Maria†Holic

Synopsis:

Kanako Miyamae is plagued with a slight medical condition, she breaks out in hives whenever she is touched by by someone of the male gender. Imagine how overjoyed she was when she was initially greeted by the beautiful Mariya Shido upon her transfer to Ame no Kisaki High School. What she doesn't realize is that beneath Mariya's gorgeous exterior lies one of the most sadistic boys she will have the displeasure to ever meet along with his foul mouthed maid that is always by his side. When Kanako accidentally discovers that Mariya is actually boy in an all girls school, that wonderful kind-hearted girl she knew moments ago is quickly replaced by the demon within. To make matters worse, Kanako's dream of finding herself the female love of her life is quickly dashed when Mariya moves in to the same room as her in order to keep his secret from getting out in exchange for remaining silent about the fact that Kanako is a lesbian. For the next two years Kanako is about to live out hell on earth.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12


Review:

Maria†Holic has to be one of the darkest comedies that I have seen in any anime series. I was a little thrown off as the show does start in your typical high school anime fashion but no more than two minutes into it the mood is instantly destroyed when Mariya's maid, Matsurika Shinoji, begins hurling unwarranted insults toward Kanako. This felt like someone took a monkey wrench and threw it into the gears of a well oiled machine and forces the viewer and the anime itself to quickly take on a whole new perspective. Things only get worse when Kanako discovers that Mariya is a boy but the odd thing is I started finding myself laughing at her misfortune, which I knew was morally wrong but I couldn't help myself. Maria†Holic also plays heavily on Kanako's failed attempts at lesbianism as it never works out and with Mariya constantly toying with her feelings by acting all feminine but then quickly changing to that evil little boy in an instant then followed by an insult from Matsurika which serves to rub verbal salt in the emotional wound, only makes things worse for Kanako. But the thing is... you'll probably burst out laughing.

Using a combination of detailed animation one moment and then switching to a seemingly 16 color palette the next to deliver some of the more comedic elements, Maria†Holic is a unique comedy all on it's own. It's about nothing, there's no plot, no character depth, it never focuses on any one thing at any time but it does teach us one morally offensive lesson... it's okay to laugh at other people's misfortune. By the time it's over the last thing you'll be saying is "What the hell?" but don't be surprised when you start laughing anyway while the final credits are rolling.

Maria†Holic (opening)

*Note - I gotta give credit to Mariya's voice actress, Yu Kobayashi, for being able to switch quickly between both female and male sounding voices in an instant. It just makes things that much more hilarious.

Recommendation: |High|