AHH I cant wait for the next season! I truly liked Marimite's third season! And the specials( Maria sama ni wa naisho) were so funny too! Also the Ending songs were great! Nice Review By the way XD
Maria-sama ga Miteru ova Review
Story & Playability
The following review is only for the 5 episode OVA of Maria-sama ga Miteru, better known as season 3. My original review for seasons 1&2 can be found here; http://reviews.minitokyo.net/978/maria-sama-ga-miteru/. I normally go back to the original review and make changes to include any subsequent seasons, however due to length of time between viewing sessions and many variations between them, I will be instead writing a separate review.
First thing should be known, this is not a standalone season or spin-off. Seeing season 1&2 is a prerequisite to understanding this show; so be forewarned.
The original Roses that we were introduced to in previous seasons have now graduated and gone on about their adult lives. Left behind are En Bouton's, which have risen to be the new Roses, and their petit soeurs which have now risen to take their places. These 5 episodes primarily focus on the still growing relationship between Yumi Fukuzawa and her grande soeur Sachiko Ogasawara. In previous seasons we really only get to see their relationship flourish via school life and normal day-to-day interaction. Now we are given other situations like summer vacation, school trips and various school festivals. Many may complain that the relationship between Sachiko and Yumi has gotten far too mushy and needy in that they seem to only think about one another at all times and look for any opportunity at all to tell each other how important they are. I personally find it to be a fantastic example of the purest form of friendship and love imaginable. To get a line like "If you were ever in a car accident and in a room covered in bandages with a hundred others covered in bandages, I guarantee I would find you first time... every time," is just sweet and heart-wrenching no matter how you look at it.
Outside of the Sachiko/Yumi duo, there were a few additions to keep the show interesting. First is the more active role Sachiko's cousin Touko plays. She seems to act as a silent guardian of Yumi's relationship with Sachiko by offering advice to Yumi and forewarning her of impending trouble. She will never admit she is trying to help Yumi but that's just her brash nature. The other is the emergence of Kanako, a stalker of Yumi. Kanako has a very prim and proper image of Yumi and follows her around admiring this image of perfection. As the story progresses, Kanako's image becomes shattered and she becomes jaded and visibly hateful towards Yumi. Yumi not wanting anyone to dislike her does everything she can to at least be friends with Kanako. Too bad all this does in the greater sense of things is confuse people. Yumi is now an en bouton who needs a petit soeur and nobody knows who she will pick. Touko or Kanako???
The same thing that was said about the first two seasons can be said here. In terms of an actual plot, there really isn't one. There is no real progression of some underlying plot and no real endgame you are aiming for, only the loving interaction between innocent girls. Instead of wondering where the story is going to go next, all you can do is live for right now and simply enjoy these deep relationships between each and every character. I still truly feel for every character and cannot bring myself to hate any one of them. Their friendships, their flaws and their personal problems all make them wonderful to watch grow into adults.
There are problems though. Even though Yumi and Sachiko are constantly together or thinking about one another, it seems that their relationship is at somewhat of a stand still. There really is no progression to one extreme or the other. Although the thought of Sachiko's inevitable graduation looms over them, there is no push to either take their relationship to the next level or to accept that there is a limit to how long they can truly be there for one another. The loving moments they share with one another and with all of their friends are truly beautiful but only leads you to wonder where is this ultimately going to end up.
Rating:
Graphics
Clearly the first two seasons were popular enough (just not popular enough for an American license!!!) that they were given free reign to abuse a larger budget for these episodes. While the original charm of the characters remains well in tact, the more aesthetically pleasing pastels have been all but done away with. Instead we are more treated to the workings of Mr. Computer and it's CG animation. Everything from the characters themselves to the backgrounds have now received an updated polish and have now become far more smooth in their overall textures. Even during action scenes like climbing stairs in the leaning tower of Piza or the simple act of flipping a coin into a well, has received the CG overhaul and now stand out like a spliced cutscene from a video game. I personally am a bit conflicted on these changes. In terms of overall animation merit, these episodes are greatly improved over their predecessor. However it loses a great deal of it's charms and has now seemingly adopted more of a generic look. Many people will likely enjoy the improvements but I will be in the group that more prefers the gentle animation with it's subtle charms. Nothing can beat the hand-drawn look of gently falling cherry blossoms... nothing.
