Here we have another romantic anime... The best looking, hardest working girl in the school coupled with the most handsome guy in the school. Pretty generic story line but what made this anime stand out was its delivery.
The story line is nothing special. In fact, it is very predictable. We have our two main protagonists attracted to each other (but Usui finds the attraction first) and they go through many adventures to realize their feelings for one another. There are not many moments where you feel that a story arc is a filler; each story builds upon the relationship between Usui and Masaki. There are some ridiculous moments where Usui saves Masaki that is absolutely impossible in real life but I would give the anime some slack. These impossible moments, in a way, makes you feel closer to their relationship and even root for them to be together.
The art is solid. When I saw the poster, I was hesitant in watching it because it had Misaki sport a Luffy look and I don't like that style of artwork. But in the anime, Misaki is drawn in a totally different style and it's the kind of artwork that I like. The "dreamy" scenes are captured in slow-mo and are absolutely hilarious to watch. Sometimes, the art work for Usui changes to have him look very small and cute (I'm kinda new to shoujo anime so I'm not sure if this is a characteristic of this genre) and it really reflects the light-hearted atmosphere.
The sound is where Maid-Sama falls a bit short. It's not terrible but it's not incredible. There is this one upbeat theme that repeats over and over again whenever Misaki gets some determination. When the first time you hear it, it's pretty exciting but after 30 or so times, your ears will tire out. But the opening and ending songs are fantastic and for me, that's what redeems the sound in this anime.
The entire cast is absolutely charming. We have Usui, the cool, protective, stalkerish boyfriend, and Misaki, the girl who is strong-willed and refuses to recognize her feelings. These two make a really great duo and you really want them to be together at the end. My favourite secondary characters were Minako, Misaki's sister, and the fanboy trio who follows Misaki everywhere. Misaki's sister doesn't say anything funny but her quirkiness is one component of the comic relief. The fanboy trio is a really cute bunch and are also part of the comic relief.
I absolutely enjoyed this anime and it is no surprise that it is on the top of many YouTube best romance anime videos. Definitely do give this anime a look!
