Number 1: The Plot
Kanako = Highly romantic transfer student. A lesbian who is allergic to men.
Mariya = A sadistic male who masquerades as a girl. He's the grandson of the academy's chairperson.
Matsurika = Mariya's emotionless, yet obedient maid. She is a font of verbal abuse for all who surround her.
Maria+Holic = A sadistic comedy that's wrung from the shell of a Yuri Romance
Number 2: The Pedigree
A thirteen episode series reeks of style. Those familiar with the Anime Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei will notice a familiar vibe. Not only was it the same animation studio (Shaft), but even the same director (Akiyuki Shinbo.)Number 3: The Ending Animation
Eye catching and addictive would be the two things I say about this ED. Well, assuming you don't check out the 1983 original!Title: Kimi ni, Mune Kyun
Performed by: Yuu Kobayashi
Number 4: One release for the full series
Yep, this novelty doesn't get old. So many times I am willing to look beyond a price point if it gets me "all" of something.
Number 5: I guess the Opening Animation isn't terrible either.
I mean, I "guess" its alright. While less adorable/rewatchable than the ED, its got a catchy beat and really conveys the weird style of the series, and the relationship between Mariya and Kanako.Title: HANAJI
Performed by: Yuu Kobayashi
The Visuals
And there you have it. Go get Maria+Holic: The Complete Collection, from Section23.
LOL! That cover is so funny!
Especially becuase of the 3-min expert I know what it means!
Mariya's voice actress is also from the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei anime series. She was the voice of Kaere.
@ThePsychoGamer:
I often finds that dubs of comedy series never really work out well. Timing is pretty important in comedy and the actors tend to go over the top in the dialog.
The full version of HANAJI and the video that goes along with it is great. It's a pretty good single from the seiyuu for Mariya.
I agree on the dub of comedy thing. Its easier for me to see a joke that would make doesn't make sense to me, but is performed well, in Japanese, than a forced joke further translated into something unfunny in English.
Its a lose-lose for getting "everything" you'd want, but most comedy just doesn't like to translate. Action, sure, drama, yeah... comedy... not so much.
Oh, and I guess obedient is not the sharpest word. Matsurika is loyal, even if she is as abusive and disrespectful as Mariya.
Yeah, a good example would be a series I really loved in subtitles is Pani Poni Dash, from the Negima! and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei teams as well. Watching it dubbed on FUNimation's website. It just lacks the punches and tone.
Though in balance. There are some dubbed series that I enjoyed far more then the Japanese counterparts. That's very rare. Such series are probably Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, and GitS: SAC1-2.
What's prevented me from filling out the last few Maria+Holic character profiles. I'm having trouble finding verifiable information on the character's names in the right order. There is Ayari's assistant, Natsuru; and the school nurse. I've tried reading the credits in the Japanese versions I've watched online, but the official Japanese website isn't of any help. They aren't even listed on the site. They are listed in the end credits, but they are too small for me to make out the kanji properly to translate.. Do the DVDs list their names in the end credits?I'm still learning kanji. I can translate it if it's big enough to see the stroke order.