Maicching Machiko-sensei

Tl;dr: Whether because it's a kids show from 1981, or because it happens to also be a rather entertaining school comedy, Miss Machiko manages to somewhat charm you past it's rather more sexploitative & misogynist elements. Might only be one for those interested in the history of anime, but it's also worth watching rather than just reading about.

On paper, Miss Machiko sounds like something that time had a good reason to forget. A children's comedy that is also considered one of the early ecchi anime, Miss Machiko follows the titular, newly graduated teacher as she struggles to impart the wonders of education to her ... elementary school students. Those efforts inevitably result in her being caught in compromising positions & groped, usually by lead student troublemaker Kento, who strikes a victory pose whenever he gets her to exclaim “Maicchingu!” which is translated as “how shameful/embarrassing” or “I give up” depending on where you look.

Yet somehow, in spite of this, it's hard to be too offended by it. Despite sounding like (& sometimes being) a thinly veiled excuse to depict a female character being molested, Miss Machiko ends up being more like a Carry On film than anything else, it being the story of a new, unorthodox teacher connecting with her students in a way that older teachers are unable to. Think GTO except here the teacher is the one being perved on rather than doing the perving.

Kento & his classmates, despite being the ringleaders of Miss Machiko's torment, are depicted more in the context of “boys will be boys” than as malicious or sexually motivated harassers. Kento in particular is the kind of kid who is just bored of school & looking to get a reaction out of others, a reaction his teacher is quick to give. That's not to excuse his behavior, of course, & it's a failing of the show (both at the time & looking back on it now) that he's not really called out on it. The rest of the class & cast are a good mix of both genders & personalities – Machiko's uncle being particularly amusing - & while Kento is usually the ringleader, he doesn't dominate the cast nor do all his pranks go his way.

Miss Machiko herself is an entertaining, if frustrating, character. There's an element of Cutie Honey to her, a young woman who is neither embarrassed by being attractive nor allowing instances of objectification to stop her doing her job. Indeed, despite being the object of her male students attention, it's ultimately her fun & enthusiastic teaching & personality that endears her to her students who, when needed, she is happy to help, either with bullies from other schools or with the girls getting their own back when Kento & the boys goes too far.

Unfortunately, Kento & the show do go too far. Apparently suffering from the need to up the ante with each episode, what starts with skirt flips & water pranks soon goes places that “boys will be boys” no longer excuses. One episode in particular pushes it to the point of being uncomfortable viewing. Episode 8 sees Kento using a Frisbee to harass his teacher & classmates, first by tearing their clothes with attached fish hooks, then taking underskirt phots with a hidden camera. The girls do get their own back, but the episode ends with Kento selling the photos of Miss Machiko & him celebrating when she gives her “Maicchingu!” exclamation. This is the frustrating thing about Miss Machiko. She may take the more “innocent” antics in her stride, but when Kento or others cross the line, she's made to just stand there & take it as the show lives up to “The Shame of Miss Machiko” translation of the title. It makes one think that Takeshi Ebihara wrote the manga with one hand permanently under their desk.

It's a shame, because when it doesn't have it's hands in it's pants, Miss Machiko is a fun comedy. The main cast are likeable, the support cast entertaining & other than two or three episodes, it keeps itself in the “harmless” side of ecchi, more Carry On Teacher than anything else. Indeed it perhaps says something of how anime, & “ecchi” in particular, has evolved that nothing that Miss Machiko can be criticised for hasn't been done worse in your typical late night anime title. The theme tune is pretty catchy & the OST, while rather repetitive, is fine for the time. Likewise the art & animation, while very much a product of the early 1980s, are a perfectly fine example of the period. Miss Machiko's design in particular makes her stand out in a way that conveys her attractiveness without the use of certain overly exaggerated features.

