Well, let's keep on going. More random anime ranting!
So, what is Hakuou Academy? The most expensive, most exclusive school in Japan. So, Ouran or Ashford by another name. But we'll get to those two locales all too soon.
Due to being inexplicably brilliant, Nagi has skipped several years, as have several other students using the power of extreme wealth, so there's quite an age range in a single grade. Sure, it's a bit contrived, but when the moral of the story is "rich people can get away with dodgy shit", I'm hardly going to argue. Also, I do like the relationships which develop between the various students, and I'd hate for a rather pointless level of segregation by age to be introduced, so I'm just running with it.
Anyway, several students are introduced prior to Hakuou, as they are old friends of Nagi. In no particular order:
Isumi Saginomiya:
OK, I said I'd talk about the characters in no particular order, but I lied. I'm talking about Isumi because she's fucking awesome. Although quiet and, well, a diplomatic individual would call her "refined" and "traditional", but really Isumi is shy and really quite awkward. It's just the little things about Isumi that tell so much about her personality. Her refusal to wear regular school uniforms in favour of a kimono. Her insistence on covering her mouth when talking. The fact that she and Nagi have only been lifelong friends because Isumi is the only person who can easily interpret Nagi's nonsensical manga plots. She's fantastic because of her clear-cut individuality.
She also, almost as an aside, is an exorcist with phenomenal power. Y'know. Just because.
As already kinda touched upon, Hayate no Gotoku has a strange relationship with the supernatural. Athena (we'll get there soon) is layered in so much supernatural plot-filler bullshit, it's kinda hard to ignore, and I certainly have mixed feelings about the location of the soul of Nagi's father, but Isumi is personified proof that using the supernatural concepts can work. Instead of it being some character driving power which is at ends with the personality of the individual, Isumi appears to use her cloud cuckoo-lander in perfect unison with the ever-vague "powers". Her personality ensures it will never be used for evil (because she has no idea how to do that) as well as the powers never being explained (I'm aware they're hereditary, but what the powers themselves are is left vague) because Isumi probably doesn't know.
Really, the supernatural element simply injects some steel into a character who would otherwise be a charming but cliche shy wallflower. Also, she's insanely handy for solving plot holes. Why did something happen? Isumi brought it into the city. Why did something cease happening? Isumi fixed it.
In conclusion, I really goddamn love Isumi. On my inevitably list of favourite characters, she scores a decent 3rd place. Why? She's individual, she's charming, she's funny, she's always a pleasant break from some of the more serious/wacky characters, and is a fantastic middle ground and straight man. Also, in the sense of full disclosure, she's adorable. I don't mean in a sexualised way, but she's just really cute. In my defence, my mother collected Kimmi Dolls when I was growing up, so call it nostalgia. Anyway, Isumi = awesome. Also, her family, of which she is the most grounded, is also well set up.
Wataru Tachibana:
We're officially at the point where I would have had absolutely no fucking idea what Wataru's surname is unless I looked it up. I would have gotten Isumi without checking! I just would have had no goddamn idea how to spell it (which is ironic when you consider I've only ever watched subs).
ANYWAY Wataru. Wataru's...kinda meh. I mean, he's the only male friend Nagi really has (and is also her fiance. Organised by their families. Because rich, modern Japan = medieval Europe. To be honest, I don't know a thing about Japan after 1945 (history major), so they very well could be), and that's something, but he's still, most of the time, a bit of an arsehole. I mean, a lot of it is played off as insecurity, shyness, nervousness or impulsiveness or the like, but he still comes across as an extremely spoilt little shit. And this is in a world mostly populated by spoilt little shits, and he himself isn't really rich. He runs a tiny video store with the help of his maid (just run with it), attempting to re-build the family fortune which recently crumbled. And then his parents died, and the kid's had it rough. Still, kind of a dick to everyone. Hayate, Saki (the maid) and (rather inexplicably) Hamster (we'll get to her, even if we cover no-one else) take the brunt of his shit, and really, most attempts to make him more likable fall short.
There's the crush Wataru has on Isumi, which is alright, I guess, but considering Isumi doesn't care in the slightest, and I'm following the Isumi side of the story whenever there is one, I don't end up caring that much about him either. There's the little brother-big sister relationship he has with Sakuya (coming up next), but considering the crux of that is her helping him pursue Isumi, I still never got that invested in him. Really, the relationship between Wataru and Saki is the most interesting thing about him, and he's creepily possessive in that too.
Overall, Wataru just doesn't leave much of an impression. He acts like a dick, but it was for a reason. So we end up as square 1. He falls for someone who doesn't care about him, and I take the side of the infatuee. Back to square 1. He does something. It comes to nothing. And he seemingly learns nothing. Sure, his video story is his passion, and that's pretty well played, but at no point are we given a reason he wants the family fortune back. Is it to honour his parents? Does he want something? All I know is that he wants money, seemingly for no other reason than to just have money. I really can't get behind this kid, and that's all I can say.
Sakuya Aizawa:
Hmm. Sakuya. What to say about Sakuya?...Well. She's everyone's big sister. Nagi, Wataru, her real, rarely touched upon siblings, her parents, everyone. Not Hayate. She has...a different relationship with Hayate. Just...watch the 3rd season for some insight into that. I got nothing. She also seems to be holding down fanservice duty more than most other characters. Case in point . Yes, it's redrawn, but she wore that in the anime/manga. For some reason.
She has an obsession with slapstick comedy, full of references which I, as an Australian, totally get. She's also from Kansai, which is a distinction that I, as an Australian, totally get. Which I'm told is often portrayed as the difference between a Texan and other Americans. Which is a distinction that I, as an Australian, totally get. Or the difference between an American and a Canadian. Which is a distinction that I, as an Australian, totally get. OK, fuck it, I'm gonna pretend she's a Kiwi. NOW I GET THE JOKES. ALL THE JOKES. HA HA HA. And no, I'm not blaming a Japanese show aimed at Japanese kids for having some jokes I'm not going to get. That's perfectly normal. However, I can't pretend there aren't decent swathes of Sakuya's dialogue that I feel perfectly comfortable switching off for.
ANYWAY, perhaps the best part of Sakuya is her evil/incompetent half-brother Gilbert. WHO IS AUSTRALIAN. HE WINS. Sure, there's no inside joke for Australians. And he's referred to as an American most of the time. Sometimes I wonder why I turn off my Redgum and Jeopardy long enough to be disappointed (My stereotypical Australian references: Widely known: Not Really. Timely: Not at all. Awesome: Hell Yeah.). Anyway, Gilbert tries to steal Nagi's fortune, fucks up, get beaten by Hayate and goes home. Pretty cliche. Still Aussie pride!
Overall, Sakuya's alright. She's just kinda...there. Lending a hand occasionally. Being comedic relief. Being fanservice. Being a plot-point. I can't honestly think of a plot arc she has both instigated and prominently featured in. She just fades in and out, without being memorable. Isumi does the same thing, to be fair, but is perfectly memorable, so I don't know what to say. Sakuya: Can't have plot hooks, inexplicable references and fanservice without her.
Now, onto the various members of the bourgeois families which make up Hakuou:
Yukiji Katsura:
Yukiji? Where we're going, you don't NEED Yukiji. I honestly can't think of a single time she's actually been called that by any character in the show/manga. Katsura is the nom de guerre. And by "guerre", I mean everyday life. Which, considering the way Katsura lives, is a fair analogy.
Who or what is this mysterious woman who goes only by "Katsura"? Why, she is the introduction to/best character in Hakuou Academy. Katsura is the drunken, debt-ridden and generally useless history teacher who makes this school for me. Isumi is definitely 3rd on my top characters list, but Katsura takes a sound 2nd place. I love terrible history teachers in any media. Whether they're suppressing a murderous rage at their students or attempting to forget a dark past while raising a young girl in the zombie apocalypse, history teachers are always awesome. Respect history teachers, kids. Particularly in the next 4-7 years, depending on how long an education degree takes.
ANYWAY. Katsura, former punk-rock revolutionary, outshone by her (in-universe, not saying she isn't, just making the distinction) gorgeous, strong, brilliant little sister, who has taken a job at the prestigious Hakuou Academy, who we meet attempting to prevent a suspicious individual (Hayate) enter the school because her pay has been cut too much. And she needs that pay to get drunk off.
The first question is: How the hell did Katsura get hired here? Good goddamn question, me. I got nothing. She works for peanuts? She won't notice the massive syphoning off of funds the principal is likely undertaking? She lacks the morals that would prevent lesser teachers from letting kids buy their way through school? Kauro (fellow teacher, gormlessly in love with Katsura) did it? Probably the last one, to be honest, but any could work.