Rating:
Sound
Music is by far the easiest category to rate. Everything that made the original seasons great has returned as wonderfully as they left with only minor tweaks. The beautiful opening "Pastel Pure" has come back but has abandoned the vocals and the heavy piano accompaniment. Instead it relies heavily on stringed instruments, most notably the violin. While I do miss the vocals and piano, it works out wonderfully for the reworked animation sequence in providing a genuinely warm and serene feeling. The ending songs are where the real changes came into play. Through the 5 episodes we get two songs by KOTOKO. For episodes 1&2 you get "CHERCHER" which is a light-hearted pop tune and for 3-5 we get "Kirei no Senritsu" which sounds more like a rock ballad. In fact the guitar work for the song is done by Marty Friedman, the guitarist from heavy metal band Megadeth. For all you Guitar Hero players out there, the guy you are imitating playing "Symphony of Destruction" is the same guy rocking out for J-Pop star KOTOKO. Let that one set in for a moment.
As for background music and voice acting, no change at all. We have the same music and the same people doing the fantastic work I know them for. The only notable loss for me is Megumi Toyoguchi as Sei as she has graduated. Other than that everyone is there to reprise their rolls as the Yamayurikai. The biggest surprise is the true emergence of Kana Ueda as Yumi. While she was the main character before, only now has she really come out to be the dynamic character she is now. She has gained a lot of strength and leadership in her slow maturation and has warmed the once cold Sachiko's heart with her kind words. Yumi shines in these episodes as she deals with a lot of situations from comforting Sachiko, to showing up snobs by singing at a birthday party, all the way to telling off a stalker. Kana Ueda stands out in this series and that's hard for me to say because I absolutely LOVE Miki Itoh as Sachiko.
Rating:
Fun
This season gives fans much more of what they've come to love this show for. More of the characters we've watched grow up and more Yumi and Sachiko. A few things have changed but the things that infatuated us fans from the start still remain and still stay close to our hearts. I've seen a lot of shows in my life but none that make me feel this good when I watch it. I still stand by the fact that everyone should at least try this show. Just giving it a pass based on what you've heard or what you think you're tastes are should be a crime.
I truly loved these 5 episodes. I will always remember it because the first episode of it I watched in Afghanistan. Even being away from home I still felt an absolute sense of bliss being able to watch my favorite show and for at least 50 minutes live in a world free of personal problems and instead immerse myself in the purest sense of friendship in fantasy or reality. Every episode brought a euphoric feeling even with them being 2 months apart from one another. I originally expected this to be the end of the Yamayurikai, but thankfully we will see a season 4 one day. As for this ending up in my DVD collection I can only hope, one day, that someone will be willing to risk licensing this work of art. Now excuse me while I sulk.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.3333 (good)
Reviewed by shoujoboy, Sep 02, 2007
Comments
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HiragiiKagami Sep 11, 2007
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5points Sep 22, 2007
Oh joy! I felt that the final two episodes left me wanting more. Episode five had me going wtf! But I still love those ladies! I anxiously await season 4.
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ryanwho Mar 29, 2009
Great show.
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pigmypuff Jun 03, 2009
actually,not like yuri..but this seem interesting
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yuyuppi Jun 23, 2009
great art
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Fanatik007 Jul 12, 2009
I like those series
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Onlyrockman Aug 01, 2009
Waiting time is killing me, next season plzzz
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SchRita Aug 24, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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nainoi Sep 13, 2009
I really wanna watch.
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SchRita Oct 31, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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rukasu04 Mute Member Dec 31, 2009
Nice Review
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SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
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ai-yame Jul 08, 2011
Nice MariMite review here! Wish there'll be a season wherein they'll show Yumi and Yoshino having their petit soeur. ;)
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