Pete sez:

Steven rated Hand Maid May a lot higher than Popotan...

Well, yeah. Hell of a lot better series. When someone asks me for an example of a harem comedy that I think is really done right, my answer is Hand Maid May.

It's far from being flawless. By far the biggest fault is that the storyline logic is a tattered mess, which is why J and I spent a lot of time and emails trying to retcon it (SPOILERS) to make some sense of what was going on, especially the ending.

But what's right about it far outweighs what's wrong about it. First, Kazuya is an example of the right kind of central guy for a harem comedy. He's a nerd; we're not talking super-hero here, let alone super-perv. He's kind and decent and he's happy inside his own skin. He knows who he is and I think that deep down he knows what he wants. It's hardly surprising that Kasumi fell in love with him, before the series starts.

Part of why HMM is good is that the fan service makes sense. Kasumi flashes her panties at Kazuya, and wears low-cut necklines around him, because she's making a play for the guy. She also "accidentally" trips and falls on him in the first episode -- same thing. She's trying to get close to him, and trying to make him get close to her because he isn't the kind of guy who gets aggressive with a girl, even one who's sending him really strong "I'm available" signals like she is. Odds are he's never had a girl friend and doesn't know anything about getting one. And it's clear that she knows it. So she wears extremely short skirts -- but only when she's around him. And she does things which flash her panties at him -- but only him. The fan service from her is in character. It isn't gratuitous.

One notable thing about her panchira only just now occurred to me. In a flashback in one episode she accidentally shows him her panties, up the ladder when looking at the bird's nest, and she's embarassed. Contrast her complete lack of embarassment with all the cases where she panty-flashes him in the series, when she's older. It's obvious she's doing it on purpose.

There isn't anything in the series which sets off squick alarms. Not even Rena-chan. The model is clearly designed to be a fetish object for dirty old men; let's be clear about that. (How many real girls that age wear thigh-stockings and a garter belt?) But Kazuya never treats her that way, and her role in the series is "kid sister", not "horny loli".

The only character I really actively disliked was Mami; her "jewish mother" match-making and the other stuff she did was really annoying as hell. But it doesn't last long, and once we find out what's going on it also makes sense.

One of the best reasons for why this series is good is that they didn't wear out their welcome. They had 10 episodes of story to tell, so they told the story in 10 episodes. They didn't try to stretch it. And there really isn't any filler; every episode contributes to the story being told.

The biggest reason this series works is because the characters are so engaging (except for Mami). Even Cyber-X and Commando Z, in the end; they were all wonderful. And, much to my surprise, even Nanbara. At the end I liked even him.

When I reviewed it, I gave it 2.5 stars. And even though that was 5 years ago, I stand by that. This is no Divergence Eve.

But it gets a thumbs up, because to this day it remains one of the best fan service shows I think I've ever seen. And it is certainly the best harem comedy I've ever seen. No other has ever measured up.

UPDATE: By the way, there's a torrent available. And Bob still has it in stock, after all these years.

UPDATE: Another thing that makes sense is the formation of the harem. Usually in harem comedies it beggars belief that all those gorgeous babes want the same clueless loser of a guy, but in this show it makes perfect sense every single time.

UPDATE: Pete links to Evirus about Hand Maid May, and one of the questions Evirus asks is, "In the second part of the series, where does May spend her nights?"

Actually, that's pretty clear. Kei has the apartment below Kazuya's, and May (and eventually Mami) spend their nights down there with her.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 06:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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