I could talk about Katsura all day, and I'd be happy to, but it's already 1:30, and I want to wrap this up pretty soon.
Katsura is brilliant because she blends childish joy, near-parental responsibility, hedonism, obliviousness and a genuine respect and love for her job and her students. She raised her sister single handedly, is a decent teacher and is fun but isn't the stuffy, goody-goody woman anime seems to have a predilection towards. She loves life, and goddamn I like that. She's the closest this show comes to a character residing in a morally grey area (no-one goddamn mention Athena. That's a moral bullshit area), and she just radiates irresponsibility and childishness. Goddamn, I'd love to have had a teacher like Katsura. Fuck, I want to BE a teacher like Katsura!
Hakuou Three Amiga (Miki, Izumi, Risa):
Now, it's over simplistic to de-humanise these characters by referring to them like this, as one group. So let's call them "Blue" (Miki), "Black" (Risa) and Izumi. Don't question my methods! Yes, I get Blue and Black's names mixed up. So we're running with this instead.
These three make up the disciplinary council of Hakuou and are essentially the embodiment of the collective student body of Hakuou. They're rich, young, pretty, easily bored, and couldn't care less about their grades. They're pretty good, when it comes to characters. Blue is the granddaughter of a Japanese PM. I'm not guessing which one. That would be crass. She's the "brains", for want of a better term, of the trio, and comes up with the plans which inevitably end up victimising Hayate, Izumi or both.
Blue also has a rather interesting "will they/won't they" going with Hinagiku (coming up in a minute). I might just be reading too much into it, but, hell, I gotta ship someone! Apparently. It's very subtle, and Blue is always very blase about it, playing things like giving Hinagiku Valentine's chocolates off as a big joke. But I think otherwise.
Black, while probably the blandest of the trio, is essentially the mouth, begging and pleading her way into/out of various situations, and then acting as if she did this purely by the power of her will. She's OK. I don't know what else to say. I'm afraid her co-conspirators are leaving her in the dust in the matter of characterisation. She's the tallest!
Izumi. OK, first off, where does the maker of this series get off with having both "Isumi" and "Izumi" existing in the same area. It's a real pain in the goddamn arse. The other problem being that both are really good characters. I really like Izumi. She's the innocent of the three, often ending up the butt of their pranks, and also seems to be carting around fanservice duty most of the time.
She's the only one of the trio to be a romantic interest to Hayate (a poor fate for a character, if there ever was one), and it's played well. Izumi is rather passive, just letting things go, and being, well, a child. She seems to end up in a lot of situations she doesn't want to be, but her general optimism and resilience make her very likable. I'm going to go ahead and give her position 5 on my top characters list, because why not. She also has a brother. Who is also in love with Hayate. 'Nuff said.
The three together have a close relationship with Katsura, which is great, because they all seem to act like 12 year olds. Overall, the group presents a nice idea of how exactly Hakuou operates, full of childish pranks and silly games. The three are pretty damn good.
Hinagiku Katsura:
Student president, Kendo champion, star pupil, popular amongst boys and girls alike. Shining sister, obscuring the dark presence of a drunken teacher, and a strong, stubborn personality. If I was a more cynical man, I'd call her a Mary-Sue, but as is I'll admit why Hina has a decent following (according to popularity votes in the manga). She's an interesting character, easily handling her various duties, but troubled by her infatuation with a recently arrived butler who is generally lacking in personality and distinctive traits beyond being one of the less than a half-dozen male students in the entire school, apparently.
I have to admit, I don't consider Hina one of my favourite characters. Sure, I can find myself a little invested in her pursuit of Hayate, despite the fact she seemingly always ends up in some way abusing the poor bastard. But at the end of the day, she seems to have everything down. She has good grades, a happy family and a good position at the school. So...why do I care about her? I mean, beyond Hayate and dealing with her inexplicably awesome sister, she doesn't have any problems. I mean, good for her! Not many of my favourite characters have "real" problems. The issue is that Hina is played as having these issues. Hayate is a BIG issue, apparently. And...well...he isn't. If there's one thing Hayate isn't, it's "important".
Hina just seems to fall apart when dealing with Hayate, and I get why. Sure, it's nerves, young love, whatever. But it just ends up a one-way conversation. Hayate is essentially Mariel, and ends up just doing what makes the most people happy. He isn't a character. Watching a reasonably developed character stress about ONLY dealing with Hayate is like losing sleep over opening a door. Sure, the door might be stubborn, but it's not going to care.
I'm sorry. I'm tired and I can physically feel my explanations make less and less sense (2:15. Blame the time). I just...don't really care about Hina. I don't dislike Hina. I don't resent her presence on the show. I don't even have a problem understanding her popularity. I just...don't feel much empathy for her. None of her problems represent any of my problems. Let's look at my favourite characters so far:
5th - Izumi:
I can empathise with ending up the unintentional butt of jokes, attempting to keep a positive outlook, dealing with rather...unique siblings and dealing with the many burdens of being the cute one in my group of friends. For the record, I'm ALWAYS the cute one, no matter the friends.
4th - Maria:
Attempting to be the voice of reason, dealing with the fact you don't have much life lived by some people's standards and intense boredom.
3rd - Isumi:
Not having an interest in relationships, having a small, intimate group of friends, dressing in an inappropriate style that you feel more comfortable in.
2nd - Katsura:
Balancing a love of education & responsibility with the lighter sides of life. Sure, I don't drink, gamble or the like, but I can empathise with the urge.
Hina? I just can't follow. Sure, I have a sister who reminds me a bit of Katsura, but I also have a sister who reminds me of Hina. I just don't get the family affair issues. Hayate? I'm not much of a romantic, so that's not really a concern of mine. Hina just moves in a different circle to me, and I can't follow.
That ended up being more personal than I intended, but 2:30. Also, I intend to explain exactly where I'm coming from to the best of my ability.
Overall, Hina's alright. She has everything together. School isn't a massive "School Rumble-esque" series of misadventures. Most of life is just getting work done. That's an admirable attitude I respect. When that harsh mask lifts, however, I feel less sympathetic towards her Hayate-hunt.
OK. Sleep is needed. I don't know what banner to class the rest of the cast under, so I'll probably just do an "Others" post next, and maybe a separate conclusions post. I'll get Hayate done soonish, I guess. Then onto the rest of the maid-list.
Thanks for reading.
H. Rourke
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Saturday, 12 July 2014
InAnimete: Part 2 - Hayate no Gotoku (Introduction)
OK, time for the second anime off my list. This one's going to be a bit of a bastard for a few reasons. Firstly, I fucking love it. I think I'll have a few more words for it than Hanaukyo. Secondly, the length. Where Hanaukyo ran for 13ish episodes, Hayate has 200+ episodes, as well as a movie. Thirdly, I've read the manga as well, and considering it operates in the same canon as the anime, it's probably going to come up. In discussing the plot and characters, if you have seen the anime and don't know what the hell I'm talking about, it's probably the manga. Or I am just crazy. Which is almost always a possibility.
Now, on to the show.
Hayate no Gotoku:
Hayate no Gotoku, translated to something akin to "Eye of the Storm", but released in English under the title "Hayate the Combat Butler" is a long-running anime, manga and...live action series in Taiwan (but we'll get to that later. The show thrives in parody, strange humour, a childish sense of fun and memorable and charming characters. I admit here and now that this is one of my favourite animes in all, and certainly the highlight of the "Maid period". Other than one or two characters and a few somewhat forced plot points, I love this show unreservedly, bar perhaps the constant reminder that it is indeed a show aimed at a much younger audience than myself. But when have I given a shit about acting my age?
Plot:
The plot for Hayate no Gotoku is rather simple. A 16 year old kid named Hayate, who constantly works so as to provide for his rather irresponsible parents is sold to the Yakuza by said parents to pay off their debt. In fleeing from the gangsters (on Christmas Eve, no less), Hayate runs across a filthy rich 13 year old heiress named Nagi. Desperate, Hayate attempts to kidnap Nagi, but his fumbling and naive attempt of explaining the situation leads Nagi to believe Hayate is confessing his love. As Hayate attempts to demand the ransom (accidentally giving his identity away), Nagi is kidnapped again. Hayate, distraught at Nagi's disappearance is ready to give up when he meets a kind girl named Maria, and is inspired to track down and rescue Nagi so as to make amends. Rescuing Nagi, Hayate is granted the position of her butler so as to pay off the debt of his parents. Maria, who is revealed to be Nagi's maid, discovers that Nagi believes Hayate admitted his love for her, while Hayate is riven by guilt for attempting to kidnap Nagi.
