Story: 2/10
Here's the main issue I have with this show. It started out all right, kind of standard and a bit too ritualistic for my tastes, but something that I felt had a certain charm that could keep me watching. I delved into the first two episodes which elude to a school play that I assumed would be happening some time far in the future (possibly at the end of the season as I know this is a multi season series) due to the significance it held for the main characters. There's some decent buildup, a rehearsal, then literally the next scene, I am left completely confused. The show spent two episodes threading all the strings together then they went and SKIPPED the entire play. Just like that. Nope, natta; without warning, no bone for you.
So I let it go the first time. The next few episodes had some great character interaction and back story. Then they went to the trouble of introducing a new event at their school: the student council elections. Excellent; I thought I would be getting some interesting insight on speeches and how campaigns are set up at such a prestigious school. Then this series had the guts to go and SKIP the entire election again.
In case you can't pick up on it, I'm spotting a trend here. This series has a terrible habit of forming story elements just for the sake of the drama it causes, rather than using that element to actually enhance the world and its characters through decent story telling. Don't know what I mean? Imagine how an anime like Haikyuu would be like if every single major volleyball match was skipped. That's how I felt. It's like the author can only write drama and doesn't bother to do proper research or put in real effort to get out of their comfort zone. A comfort zone which, may I mention, is not even so out of left field considering the setting of an all girls' school. Unfortunately, the story suffers horrifically for it.
Art: 6/10
Considering the time period that this series came out, the art is decent enough. The character models put me off slightly for the simple fact that, aside from the hair/face, every single character looks exactly the same. I get that it's a girls' school with a strict dress code, but if something as simple as clothes could warrant this complaint from me, then any anime with a school setting would be getting 6/10. But of course, that simply isn't the case. You can argue that sure, all anime characters look the same but honestly, that's a claim that only people who haven't watched more than two animes make. Characters are meant to move/animate themselves differently, have different habits and talking styles to enhance their design. Other times, you are so engaged in the plot or the personality themselves that you portray them differently in your head.
On the other hand, with Maria-sama ga Miteru, about 80% of these episodes is just people standing around talking super formally, and the plot moves relatively slowly for a show that insists on time skipping everything. There isn't anything else TO really pay attention to except the art. And for that, the fact that it lacks charisma stood out even more. The lack of difference in character models isn't helped by the fact that there are quite gigantic info dumps throughout the course of the series where everyone's names either sound too similar or are too long to bother remembering. However, the backgrounds are quite beautiful. Particularly, that spot in front of the Maria statue will likely remain as a staple unique to this series.
Sound: 7/10
There's not much to say here as I'm not too familiar with composers and such, but I think the music is the best part about this series. It takes on a very classy feel which is very suiting to the tone of the show and what it stands for. I remember one scene where a character was singing opera and it sounded downright wonderful. It's a shame that we couldn't hear more. As mentioned, they're too obsessed with having characters standing around talking rather than delving into anything deep like opera performances. The opening song is very skippable as not much happens in it. Yet I can imagine myself putting it on while relaxing on the front porch with a cup of tea. Relaxing on the front porch with a cup of tea being something that the characters in this show do a lot, mind you.
Characters: 5/10
Strangely enough, for how much the lack of focus in plot bugged me to the point of dropping, the characters were not really a factor driving that final decision. I enjoyed them for what they were. Sachiko and Yoshino, contrary to appearances, do have childish temperamental sides which I found made them feel very human. I appreciate how the writer took the time to focus on some other student council members one by one in their own mini episode arcs, moreso because we're pretty much dumped with the entire main cast about ten minutes in. As crazy as this sounds, Tsutako ended up becoming my favorite of the bunch despite her not having the aforementioned episode dedicated to her yet. Her insistence on remaining detached from the entire soeur system while somehow respecting and violating Yumi's privacy at the same time is very ironically hilarious.
So why only the 5/10? Well, there are two reasons. Reason one: there is a very evident bias in giving character development towards the rose buds and their sisters over the actual roses themselves. I never thought I would ever type a sentence like that in my life but here I am. It seems to be universally accepted that the roses are perfect, have perfect relationships, always have mighty wisdom over everyone else and, as a result, never feel the need to be the focus of the plot. Everyone is just detached to them the right enough amount for them to graduate with no skeletons in their closets, yet not too much so then Yumi could rant every other episode about "the rose and rose buds having such a strong bond" without bothering to even show why or how. As a result, as a viewer, I felt close to zero remorse at the possibility of them leaving the cast.
Secondly: Yumi. Oh gosh, Yumi. I felt like every time the camera wasn't focused on every little thought Yumi had, my enjoyment exponentially increased. The girl has no personality outside of her loyalty to Sachiko plus her ability to go "eEH" at something, and those are the kind of characters that annoy me. The kind who are only there for the sake of being paired up with someone else. I don't want Yumi to ride the coattails of another more interesting character. I don't want anyone in an anime to ride the coattails of another more interesting character; let alone the MAIN character. That's before I even address the fact that her narrative is so fragmented and random at times that I find myself confused at certain dramatic scenes because nothing Yumi thought earlier even hinted at this emotional outburst. Instead of being cued in early and anticipating on what will happen later, I find myself swept away by mundane thoughts one second then thoroughly bewildered the next. Yumi just isn't a great main character. She's better off as a one-note support cast whose gimmick is entertaining for about ten seconds before reverting back to bringing everyone water bottles in between matches for the rest of the series.
Enjoyment: 4/10
Like I mentioned before, this series does have a certain charm. It's just a shame that this charm never lived up to its full potential past the insistence of being slow-burn in certain parts yet skip-happy in others. I usually don't go for the more mellow animes with simplistic yet serene plots, so the fact that I even watched this far is never a bad sign.
Overall: 5/10
