Akiba Meido Sensou

The innocent Nagomi Wahira has always admired the cute girls serving at maid cafes. Hoping to fulfill her dream of becoming one, she moves to Akihabara to work at the maid cafe Ton Tokoton.

Nagomi's first day seems completely normal—until she has to run an "errand" at a rival maid cafe along with her fellow recruit, the mature Ranko Mannen. There, things quickly go south, and Nagomi soon gets her first taste of Akihabara's violent maid wars. As she watches Ranko calmly battle her way through a horde of gun- and knife-wielding maids, Nagomi realizes that maid cafes are drastically unlike what she had envisioned.

While struggling to reconcile her expectations with the harsh reality she finds herself in, Nagomi searches for the enjoyment she once saw in the lives of maids.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mannen, Ranko Main

Satou, Rina Japanese

Wahira, Nagomi Main

Kondou, Reina Japanese

Yaegashi, Yasuko Main

Takagaki, Ayahi Japanese

Zoya Supporting

Davidyuk, Jenya Japanese

Yumechi Supporting

Tanaka, Minami Japanese

Shiipon Supporting

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Okachimachi Supporting

Hirano, Aya Japanese

Nerura Supporting

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Manami Supporting

Yurin Japanese

Lion Ace Maid Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Sotokawa, Akihiro Producer

Kitazawa, Shiryuu Producer

Takenaka, Nobuhiro Producer

Hayashi, Masanobu Producer

Reviews

Dec 30, 2022

Natsuki_SanJuan

Recommended

“Okaerinasaimase, Goshujinsama!”

Simple words, yet it’s charming to see that greeting when you go inside a café with full of cute maids. They were dressed in black uniforms, a white aprons on the outside, and most importantly, their smile. They will escort you to your seats and will serve your meals. They serve Parfaits, Karage, Salads, and Omurice with a special message from them, written in ketchup. Customers will feel very special while you’re inside the café. When you exit the café, they will greet you again to see them next time. That’s the daily life of maid cafes and their masters. That’s what I ... pictured this show. A slice of life comedy anime full of cute maids and their daily lives. That’s the part where I’ve been mistaken.

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?

After witnessing the unexpected airing of Pairipi Koumei from Spring 2022 and its Chinese dance, PA Works is back with another one of their anime originals. It’s been a long time since they made an anime original like the recently Aquatope of the White Sand. This time, they released something different. Something less likely we’ve never seen before. I found myself getting trolled by this show because it isn’t what I’m expecting. I didn’t read the synopsis nor see the trailer in the first place.

At the very beginning of the show, it seemed different. You may think that the story is not supposed to be like that. The show introduced the main character, that is yearning to experience the life of being a maid and decided to work in a maid café in Akiba. Nagomi decided to work in a café called, “Oinky Doinky Café”, where they wear a pinkish uniform, and some of them wear a headband of pig’s ears. She later experienced her first day of the job until that night. Ranko began to shoot other maids with a dual-wielding pistol in front of her and witnessed the corpses covered in their blood. I didn’t expect that to happen and made me curious about what the heck is going on. I had assumed this will be another CGDCT anime by PA Works but apparently, it’s a show where maids are considered yakuzas, and killing amongst them is a normal occurrence. I thought it was supposed to be a slice-of-life maid show but I made a mistake. The next thing that happened is I found myself enjoying this show.

The story is kind of a troll by making an idea about maids and maid cafes and turning them into some sort of bloodbath war. I’m not sure where to start, but I think all maid cafes are like running a ruthless business. Tons of slapping energy, action, and thriller slapped together into a show not just for comedy, but one-of-a-kind entertainment. I didn’t find myself bored every time I watch the ongoing episodes. What I like about the story are its uniqueness and creativity. The concept is interesting but shown in a subaverage way. Each episode has its own story when they found themselves fighting with other maid cafes for the sake of their café and lives. But when they all come in together, you’ll know that something will supposed to happen. Imagine a world where yakuza don't hang out in small offices, entertaining only people that owe them money, but instead, they run maid cafes... as cute maids. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is. That's also the plot of this show. In this world, maid cafes are part of syndicates, maids use knives, swords, and guns to kill their competition, and they do long stretch in prison. Yet somehow, they still attract and entertain otaku in their cafes. The comedy itself is very entertaining. I found myself laughing so much because of the execution of the punchline, where every maid got killed all of a sudden. The segments in this show are very witty like the boxing match, baseball match, poker match, rooftop scene, and many more. Although the story didn’t have complexity, it was engaging and most of all, full of violence.