Now, that was a summary of the entire first episode. I really hope this tempts at least someone into reading/watching the series. New parties are introduced, particularly surrounding Nagi's school and its residents, but the relationship between Hayate, Nagi and Maria is at the core of most of the manga and anime. So, now for the fun part...there are fucking dozens of characters. And I'm going to attempt to discuss all of the significant (i.e. named) ones. This is not going to be a single goddamn post, or it may kill me. I'll try to tackle each character in some arbitrary order of the chronological introduction, but taking their importance in the overall story into account. Remembering names is going to be fucking fun.
Now, I've tried to avoid most spoilers in the plot, so most are going to come in discussion of the characters. Fuck, the mere EXISTENCE of some characters are spoilers, so...well...read at your own risk, I guess. I'll try and cover the Sanzenin household (i.e. Nagi Sanzenin) tonight, but we'll see how I go. Now, to be honest, I'll be looking up how to spell characters names, but only if I can remember how the names sound. I consider referring to a character only as "glasses" amusing (and get used to that), but getting Isumi and Izumi confused is just irritating, so spelling may be my one caveat in my "no googling details" rule. What was I talking about? Oh, right, characters.
Characters:
Hayate Ayasaki:
Hayate Ayasaki, "butler-in-debt" and the main character. Hayate is the centre-point of the harem and, to be brutally honest with both my reader and myself, is one of the dullest characters of the entire cast. That's not to say he's unlikable or even outright "boring", but of the cast of vibrant and lively characters, Hayate is a bit of a slow down. He suffers from the same problems as Kid Hanaukyo. He needs to be a constant everyman so as to allow the viewer a bridge into the fantastical world the anime creates, but at the same time is expected to be a consistent and interesting character. It's like if in, say, Jurassic Park, the camera needed to be given a personality and reason for following any particular character. It might work, and make the viewer more submerged, but odds are the camera would be an absolute joke, with constantly changing reasons and personality. Hayate is a little different. He, instead of being given a dynamic personality to adapt to situations, is given a bland personality that fits all sizes. Sure, a square can't fit into a circle, but a blob of play-doh like Hayate can go pretty much anywhere.
I'm being too harsh, I suspect. Hayate is given a wide array of skills, explained as emerging from the fact he worked to support his parents from a very young age. I'd call "Mary-Sue" a little here, but his misfortune is a redeeming trait. I don't mean misfortune in the Mary-Sue manner, which is all earth rending tragedy and glamorous misery (yeah, I know Mary-Sue means a lot of things to a lot of people, but this fits into my definition). I mean it in the "can't keep a jacket clean" or "sucks at gambling" kind of way. Sure, he's in a fancy mansion now, but he's still just acting as a babysitter to a little girl who took a liking to him for the next 80 years (it was a big debt). He rubs everyone the wrong way, always is in the wrong place at the wrong time and just generally is the master of fucking up. THAT is his most redeeming factor, and I think that line speaks volumes. He also has a rather odd conservative streak, particularly around women. He constantly tells Nagi how a "lady" should behave, and at one point lectures a female friend on how she should be ashamed of her clothing. It's not a massive deal breaker, but it's always uncomfortable and makes his character rather hard to keep track of, in regard to complete world view.
He acts far older than his 16 years, which I'm fine with, for the most part. He has a strange history, and brief windows of joy or intense misery in his childhood are hinted at frequently, and they are pretty hit and miss. Stories of ostracisation and loneliness work fine, but never say "Royal Gardens" to me unless you want shit to go down. Overall, I don't have a massive problem with Hayate, overall, but he is a little too passive in his circumstances for the most part, especially in regard to the harem side of it all. Hayate at one point is perfectly happy to be sold into marriage over a bet (in manga). And he just goes with every demand. Not just from his mistress, but from anyone. At the end of the day, I don't want any of the female characters I like to end up with him. Take that as you will.
Nagi Sanzenin:
Nagi Sanzenin, "Young Mistress" and heiress to the Sanzenin fortune. Orphaned at a young age, Nagi was sent to a mansion with only her maid, Maria, and butler, Klaus, to keep her company by her only surviving family and current head of the Sanzenin family, her grandfather Mikado (is it weird me knowing these names? I'm normally just shit with the names of anime characters). As a result of the constant threats on her life, incredible intelligence and a lack of needing to really leave the house, Nagi developed a rather mean anti-social streak. Before meeting and hiring Hayate, Nagi had only three consistent friends, all from similarly wealthy backgrounds. Nagi insists on doing exactly what she wants, when she wants and for the duration she wishes. She's kind of awesome like that.
Nagi really appeals to me in regards to her independent spirit. This is immensely underwritten by the fact she can't actually do anything by herself, relying on Maria and Hayate for every little thing, from meals to shopping, from needing to share a bed with Maria just to be able to sleep to needing Hayate to get objects off high shelves. This is a weak point in Nagi's character, alongside the fact she's pretty much happy with the status quo, dependant on those around her.
Her relationship with Hayate is interesting and well managed. Hayate has absolutely no romantic interest in Nagi because he's 16 and she's 13 and that would be insanely creepy. Hayate believes that Nagi has just been completely forgiving after his attempted kidnapping of her, and his attentiveness and affection for her, which Nagi interprets as love, is merely a mix of guilt, loyalty and gratitude. Their relationship is a strong point, although the constant "will they/won't they" of harem animes really doesn't work in this context because Hayate has no romantic feelings towards Nagi for obvious reasons. All romantic teases fail because it's clear they'll just sail clear over Hayate's head and leave Nagi confused and disappointed.
It's ridiculously hard to surmise 4 series and a movie (not to mention 450+ manga chapters) of character development in a few short paragraphs, but Nagi's slow development over the manga, in particular, has been well portrayed. Although still selfish and self-obsessed, she has become more social and less complacent with the life she lived at the beginning of the anime. I'll be truly interested to see if that is merely a tease or a sign of radical character evolution.
Overall, Nagi is pretty good for a master/mistress character. Normally the role is one of bland, self-insertable cut-outs, but Nagi has a definite individual personality, with her naivety, childishness, stubbornness and passion for manga and anime as unique and fun amongst the entire cast. I wouldn't go as far as calling her one of my favourite characters, but she works, and that's probably the highest praise I can give.
Maria:
Maria, named after the statue of the Virgin Mary she was found in front of, is the loyal 17 year old maid of Nagi, and is clearly a mother substitute. Maria is the nurturing and caring side of the maid character, but for the most part lacks the passivity and inhuman patience of many ani-maids (coining it). Maria gets royally pissed off, develops crushes, has a childhood, is exceptionally intelligent and is self-conscious about her age. Of the three central characters, Maria is pretty clearly my favourite.
I really don't know what to say about Maria. She manages to be a doting mother-proxy to Nagi throughout most of their lives, constantly attempting to encourage her to undertake more taxing endeavours, but until Hayate arrives, is barely successful. As later in the manga, in particular, discusses, Maria had been perhaps too coddling of Nagi, permitting her to forsake any task Nagi lost interest in, and preventing her from learning from her failures. I don't know if Maria should really take the blame for this, but it's an interesting angle.
Sadly, particularly again in the manga, Maria has been becoming a more and more fringe character, particularly as she has been less responsible for a steadily maturing Nagi. One element that is interesting is her relationship with Hayate. Maria, as with her age, is self-conscious about her lack of romance in her school days. As she, like Nagi, is eerily intelligent, she skipped grades, and even became the Student President as a pre-teen, I think. The main group of males interested in her as a student were into the "Lolita" aspect of her persona, and that is creepy enough to put anyone off anything. Hayate, however, represents a boy about her own age who is in close proximity with her on a daily basis. The "will they/won't they" between Hayate and Maria is far better handled than that between Hayate and Nagi (no, there isn't much "will they/won't they between Nagi and Maria. Although that certainly would have been a novel angle). Maria and Hayate seem to have a lot in common, although the different worlds in which they were raised is a constant conflict. Hayate, the world weary jack of all trades who actually knows what the world is like (he internally refers to Maria and Nagi as "housecats" on several occasions) is at ends with Maria, the academic maid, more familiar with dealing with the obscenely wealthy and their natural excess than the real world. It's an interesting relationship, and I like the few places where it's explored.
There's also the idea of Maria as the head of the household, which is tackled in an interesting manner. The Sanzenin Mansion is occupied by a large division of personnel known as "SP", which I always assumed just meant Sanzenin Police. This group, sworn to protect (inefficiently) Nagi from those who would wish to do her harm, are at the complete mercy of Maria. The head butler (and only other butler), Klaus, is also in the same position, particularly in regards to Maria's garden. Sure, that last bit's a little cliche and outdated, but the idea of a 17 year old maid running the entire household of this elaborate mansion is a fascinating one, and a nice character touch.
