Rating: 8/10

Overall Series Rating: 7.5/10

Impressions:

Overll, the entire OAV series doesn’t impress me that much. This probably due to the poor plot linking between the four episodes, with episode 2 and 3 being rather wasteful, in my opinion. The story isn’t very strong, though I do see some elements of the Mai Otome manga in it. The animation and action are pretty high though, and this last episode by itself is quite enjoyable to watch. I think for me, I enjoyed seeing the reunion of Arika and Nina the most—sequels are always great to see old characters come together again. I guess that effect is what the animators tried to build on in episodes 2 and 3, though it ends up making the plot rather weak.

So after the edited version of Otome wa DO MY BEST Desho, playing as the ED (which fits amazingly well), we get to see a short commercial regarding a future Mai Otome series, Mai Otome S.ifr. This series will be a prequel to the Mai Otome series, so we’ll get to see Arika’s mother’s time and such, something which I will be looking forward to immensely. By the way, sifr in Arabic means zero apparently. Anyway, the length of this prequel is unknown, but it is presumed to be a three episode OAV series. There’s still that new Mai Hime series that’s supposedly going to come out soon, but I haven’t heard anything more about it…

Mai Otome S.ifr

Rating: 9.3/10

Impressions:

As a standalone, this episode is pretty good, with the standard OAV-level of animation and the amount of action (plus Nao gets a lot of attention!) However, being a whole quarter of Mai Otome Zwei, the fact that it didn’t really develop the story much is a real shame, like last episode. It’s like a really good story starts unfolding, but comes to an untimely end halfway through. Because of this, I am very confused about everything that’s happened so far, and I can’t make sense of how a lot of things tie together. Not to mention it’s been quite a while since the first episode was released. The spa scene didn’t really help to advance the story either.

As a Mai Hime/Otome fan, I think Sunrise should’ve just made a sequel to Mai Otome in an anime format (though apparently they’re animating Mai Hime Destiny now – Gundam Seed Destiny anyone?) I don’t know how true this is either. Anyway, I hope we get to see Nina fight new episode, as Nao’s fight kind of disappointed me (aren’t the five pillars meant to be strong?) I also wonder how the OAV series will conclude with the final 30 minutes of the next episode (and it’s concerning how the preview has a picture of Arika getting her panties pulled down…)

Rating: 9.3/10

Impressions:

Being a big fan of Mai Hime and Mai Otome, and a bigger fan of the Mai Otome manga, I, like many others I presume, have been eagerly anticipating the second episode in the Zwei OAV series. Overall, this second episode is actually a bit of a disappointment. Although not lacking in action and quality, it suffers from slow plot progression, especially as it is a four episode OAV. It seems like the final battle will probably begin next episode and end in the last episode. I was really hoping for more plot twists and extra development, with little subplots involving the various characters, but of course, what was I thinking? This isn’t a full fledged TV sequel…just a four episode OAV.

However, I am very excited nonetheless as this is more Mai Otome. Being one of my favourite shows of 2006, I can’t help it. The quality is also higher than the series as expected, and the action scenes this episode are pretty impressive. Also, the reappearances of several characters are also pleasing. One of my favourites, Nao, seems to have a role in the story (meaning, larger than many of the other characters’ roles). I also hope Arika gets her powers back soon, as she IS the spine of the show in my opinion, and I find her bubbly nature quite enjoyable to watch (although some might be annoyed by it).

The problem with this episode is quite apparently the lack of any story progression. A lot of time is spent on a rather useless bus jacking, which only manages to incorporate some well animated fighting and the revelation of another unknown Otome from last episode, Shinso-sama. If you recall, it seems the enemy can take on the shape of the Otome it touches, and perhaps gains their powers as well. Even though I enjoyed this episode for the action and even just for seeing more of the characters, if I think of this OAV as a whole, it becomes obvious that with four episodes, there is no time to waste on non-plot-progressive events.

Some confusion has arisen in regards to the transition between the last episode and this. Just to clarify, the last episode ends with Mashiro disappearing in a typhoon of sorts, along with the rest of the Black Valley. I guess it could be seen as a cliffhanger, though this episode doesn’t take it as such. I’m assuming it takes place a little after the events of last episode, as Arika is searching for Mashiro. Personally though, I would have preferred this episode to have continued from last episode directly, and show the aftermath, as well as what Garderobe and other important characters are planning on doing.

I guess the main thing everyone wants is to see their favourite characters in action again. Well, that’s certainly what I would like. This definitely includes Nao for me, though I really don’t have many others. I also hope the final showdown isn’t just a group battle, where no one gets extra attention. Arika definitely needs to kick some ass as well, as she doesn’t exactly do this in the previous episode. Same goes to Mai and Natsuki. In fact, I would like everyone to do some fighting, but as I pointed out earlier, this brings it to the problem of everyone participating in a group battle…Oh and by the way, I like the ED song this episode a lot better than the last.

Preview:

Next episode – #3
The start of the final battle?

Medium: OAV
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Episodes: 4
Studio: Sunrise
OP: “Believe ~Eien no Kizuna~” by Mika Kikuchi
ED: ??
Official Site: http://www.my-zhime.net/

Rating: 9.6/10 (since I love Mai Hime/Otome so much!)

Impressions:

This is an amazing first episode, but I’m pretty sure I’m being extremely biased since I adore both Mai Hime and Mai Otome, and their last episodes let me wanting more. What gives me this great feeling from watching this episode must be the return of all the Otome cast, including Shiho, Nao, Sergay and Nina, despite their extremely brief appearances. The initial joint attack on the meteor is a powerful attention-grabbing tool, as it presents all the powerful Otome together, facing a single enemy. And once again, Arika manages to surpass everyone else and save the day by herself…or so everyone thinks for the first half of the show. Later on of course, we learn that the meteor had actually been some sort of transportation or decoy, with the appearance of the shadow manifests that have the ability to take on the form of whoever they come into contact with. This is the true enemy. The good thing about a four-episode sequel is that there is no need for an introduction for all the characters, and no need to drag on with meaningless events, as the main plot can immediately begin. However, there’s always the chance that the story ends up getting rushed, so hopefully that won’t happen here. There probably won’t be many laid back scenes/episodes, since the main threat has already arrived. That’s a bit of a disappointment though, seeing how everyone has such an interesting character.

Quality wise, it’s not that good. Not as good as an OAV should be anyway. The quality mainly fell on the music and animation, though frankly I couldn’t care less about the music since it’s been so long I can’t even remember what’s old and what’s new (though apparently they’re all from the original OST). The animation though, is a bit of a letdown. The scenes aren’t dynamic enough with the cool shots and angles, and movement isn’t as fluid as an OAV should be. The consistency of the character visuals though, is quite steady with little or no deformed in-between shots, though in some scenes the Otomes’ heads look bigger than they should be. Quality aside, the fast pace of this episode really does it good for those eager Mai Otome fans (like me of course), and I think the same goes for almost everyone when I say the history of Otome needs to be explored more in this OAV. Also, there might be a revelation on the connection between the Hime and Otome universes, though a connection is all it can be (unless they decide to be stupid and make the two parallel universes, or worse yet, reincarnations!) Arika’s mother is another main issue the OAV should explore. Speaking of Arika, I’m glad she’s still the same character, despite the passing of a year. Mashiro has obviously matured, and the other important character, Nina, seems to have continued living in isolation with only one companion, Sergay, for the past year. I’m pretty sure she’ll have a large role to play too, since she’s such an important character.

Preview:

Next episode – #2
Aww the wait will be soo long…

Mai