The story can seem a little confusing at first but it is good once you get into it. It slows down once or twice though and the ending seems slightly rushed, but it is pretty well paced otherwise. However, the cheery first few episodes do not really prepare you for the emotional rollercoaster that the rest of the series becomes. I did cry during this anime, which is rare for me.
While Mai-Hime has a large cast - and I mean huge! - many of them are well developed and you do start to care for many of them. There are a few characters that aren't so good, but there are many more that make up for this. The Himes are great character themselves, but there are a lot to keep track of! This can make things a little confusing at times. The relationships though between characters are well done though and great to watch.
The art and music both are great as well. The art is really nice to watch and the songs (especially Fairytale) are great. I have several of the songs on my mp3 and still listen to them a lot, which shows just how much I enjoyed the music. The art is also incredible in that each character looks unique, which is no mean feat, considering there are at least 20 different characters who all play an important role to the story.
The best thing about Mai-Hime though is that you will find a lot to love about the characters and their stories. Each one contributes something to the story and it makes the whole anime worth watching, just to see if they'll have a happy ending. It's a bit of an emotional journey getting there, but well worth it.