Overall, Maria is appealing because of her position somewhat removed from the idle rich, but still entrenched in their world, working for Nagi, but still maintaining her independence and ensuring Nagi lives up to a certain level of human interaction. Maria is dorky, maternal, patient without being victimised by her Mistress's demands, charismatic and just a regular human in extraordinary circumstances. I really do like Maria's character. I am a little curious what/if she's getting paid. I mean, even if she is, she never gets time off, so when does she spend it? Is she saving up for something? All this aside, Maria is probably my favourite ani-maid of all time, with Maid-Guy coming up a close second, but we'll get to him another day, I hope.
Klaus:
Klaus, Head Butler, is the on again off again antagonist for Hayate, as Klaus, a figure of seniority, stands against his untrained, untrustworthy presence. Also, he's insanely jealous. The fact Klaus is essentially a background character (along with Tama, who we'll get to in a minute) is a running joke, considering the importance he's imbued with in the first few episodes.
Klaus is infatuated with "Hermione" Ayasaki, the crossdressed persona of Hayate. It's a fun idea, and although the plot sort of forces a sense of urgency on the situation, I think it works. Klaus really doesn't have much of a presence, although the touched upon relationship between Nagi's deceased mother and Klaus is really fascinating. It somewhat makes reviewing an ongoing series difficult when I try to say "I wish they would...", as they very well might, but more on this would be nice, but the mystery is also intriguing. It would go a way to why Klaus is so opposed to Hayate, and gives Klaus a level of relevance. I suppose, as a character, he doesn't really fit into the 13-21 age bracket of the rest of the cast (having grey hair), so his exclusion was probably for the best, but I kinda miss him.
Tama:
Tama is a talking white tiger and Nagi's pet "cat". He only talks to Hayate. Because. He just...does. He, alongside Klaus, is infatuated with Hermione and has also begun to be taken off the cast list for the most part.
I have mixed feelings about Tama. On one hand, he adds an element of the childish and bizarre, a callback to the original parody nature of the show which has slowly dwindled with time (although, to be fair, I'm not 100% sure what they were parodying to start with). On the other hand, he's just at complete odds with the nature of the setting. Hayate no Gotoku has a weird relationship with the supernatural. On one hand, Isumi (we'll get there, probably next post) plays with the idea of spirits and exorcism in a fun, interesting way. Athena (again, we'll get there, but not for a while), on the other hand, is just a waste of time, and in my opinion is massive stain on the series as a whole. Between the good and bad use of the supernatural sits Tama. I can take or leave his presence, although he doesn't really fit with what the anime is now and, like Klaus, his gradual exclusion is perfectly understandable.
Of Tama and Klaus, who really can be seen as a unit, I don't really miss either, but I'm glad both are waiting in the wings in case emergency comedy relief is needed. Klaus, although an adult, barely acts it, and can fit in pretty well, and Tama is...a talking tiger, so I just don't even know where to go with that.
Anyway, that's the Sanzenin Mansion, and pretty much the entire cast for the first few episodes of Hayate no Gotoku. Next time, I'll try to surmise the cast of Hakuou Academy.
I feel like most of my character summaries were less review and more just "So far on Hayate no Gotoku". I'll try and not do that next time, but that said, I guess with a longer series it's harder to find angles for the characters that haven't already been explored. It might get easier as we move onto secondary characters. I hope.
Cheers for reading.
H. Rourke
Now, on to the show.
Hayate no Gotoku:
Hayate no Gotoku, translated to something akin to "Eye of the Storm", but released in English under the title "Hayate the Combat Butler" is a long-running anime, manga and...live action series in Taiwan (but we'll get to that later. The show thrives in parody, strange humour, a childish sense of fun and memorable and charming characters. I admit here and now that this is one of my favourite animes in all, and certainly the highlight of the "Maid period". Other than one or two characters and a few somewhat forced plot points, I love this show unreservedly, bar perhaps the constant reminder that it is indeed a show aimed at a much younger audience than myself. But when have I given a shit about acting my age?
Plot:
The plot for Hayate no Gotoku is rather simple. A 16 year old kid named Hayate, who constantly works so as to provide for his rather irresponsible parents is sold to the Yakuza by said parents to pay off their debt. In fleeing from the gangsters (on Christmas Eve, no less), Hayate runs across a filthy rich 13 year old heiress named Nagi. Desperate, Hayate attempts to kidnap Nagi, but his fumbling and naive attempt of explaining the situation leads Nagi to believe Hayate is confessing his love. As Hayate attempts to demand the ransom (accidentally giving his identity away), Nagi is kidnapped again. Hayate, distraught at Nagi's disappearance is ready to give up when he meets a kind girl named Maria, and is inspired to track down and rescue Nagi so as to make amends. Rescuing Nagi, Hayate is granted the position of her butler so as to pay off the debt of his parents. Maria, who is revealed to be Nagi's maid, discovers that Nagi believes Hayate admitted his love for her, while Hayate is riven by guilt for attempting to kidnap Nagi.
Now, that was a summary of the entire first episode. I really hope this tempts at least someone into reading/watching the series. New parties are introduced, particularly surrounding Nagi's school and its residents, but the relationship between Hayate, Nagi and Maria is at the core of most of the manga and anime. So, now for the fun part...there are fucking dozens of characters. And I'm going to attempt to discuss all of the significant (i.e. named) ones. This is not going to be a single goddamn post, or it may kill me. I'll try to tackle each character in some arbitrary order of the chronological introduction, but taking their importance in the overall story into account. Remembering names is going to be fucking fun.
Now, I've tried to avoid most spoilers in the plot, so most are going to come in discussion of the characters. Fuck, the mere EXISTENCE of some characters are spoilers, so...well...read at your own risk, I guess. I'll try and cover the Sanzenin household (i.e. Nagi Sanzenin) tonight, but we'll see how I go. Now, to be honest, I'll be looking up how to spell characters names, but only if I can remember how the names sound. I consider referring to a character only as "glasses" amusing (and get used to that), but getting Isumi and Izumi confused is just irritating, so spelling may be my one caveat in my "no googling details" rule. What was I talking about? Oh, right, characters.
Characters:
Hayate Ayasaki:
Hayate Ayasaki, "butler-in-debt" and the main character. Hayate is the centre-point of the harem and, to be brutally honest with both my reader and myself, is one of the dullest characters of the entire cast. That's not to say he's unlikable or even outright "boring", but of the cast of vibrant and lively characters, Hayate is a bit of a slow down. He suffers from the same problems as Kid Hanaukyo. He needs to be a constant everyman so as to allow the viewer a bridge into the fantastical world the anime creates, but at the same time is expected to be a consistent and interesting character. It's like if in, say, Jurassic Park, the camera needed to be given a personality and reason for following any particular character. It might work, and make the viewer more submerged, but odds are the camera would be an absolute joke, with constantly changing reasons and personality. Hayate is a little different. He, instead of being given a dynamic personality to adapt to situations, is given a bland personality that fits all sizes. Sure, a square can't fit into a circle, but a blob of play-doh like Hayate can go pretty much anywhere.
I'm being too harsh, I suspect. Hayate is given a wide array of skills, explained as emerging from the fact he worked to support his parents from a very young age. I'd call "Mary-Sue" a little here, but his misfortune is a redeeming trait. I don't mean misfortune in the Mary-Sue manner, which is all earth rending tragedy and glamorous misery (yeah, I know Mary-Sue means a lot of things to a lot of people, but this fits into my definition). I mean it in the "can't keep a jacket clean" or "sucks at gambling" kind of way. Sure, he's in a fancy mansion now, but he's still just acting as a babysitter to a little girl who took a liking to him for the next 80 years (it was a big debt). He rubs everyone the wrong way, always is in the wrong place at the wrong time and just generally is the master of fucking up. THAT is his most redeeming factor, and I think that line speaks volumes. He also has a rather odd conservative streak, particularly around women. He constantly tells Nagi how a "lady" should behave, and at one point lectures a female friend on how she should be ashamed of her clothing. It's not a massive deal breaker, but it's always uncomfortable and makes his character rather hard to keep track of, in regard to complete world view.
