This slapstick jiggle comedy makes Steel Angel Kurumi sound like a feminist tract. Mahoro is a heroic combat android, created to fight alien invaders. As she nears her expiration date, Mahoro's given the opportunity to do whatever she likes with her remaining 398 days: she asks to become the maid of her former commander's orphan son. Middle school student Suguru lives by himself in his parents' old house. Mahoro turns the grungy dump into a spotless showplace, cooks wonderful meals, and bathes Suguru. The presence of what appears to be a cute 19-year-old girl in Suguru's house arouses the jealousy of his voluptuous, alcoholic teacher Ms. Shikijo, and the two women begin a fan service jiggle-off. The adolescent high jinks of Mahoromatic will offend many American females--and bore any male whose voice has changed. (Rated 16 and older: nudity, risqué humor, violence, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon
Product details
Aspect Ratio
:
1.78:1
MPAA rating
:
Unrated (Not Rated)
Package Dimensions
:
7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches; 3.2 ounces
Director
:
Hiroyuki Yamaga
Media Format
:
Color, DVD, Anamorphic, NTSC, Animated, Widescreen
Run time
:
1 hour and 40 minutes
Release date
:
January 28, 2003
Actors
:
Richard Cansino, Bridget Hoffman, Mona Marshall, Ayako Kawasumi, Tony Pope
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Though it's been explored in other animes (such as Bannou Bunka Neko Musume [Nuku-Nuku], and Hand Maid May), Mahoromatic takes the popular manga and transforms it into an anime that has all the element of an anime series worth holding on to. With all due respect to the Amazon.com reviewer, it seems as though he may have run this anime through the cynic-o-matic before refusing to allow the story to be told. Mahoromatic is the charming story about a junior high school student learning to cope with the loss of his father and mother, while also taking on a live-in maid to see to the housekeeping duties. When he calls upon a maid placement service to fulfill that request, they send assistance in the form of the battle-android-turned-domestic, Mahoro (voiced by Kawasumi Ayako: Melfina from Outlaw Star). Sick of fighting, she decides to live out the rest of her time (398 days) as a maid to this pre-teen. Though she's more than meets the eye, they both find in each other a bond: he in learning to open up to someone else, and she in learning all there is to know about him. A stunning character story from director Yamaga Hiroyuki (Wings of Honneamise), Mahoromatic will make you fast-forward through the ending credit just to get to the next episode quicker. Don't miss it!
Based on the manga series by Bow Ditama and Bunjuro Nakayama, the first season of Mahoromatic Automatic Maiden starts off with orphaned eighth grader Suguru Misato hiring Mahoro, a former combat android, as his maid. Mahoro used to work for Vesper, an organization formed to combat aliens who invaded Earth in the 1980's. Due to her long service, she had the choice of continuing as she was and having 37 days left to live, or removing her combat armour and living 398 days more. Guess which she chooses?
Mahoro makes quite a difference in the lonely Suguru's life. "She wakes me up in the morning, makes good food, bathes with me, and the inside of the house gets cleaner every time I look at it." Yes, bathes!; as she tells a flustered Suguru, "this is part of my natural duty as a maid." Suguru becomes the envy of his main friends, boys Toshiya Hamaguchi, Kiyomi Kawahara, and three cute girls, the tomboyish Miyuki Sakura, Rin Todoroki, and gourmet Chizu Ooe. Chizu's funny, reacting with a delighted scream every time she tastes Mahoro's dishes-"this is like the chicken rice from the Kanta Japanese restaurant Shirokku!" But they soon befriend Mahoro, eliminating earlier misconceptions that she is actually Suguru's bedmate.
There is a puritanical streak in Mahoro, though, as she confiscates Suguru's secret stash of dirty magazines, giving him a lecture that women's breasts are for babies, and in line with her own modest bosom, says "a woman's abilities has nothing to do with the size of her breasts!" Well said, Mahoro-san! Please be my maid!
