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Ahh, Maria†Holic. Being a natural lover of anything SHAFT churns out of their brilliant studio, I decided to start watching it. If you've seen Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, you'll instantly feel familiar with the eccentric art of Maria†Holic.

Story - 7

Another thing you'll become familiar with if you've watched Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is the story. Not because of how similar they are. No, they couldn't be any more different. You'll become familiar with the nonsensical, silly, parody-esque story immediately.
Now, also like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, this anime doesn't take even its own story seriously. If you're looking for a story-driven, deep anime, this is not it. However, ... if you're looking for a light-hearted, funny story with little relevance but great amusement, this is the one for you.

Art - 9

Well, of course it is great, it's SHAFT!
In all seriousness, I absoloutely adore SHAFT's animation styles. They employ many different animation styles in just one episode, and they do it comedy. The faces that some of the characters make are just priceless, ranging from chibi sad looking faces to serious, detailed, grizzled jaw and tough looking stares.
Some of the art might seem silly or not serious enough for some people, but as I said in the "story" section of the review, if you're going to take the anime to seriously, then don't watch it!!

Sound - 8

There are a few reasons I've given the sound an eight.
1) The OP and ED. They're marvellous. Coupled with more great art, the songs themselves are also really great.
2) Background music. There's always a different piece for each situation, and although it gets kinda repetitive sometimes as it seems to be reused quite often, it is almost always a pleasure to listen to it.
3) Voice acting. One performance that really sticks out for me is the portrayal of Mariya Shidou, voiced by Yuu Kobayashi, who voices Kaere in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Nice Hollystone in Baccano! and Kannon in Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. She does a fantastic job of switching from the feminine voice of Mariya to the threatening tones of her more serious male persona. Of course, all the other seiyuu's do a brilliant job.

Character -10

Some of my favourite anime characters to have ever graced my screen. Kanoko and Mariya are pure brilliance. They're funny and well acted, and just great. There are, of course, a great cast of supporting characters to add to the hilarity, making for hilarious situations

Enjoyment - 10

I utterly adored this series... I enjoyed it thoroughly. For many reasons which I have listed above, but to paraphrase:
1) The characters
2) The performance
3) The art.
4) The nonsense story.

Overall - 10!

And to wrap up the review, I'll simply say this.
If you're into Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, you'll love this.
If you're into SHAFT anime, you'll love this.
If you're into comedy, you'll love this.
Heck, if you're into traps, you'll love this!
Truly, there is something for everyone in this gem of a series. I would recommend it to anyone who I thought wouldn't take it seriously, so if you think you're that person, then I whole-heartedly recommend you check it out.