Ladies versus Butlers!

I'm just gonna get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Ladies versus Butlers is an ecchi harem comedy that does little to break the chain of "we don't need a story as long there are boobies" shows that we see in shows of this genre. Almost all the characters fall perfectly within some set archetype, and don't really see anything in the way of character development. Also, this show has more of these archetypes than I think I've ever seen in one place, as well all the gags you'd expect in this genre.

Despite this, I still enjoyed this series quite a bit , ... for two main reasons. The main character, and fact that the non-ecchi related jokes were actually funny.

Story: Didn't really expect anything from the story to begin with, didn't really get anything. The show basically just follows him around as he lives at this school with all these girls. No real plot. He's just sorta there with all these girls, and.... yeah.

Art: The show does look nice, which is definitely a plus. It's not incredibly unique in terms of style, but it's not bad to look at either. It gets the job done for this series just fine. A show based on fanservice should be something fans would want to look at, no?

Sound: Not really anything notable about the sound. The OP was kinda catchy, but that's about it. It wasn't bad, but it never really stuck out during the series.

Character: The show has more character archetypes crammed into it than I've ever seen in any place before, and nobody really develops beyond these roles. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Akuharu. While he's no brilliant character himself, I'd definitely choose him over most of the other male leads you see in ecchi harem. Him not being a spineless loser without any backbone or opinion of any kind was nice change from the usual, and his appearance (red eyes, scar on his eyebrow, and not small/wimpy) felt like someone actually gave it a bit of thought rather than just taking the concept art from another ecchi harem and doing just enough edits to make him not a blatant clone. For the first time, I actually CARED about the male lead. While there's still lots of work to be done in terms of characters, L x B was at least a step in the right direction.

Enjoyment: While there was more than enough fanservice for those who came here looking for it, the show was quite amusing with its more worksafe bits humor(the principal and ninja maid in particular). It was enough to keep me watching the entire way through, although I really would have liked to see more of it in place of the "I tripped and grabbed a boob" gag or the ever present "Some random situation has forced us into a sexually awkward position" bit.

Overall: Ladies versus Butlers is by no means a greatanime, but it definitely preferrable to most of the shows in this genre. Akuharu hinted at something in the way of effort in his design, the art looks very nice, and there's enough not fanservice related humor to actually, well , make someone not as into that as others find some enjoyment out of this, however small that may be.

Many criticize the harem genre of anime for its overly formulaic approach and execution. And Ladies vs. Butlers will probably not change the opinions of these critics, since practically every convention common in harem anime is crammed into this show.

The premise behind Ladies vs. Butlers is simple yet predictable. The main character, Hino Akiharu, attends a school for upper-class ladies that is also dedicated to instructing maids and butlers how to function in high-class society. The story basically details Hino interacting with the various girls at the school and the various ecchi situations he gets himself into. The majority of this ... series is episodic and, in all honesty, serves nothing more than to introduce the female characters and to show ecchi scenes.

Ladies vs. Butlers includes almost every female archetype found in the harem genre: a tsundere, a childhood friend, a (reverse) trap, lolis, clumsy girls, foreign girls, etc. The harem lead, Akiharu, is also a fairly generic character. While he doesn’t fit the “total loser” persona as many other harem leads do, there is nothing really noteworthy about him. Also, there is hardly any significant character development, but that is to be expected of an anime of this type.

The art is decent and very reminiscent of one of XEBEC’s earlier productions, Kanokon. And while some of the character designs may be slightly off-putting (for example, there is a 19-year-old girl who looks like an elementary school student), this will not detract from overall enjoyment of the anime.

The opening and ending songs are appropriate for this kind of anime but nothing all that memorable, and the voice-acting suited each character’s personality well. The background music is virtually nonexistent, though you will probably be too fixated on all the bouncing breasts, panty shots, and nudity present in this anime to even notice.

While Ladies vs. Butlers does not fail in one particular aspect, its main issue is that it does nothing to stand out from the countless other harem anime out there. It doesn’t deviate from the harem formula at all, and as a result, this anime most likely will not appeal to anyone looking for anything more than fanservice and comedy. However, if you are a diehard harem or ecchi fan, you should give Ladies vs. Butlers a try.

Overall, this was a decent ecchi/harem anime, albeit nothing exceptional or ground-breaking.

I'll get the obvious bit out first.

Yes, this anime is the most basic formulaic ecchi/harem anime out there. There should be no surprise there.

This is a key fact which I'm using as a base for this review. It doesn't make sense to treat this anime any more seriously.

Let's start off with the characters. You already know them if you've watched any ecchi anime ever. They are just as basic as the show itself, presenting commonly seen behaviors and personalities. There is nothing interesting about them other than their figure. I won't dwell on it any longer because this is to be expected from the statement ... I made earlier.

The concept was definitely something different. This anime is set in some kind of Maid/Butler/Noble lady training school. I can at least give them props for that since it's the only thing that stands out at all. There isn't anything particularly unique about the OST or the atmosphere either.

Art style and fan service. Okay, this is something they did well. If you're here to beat yo dick, this anime will serve you well with very unnecessary ecchi scenes in almost every episode. I really liked Selnia's design with the drill looking hair no matter how ridiculous it may be. The ecchi scenes were pretty nice as well, which just barely pushes the anime to make it worth watching at least.

As for the comedy... it's a mixed bag. I personally didn't find anything funny in it, but it does have some decent enough attempts at comedy that don't ALL rely on ecchi. The recurring gags got old VERY fast, and soon it was almost annoying to see that gag again since they were never funny to begin with. This is entirely subjective of course.

Overall, did I enjoy this anime? No. I feel like I wasted my time.

But does this anime deserve such a harsh critique?

No. This is because such anime isn't made for stellar fleshed out characters with masterful storytelling. It's there to give you heaps and heaps of fan service. If you're into the whole maid fetish, then it's got heaps of that too.

This anime doesn't take any risks with trying to be different and is very much content blending in with the mass. However, for those who watch Ecchi anime for...well, the ecchi and don't expect anything more, this anime absolutely delivers in that aspect and that aspect only.

So, if you fit that, go ahead and give it a watch.