The explosion of the water heater causes Mahoro, Suguru, and Shikijou to go to the public bath owned by Miyuki's family. Here, it's revealed that Miyuki's father is excited whenever Suguru comes over. Since he had four daughters, he kind of sees Suguru as the son he never had. And speaking of parents, Suguru's depression over summer vacation is lifted for the first time, as the first day of vacation was the anniversary of his father's death. With Mahoro, he no longer feels lonely, but the android harbours a secret regarding Suguru's father, that if Suguru found out, would cause the boy to hate her. Yet Mahoro swears to serve him for every second she has remaining to live.
However, Saori Shikijou, Misato's homeroom teacher, she with what Mahoro calls "unnaturally swollen cow udders," has a crush on him, and sees the flat-chested Mahoro as a threat. "I'm the one who should give him my up close personal and private lessons!" There usually follows a fantasy of Suguru and her in some erotic unclothed fantasy. Mahoro in turn gets irritated as Shikijou doesn't hesitate to sponge off Mahoro's cooking and bathing, and makes sport of Mahoro's modest bosom. But Shikijou is definitely quite a perv, as she humps Suguru with her breasts at a department store, and quite a drinker. She's also vain, thinking herself "so beautiful she upsets the lives of men."
After coaxing the overly dutibound Mahoro into joining them on a Sunday trip to the beach, the gang have fun, but an "alien, anti-droid, crab-type armoured robot" with two or three screws loose creates havoc by shredding the girls' bikinis. The funniest scene involves Mahoro pouring suntan lotion over Shikijou's head, leaving her with the umbrella, then warning her that women in their mid-20's will get wrinkled skin if they walk into the sun unprotected, as she leads Suguru away.
A nice touch are the satellite poems inbetween each episode, recited by either Mahoro, Suguru, Chizu, or Shikijou, set to a Mozart-like violin tune. Mahoromatic is mostly comedy, with some action scenes, with a winning opening theme ballad "On The Way Home," by Ayako Kawasumi, and a fun infectious and funny dance number, the "Mahoro de Mambo" by Triomatic, a.k.a. the voice actresses playing Miyuki, Rin, and Chizu, who do a cute dance during the closing credits.
Thanks to Ayako Kawasumi as the voice of Mahoro. She also voiced one of my favourite anime characters, Aoi Sakuraba in Ai Yori Aoshi. And Mahoro is kind of like Aoi Sakuraba mixed with Chi from Chobits, combining a gentle, hard-working servant with the innocence of a robot. Per the satellite poem,
"I hope that you will have sweet dreams from the smell of the sun. Will a fluffy futon be able to cradle you? Will it be able to cradle you softly and warmly?" Yes, if Mahoro was that futon.
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2004
If you haven't burned out on meek men/"special" women anime (Steel Angel Kurumi, Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Cutey Honey), then you'll LOVE this one. Just do me one favor, if you're a parent reading this review. Normally, the "ratings" on anime shows or movies can be skewed toward the side of caution, for mild nudity (bathing, showering, cultural stuff) or mild violence. On this series, however, PLEASE heed the 16+ rating! After viewing this series, I would put the rating at 18+ (NC-17, in some cases) for explicit nudity, graphic sexual depictions, and war violence. Despite the beautiful artwork and absolutely ADORABLE drawings of Mahoro, this is NOT for children or young adolescents. Onward to the review: Mahoromatic-Automatic Maiden grabs your attention at the very beginning. You'll instantly care about Mahoro, the combat android, as she attempts to make her way in the world by working for Suguru, the young protagonist of this piece. You'll feel for her as she struggles with her past--and events that directly impacted Suguru, unbeknownst to him. You'll laugh (and cringe!) as she interacts with Suguru's friends and his oversexed, needs-to-be-TOTALLY-arrested-for-unholy-sex-offender-like-fantasies homeroom teacher! And you'll absolutely LOVE "Slash", Mahoro's assistant battle mech. (My favorite line? "Yea, whatever; who do you want me to Kill?" said in a tone of utmost eagerness!) Like in most Meek Men/"Special" Women anime, there's a hidden time bomb of a tragedy that looms over this couple. You'll only get a kernel of it in this first DVD, but it's a very important kernel. This series is cute and bittersweet at the same time. Give this series a try--you won't be disappointed.
![Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden - Combat Maid (Vol. 1) [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GHDX9Y6AL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
