Jan 10, 2009
Maria-sama ga Miteru, or lovingly known by its fans as MariMite, is one of the cornerstones of the yuri genre and one of the most well-known.
It takes place at Lillian Academy, a school for 'young maidens' where they use a unique apprenticeship system. An older student will take an underclassman under their wing and make them their little sister, and they learn about life in the school with their big sister. And so you have MariMite...
STORY: 8
Judging from the above description, it doesn't sound terribly exciting, does it? The story is all about the girls interacting with each other, problems between
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sisters, and various school events. Sometimes an odd twist will occur to explain things in their current state, but what was previously stated sums it up.
Now normally, this would garner a nigh-average score, but it's *immensely* boosted by another score: Character. More on that in the corresponding section.
ART: 7
Nothing terribly special about MariMite's art in general, although in no way would I ever call it bad. Some backgrounds are kinda blah, and some convey the mood perfectly, such as well-times closeups of the Virgin Mary statue.
Character art is lovely, and with exception of Yumi, there's no odd facial expressions or unrealistic actions (like extradimensional hammers, super chibi-mode, or nosebleeds). Emotions are clearly shown upon their respective character's faces, whether it be Sachiko's stern glare, or Shimako's beautiful, sad grey eyes.
Many school romance animes tend to go overboard with sakura leaves and flower petals randomly flying around in the wind, and "symbolic" crap like that. MariMite thankfully keeps this to a realistic minimum and actually give them symbolism. I thought I would give the animation props for that.
SOUND: 7
The soundtrack is comprised of lots of classical type music, with many soothing pieces that fit quite well for an elite girl's academy. Nothing I would be foaming at the mouth over, but it definitely kept the mood like the sound is supposed to.
CHARACTER: 10
Here is the meat and potatoes of the MariMite series: Strong characterization.
There is no 'stereotype' character in MariMite, no set tsunderes, no set genderbenders, none of that crap. The main characters run through the whole gauntlet of emotions during their trials and tribulations at Lillian Girls Academy. Who you think might be the good, well-behaved girl one episode, will show selfishness the next. Who you dislike and revile one episode, will expose her weakness in the next. Even the lesser characters will show their true colors every once in awhile.
The voice acting is excellent as well, especially Sachiko and Yumi. A lot of times, there will need to be a truly dramatic moment to bring out the best in MariMite's VAs
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Personal Opinion)
I freakin' love MariMite, even though at first I didn't care for it (see below). I'm attached to the characters, and wish to see how the rest of their school life treats them. There are minor quibbles that I should mention however:
--The first episode is particularly brutal hurdle to new viewers, due to the massive amounts of Lillian terminology and culture being tossed around, while at the same time, you're trying to learn about the characters. Ironically, it's almost reminiscent to a first day of school.
Luckily, by episode 2 or 3, it all sinks in, and the show becomes enjoyable.
--Drama drama drama. The most humor in this series comes from the next episode previews, or Yumi's reaction to random glomps. Personally, I love tension-filled quasi-lesbian drama, but if you seek kneeslappers and chuckles, I suggest looking elsewhere young padawan.
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All in all, MariMite is a solid series that is still continuing on its 4th season as of this review. Drama and strong, typecast-free characters are what makes this series a worthwhile watch if you are a fan of yuri, or interested in yuri.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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