He acts far older than his 16 years, which I'm fine with, for the most part. He has a strange history, and brief windows of joy or intense misery in his childhood are hinted at frequently, and they are pretty hit and miss. Stories of ostracisation and loneliness work fine, but never say "Royal Gardens" to me unless you want shit to go down. Overall, I don't have a massive problem with Hayate, overall, but he is a little too passive in his circumstances for the most part, especially in regard to the harem side of it all. Hayate at one point is perfectly happy to be sold into marriage over a bet (in manga). And he just goes with every demand. Not just from his mistress, but from anyone. At the end of the day, I don't want any of the female characters I like to end up with him. Take that as you will.
Nagi Sanzenin:
Nagi Sanzenin, "Young Mistress" and heiress to the Sanzenin fortune. Orphaned at a young age, Nagi was sent to a mansion with only her maid, Maria, and butler, Klaus, to keep her company by her only surviving family and current head of the Sanzenin family, her grandfather Mikado (is it weird me knowing these names? I'm normally just shit with the names of anime characters). As a result of the constant threats on her life, incredible intelligence and a lack of needing to really leave the house, Nagi developed a rather mean anti-social streak. Before meeting and hiring Hayate, Nagi had only three consistent friends, all from similarly wealthy backgrounds. Nagi insists on doing exactly what she wants, when she wants and for the duration she wishes. She's kind of awesome like that.
Nagi really appeals to me in regards to her independent spirit. This is immensely underwritten by the fact she can't actually do anything by herself, relying on Maria and Hayate for every little thing, from meals to shopping, from needing to share a bed with Maria just to be able to sleep to needing Hayate to get objects off high shelves. This is a weak point in Nagi's character, alongside the fact she's pretty much happy with the status quo, dependant on those around her.
Her relationship with Hayate is interesting and well managed. Hayate has absolutely no romantic interest in Nagi because he's 16 and she's 13 and that would be insanely creepy. Hayate believes that Nagi has just been completely forgiving after his attempted kidnapping of her, and his attentiveness and affection for her, which Nagi interprets as love, is merely a mix of guilt, loyalty and gratitude. Their relationship is a strong point, although the constant "will they/won't they" of harem animes really doesn't work in this context because Hayate has no romantic feelings towards Nagi for obvious reasons. All romantic teases fail because it's clear they'll just sail clear over Hayate's head and leave Nagi confused and disappointed.
It's ridiculously hard to surmise 4 series and a movie (not to mention 450+ manga chapters) of character development in a few short paragraphs, but Nagi's slow development over the manga, in particular, has been well portrayed. Although still selfish and self-obsessed, she has become more social and less complacent with the life she lived at the beginning of the anime. I'll be truly interested to see if that is merely a tease or a sign of radical character evolution.
Overall, Nagi is pretty good for a master/mistress character. Normally the role is one of bland, self-insertable cut-outs, but Nagi has a definite individual personality, with her naivety, childishness, stubbornness and passion for manga and anime as unique and fun amongst the entire cast. I wouldn't go as far as calling her one of my favourite characters, but she works, and that's probably the highest praise I can give.
Maria:
Maria, named after the statue of the Virgin Mary she was found in front of, is the loyal 17 year old maid of Nagi, and is clearly a mother substitute. Maria is the nurturing and caring side of the maid character, but for the most part lacks the passivity and inhuman patience of many ani-maids (coining it). Maria gets royally pissed off, develops crushes, has a childhood, is exceptionally intelligent and is self-conscious about her age. Of the three central characters, Maria is pretty clearly my favourite.
I really don't know what to say about Maria. She manages to be a doting mother-proxy to Nagi throughout most of their lives, constantly attempting to encourage her to undertake more taxing endeavours, but until Hayate arrives, is barely successful. As later in the manga, in particular, discusses, Maria had been perhaps too coddling of Nagi, permitting her to forsake any task Nagi lost interest in, and preventing her from learning from her failures. I don't know if Maria should really take the blame for this, but it's an interesting angle.
Sadly, particularly again in the manga, Maria has been becoming a more and more fringe character, particularly as she has been less responsible for a steadily maturing Nagi. One element that is interesting is her relationship with Hayate. Maria, as with her age, is self-conscious about her lack of romance in her school days. As she, like Nagi, is eerily intelligent, she skipped grades, and even became the Student President as a pre-teen, I think. The main group of males interested in her as a student were into the "Lolita" aspect of her persona, and that is creepy enough to put anyone off anything. Hayate, however, represents a boy about her own age who is in close proximity with her on a daily basis. The "will they/won't they" between Hayate and Maria is far better handled than that between Hayate and Nagi (no, there isn't much "will they/won't they between Nagi and Maria. Although that certainly would have been a novel angle). Maria and Hayate seem to have a lot in common, although the different worlds in which they were raised is a constant conflict. Hayate, the world weary jack of all trades who actually knows what the world is like (he internally refers to Maria and Nagi as "housecats" on several occasions) is at ends with Maria, the academic maid, more familiar with dealing with the obscenely wealthy and their natural excess than the real world. It's an interesting relationship, and I like the few places where it's explored.
There's also the idea of Maria as the head of the household, which is tackled in an interesting manner. The Sanzenin Mansion is occupied by a large division of personnel known as "SP", which I always assumed just meant Sanzenin Police. This group, sworn to protect (inefficiently) Nagi from those who would wish to do her harm, are at the complete mercy of Maria. The head butler (and only other butler), Klaus, is also in the same position, particularly in regards to Maria's garden. Sure, that last bit's a little cliche and outdated, but the idea of a 17 year old maid running the entire household of this elaborate mansion is a fascinating one, and a nice character touch.
Overall, Maria is appealing because of her position somewhat removed from the idle rich, but still entrenched in their world, working for Nagi, but still maintaining her independence and ensuring Nagi lives up to a certain level of human interaction. Maria is dorky, maternal, patient without being victimised by her Mistress's demands, charismatic and just a regular human in extraordinary circumstances. I really do like Maria's character. I am a little curious what/if she's getting paid. I mean, even if she is, she never gets time off, so when does she spend it? Is she saving up for something? All this aside, Maria is probably my favourite ani-maid of all time, with Maid-Guy coming up a close second, but we'll get to him another day, I hope.
Klaus:
Klaus, Head Butler, is the on again off again antagonist for Hayate, as Klaus, a figure of seniority, stands against his untrained, untrustworthy presence. Also, he's insanely jealous. The fact Klaus is essentially a background character (along with Tama, who we'll get to in a minute) is a running joke, considering the importance he's imbued with in the first few episodes.
Klaus is infatuated with "Hermione" Ayasaki, the crossdressed persona of Hayate. It's a fun idea, and although the plot sort of forces a sense of urgency on the situation, I think it works. Klaus really doesn't have much of a presence, although the touched upon relationship between Nagi's deceased mother and Klaus is really fascinating. It somewhat makes reviewing an ongoing series difficult when I try to say "I wish they would...", as they very well might, but more on this would be nice, but the mystery is also intriguing. It would go a way to why Klaus is so opposed to Hayate, and gives Klaus a level of relevance. I suppose, as a character, he doesn't really fit into the 13-21 age bracket of the rest of the cast (having grey hair), so his exclusion was probably for the best, but I kinda miss him.
Tama:
Tama is a talking white tiger and Nagi's pet "cat". He only talks to Hayate. Because. He just...does. He, alongside Klaus, is infatuated with Hermione and has also begun to be taken off the cast list for the most part.
I have mixed feelings about Tama. On one hand, he adds an element of the childish and bizarre, a callback to the original parody nature of the show which has slowly dwindled with time (although, to be fair, I'm not 100% sure what they were parodying to start with). On the other hand, he's just at complete odds with the nature of the setting. Hayate no Gotoku has a weird relationship with the supernatural. On one hand, Isumi (we'll get there, probably next post) plays with the idea of spirits and exorcism in a fun, interesting way. Athena (again, we'll get there, but not for a while), on the other hand, is just a waste of time, and in my opinion is massive stain on the series as a whole. Between the good and bad use of the supernatural sits Tama. I can take or leave his presence, although he doesn't really fit with what the anime is now and, like Klaus, his gradual exclusion is perfectly understandable.
Of Tama and Klaus, who really can be seen as a unit, I don't really miss either, but I'm glad both are waiting in the wings in case emergency comedy relief is needed. Klaus, although an adult, barely acts it, and can fit in pretty well, and Tama is...a talking tiger, so I just don't even know where to go with that.
Anyway, that's the Sanzenin Mansion, and pretty much the entire cast for the first few episodes of Hayate no Gotoku. Next time, I'll try to surmise the cast of Hakuou Academy.
I feel like most of my character summaries were less review and more just "So far on Hayate no Gotoku". I'll try and not do that next time, but that said, I guess with a longer series it's harder to find angles for the characters that haven't already been explored. It might get easier as we move onto secondary characters. I hope.
