Ranked #4112

Android Ana Maico 2010

Android Ana Maico 2010 is another of those odd little shows that I seem to have a talent for finding. The anime is based on the Maico 2010 manga series by Toshimitsu Shimizu (who also wrote the original manga for 801 T.T.S. Airbats and Red Prowling Devil), which ran in Young King Ours magazine from 1997 to 1998. The anime was aired on WOWOWs Anime Complex omnibus block alongside The Adventures of the Mini Godesses and Neoranga from April to Septemeber 1998.

The story is very simple. Japanese radio is on the decline, so the various stations are trying to think of new and exciting methods to get people to tune in. Enter Maico, Japan's newest radio DJ - with a big difference. Maico is unlike other DJs as she is a state-of-the-art android, and her first appearance in the anime makes this fact very clear.

As Maico is a very new android though, she has had very little contact with humans. Because of this she doesn't understand concepts like love and hate, friendship, rivalry, etc. Her work as a DJ has the dual purpose of boosting ratings and hopefully bringing her one step closer to being human. Also, because she's very new, she has no knowledge of how a radio show is produced.

The story follows an episodic format for the most part, something which works well with this type of show. Many of the episodes are fairly lighthearted, and it's only the last few episodes that stray from this format, being more serious in tone, and following on from each other.

The art for Android Ana Maico 2010 is very derivative of it's manga predecessor, and rather dated at that. The character designs definitely show their age in comparison with some of the more "realistic" designs we see today. Animation is also fairly mediocre, and is sometimes jerky and uneven. Also, because almost all of the show takes place in a radio studio, the animators never really got a chance to show what they could do.

Sound is another area where the series shows it's age. Unlike the animation though, the fact that the series is about a radio show actually helps with the sound, especially as the various effects and noises used in the radio broadcast need to be inckuded in the anime.

There's not much to say about characters. The only real character worth mentioning is Maico, as the rest of the cast were no more than a collection of glorified side characters. However, the cast as a whole were enjoyable enough, especially with their various antics and shenanigans.

As I said at the start, Maico is a bit of an odd show, but it's not a bad one. It does fall short in comparison to the manga, as a lot of the more serious elements were purposely removed (Maico originally being built as a sex doll for example, never gets mentioned in the anime). It's a quirky little series that may or may not appeal to people, but your enjoyment of the show will probably depend on how seriously you take it. read more

STORY SECTION: 5/10
The setting is a new radio station show in 2010, which has a rough start with the ratings. Somebody there comes with the weirdest idea. “Let’s bring an android as an announcer… and let’s make it look and talk like a pretty girl. This way it will attract many listeners.” It sounded quite ridiculous when I first heard it. Stories with female androids (or gynoids for a more accurate term) are almost a genre of their own; but this one felt original. A robot radio announcer? Why does she need to look like a girl if nobody will see her? The reasoning was there; she was to appear in public later on and get all friendly with the fans. Still, the story was nothing much to begin with, as it turned quite soon into stand-alone episodes around every-day problems in the station. Plus, the conclusion was the usual “genre-jump from funny to serious” episode that tries to leave us with a good last impression. Ok, it is a comedy and it doesn’t need to have an awesome story to begin with. The good part is that the scenario was not just an excuse for comedy. The humor was relevant to the story. It is not interesting but it is not bad either. So, it is a half-good job.

ART SECTION: 6/10
The level of animation is average at best. There are not any brilliant visuals or special effects in it but the colors are appealing. The characters seem to be standing still for too long and their grimaces are rather lukewarm for a comedy. This is not really a minus, as they reacted more realistically this way. The graphics are nice to look at, without ever becoming eye-catchy. The only thing that makes the visuals deserve more than 5 is the several mechanical jokes about the female android (body parts, limbs taken out, cables showing, etc.)

SOUND SECTION: 6/10
The level of sound is also average. The music themes are silly tunes in the background and the sound effects are mostly squeaky noises. Even voice acting is just nice. Again, the only reason I find to give sound more than 5 is the recording sounds the sound manager uses all the time. He himself never speaks but uses various recorded sounds and words to express his opinion or to censor any nasty words that some people mention live on the show.

CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10
Maico, the leading gynoid, was interesting for her robotic behavior. She acts like the usual anime bimbo (gentle behavior, shallow thinking, naive thinking) but all is excused as part of her programming. You actually listen to her CPU working before reacting to something in a clichéd and yet apathetic way. There is also the sound director of the studio, who never speaks and just responds with sounds and recorded phrases. He is another interesting character. There are other funny minor characters, such as the director who keeps losing hair because of anxiety and a crazy guest star who likes to shave men’s eyebrows and draw mustaches on women. In all, there are many funny characters but none of them is really hilarious or memorable. Just like the story, they are half-good.

VALUE & ENJOYMENT SECTION: 5/10
Sure, it has several comical moments. Yet again, it never goes too far. It never gets hilariously funny, the pace of the story gets stale after awhile, and the conclusion felt out of place. It is a truly medium series to watch. Then again, I must say that it was party slice-of-life and not pure comedy. I just happen to find slice-of-life to be completely boring without some extra spice in the background.

VERDICT: 5.5 / 10
The “female android” is an overused theme in anime and this is not a good example of the tired formula.

SUGGESTION LIST

You won’t believe how many anime with gynoids there are. Some half-good anime are:
Azusa Will Help, Rizelmine, Metropolis, Hand Maid May and Steel Angel Kurumi.

If you want something with substance, there are also:
Chobits, Key the Metal Idol, Xenosaga (the rpg; not the anime), Ghost in the Shell and Battle Angel Alita. read more