazz to keep things interesting. I liked how Nike’s powers extended from not only summoning rain, but having control over all the components that make up a storm, like wind and clouds. It was the little details that really made this anime.

Ending: The end has a nice feel to it, but the story is not completely resolved. I am excited to read the manga and find out what happens next.

Things to Watch For: There is some fanservice in this anime. Also some adult themes are referenced. For example, one of the side characters is shown waking up in the morning with the innkeeper's daughter.

Humor: The World is Still Beautiful does have humor, but it isn’t one of the main pillars that make up the show.

Moral Lessons: Even though bad things happen beauty is still evident. Love heals.

Sights and Sounds: The animation for this anime was good, but nothing spectacular. I like the opening song and how every few episodes they would change or add something to the animation of the opening. It made me watch it each time so I could see what was different. To summon rain Nike sings a song. Part of this involves singing select lines in English. For example, the song begins with, “It’s a tender rain.” Whenever it is raining outside I have the urge to run outside and attempt to sing her song like I am the one summoning the rain.

Other Media: The World is Still Beautiful is based on a manga that started in 2012 and is ongoing.

Fillers: There are no fillers in This World is Still Beautiful.

Length: There are 12 episodes in this anime.

Where to Watch: You can watch This World is Still Beautiful on Crunchyroll and Hulu.