Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~

[KiraRin]

Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~

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STORY
6 / 10

I think the anime world is starting to run out of ideas. Anyone who hasn't yet seen a series with the stereotypical awkward guy who has no idea about women, dumped into a house with a wide selection of the fairer sex, cannot seriously call themself an anime fan. I guess it must be every male otaku's dream to be put into that situation, and so the recipe seems to be working for now. The first title to spring to mind when watching Mahoraba is Love Hina. Both male protagonists in the endless struggle for success, whilst trying to juggle a complex series of relationships with numerous girls. But there's something about Heartful days I can't quite put my finger on that makes it a little more special than some of the others.

The usual groan goes out when Shiratori Ryuji starts college and moves into Narutakisou (a traditional style apartment in the heart of Tokyo) and has an instant attraction to the young and innocent landlady Aoba Kozue. From here, the usual cliche cast is introduced. The drunk, feisty Momono, Kozue's best and over protective friend Tamami, the innocent Asami, her clueless mother Sayoko and the comedy relief Jonny. Haven't we seen this somewhere before? The twist comes as the landlady unknowingly unleashes one of her 5 multiple personalities. The story progresses at a gentle pace, Ryuji never quite sure which of Kozue's identities he's speaking to. Swinging from the agressive, to the cosplay obsessed and then to the naive child, the only difference being their eye colour and hair styles. Trying to struggle through a difficult art course, whilst balancing his home life with so many vivid characters and their eccentricities means Ryuji has some interesting experiences.

As is the norm with this kind of show, the romance between the two main protagonists is never fully explored. It is always hinted at with shy looks, and certain awkard situations, but never comes to fruition. The story follows the day to day lives of the characters, never sure how serious to take itself. I was enjoying the show until the last few episodes when the moralistic side of the writer kicks in, and the story takes a dive from the enjoyable comedy it once was. Maybe the script tried to incorporate too much for a single season, but some of the episodes seem to be a little unfinished, with more of a tale to tell.


ANIMATION
8 / 10

The animation is the usual standard expected of more recent series, successfully using childish and amusing facial styles. A lot of attention was paid to the different mannerisms of each of Kozue's personas. The comedy in the show is frequently shown through the animation, particularly Sayoko. From the bubble out of the nose when she's asleep, to her drifting along in a daze, it all made me laugh.

The scenery in Mahoraba is beautiful. There is no other word for the Narutakisou, its small picturesque body trapped between the towering skyscrapers of Tokyo. The attention to detail in the background is lovely, from the beach trip, to the train jouney at the park.

One of the more unusual sides of Mahoraba was Ryuji's animation for his children's story. The animation style becomes a wonderfully bright and bold sketched fantasy world. The jerky animaion gives the feel of a storybook coming to life, whilst in reality giving an insight into the feelings of the characters.

SOUND
6 / 10

The OP and the ED are pretty unremarkable, the usual J-pop affair for this kind of show. I would also say that the ambient music throughout the rest of the show isn't worth getting the OST for this series sadly.

The voice actors do a good job, but weren't anything for me to write home about. Kozue's seiyuu stood out for me, having to portray so many different persona's for one character. Her girlish charm for Kozue was contrasted brilliantly by Saki's aggressive and confrontational mannerisms. The cherubic innocence of the 6 year old Nanako is also worthy of a mention, constantly calling for her Onii-chan. I guess the rest of the voice actors seemed like a let down compared with Kozue's. If anything was lacking at all in Mahoraba, it would be the sound. Its not that its bad, per se, but its certainly no better than average.

CHARACTERS
8 / 10

For a show with a relatively small cast, there sure are some big personalities in this show. Sadly, they are very cliche, and you know exactly what to expect from each of them. The chemistry between the two main protagonists is drawn out through the show, each character acting in a very sweet, if not naive way. I guess a lot of male otaku can relate to Ryuji and the struggles he faces in the face of strong female company. The fragmented identities of Kozue all have a side that we can relate to, maybe not to such an extreme, but the female fans have something to connect to in her. I especially liked Momono and Tama for their darker and slightly more explosive sides.

Mahoraba could have gone the way of the typical ecchi show, and exploited the female typecast of large breasted femme fatales. Luckily, this trap was avoided. The characters are much more adult than some comparable shows, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much more. However, I did feel that some of the side characters were given a little too much screen time, such as Sayoko and Asami. Their side story seemed a little convoluted, almost like a padding for the main story. It didn't really add anything, other than to add empathy to the mother and daughter.

The skittishness of the storyline meant that some of my favourite characters weren't given the focus they deserved. There wasn't really enough about Jonny for you to "get" him. Ryuji's school friends held a lot of promise, but were sidelined and ignored part way through the series. I think the show had big ambitions and tried to branch out too much in a single series. I would have liked to see one storyline focussed on for its entirity, and not dance about so much leaving some of the characters out in the rain with so much story they could have developed.


OVERALL
7 / 10

If you're looking for some light hearted fun, Mahoraba is definitely not to be overlooked. Personally speaking, I found it a lot more enjoyable than some in the same genre. The characters are cute, if not stereotypical, but they is a certain something that will keep you coming back for more episode after episode. The show is by no means without fault, but is probabaly one of the better of the genre.




My first ever review, so please be gentle >.<

H.

[VivisQueen]

It was a good read.

Certainly ten times better than what I produced for my first review. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, analysis etc are solid, which leaves only one big issue:

The rating for 'Characters' and the tone of what you write doesn't quite match up. You say the characters are cliche, that there is too much screentime given to the minor ones, and your favourites weren't given enough. You basically write mostly negative stuff, and yet award it a really high 8/10. It came across more like a 6.5/10 to me. If you care for the rating, then just add more positive stuff i.e. describing what it is you liked to show why it deserves an 8. If you care for the content, then I'd consider lowering the rating to match the tone.

Other than that, I'm totally looking forward to more from you.

[KiraRin]

I think that was the thing I couldn't put my finger on. I did enjoy the show, but I think it was more the lacking in the story rather than the characters that made it that way. I guess I marked down the story section, rather than the character section because of this >.<

But thanks for your kind words Vivi, it means a lot coming from someone who writes some brilliant reviews for the site ^^

H.