Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 24
Producers: J.C.STAFF
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Magical Girl, Romance, Supernatural
Maburaho
[Review: 62/100]

As you have probably guessed from my two Da Capo reviews, I don’t like Clichéd Harem shows. Maburaho, although it features fewer girls, compensate that with a lot of comedy and weird situations, and even pushing the supernatural factor even more. While it is different in presentation and style, Maburaho proves it’s nothing more than just another Harem show.

Kazuki Shikimori is your ordinary no good slacker who attends the prestigious Aoi Academy, which is the home of elite magicians. What makes Aoi Academy’s scholars different than other schools is that its students have more attempts to use magic than any other school. The irony is that Kazuki’s magic usage number is very low compared to his peers, which makes him an easy outcast. However, one day three girls: Yuna, Rin and Kuriko, show up in front of Kazuki and it’s not him they are after, it’s his genes, since he is the heir of a powerful magician’s legacy.

I have to give the creators of Maburaho some credit, the premise is actually not typical and the three girls who are after Kazuki have entirely different reasons of why they want him. Those three characters are the driving force of the entire show, because without them, the show is bland and unoriginal. While Kazuki is just another main male character in a Harem show, the others aren’t all that unique either. The moment I saw Yuna, I was thinking of Steel Angel Kurumi by the way she devotes herself to Kazuki and calling him his “husband”, but at times when he is with another woman, she acts the EXACT way Naru from Love Hina acts and just punches the poor guy. Yuna is cute but she is probably the weakest link of the three characters because her character is obviously monotone throughout the entire show.

Rin is another Motoko (again, another reference to Love Hina): A warrior lady who doesn’t like guys that much but later changes her character. It is sad though, because Rin is a lot more likable than Motoko because of her evolution throughout the show, and her episodes are some of the brighter spots as you actually learn why she is so stiff. Despite those episodes, it doesn’t change the fact that you can easily anticipate what Rin is thinking because of the aforementioned reasons, which makes the show, once again, predictable.

The saving grace is Kuriko. Although she only wants Kazuki for his genes, at least she is real. This well endowed lady is snarky, smart, bitchy at times and extremely savvy. I hate that every girl that has huge breasts acts timid, but Kuriko acts like how a lady with her… gifts… should really act. Moreover, the show’s best episode (21), revolves around her, and even though her cleavage never looked lustful than before, you are really interested to know more about her. Until that point, Kuriko seems too perfect, as in she has no weaknesses in her life, but the reason why that episode was so great is not that only she managed to open up, but still retain her unique personality. It is quite of a shocker to me that Yuki Matsuoka who voices Orihime in Bleach, voices a character with an entirely different personality yet remains as likeable. Now if only the rest of the cast was as interesting.

Other elements of Maburaho fall a little short. The series, as I stated, relies too much on fanservice and low brow comedy that gets stale even in the first episodes. To state how troublesome the problem is, among the thousands of jokes, only 3 made me laugh. When the series is dramatic, stuff work pretty well as you are anxious to see what happens next, but the aftermath that occurs at the middle and the at the end of the show ruins the mood as the show reverts to those antics once again. There are two halves to the show, but you’ll come to realize that despite the two premises that keep the show unpredictable, deep under that, it’s a one trick pony.

J.C.STAFF, unfortunately, made the show to a fanservice fest rather than an interesting romance-action show. There are many plot holes and the comedy really brings the show many notches down. There are some good moments, but it’s sad that the show wasted all of its potential. If you are looking for something different than your traditional Harem, go ahead and give Maburaho a shot, but don’t be surprised if the disappointing ending gets you baffled.