***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
At Kawakami Academy, the pursuit of knowledge is only part of the curriculum. The institution is famous for its dedication to the samurai spirit. Thus combat skill is an essential element for success at the school.
A dispute between Class 2-F and Class 2-S has erupted into a full-blown academic war. Hostilities have culminated into one final deceive battle. With a larger force and better resources, Class 2-S expects nothing less than victory. To their surprise, they're pushed back by Class 2-F.
The upset is thanks to master tactician, Yamato Naoe (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya). Although placed in the low-level F Class, Yamato's brilliant when it comes to strategy and tactics. He needs to be too since he doesn’t practice martial arts. Though his plan is winning the day, its success would not be possible if it were not for his team.
Miyako Shiina (voiced by Hyosei) is a top-ranked archer. Her accuracy with a bow is 100%. She's known Yamato for years and has been in love with him ever since.
Kazuko Kawakami (voiced by Akane Tomonaga) is the second daughter of the Kawakami family. A master with the naginata, her speed is lightning fast. Cheerful and determined, few things are able to slow her down. Like Miyako, she also has strong feelings towards Yamato.
Yukie Mayuzumi (voiced by Yuko Goto) is the daughter of the 11th sword saint Mayuzumi. Her childhood consisted of training and she is one of the world's most powerful swordsmen. She is the third woman to have feelings for Yamato. |
| Yamato |
Christiane Friedrich (voiced by Shizuka Ito) is an expert fencer. She has a strong sense of justice which puts her at odds with Yamato’s reliance on dirty tactics. She accepts this approach because of the dedication Yamato has to his friends. This makes her the fourth person to be in love with Yamato.
It is this close team that has put Class 2-F on the road to victory. Then things take a turn. Class 2-S reveals its trump card, Momoyo Kawakami (voiced by Yuu Asakawa).
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| Miyako |
Momoyo is the oldest daughter of the Kawakami family. She is also considered to be the strongest fighter in the entire world. She spends most of her time looking for someone to challenge. But with her unparalleled strength, no one can defeat her and most duels only last a few seconds.
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| Kazuko |
Following the battle, Yamato meets up with Momoyo at sundown. The two have known each other for a long time and are the closest of friends. Sometime ago Yamoto confessed his love for her but got rejected. He says his feelings have not changed. But Momoyo once again turns Yamato down, wishing for them to stay best friends.
Series Positives
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| Yukie |
Shows have annoyed me, bored me, and downright disinterested me. And then there are the special few that have angered me. I mean I got mad while watching this.
"Why," you ask?
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai (a.k.a. Majikoi) knew how to be good. It became infuriating every time I caught myself enjoying this show. It was because these moments got buried under haphazard storytelling.
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| Christiane |
This series was like getting a shot from the doctor. It sucked, it hurt, but at least you got a piece of candy out of it I guess.
Funny Enough
I'd be lying if I said that Majikoi didn’t make me laugh. There was quite a bit of humor in this show. Forget the fact that it was all mind numbing entertainment. The comedy was nothing and has been done a lot better.
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| Momoyo |
Much of what made this show funny steamed from the absolute absurdity of its premise. You had Yamato, surrounded by skilled female warriors that wanted his d@#$. All the usual characters were present. There was your shy one; Yukie. Your erotic one; Miyako. Your naïve one, Christiane. And your energetic one Kazuko. When these personalities clashed, the series became fun.
The Fights Were Cool
Majikoi did one thing well. Since the majority of the cast were trained warriors, you can expect there will be a lot of fights. Well, there were even more than you might think and they are all cool.
Thank god because these moments were a necessary distraction from the rest of the show. Too bad this was an example of glamor with no substance. The only reason these scenes even existed was to look good.
I don’t have all that much else to say. Any positive elements only served as an attempt to polish up this crusted piece of poop.
Series Negatives
Anger and disappointment.
These are the qualities that I would use to describe Majikoi.
I thought I was going to like this show. The first episode was just so promising. But it was nothing but a total nose dive into the abysses of lackluster and frustrating.
As is always the case, I've no experience with the original source material. Thus, I can't say if the series does it justice. I hope that it didn’t because as a standalone anime, it's pretty bad.
No Backstory What So Ever
Majikoi expects you to have played the visual novel. So the show felt like it had no obligation to introduce...anything.
Around the half-way point, I thought I had missed something. "I must be watching a squeal series," I said to myself. There just wasn't another way to justify leaving so much out. I didn't know why anything happened ever.
How did everyone know each other?
Why were they all skilled fighters?
What the hell was the first episode about?
WHO THE F#$% ARE THESE PEOPLE?
There was nothing, NOTHING!
The worst part was, I wanted to get to know this cast. On the surface, they were interesting in their own way. But by the end, you don't learn anything about them. All that was clear was for whatever reason they all were in love with Yamato.
According to Majikoi, a harem anime only consists of the lead surrounded by as many people as possible. While this is a huge aspect, it's not the sole aspect. The reason harem anime work is because it's fun to see the main character win the hearts of everyone in the harem. By doing this it introduces everybody and builds a connection. Plus it establishes why each individual should be together with the protagonist.
I Just Stopped Caring
Weird and over the top will only get you so far.
This show got complex for stupid reasons. I have no idea where Majikoi wanted to go or what it wanted to do. Around episode six, it just started to spew out nonsense in an attempt to have a meaning. It was at that point I completely check out.
Majikoi wanted to be big. There was an overarching message. A defining conflict the characters had to triumph over. But the execution was a total cluster f#$%.
Was it worth it in the end? No, not at all.
Final Thoughts
God damn it.
It felt wrong every time Majikoi made me laugh or was even remotely entertaining. Yet credit must be given where it’s due.
But it's meaningless. The show had no foundation. The message was beyond jumbled. Character building was nonexistent. Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai is an absolute waste of your time. No amount of humor, cool action scenes, or even ecchi moments could save the train wreck that was this show.
I have to ask, though. Am I right in thinking that I'm missing something? This isn’t even what I would consider wasted potential. It’s downright negligence. To all those who are fans of the visual novel, I can’t imagine you liking this. And to all those who are fans of harem anime, don’t watch this. And to myself, try your best to forget about this.
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