Forum - View topicKaichō wa Maid-sama! (TV).
|
Goto page Previous Next |
| Author | Message | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||||
|
What I wrote on my Anime list:
I originally wasn't going to watch this show, as the description sounded really daft. But watch it I did, and it was worthwhile. It is impossible for me to avoid comparing this show to Kimi ni Todoke. Both are Shoujo which aired close together (Kaichou wa Maid-Sama began when Kimi ni Todoke finished), and both had lacklustre endings and repetitive music. Kaichou wa Maid-Sama was superior in animation, artistry, elements of its humour, and had a much more interesting male lead. It put its characters into a variety of refreshing situations, avoided sagging in the middle (also, thankfully lacked a recap), and had (spoiler alert) The Kiss, which the other didn't have. It even had a better rival. But it lacked the emotional punch of Kimi ni Todoke, had a less sympathetic female lead, and both Usui and Misaki never developed at all, let alone because of their mutual friendship/relationship (which by the way wasn't as realistic as Kimi ni Todoke's). The ending, although it had the pair as an official couple, completely failed to wrap up numerous plot threads. And I really mean that; I can think of at least six different loose threads. One of the most intriguing was Usui's past, and the obstacles that their relationship faces. His past was given only the slightest nod in the second ED. The Anime brought up the issue of the obstacles in the penultimate episode, but if you want to find out what they are you'll have to read the Manga spoilers. If the two series could be amalgamated the resulting work would be one of the top Shoujo works ever made. As it is, they are two of the best such shows I've ever seen, although I confess I'm hardly an expert. But at the very least, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama has joined Kimi ni Todoke and Vision of Escaflowne in the ranks of Shoujo that I could recommend to someone who doesn't normally "do" Shoujo. |
||||||
|
||||||
NyxVI
 Posts: 11 Location: Ohio |
|
|||||
|
Haha Yeah moe Usui was very funny and I think we might see some more of him if they did some OVAs. It seems to be his teasing lovey-dovey side that I could only imagine he would do more to irritate Misaki once they were an official couple.
I agree, Hinata seemed just thrown in... although it did force Usui to get a little more aggressive. I didn't see any spoilers and always wondered who the heck the guy was who popped up in the opening credits. Hehe. As for Misaki well, she was stubborn as hell and pretty clueless too so I blame the lengthening out of the 'get together' on her. But like I said it didn't bother me though. I'm kind of like her in that aspect (stubborn and clueless sometimes) so I could see someone having to beat something into my head too. Otherwise I liked how Usui always came to her aid no matter what and for whatever 100 times he did... no matter how redundant. Hehe - I thought it was sweet. With the side stories, I liked the characters but towards the end I kind of wondered where they were going with it. Like Aoi, Kanou, the three idiots, and Misaki close girl friends. They just seemed to pop in every once in awhile. (Especially the last few episodes) They were fun but at times I thought they got in the way... I was like "Just get back to the main characters, I want to see what happens!" ^^ |
||||||
|
||||||
|
NyxVI
Posts: 11 Location: Ohio |
|
|||||
I haven't seen this one yet. It's on my 'Want to See'. I'll have to check it out next. Thanks for the semi-recommendation though. 
|
||||||
|
||||||
Mister V
 Posts: 1000 |
|
|||||
I'm not picking this out of context or anything, but was Kimi ni Todoke really even lower-budget than Maid-sama? I mean, you don't get any more basic these days. They saved on most of character designs by painting grey blobs. Iirc Kimi ni Todoke was made by Production I.G., I just find it very surprising. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||||
I love Kimi ni Todoke dearly, but for the last half it looked really cheap. A couple of episodes in the second half were so bad that any character who was not subject to a camera closeup was missing their entire face (except for the two leads, who were only missing their eyes). And I'm not joking or exaggerating, although I really wish I was. There were more problems than that, like how there was an obvious decrease in the animation budget. The first few episodes weren't amazingly well animated but at least they were animated. Trust me, as bad as Kaichou wa Maid-Sama got, it didn't slide down to quite the same level. There were obvious short cuts to be sure, but not as bad as Kimi ni Todoke. It is sad that good Shoujo works do not get the budgets to do them justice, but they just don't sell well enough. |
||||||
|
||||||
Bento-Box
 Posts: 1049 Location: Florida |
|
|||||
I've gotta disagree here. While KnT may have had some questionable illustrations, the animation never felt "cheap" to me. The characters in Kaichou not only walk oddly (just watch the opening sequence for a prime example) but the colors and character designs are just blah. The production quality of Kaichou felt significantly cheaper and duller. It was, overall, a very lack luster show visually. The best animation was reserved for blushing. I didn't care for the blatant neglect to draw background characters - even though this seems to be a common method with shoujo... It's like saying that only main characters deserve good character design and shading. KnT unfortunately did not have as solid of an ending. But I really can't see grouping the two together. The lead females aren't similar in design or personality and neither are the lead males. Grouping them together for a comparison simply because they are "shoujo" is like comparing Gundam to Slayers simply because they both have "action". It's like saying that because one show has a romance theme, it is easily comparable to other shows with romance themes even though they have nothing else in common. |
||||||
|
||||||
DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15505 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
|
|||||
|
I wouldn't say that Kaichou wa Maid-sama and Kimi ni Todoke are completley unrelated. The female leads find themselves stuck in a certain issue, Sawako can not make friends at all, and Misaki is always serious and does not relax. The male appear completlty opposite, Shota has a lot of friends and is very social, while usui often seems to not be serious and is very relaxed. Both Male leads could have anyone the like, but they chose to go after that others wouldn't and would be difficult, I assume becaus they see something others do not.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||||
|
Bento-Box, I thought Kimi ni Todoke had a much better ending. There was no kiss, but the plot was wrapped up far far better. Both the leads, but especially Sawako, were developed with a clear growth arc. However Usui and Misaki are still the same people they were in the first episode.
