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Anime DVD Reviews of Ultramaniac v.1 and Hanaukyo Maid Team the complete series

© Holly Ellingwood

One of the most surprisingly delightful new anime series being released by Geneon is Ultramaniac. A TV series over the course of 7 volumes, it is a warm hearted soap opera and magical adventure combined. In this first volume we meet the aloof and cool Ayu, a model student and tennis player. One day she literally bumps into a new classmate, Nina Sakura, who seems clumsy and a little...odd. We quickly find out that Nina is from a magical kingdom and is studying magic abroad in Japan. They form an unlikely friendship and so their adventure begins. Magical high jinks meet the every day angst and romantic dilemmas of teenagers as we watch Nina try to help Ayu with her secret crush on baseball and good guy Kaji. And every time Nina tries a spell something is always bound to go wrong in order to allow hilarious mix-ups and misunderstandings to occur. For example, one episode has Nina accidentally changing Ayu into a boy!

There is some odd timing in this as it isn't until episode four that we find out how Nina and Ayu first meet. Of note, this is an anime series that comes from the creator of Marmalade Boy, one of the most popular teen soap opera anime and manga series in Japanese culture. The animation in and of itself is a little bit more sophisticated than Marmalade Boy was but the basic style and use of simple lines is still very present. It is the use of animation that helps make this show more energetic than it otherwise might be. The method of changing the background of a character or the line art of their facial expressions dramatically from those around them to show their sudden shift of mood is used to great comic effect and makes it highly entertaining to watch. This is an endearing magical romantic comedy that is ideal for young viewers and with qualities that can appeal to adult viewers alike. It ranks a high 8.5/10 kendo swords.

Rating: This anime series is rated 7 and up for its versatile subject matter that never gets too angst ridden.

Release information: Ultramaniac Volume 1 (of 7) 'Magical Girl', containing the first four episodes, is available now.

Hanaukyo Maid Team is a 12 episode series released by Geneon on only 3 volumes, something I wish more anime companies would do more often. It is a romantic comedy about a boy in his teens who inherits his grandfather's estate after his mother's death, all with the help of a team of maids there to serve his every need. When I say 'team', I mean legions of maids with different corps for serving the various foundations of the estate; from house to technical to security. One of the things that earns this anime series its high rating, is that the personal section of the maids have some techniques to try to serve their master that are very personal indeed. Taro, however, is a kind soul and pure who is often found running away from his more adoring maids. He does have one specific maid, Mariel, whom is obviously the love interest for this story. Much comedy ensues as he tries to adjust to his new life as well as a few poignant moments between him and individual maids as he gets to learn about them and they him.

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