Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! Review

Hello there. This is review number fifty six. It’s still part of the Fall 2011 lineup. It’s Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai or “Seriously, Fall in love with me”. It sounds nice and I think the anime is great. This is my review of this twelve episode anime.

The Summer 2012 anime is almost half way done too. The Fall 2012 lineup is also revealed last week. Looks like my list just got bigger. I need to wrap up the Fall 2011 lineup soon. Let’s read on already.

Story

The anime had a premise about the school being proud of its martial arts background so it encourages the student to become great fighters. They have weapons designed by the school to hurt like a b*tch but not kill your opponent. When a class or two people have a disagreement, they hash it out in battle approved by the school. Our lead, Yamato Naoe, is a tactician with no real fighting skill but he is able to think fast on his feet. Towards the end of episode one, he confesses to one of the strongest girl in the class and his childhood friend, Momoyo Kawakami, who promptly rejects him for reasons the anime would reveal on later episodes.

Taking the Pants Off

Here’s another anime that only started to get good on episode four. What is with the Fall lineup littered with these kinds of anime? First there was CxCxC then there was Kyoukai no Horizon. This anime has the same set up. It started with an action packed first episode that seemed like it was inspired by a hack and slash game. There were a lot of characters introduced that really overwhelmed me because it was hard to keep up. The main characters are mixed with the minor ones so I don’t know who I should focus on. The dust settled and the anime is actually about the tactician of Class F, Yamato Naoe.

Episode one was a bit of a misdirection because it was packed with fight scenes. The anime is mostly Ecchi and Comedy. I really do not understand the reason for having a big fight scene on the first episode because the rest of the anime is predominantly Ecchi. The second episode finally focused on the main characters.The rest of the first half is about character introduction. Yamato has four girls admiring him and the anime used some of the episodes to introduce the characters and tell their reason why Yamato is special to them.

The anime only became clear after episode four where the Ecchi was rampant and the Comedy is introduced. It’s also where the anime ultimately shines. Yamato’s interaction with the girls was nice and each was special in their own way. Every girl that likes Yamato is really likeable even though they were a bit generic. Their personality was given time to shine and they were given some alone time with Yamato. Some of the scenes are really inspired like Yamato convincing one of the girls that being naked is OK and she shouldn’t be ashamed if Yamato takes a peek at her vulnerable body.

The anime restricts itself a bit by not having the characters show off their nipples or boobs. It’s different from Maken-ki where girls are stripping almost everywhere. The censors didn’t stop the anime’s perverted nature though. That’s where the anime really convinced me of how good it is. Case in point, the phallic candy scene.

I was really laughing hard at how brilliant the anime executes its Ecchi without going overboard and becoming a trashy fan service anime. There were some dialogues that completely caught me off guard and I couldn’t believe how well done it was. The anime also pokes fun at its VN roots in a very subtle way though. There was one scene where Yamato was forced to play the VN version of the anime but the scene was a bit slapstick.

The characters in the anime started out one dimensional at first and the rather clusterf*ck of the first episode introduced some characters the anime never showed again so it was annoying but the anime slowly fixed itself during the rest of the episodes. The main girls are a bit generic but the story calls for them to be unique at times. By the time the second half rolls in, all the girls are completely likeable with that little unique thing about them separating themselves from the rest of the pack. The minor ones had their own moments too but they were often used to make the main ones look good. It was a shame too because I really like the side characters but they disappeared come the second half.

The second half got a bit serious. The Ecchi was replaced with Harem and all the girls started getting aggressive trying to get Yamato’s affection. It was funny because most Harem anime have rather complacent girls. The story also got serious about a group of smuggling arms dealer trying to start a revolution and overthrow Japan. There were suddenly talks of how a country only serves itself and not the people it rules. There were topics of misplaced patriotism and stories of how Japan abandoned its people.  It was really deep compared to the first half but I was never really reeled in by the story because it seems a bit forced and honestly, a bit cheesy.

I find the story a bit forced but it was one of the reasons why the second was better than the first half. There was also a lot of Action taking place in the second half. In the first half, they established Momoko as a super fighting machine that no one can beat and so it was interesting to see this untouchable girl being beaten up by some better than her.

The villain in this anime had very little screen time but they were formidable opponents for the cast to face. They don’t seem threatening or menacing though and their reason for fighting was never fully explained until the ending. They were great villains as far as the story goes but not really memorable ones that make you want to hate them. They did provide some of the awesome action scenes in the anime so I couldn’t complain.

The anime ended pretty nicely with good build up for the finale and a massive fight that resembles the first episode. There were some great twists in the end and Yamato actually reveals who he likes in the end. It’s a superb anime with all the elements working with each other and making the overall experience amazing one.

Sight and Sound

The character design is pretty nice. They often use very bright primary colors for the hair and the skin. No character looked alike and they were all unique in terms of character design. The way the characters dress up and use their weapons also make it easier to remember who is who. There is a wide range of characters here ranging from normal school kids to even a kimono wearing one.

The animation was pretty solid. Some of the fight scenes were really great and it easily shows on the first episode. The fight scenes were steady and had a nice pacing to it even though they were a bit short and multiple fights occur at the same time. Yamato also has his own moments of glory where his tactician title is proven and not just some label the anime stuck to him.

The anime had its own censorship which bothered me a bit. There were a lot of nude scenes in the anime but the anime would cover it up not with blinding light but with an annoying censor. It’s funny in its own way but even the slightest sign of boobs imprinting on a shirt gets the censor. It’s both good and bad in some aspects but the anime is respectable for not going that route. The phallic candy is enough to freak people out.

The soundtrack of the anime was OK for the most parts. The OP was great and it reflected the Action parts of the anime. The OP sequence introduces all the characters but without spoiling the story. The lip synching of the characters as the song plays was a nice touch as well.

The ED song was a bit bubbly and sweet. It was sung by the girls of the anime and it was nice to see the seiyuus sing their own songs. I love it when an anime does that. The ED sequence showed the girls of the anime in their swimsuit and some of them are nude obviously reflecting the Ecchi element of the anime.

Overall Score

5/10 “A nice anime with some pretty memorable cast.”

All the elements were nicely executed and the characters were nicely developed as well.  The story was solid and the pacing was great. I recommend it.