Cheers for reading.
H. Rourke
Friday, 11 July 2014
InAnimete: Part 1 - Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite
OK, well, it's been quite a while since I've posted here, and my apologies for that. Although, to be fair, it's better nothing than shit. Well, most of my stuff is shit, but at least it's idealistic and enjoyable shit to write.
With that in mind, let's turn to the series I wish to attempt to start with today. 6 months ago, I started a rigorous crash-course in anime. The Japanese things. With the big eyes. And naked underage girls (if that doesn't get me flagged, no idea what will). Yeah, I'm not someone who would call themselves an "anime guy". I fuckin' loved Pokemon as a kid, but that was pretty much the beginning and end of my love for the media. For the past, what, 8? 9? years, I haven't watched a single anime show. That changed this year, when I began a strict 5-episodes-a-day diet (occasionally abandoned due to, well, life or shit anime). The reason? So as to be able to run an RPG called "Maid: The RPG". That is all I'm going to say about that game, other than the fact the series I'm looking at first was taken from the recommendations of the author of that work, Mr. Ryo Kamiya.
The first show, as the name suggests is "Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite". Tai = Team. Yes, this anime is about a massive group of maids. Yep.
Now, before I go on, a few words. Firstly, I'm not going to really take spoilers into account. I'm not going to discuss them unless they back up a point I'm trying to make, but I do reserve the right to talk about them. Second, I'm not a fan of fanservice, ironically enough. I don't like pointless erotica in my TV, and if you disagree, this is probably going to be a rough ride for you, so a heads up. Thirdly, I'm not going to re-watch them. I apologise for any outright inaccuracies, but I'm not going back for names, most of all.
This is a review series on anime by a guy who never really watched anime attempting to surmise and critique series watched 6 months ago. You have been warned.
Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite:
So, context. This series is, as far as I can establish, a remake of an earlier series of the same name, minus the "La Verite" part. I've watched a handful of episodes from the original. The long and short is that it has better music and much worse animation. The characters stay pretty much the same, but get toned down a little in the remake. I'll get onto all these things later, I guess/hope/don't really hope.
Plot:
We begin following a little boy. His grandfather has mysteriously disappeared, leaving this young lad of, let's say 12, in charge of his estate - that of the head of the Hanaukyo family. The estate is a pointlessly huge mansion, which anime is steadily teaching me is a bizarrely common sight in Japan, staffed by hundreds if not thousands of all-female maids. Hilarity and uncomfortable implications ensue.
OK, so the crux of the show is the relationship between Kid Hanaukyo and his head maid, Mariel (yeah, that's actually her name. It kinda stood out.). Mariel appears to be a solid decade and a half older than Hanaukyo (that's his name now. Roll with it), and treats him as a kid...which he is...and he becomes infatuated with her. However, she may have a dark history. Yeah. That's the plug. On to the characters!
Characters:
Kid Hanaukyo: OK, this kid is just frustrating. I really can't imagine anyone with a motivation for watching this show liking him. I'm here to learn a bit about anime tropes and the like, and he just constantly flips between being a conduit and a obstacle for the plot. He spends his time being bewildered by the fact there are people doing jobs around him. Admittedly, these people are...unique...and spend their time doing...unique...things...but this starts to get kind of old.
For those watching for some cheap titillation (not judging, by any means. Who am I to say why you should watch something?), he's a constant time drain from the maids, and he doesn't interact with them in any real way. Even emotionally, he manages to almost constantly keep everyone at arms length. Those few characters who do become invested with him seem to be doing all the work in projecting personality onto him. Have I just described every male anime protagonist? Damn. Those paragraphs are going to see the light of day again soon, I imagine.
I have to give some points in how the character changed from the first version to La Verite. I'd say it's based off a manga, but I've never read it, so discount that from this calculation. In the original series, Kid Hanaukyo was allergic to women. Physically. Not just an introvert, physically allergic. I have to stress this, because in one review, I read the phrase "allergic to women" and thought "huh. Fun exaggeration!". IT ISN'T. We're talking physical symptoms when women touch him. Yeah. I can't quite understand the point either. How did he survive 9 months in the fucking womb?!
Anyway, the remake paired him down to just being shy and out of his element. I buy this hook, line and sinker. He's suddenly on his own (I don't believe we ever find out about his pre-inheritance life. I'd be curious), with a bevy of maids who both depend on him for...unspecified reasons...and expect him to give up a lot of his privacy to be molested. I MEAN serviced. I MEAN... actually, serviced does the job. A lot of this is kinda interesting. Issues like basic habits, like eating a small meal, are contrasted with the maids, used to Grandpa Hanaukyo's extravagance. The things like not being allowed to urinate without assistance and...well, we'll get to the sleeping thing later...they just seem to be in there for cheap laughs. It kind of detracts from the sympathy we're apparently meant to feel for the kid. It's much less relatable. Maybe I just can't tell what they're going after though. That's pretty much all that can be said for the kid. 4 paragraphs? I'm impressed, if I do say so myself.
Mariel:
So, the head maid. Hmm. This is going to take spoilers. Sorry, but Mariel's character, or lack thereof, is in itself vital to the plot, but also the big reveals say a lot about this show. Just skip ahead if you actually plan on watching the show in ignorance.
So, when I heard the name, I kinda presumed a Harem feel, with maids competing for protagonist's attentions. There certainly are elements of that present, but Mariel is really the only legitimate love interest. In the original, for example, she's the only one who Kid Hanaukyo isn't allergic to (having not seen the ending to the original, and thus being unable to spoil it, it's my theory she's a robot. That was my theory throughout La Verite). She's a big sister, mother, babysitter and love interest all in one. No-one tell Freud. He'd never shut the fuck up about this shit. That was kind of uncomfortable for me (again, this was my real introduction to anime that wasn't weekday breakfast material). I guess the relationship is pretty feasible, considering Kid Hanaukyo's ignorance. I guess. I can't say I was really invested in if it succeeded or failed. I just wanted the ride to end so I could get off, I guess.
Anyway, Mariel has one really big problem: she doesn't have a personality. Yeah, sure, that sounds a bit much, and I must be exaggerating. Nope. This is like that "allergic to women" bullshit. It sounds too crazy to be true, but it is. The twist of the show is that Mariel was from childhood psychologically abused, hypnotised and electrocuted (if memory serves) by Grandpa Hanaukyo so as to be a perfect head maid for Kid Hanaukyo. I wish I was joking. Or exaggerating. Or just plain lying. But there's the rub.
Now the other sad part is that that was meant to be a twist. Sure, I couldn't have picked the specifics (again, I'm still kinda stuck on the robot theory), regarding hypnosis and electroshock, but it was pretty fucking obvious from the start that beyond "vaguely nurturing", Muriel had no notable traits. If I can say one thing about the rest of the cast (bar the protagonist), it's that they're fairly colourful. Contrasted to them, Muriel really becomes clearly conspicuous. She respects Kid Hanaukyo's boundaries, listens to him and acts in an inhumanly passive manner. It's not a well hidden secret that people don't naturally act like that, at least the that degree.
Mariel represents the half-boiled maternal figure present in far too many animes, nurturing to a fault and with no other notable characteristics. At least La Verite had the tact to show that there was something really creepy about that. In short, I'm not much of a Mariel fan.
Melon, Lemon, Peron:
OK, full disclosure: I'm pretty sure the third of the trio isn't a former Presidente of Argentina. Although that would have really made the show for me. I just can't remember the third name, and it fits.
Now, if I found Mariel too mild and guilty of putting everyone too far first, the Trio (that's the name of them now) are perhaps the opposite. The provide at least 50% of the fanservice for the first half of the season. The three are the embodiment of the phrase "amorous". They are all over Kid Hanaukyo like a bad smell, and are constantly trying to sleep with him. That's their job, as far as I gather. Yeah.
The characters themselves aren't too bad. They're wilful pranksters, who really just want to have a good time, and they aren't concerned about who gets hurt in the process. They're lively, show childishness that is lacking in the actual children in this setting, and are colour to Mariel's blandness.
The creepy part is in the connotation of what they do. Their job is to have sex with the master of the house. Perhaps it's meant in a more innocent way than that, and I'm projecting my lecherous adult mind onto these poor girls, but that's how it comes across to me. To start with, the kid is waaaaay too young to be in the situations these girls put him in. Secondly, there is no respect for personal boundaries. Sure, that's a part of their character, but it also gets uncomfortable at points. Finally, how is this legal?! I mean, all the maids legally must be paid, fed and housed on site (just as there are no real alternatives). So how do you explain a personal harem to the tax department? Or the union?! What Grandpa Hanaukyo did to Mariel is discussed and condemned, but what the hell did he do to the Trio? How did they end up like this? Why didn't Kid Hanaukyo have them re-allocated when it became obvious what they were employed to do?! (and no, he was not a fan of theirs). I like the characters, hate the questions they raise.
