HANAUKYO MAIDS TAI: LA VERITE
New and improved, now with more Hot Chicks(tm)
Review by: Craig "Saving Up To Hire a Cute Maid" Norris
Length: 12 episodes
Genre: Romance
Watched: 1-12, subbed
Everyone deserves a second chance. As a result, I decided to forgive the first Hanaukyo Maids series and see if the formula could be improved upon. With expectations fairly low, I settled in to watch this series, hoping at best for some cute repartee and some fanservice. What I got was something with a lot more to offer than its predecessor series.
Plot synopsis: After the death of his mother, Taro Hanaukyo inherits his grandfather's sprawling estate, complete with hundreds of maids at his beck and call. Taro becomes captivated with one of the maids, Mariel, and attempts to learn more about her. But no record exists of who she is or where she came from. After the truth about her is revealed, Taro and the maids must work diligently to protect her, even if it means defying the Hanaukyo family itself.
Artwork: Much better than the first series. The character designs have a much more polished look to them, and the series relies much less on stylized cuteness. The show does equally well with displaying character emotion through facial expressions as it does with exaggerated silliness and over-the-top reactions. It is a great improvement, and is up to par with most recent romance anime in that department.
Music: Not bad, but not great. You'll find pretty much the same kinds of tracks as you do for other romance anime. The opening and closing songs are okay, and in-episode tracks are fluffy, mood-mimicking background noise. It's fine for the genre, but it's really too blasé to stand on its own with any degree of success.
Characters: Most of the characters remained as they were in the first series, but were just developed to a much higher degree. The biggest difference is that Taro's allergy to girls seems to have cleared up. Good news for him, because there are ONE HUNDRED BILLION MAIDS that dote on him daily. He's still a laid-back, easygoing guy who seems to be a little uncomfortable with all the attention. Mariel's character was fleshed out infinitely more than in the first series; so much so that she becomes the central issue of the plot. Considering how innocently the series starts off (if you consider naked maids to be innocent), her significance is actually quite shocking. Cynthia and Grace are the same as before, but more focus is placed on Grace and her desire to protect Cynthia. Konoe, head of security, is still uptight and overprotective. Still, she finds outlets to express her emotions, most noticeably with a puppy that Cynthia finds. Ikuyo's quirkiness and love of anime and manga is given much more detail than before. Ryuka is developed into more than just a spoiled rich girl, though her personality still acts as a clashing point between her and Taro at times. The triplets, Lemon, Marron, and Melon (formerly Ichi-go, Ni-go, and San-go) are the same nymphomaniacs we know and love. If anything, they're even more perverted than before. One new main character got thrown into the mix: Yashima of the security division. She is stern like Konoe at times, but secretly worships her, to the point of having all sorts of Konoe images and memorabilia in her room. Her infatuation leads to some very telling daydreams on her part. This series actually allows characters to grow and develop, whereas the previous one relegated them to mere props. Seeing the characters transcend the clichés that spawned them really made me sit up and take notice.
Plot: This plot has much more of a bite to it than the first one. The first half is a bunch of getting-to-know-the-characters episodes, which I suppose are necessary, especially since this series works independently of the first one. The second half goes into detail about why Mariel is the way she is, and develops into an engrossing search-and-rescue mission, complete with arch nemesis and explosions. Needless to say, there's much more substance to be had in the more recent of the Hanaukyo Maids series, and serves to almost make me forget how little of it was in the first series.
CHICKS!: When the word Hanaukyo appears in the title, you just know there's going to be more chicks running around than there are periodic elements. The chicks pretty much all have the same appeal as they did in the first series, with an increase in personality development being icing on the cake. My favorites are still the triplets, whose sole desire is to gratify their masters' sexual needs. The new girl, Yashima, is high on my list because of her lesbian tendencies, and because she allows us grateful viewers to see her daydreams of her and Konoe's private moments. I really like Ikuyo, too, because she's an otaku to the core, and those glasses just make her look so cute. I'll forgive her for being a gossip and a little warped. Ryuka gets my "Comeback Chick of the Year" award, for evolving from a spoiled brat in the first series to someone who actually matures and has emotion. Not to mention that she looks great in a swimsuit. Kind of a shame that her hair resembles two rolled roasts pinned to her head, but nobody's perfect (except for Aoi Sakuraba, but that's a different review). And yes, there are still nameless maids that get naked for no reason. Ah, sometimes the simplest pleasures in life are the most fulfilling. I can safely say that I like every single girl in this series, and there are some that I absolutely adore.
Overall: I am thrilled about all the improvements that were made to this title. I recognized great potential in the first series, and was disappointed to see it squandered. This series makes up for its past failings, and presents us with a finished product that impresses on numerous levels. So don't be deterred by the title alone and give this series a chance. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Then again, it couldn't be much worse than the original, now could it?
IN A NUTSHELL:
+ Dramatic improvement
+ Solid plot
+ Good character development
- Starts off slowly
Rating: 8/10