I'm not saying Kaichou wa Maid-Sama had good animation and art, only that it was the superior of the two. As for your Gundam and Slayers example, that isn't quite true. One is first and foremost a Mecha and the other first and foremost a Fantasy (or whatever Slayers is, I don't actually know). The two Shoujo shows that I compared not only share the same main genre, but they are both set in high schools and feature charming, popular and athletic male leads and female leads who have trouble recognising their feelings and getting on with people. I found it really fascinating that Misaki only had two friends (and both female), despite her looks, intelligence and mature disposition.
it was because of their differences that I compared them. Both had (relative) strengths where the other had (relative) weaknesses, which made comparing them very interesting. They also are both very good Shoujo shows that have aired within the last year, so there's that. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
DuskyPredator
Posts: 15505 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
|
|||||
Not entirely, I thought there was a part earlier in the series where Misaki learnet to be a bit more patient witht the boys. Did she get a bit easier on them at one point, not that there was a major change really, but werent most of the student council afraid of her at the begining, but not later on. She started out thinking that most guys were just screw ups who are really rough and such, didn't hint at some change in opinion when she met Aoi |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Bento-Box
Posts: 1049 Location: Florida |
|
|||||
Agreed. I felt that Misaki's character did grow a little bit. She did learn to be more patient with guys which resulted in some plot development (which this series seriously lacked). But, Sawako had substantially more growth and development as did Kazehaya. KnT, by far, provided more depth for their characters while staying true to the manga's soft art style. Kaichou, however, picked as many stereotypes as possible and tossed them into a maid cafe shoujo mix complete with excessive filler for the length of the show and poor animation quality. Also, dtm42, just because they share a high school setting, athletic males, and females who may not understand their feelings (though, of course for blatantly different reasons), that does not constitute lumping them together. The Gundam/Slayers reference does apply because they are both action, but distinctly different genres. That was kinda the point of using them as an analogy. For example, Sawako was shy, introverted, and nervous about making friends. She starts the series with no friends and then gradually learns how to make them. Misaki, however, starts off with friends, is already popular even among the girls. Sure, she has difficulty with the guys early on - but that's just guys. Kazehaya and Usui aside, the purpose of the female lead is not the same. Misaki hopes to improve her school while continuing her current, secret lifestyle to help provide a better home for her sister. Sawako's goal is to learn to make friends and better express herself. The goal, characters, plot, and purpose of the shows are completely different - aside from the presence of a popular guy (who usually pops up as a love interest from time to time in any shoujo series) and a love theme. Just because they have two things in common doesn't constitute lumping them as the same type of show just because they're categorized as "shoujo". Furthermore, without getting into KnT on the incorrect board, there wasn't a whole lot of resolution there at all. I'm glad there will be a second season, but... how much more can they really do? Aside from some back story, Kaichou ended fairly well - regardless of a "kiss" or not. At least they distinctly got together. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||||
|
There's going to be a second season of Kimi ni Todoke? Really? I hadn't heard anything.
---------- Again, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama left too many plot holes open. What about those snobby guys who were out to blackmail Misaki? Where was the resolution of Misaki's secret being kept from her friends? What about Usui? These are not inconsequential plot points. Kimi ni Todoke at least had the leads as close friends by the end, and wrapped up the plot. Okay, so its ending was lousy, but the other show didn't end at all. ---------- Let's consult the Encyclopedia. Slayers: adventure, comedy, fantasy Mobile Suit Gundam: action, drama, science fiction So no, they are not the same. They just are not. They are wildly different shows, whereas Kimi ni Todoke and Kaichou wa Maid-Sama are both Romance Comedies set in high schools. Okay, so the former isn't really a comedy, but they are orders of magnitude closer than Gundam and Slayers. Please do not keep arguing about this further, it's pointless. |
||||||
|
||||||
Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
|
|||||
 So Bento-Box, do you see why dtm42 is so wildly popular around here? But take him at his word - it truly is pointless arguing with him.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||||
Oh great, now you're stalking me. I guess I should be flattered . . . And you know damn well what I meant by "it's pointless". Gundam and Slayers are not similar at all (beyond both being large franchises), let alone closer in similarity than Kaichou wa Maid-Sama and Kimi ni Todoke. I just didn't want to see Bento-Box continue to argue in favour of an analogy which is completely wrong. That's it. |
||||||
|
||||||
Mr. Gruntsworthy
 Posts: 122 Location: ON, Canada |
|
|||||
|
Despite the lack of budget, I found Kimi ni Todoke, and especially Kaichou wa maid-sama to be very enjoyable.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
|
|||||
Setting aside the question of whether the analogy is apt or not, did you have to word your post so obnoxiously? Are you aware of how much of an arrogant tool you sometimes come off as? I still haven't been able to figure out whether you are genuinely blind to how odious your tone can be or whether you are fully cognizant and just don't care. |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group