Ninja-Maid:
Yeah, not even pretending to have the name for this one. Probably because I don't have much to say about her (although I said the same thing to myself about all the previous characters). She's in charge of the mansion's security (and the security maids. All dressed in maid uniforms. Because). She starts as a typical hard-arse, concerned with the care-free way Kid Hanaukyo is living, not being concerned with his own security and not understanding the importance of his position etc. etc. etc.
Anyway, she has her heart melted by the young master and falls in love with him, although she knows it can never be. I think both the position she holds and the fact Kid Hanaukyo is in love with Mariel are the key factors here.
Really, she isn't that bad a character. A little typical, driven by honour, revenge, etc., but still is interesting enough. I talk about her because of one line she utters (nothing quoted is an exact quote, just along the same lines).
Kid Hanaukyo and Ninja-Maid are going shopping for a gift for Mariel. At one point Ninja-Maid wishes to cut to the chase:
"You realise you can just order Mariel to sleep with you?"
No. No you can't. She is a maid. She is not a prostitute, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the distinction between the two professions is pretty clear around Mariel (not so much with the Trio, but meh). That line has stuck with me just because of how creepy and uncomfortable it is, conceptually and in how it demonstrates what happened at this mansion in the past. Anyway, Ninja-Maid: fine, but nothing ground breaking.
Second-in-Command:
As with her superior, Ninja-Maid, I don't have much to say about this one. She is interesting as she is the token representation of two areas in this show. Firstly, she's black. I'd be more tactful, but the actual race of this character is never so much as touched upon, so I can't expand upon it. I just say that in passing, with no real comment to make other than that diversity is always fun.
SiC is also the token lesbian character. Her obsession with Ninja-Maid is played for laughs throughout the series, as is her ineptitude, both in romance and in her job. She's a fun enough character, but does feel a little odd. She and the Trio, compared to the rest of the cast, seem to come from a different anime altogether. Not necessarily a better one, but a different one.
The Rest:
It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm starting to drift off. I'm worried if I don't finish this tonight, I'll never get around to it, so we're getting a rush job. In fairness, I don't have much to say about the last few:
The Blond Girl:
The Blond girl has a split personality between a super-genius by night who pretty much runs the mansion's computer system and a near-mute child who likes flowers by day. And never the two should meet. She's OK, a little contrived plot wise but...well...maid mansion, so I shouldn't really be complaining. The "cute" for the show. She's OK. That's all.
The Fiance:
God I got sick of this character. She's a member of a family on par in wealth and power with the Hanaukyos who insists that she is going to marry Kid Hanaukyo for reasons. She never shuts the hell up, constantly bosses people around and is just generally a nuisance. She takes command of the Trio for the majority of the show and that just kills their childish-fun personas for me. Probably me least favourite character, out of a sorry batch.
Glasses:
The mad scientist. She has an element of fun and mischief on par with the duo, and enjoys fucking with Kid Hanaukyo's head, which gets points from me. Her inventions are fun, but she gets somewhat sidelined by the end. I liked her, but barely remember her after the first episode.
OVERALL:
I'm not going to give this an arbitrary number rating or the like, but I will speak my mind...how unusual, right?
The show is terrible. It has barely any serious plot for the most part, has a garbage ending with no payoff, relies on stereotypes and cliches even a newcomer to anime was groaning at. The characters are often shallow and poorly thought out, and become utterly irritating at points. I'm not going to say it's without merit, and it would make a good kids anime if the more fanservice-y parts were cut out. It needed to embrace its juvenile spirit and leave everything else, love, sex and Mariel's entire plot line on the cutting room floor. I can't recommend this to someone wholeheartedly, and that probably tells the story. I do actually tell the story of this anime on occasion, I just refashioned it as a horror story. It works much better.
Well, this is a music blog, once upon a time, so I have to say the music to the original was really fun, but La Verite is just boring.
Final thoughts: It's no fucking wonder Kid Hanaukyo's mother left this mansion. If I had a father as crude as Grandpa Hanaukyo, I'd be legging it too.
I hope anyone reading this enjoyed this, and please feel free to leave comments with any feedback.
Next time: Hayate no Gotoku! / Hayate the Combat Butler!
Thank you for reading,
H. Rourke
With that in mind, let's turn to the series I wish to attempt to start with today. 6 months ago, I started a rigorous crash-course in anime. The Japanese things. With the big eyes. And naked underage girls (if that doesn't get me flagged, no idea what will). Yeah, I'm not someone who would call themselves an "anime guy". I fuckin' loved Pokemon as a kid, but that was pretty much the beginning and end of my love for the media. For the past, what, 8? 9? years, I haven't watched a single anime show. That changed this year, when I began a strict 5-episodes-a-day diet (occasionally abandoned due to, well, life or shit anime). The reason? So as to be able to run an RPG called "Maid: The RPG". That is all I'm going to say about that game, other than the fact the series I'm looking at first was taken from the recommendations of the author of that work, Mr. Ryo Kamiya.
The first show, as the name suggests is "Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite". Tai = Team. Yes, this anime is about a massive group of maids. Yep.
Now, before I go on, a few words. Firstly, I'm not going to really take spoilers into account. I'm not going to discuss them unless they back up a point I'm trying to make, but I do reserve the right to talk about them. Second, I'm not a fan of fanservice, ironically enough. I don't like pointless erotica in my TV, and if you disagree, this is probably going to be a rough ride for you, so a heads up. Thirdly, I'm not going to re-watch them. I apologise for any outright inaccuracies, but I'm not going back for names, most of all.
This is a review series on anime by a guy who never really watched anime attempting to surmise and critique series watched 6 months ago. You have been warned.
Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite:
So, context. This series is, as far as I can establish, a remake of an earlier series of the same name, minus the "La Verite" part. I've watched a handful of episodes from the original. The long and short is that it has better music and much worse animation. The characters stay pretty much the same, but get toned down a little in the remake. I'll get onto all these things later, I guess/hope/don't really hope.
Plot:
We begin following a little boy. His grandfather has mysteriously disappeared, leaving this young lad of, let's say 12, in charge of his estate - that of the head of the Hanaukyo family. The estate is a pointlessly huge mansion, which anime is steadily teaching me is a bizarrely common sight in Japan, staffed by hundreds if not thousands of all-female maids. Hilarity and uncomfortable implications ensue.
OK, so the crux of the show is the relationship between Kid Hanaukyo and his head maid, Mariel (yeah, that's actually her name. It kinda stood out.). Mariel appears to be a solid decade and a half older than Hanaukyo (that's his name now. Roll with it), and treats him as a kid...which he is...and he becomes infatuated with her. However, she may have a dark history. Yeah. That's the plug. On to the characters!
Characters:
Kid Hanaukyo: OK, this kid is just frustrating. I really can't imagine anyone with a motivation for watching this show liking him. I'm here to learn a bit about anime tropes and the like, and he just constantly flips between being a conduit and a obstacle for the plot. He spends his time being bewildered by the fact there are people doing jobs around him. Admittedly, these people are...unique...and spend their time doing...unique...things...but this starts to get kind of old.
For those watching for some cheap titillation (not judging, by any means. Who am I to say why you should watch something?), he's a constant time drain from the maids, and he doesn't interact with them in any real way. Even emotionally, he manages to almost constantly keep everyone at arms length. Those few characters who do become invested with him seem to be doing all the work in projecting personality onto him. Have I just described every male anime protagonist? Damn. Those paragraphs are going to see the light of day again soon, I imagine.
I have to give some points in how the character changed from the first version to La Verite. I'd say it's based off a manga, but I've never read it, so discount that from this calculation. In the original series, Kid Hanaukyo was allergic to women. Physically. Not just an introvert, physically allergic. I have to stress this, because in one review, I read the phrase "allergic to women" and thought "huh. Fun exaggeration!". IT ISN'T. We're talking physical symptoms when women touch him. Yeah. I can't quite understand the point either. How did he survive 9 months in the fucking womb?!
