Maid Sama! メイド さま！

Okaeri-nasai Goshujin sama...

It's been a long long time since i blogged about anime or dramas. Not really because i didn't watch any, not much time to blog about it anyway. Year end 2010 dramas were meh, but there were a few good animes in town. Kimi Ni Todoke was one i managed to blog and watch but i found this Maid Sama pretty interesting. While normally such fluffy animes normally past me, but some how Maid Sama's interesting story line caught me interested. I also learn alot of new words like "もえ、もえ” and ツンデレ. I almost gave up on this anime initially because i was watching it in Manila, and it was English dubbed for ANIMAX... god i hate those English dubbed animes. Loses the context.

However, i would think such storyline in real life might be a bit strange, particularly in the west. Some might say it bothers on セクハラ　(sekuhara) *hehehehe* but it goes to explain alot of the characters in Maid Sama. While i quite like the Japanese lifestyle, i have not totally embraced the Otaku culture particularly the Maid cafe concept. So i was skeptical when i picked up Maid Sama! But Usui Takumi won me over! I can't resist orange haired ,green eyed men.  

Usui Tamaki &Ayuzawa Misaki ( face red as usual )

Ok, storyline time. The story is based on 16 year old Misaki Ayuzawa's daily high school life at Seika High School. This was a school that was predominantly a male school until recently, they introduced a small pool of females in the school. Misaki is the epitome of a feminist, male hater ( her dad left her, mom and sister poor and penniless) and a always i can do better than men attitude. Her attempts to change the school to a more integrated male and female school got her nominated to the post of School president （生徒会長）　with an all male council. Misaki is quite the super woman. She is almost the top student in school ( Usui beat her to it ), she runs the school council, and works part time at a maid cafe to make ends meet in her family. However, her strong and independent nature makes it hard for her to tell people she works at a maid cafe. Actually i find her pretty much of a control freak but her tough nature comes from her rather poor life. Sometimes, her school mates even call her Oni because she is as tough as nails.Until her classmate Usui Tamaki discovers her secret.

Usui Takumi on the other hand is a 17 year old student who seems to be a bit odd in the whole school. He's a cool, composed boy who is obviously quite popular with both the male and females in the school but he could  hardly give a hoot on anyone except to quietly observe everyone in the school. And the boy is pretty much of a loner. Stays in a big apartment on his own with no parents in sight ( his mother died and he was sent to Japan to live with his grandmother). Till he met Misaki. In the start of the anime, it looks like Usui and Misaki had their clashes but he only took notice of her when he discovered her working at maid cafe and her interesting choice of job leads him to learn a bit more of Misaki.

The Discovery

Misaki thinks that Usui will black mail here but he doesn't instead keeping her secret and teasingly asks her to be his maid. And thus the start of a rather strange ( stalker like at some times ) and poignant relationship between these 2. She hates his guts. He drives her nuts, she can't read his mind at times and he almost pushes a limit in the definition of harassment yet at the same time, he saves ( in some very timely interventions ) her from her own stubbornness and of course boys who want to take advantage of her naiveness and also makes Misaki question her own point of view may not be always right as she thinks it is.

The Guys worshiping Usui-kun

The first 2 episodes get you wondering what Usui's intent is with the secret he knows, but it becomes clearer in the episodes along the way his intentions on Misaki. The poor girl is as blur as a sotong as we would say in Malaysia or Singapore and she is awkward as in response to his attempts to kiss her or post kiss reactions( hehehehe spoiler ) Her expressions are priceless in these scenes and her attempts to handle this is followed by a lot of blushing and wildly gesticulating arm movements.  Her attempt so say i like you to Usui always comes out as " 碓氷　代嫌い！” ( I hate you, which Usui interprets as like ) 

What??

I especially like Episode 6, where Usui clearly made his intentions to Misaki. I thought it was quite gallant what he did but heck how he did it left my going hah??????????? (typical japanese way of expressing disbelief)  Jumping off a school building and yet survive? This guy is a super man.