It's no Cutie Honey, & indeed it would probably have been to the show's benefit if Studio Pierrot had toned down some of the more excessive wardrobe malfunctions & harassment scenarios that probably came from the manga, as Toei did to Go Nagai's original (or maybe they did?). It's also worth noting that, at the time of writing, Discotek Media have only licensed the first 12 episodes of the series which, given the almost complete indifference it's stream release appears to have been met with, is likely all we will get. That's unfortunate, because Miss Machiko has a place in anime history that has been overlooked. It might not be worth trawling the internet to find the unlicensed episodes, but the 12 we have merit a watch.

edit: Somewhat to my surprise, it seems Discotek are still releasing batches of new episodes on CR despite the apparent lack of interest it received. For now I'll leave this review as it is, since it still reflects my opinion on the show. It's still a fun, silly comedy with a likeable cast, marred only by it's continued need to grope & disrobe Miss Machiko in new & uncomfortable ways.

I do not usually leave reviews, but I noticed nobody has reviewed this anime after watching all of it. So I would share my thoughts.

Maicching Machiko-sensei is a pretty good episodic anime which offers an interesting insight into cultural trends of the early 80s in Japan. Such as the downfall of model making, puppet shows and small businesses coupled with the rise of arcades, takenoko dancers and rock music.

Each episode is pretty much standalone, however there is good continuity between episodes with characters making reference to previous events. The show often follows one of three general ideas. A talented person becomes unavailable to ... do their job and Miss Machiko is able to fill in for them and is a perfect fit whether it be as a singer, circus performer or voice actress. Miss Machiko will meet a struggling person and will work with the kids to turn their life around, such as a struggling noodle seller or puppet show owner. Finally, there are episodes where Miss Machiko meets a man she likes and the students as well as her colleague Yamagata work together to ensure Miss Machiko stays single out of their own self interest.

This leads in to the biggest weakness in the anime, without a doubt the meanness of Kenta, the young boy and main character of the anime. He is a complete asshole. Unlike a character like Bart Simpson who rivals with equally mean spirited teachers, Kenta is a bully for absolutely no reason to people who constantly treat him well and it becomes frustrating how often he gets away with his behaviour without any repercussions. Even his best friend Kameyama seems to be scared of him and his constant sexual harassment of his teacher and classmates is always excused as 'oh this is just how boys show their love'. The only times I really enjoyed this show was when Kenta was not on screen or in the few episodes where he finally had some punishment.

The other children in the school are very one dimensional characters and are easy to forget with the exception of Maruko who is quite funny. Yamagata is a good character and the series improves once his role grows (around episode 10), it is entertaining to see him completely fail to gain Machiko's interest and get shrugged off by all the other characters.

The anime also improves a lot with the introduction of Kagoshima (episode 56) as he bounces off Yamagata to create an interesting ongoing rivalry for Machiko's affections. At this point the episodes improve a lot and some of the episodes are really standout and are a pleasure to watch. Despite the quality of the last 20 or so episodes, the show sadly ends quite flatly with no major climax or event.

If you are interested in 80s anime then this is a must watch. If you can enjoy Kenta than you will love this show. Otherwise this anime has a ceiling of 6/10. With a 7/10 for episodes 60-95.

Interesting for its' place in anime history, albeit a sleazier part than most would enjoy. The main problem aside from the misogyny and the boys will be boys attitude is that the show is constantly getting in its' own way. Sure the lead teacher is cute, and quite nice, but the nudity elements become very bland very quickly. Only so much they can show, and in only so many ways, but the core show about a new teacher trying to connect with the youth isn't fully realized due to the whole, constant perving and sexual assault stuff. Episodes will be about a topic, then stop ... for nipples or something ecchi, then go back to some sort of plot. It's hard to like any of the students, and ultimately is a show that I would not recommend.

However, I'm going with mixed feelings because I do think the style and animation has some charm, the teachers is quite cute, and is worth trying out for those interested in the history of this kind of anime. It's both quite tame and way more explicit than one would expect from the time, but as a show it feels at war with itself and thus even at the best of times it can't maintain a good flow