What I like about the characters are they full of energy. Some of them were annoying but you couldn’t help but laugh. Their interactions are entertaining even sometimes also absurd. The characters are also fleshed out, and most of them are interesting. Panda can be somewhat the funniest character in the series, alongside Manager. I thought that she was just a mascot while she was a maid too. The manager is way too crazy for the situation. She is sometimes annoying because she always sells her staff to war to earn profits. Even though, she’s also an entertaining one. I like the character development of Nagomi because even though she was forced to join the war, she didn’t quit. She wanted to prove to other cafes that Oinky Doinky members are not pigs. Ranko is probably the best character in the series because she is full of violence. I thought that she was just the cold-hearted one, but she’s the one who loves Oinky Doinky the most. She values her co-workers, especially Nagomi’s determination to solve the conflicts without acts of violence.

The sounds are also good. It is well-suitable for most of the parts. Some parts sometimes look like a punchline because of the music, but they know how to put the music into some serious parts. The OP slaps hard and it sounded 90s electronic vibe. The lyrics are just the dialogue of a common maid to the customers, but the way they distorted and make it suspenseful is amazing. The dance at the end was good too and I didn’t expect that because of its nature. I didn’t listen to the ED that much but it sounded like the songs from Yakuza.

The animation and art style are also good as expected from PA Works. Although the quality isn’t that perfect, it’s pretty suited for the show. The style can be very weird but also mesh super well. The art direction is also presented and they took their sweet time to animate every scene even the violent ones. It seems that they ran out of budget when they produced Paripi Koumei. It’s not a high-caliber, but a good one.

Akiba Meido Sensou is certainly a strange show but certainly has left an impression on its viewers. I recommend it to those who want to be entertained and experience some strange violence. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s very creative. Chaotic, strange situations, insane, and stupidity in a good way, blended all in one show. Akiba Meido Sensou is definitely worth to see!

Story: 8/10
Animation: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Entertainment factor: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 22, 2022

GG-WP

Mixed Feelings

This is one of those shows that comes out every now and then with a bizarre premise but is oddly entertaining to watch. The show makes you wonder WHAT THE HELL is going on. However, the same bizarre premise proved to be its downfall, as the show was all over the place due to a lack of proper direction.

Akiba Maid War, as the title suggests, is a maid kill maid show in which rival maid cafes compete. The show is essentially a non-sensical killing, with the show's initial unpredictability eventually becoming predictable and repetitive. Pacing-wise, I believe that if there had been more episodes to ... work with, the plot would have been more fleshed out and not felt rushed, particularly in the final arc, with the Ranko saga and all. I can't say I understand the ending because shit just went down for real and is a real head scratcher.

Having said that, despite the lack of proper direction, the show was still entertaining to watch. The MOE factor and Ranko being a total badass, especially the latter, saved the show from being hot garbage and completely unwatchable in my opinion. The cast synergy is nice, but there are far too many unnecessary characters. Also, the incompetency of the maid cafe Ton Tokoton's "Tenchou", and basically being the butt of all jokes, was also repeatedly highlighted in the show, adding spice and entertainment value to the show.

Art-wise, it is nothing out of the ordinary, but it is certainly passable. I must say that the art style complements the overall vibe and mood of the show. Regarding the animation, I have the same thoughts as I do about the art: nothing out of the ordinary, but passable. There were no particularly exciting scenes, but nothing seemed out of place either.

As for the OP, it is undeniably a banger that left a lasting impression on me. The accompanying visuals were also odd and gave you a sense of what to expect from the show. The ED is also quite unusual. Although not as catchy as the opener, both songs mesh well with one another. There is a distinction between them. As for the VAs, they did an excellent job of portraying the characters assigned to them. Ranko (Genshin's Eula's VA, who bears a striking resemblance to Eula's character as well) stood out the most, with her mommy-like vibe and unfazed mannerisms throughout.

This show is perfectly watchable, but the hype that surrounded it from its first episodes has died down as a result of its non-sensical violence and predictability, as well as its erratic plot. Had the show taken the liberty of fleshing out the characters and backstories more, the show would undoubtedly be more popular and well-received than it is now. Weird show that appears only once in a while, but it is passable and leaves a lasting impression on its viewers. Can't say I was satisfied with the finale at all. Definitely a wasted potential if I may add.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 30, 2023

mistressmadi

Not Recommended

I liked this show in the beginning, because I genuinely thought it had some good writing (only in the first 2), but it quickly went south with the writing as it depended on too many tropes and cliches. This show is meant to be exaggerated, however, it goes to a point where there's barely any explanation and multiple plot holes. The main character, Nagomi, drags everyone down with her with barely a redemption arc. There is lack of character depth for most of the characters, as again, the "development" of said so characters purely depends on plot holes and cliches. I wouldve liked this show ... if it had better writing, but I genuinely cannot understand how in near the end of most episodes, it turns into a 180. Nagomi's ideals changes constantly with no reasoning (she wants no violence, yet asks why other characters dont react back, etc). I do not recommend this for anyone unless they want to laugh at how absurdly bad the writing can be.

EDIT: Only reason I gave it a 3 is because of Ranko, without her it'd be a 0.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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