The Kiss , the confession and the leap

The characters of Maid Sama

Ayuzawa Misaki -  Strong willed, strong at times ( she carries a heavy weight serving tray for exercise ) and skilled in Aikido. She carries a lot of responsibility in her family as one the main breadwinners in her family, with her mother being weak, Misaki has to work in the rather high paying Maid Latte.  In the Maid Latte shop, she is also known as the rather cold but efficient waitress. Misaki is kinda feared in school by the boys, whom she will literally whack if they do not follow her orders. Usui sometimes tells her that being the class president she needs to consider everyone's opinion not just her own.  However when it comes to boys, Misaki admits she does not have a lot of experience at this. Her attempts to be coy comes out awkward and downright embarrassing ( watch the Oni-tan episode... i cringed when she attempted those coy Lolita moments ) She hates Usui at first, thinking he is just another annoying guy who breaks girls heart. From the start of the anime she calls him Hentai Uchiujin ( Perverted alien ) and is confused with his attitude towards her but realizes she falls in love with him along the way. I guess it kinda explains how she can put up with his Sekuhara attitude towards her, if she has no feelings for him. In all her earnestness, she did know Usui felt for her till the very last few episodes... *duh, blur sotong* and was triggered by a conversation with Kuuga then she realized it.  I do like Misaki's character very much in this show because she is not the wimpy kind of girl or helpless in anyway and you end up rooting for her and Usui.

Usui Takumi:  He rocks leh............ Usui is not your average 17 year old. He is extremely smart, apparently quite a master chef (quite the opposite of Misaki whom he says is the only one in the world that can spoil the taste of congee ) and skilled in... kung fu... check out his kicks below and moe's girls in cat ears.

Neko Mimi Moeeeeeeeee

And his observations on people is spot on ( he can join criminal minds already!) He claims to stalk Misaki appearing in the most opportune time to save her from others and from herself . It is kind of stalking... he appears everywhere she goes. His interest in Misaki is piqued when he discovers her as a maid. A class president and a maid is quite a unique combination but her background and reasons for working as a maid waitress increases his interest in her. While he teases Misaki endlessly to see her reactions, he knows sometimes he goes overboard with that and knows exactly how to calm her down. And while he harasses her ( lifts up her skirts -_-" , corners her ) he stops short of really going through with his intentions and kills the mood at times with his one liner monotones.  When it comes to Misaki, Usui is extremely jealous and protective in fact he marks her in the Summer episode. Again my jaw dropped when i saw that... *mattaku*

The many faces of Usui Takumi

While it is not really discussed in the anime, in the manga and in some end shots of the anime, looks like Usui is a English japanese mixed child of a wealthy disposition. He was living overseas in some scenes, showing a lady leaving a young Usui and some how he moved back to Japan, lives in a sparse and expensive mansion with a cat that hates him and seems more like a loner.

I like his cool attitude towards things, particularly when Aoi chan catches both Usui and Misaki in an embrace, he coolly walks away without any reaction leaving Misaki to fluster away there.

Aha!

The workers of Maid Latte:

Okaeri-nasai, Goshujin-sama

They all add to the storyline and Misaki has grown to like the people she works with, thinking of them of more as friends than co-worker. Satsuki ( the boss, middle, in blue ) is one of the first few people who notices Usui's interest in Misaki and she hires Usui to be a part time cook @ Maid Latte.

3 baka ( the 3 morons ): Delinquents from Seika High Academy who initially hate Misaki but they turn out to be her biggest fans. They also discovered her secret but some how Usui manages to convince them to keep it a secret.

I like the style in which the anime is drawn especially my kira kira moments and the chibi characters * hahahaha*.

Kira Kira

I thoroughly enjoyed Maid Sama so much so i watched it 3 times. I hope though there is a continuation of this. The ending is currently just perfect but the i would like to see this couple together. Ah... moe moe... hehehehe. Pick up Maid Sama if you have not. Never a dull moment.