Anime Review: Maria sama ga miteru

Review Maria sama ga miteru Written by Warpshadow rating very good

Ever feel that anime can get just a bit too hyper for your tastes? You won't get that feeling watching Maria sama ga miteru and fortunately the show isn't boring either.

Yumi Fukuzawa is an average if a bit insecure first year student at the Lillian girls catholic school. One day when she arrives and Sachiko an older student fixes her collar. At that moment a picture is taken of the two of them. The girl that took the photograph agrees that she will give it back if Sachiko says so. So Yumi goes to the school council building, known as the rose mansion but when she gets there she receives an unexpected proposition. Sachiko is in need of a younger student to take the position of being her Soeur (can be translated as younger sister or something like a apprentice) and wants Yumi to fill that

Maria sama ga miteru is a very subdued show, something I feel is both the show's greatest strength and weakness. First of all it relies strongly on character development, which is the show's forte as you will become very familiar with the cast. It is exceptional considering short run of the show and the sizable cast. The animation is also well done, with special consideration done to the character designs. On the other hand some people may find the show boring. It also shies away from the melodrama that I particularly like in shojo anime, with the exception of episode 11. There is also the potential for looking at this as a lesbian show, however I feel that is largely unwarranted, except again for episode 11. Overall I would say that this is a good show but lacks the emotional punch to make it a great one.