Anyway, the remake paired him down to just being shy and out of his element. I buy this hook, line and sinker. He's suddenly on his own (I don't believe we ever find out about his pre-inheritance life. I'd be curious), with a bevy of maids who both depend on him for...unspecified reasons...and expect him to give up a lot of his privacy to be molested. I MEAN serviced. I MEAN... actually, serviced does the job. A lot of this is kinda interesting. Issues like basic habits, like eating a small meal, are contrasted with the maids, used to Grandpa Hanaukyo's extravagance. The things like not being allowed to urinate without assistance and...well, we'll get to the sleeping thing later...they just seem to be in there for cheap laughs. It kind of detracts from the sympathy we're apparently meant to feel for the kid. It's much less relatable. Maybe I just can't tell what they're going after though. That's pretty much all that can be said for the kid. 4 paragraphs? I'm impressed, if I do say so myself.
Mariel:
So, the head maid. Hmm. This is going to take spoilers. Sorry, but Mariel's character, or lack thereof, is in itself vital to the plot, but also the big reveals say a lot about this show. Just skip ahead if you actually plan on watching the show in ignorance.
So, when I heard the name, I kinda presumed a Harem feel, with maids competing for protagonist's attentions. There certainly are elements of that present, but Mariel is really the only legitimate love interest. In the original, for example, she's the only one who Kid Hanaukyo isn't allergic to (having not seen the ending to the original, and thus being unable to spoil it, it's my theory she's a robot. That was my theory throughout La Verite). She's a big sister, mother, babysitter and love interest all in one. No-one tell Freud. He'd never shut the fuck up about this shit. That was kind of uncomfortable for me (again, this was my real introduction to anime that wasn't weekday breakfast material). I guess the relationship is pretty feasible, considering Kid Hanaukyo's ignorance. I guess. I can't say I was really invested in if it succeeded or failed. I just wanted the ride to end so I could get off, I guess.
Anyway, Mariel has one really big problem: she doesn't have a personality. Yeah, sure, that sounds a bit much, and I must be exaggerating. Nope. This is like that "allergic to women" bullshit. It sounds too crazy to be true, but it is. The twist of the show is that Mariel was from childhood psychologically abused, hypnotised and electrocuted (if memory serves) by Grandpa Hanaukyo so as to be a perfect head maid for Kid Hanaukyo. I wish I was joking. Or exaggerating. Or just plain lying. But there's the rub.
Now the other sad part is that that was meant to be a twist. Sure, I couldn't have picked the specifics (again, I'm still kinda stuck on the robot theory), regarding hypnosis and electroshock, but it was pretty fucking obvious from the start that beyond "vaguely nurturing", Muriel had no notable traits. If I can say one thing about the rest of the cast (bar the protagonist), it's that they're fairly colourful. Contrasted to them, Muriel really becomes clearly conspicuous. She respects Kid Hanaukyo's boundaries, listens to him and acts in an inhumanly passive manner. It's not a well hidden secret that people don't naturally act like that, at least the that degree.
Mariel represents the half-boiled maternal figure present in far too many animes, nurturing to a fault and with no other notable characteristics. At least La Verite had the tact to show that there was something really creepy about that. In short, I'm not much of a Mariel fan.
Melon, Lemon, Peron:
OK, full disclosure: I'm pretty sure the third of the trio isn't a former Presidente of Argentina. Although that would have really made the show for me. I just can't remember the third name, and it fits.
Now, if I found Mariel too mild and guilty of putting everyone too far first, the Trio (that's the name of them now) are perhaps the opposite. The provide at least 50% of the fanservice for the first half of the season. The three are the embodiment of the phrase "amorous". They are all over Kid Hanaukyo like a bad smell, and are constantly trying to sleep with him. That's their job, as far as I gather. Yeah.
The characters themselves aren't too bad. They're wilful pranksters, who really just want to have a good time, and they aren't concerned about who gets hurt in the process. They're lively, show childishness that is lacking in the actual children in this setting, and are colour to Mariel's blandness.
The creepy part is in the connotation of what they do. Their job is to have sex with the master of the house. Perhaps it's meant in a more innocent way than that, and I'm projecting my lecherous adult mind onto these poor girls, but that's how it comes across to me. To start with, the kid is waaaaay too young to be in the situations these girls put him in. Secondly, there is no respect for personal boundaries. Sure, that's a part of their character, but it also gets uncomfortable at points. Finally, how is this legal?! I mean, all the maids legally must be paid, fed and housed on site (just as there are no real alternatives). So how do you explain a personal harem to the tax department? Or the union?! What Grandpa Hanaukyo did to Mariel is discussed and condemned, but what the hell did he do to the Trio? How did they end up like this? Why didn't Kid Hanaukyo have them re-allocated when it became obvious what they were employed to do?! (and no, he was not a fan of theirs). I like the characters, hate the questions they raise.
Ninja-Maid:
Yeah, not even pretending to have the name for this one. Probably because I don't have much to say about her (although I said the same thing to myself about all the previous characters). She's in charge of the mansion's security (and the security maids. All dressed in maid uniforms. Because). She starts as a typical hard-arse, concerned with the care-free way Kid Hanaukyo is living, not being concerned with his own security and not understanding the importance of his position etc. etc. etc.
Anyway, she has her heart melted by the young master and falls in love with him, although she knows it can never be. I think both the position she holds and the fact Kid Hanaukyo is in love with Mariel are the key factors here.
Really, she isn't that bad a character. A little typical, driven by honour, revenge, etc., but still is interesting enough. I talk about her because of one line she utters (nothing quoted is an exact quote, just along the same lines).
Kid Hanaukyo and Ninja-Maid are going shopping for a gift for Mariel. At one point Ninja-Maid wishes to cut to the chase:
"You realise you can just order Mariel to sleep with you?"
No. No you can't. She is a maid. She is not a prostitute, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the distinction between the two professions is pretty clear around Mariel (not so much with the Trio, but meh). That line has stuck with me just because of how creepy and uncomfortable it is, conceptually and in how it demonstrates what happened at this mansion in the past. Anyway, Ninja-Maid: fine, but nothing ground breaking.
Second-in-Command:
As with her superior, Ninja-Maid, I don't have much to say about this one. She is interesting as she is the token representation of two areas in this show. Firstly, she's black. I'd be more tactful, but the actual race of this character is never so much as touched upon, so I can't expand upon it. I just say that in passing, with no real comment to make other than that diversity is always fun.
SiC is also the token lesbian character. Her obsession with Ninja-Maid is played for laughs throughout the series, as is her ineptitude, both in romance and in her job. She's a fun enough character, but does feel a little odd. She and the Trio, compared to the rest of the cast, seem to come from a different anime altogether. Not necessarily a better one, but a different one.
The Rest:
It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm starting to drift off. I'm worried if I don't finish this tonight, I'll never get around to it, so we're getting a rush job. In fairness, I don't have much to say about the last few:
The Blond Girl:
The Blond girl has a split personality between a super-genius by night who pretty much runs the mansion's computer system and a near-mute child who likes flowers by day. And never the two should meet. She's OK, a little contrived plot wise but...well...maid mansion, so I shouldn't really be complaining. The "cute" for the show. She's OK. That's all.
The Fiance:
God I got sick of this character. She's a member of a family on par in wealth and power with the Hanaukyos who insists that she is going to marry Kid Hanaukyo for reasons. She never shuts the hell up, constantly bosses people around and is just generally a nuisance. She takes command of the Trio for the majority of the show and that just kills their childish-fun personas for me. Probably me least favourite character, out of a sorry batch.
Glasses:
The mad scientist. She has an element of fun and mischief on par with the duo, and enjoys fucking with Kid Hanaukyo's head, which gets points from me. Her inventions are fun, but she gets somewhat sidelined by the end. I liked her, but barely remember her after the first episode.
OVERALL:
I'm not going to give this an arbitrary number rating or the like, but I will speak my mind...how unusual, right?
The show is terrible. It has barely any serious plot for the most part, has a garbage ending with no payoff, relies on stereotypes and cliches even a newcomer to anime was groaning at. The characters are often shallow and poorly thought out, and become utterly irritating at points. I'm not going to say it's without merit, and it would make a good kids anime if the more fanservice-y parts were cut out. It needed to embrace its juvenile spirit and leave everything else, love, sex and Mariel's entire plot line on the cutting room floor. I can't recommend this to someone wholeheartedly, and that probably tells the story. I do actually tell the story of this anime on occasion, I just refashioned it as a horror story. It works much better.
Well, this is a music blog, once upon a time, so I have to say the music to the original was really fun, but La Verite is just boring.
Final thoughts: It's no fucking wonder Kid Hanaukyo's mother left this mansion. If I had a father as crude as Grandpa Hanaukyo, I'd be legging it too.
I hope anyone reading this enjoyed this, and please feel free to leave comments with any feedback.
Next time: Hayate no Gotoku! / Hayate the Combat Butler!
Thank you for reading,
H. Rourke
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