When they were little kids laughing and playing together, Izumi Norimoto and Kazusa Onodera were like siblings. But as their bodies matured into middle school, Kazusa began seeing him as something different; unfortunately for her, so did the other girls. Ostracized, Kazusa had no choice but to distance herself from him going into high school. After joining the literature club, however, she finds friends that keep her mind occupied. Known throughout the school for reading aloud sex scenes in literature novels, the club's reputation has kept all teachers from accepting the task of being their adviser.
During a discussion about what they would put on their bucket list, one of the girls says one thing: sex. This single word sends ripples throughout the five girls, as the thought of sex begins taking over their daily lives. And, after walking in on Izumi during a very private moment, Kazusa is sent into a spiral of emotion that forces her to face her true feelings for him. Now, with their hearts racing and the literature club facing immediate disbandment, the five girls must work hard to keep both their sanities and their club alive.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Zerity
At the start of this series after finishing the first episode I will admit I found it dumb and cringy, but as I kept on watching it the series grew on me in a way I never thought it would. What to me seemed to be the start of a melodramatic series became something wholesome, relatable, hilarious, and down right awesome. While watching this series each episode felt like a roller coaster. During one moment im laughing my ass off or cringing from how I felt like this before to then being in awe of what would happen next. I was felt with greatjoy while watching these girls try their best to understand their emotions and how to properly express them, which is something most people of all ages find difficult to do.
Now I feel like I have seen many different series and a great number of them at that, not just with anime but all medium in general, and there has been very few times were I can say I really did not know which direction the series or Movie will take and how it will end. I can say that this is one of the few series series were I had no idea how things would turn out. Almost everything that happen was a shock to me and in a great way. Especially with the last 2 episodes. Can I just say wow, those last two episodes had me glued to the screen not knowing what was gonna happen and it was such a refreshing experience. They were filled with emotion and warmth, it was a feeling I haven't felt in a long time, and even more for the ending which is one of the most satisfying ending I have ever seen.
I absolutely love this series and is something I can see myself coming back to over and over again and each time while watching having the same feelings I am having right now. As someone who did not like this series at the start I would like for people to give this a chance and maybe you will like it to. I hope for the people who have already watched it and the people who will watch this in the future will be able to enjoy it as much as I have.
ACasualViewer
In a season stacked with big Shonen shows, all with high production values and great advertising, alongside many sequels and the usual isekai spam, it is easy to overlook true gems. Maidens in your savage seasons is one of those easily overlooked gems. At first glance this anime looks a lot one of those basic Ecchi shows that just focuses on lewd dialogue, sex jokes, and random sexual shots of girls and boys inadvertently walking in on each other undressed. However, this show differs in that it does all of this with exceptional dialogue and execution, it is the difference between some basic otaku pandering Ecchishow and highbrow erotic art.
The characters in this show all are young high schoolers who are sexually repressed, as they are youth, in what is a fairly sexually conservative society. As the story unfolds each girl has their own backstory given to us through their interactions with the cast and some flash backs. Kazusa has a childhood friend who they realize they are in love with when they inadvertently walk in on them pleasuring themselves. Hongou is an aspiring writer and tries to “seduce” a teacher in order to learn more about romance and improve her writing. Momoko is likely gay but is having a hard time coming to terms with it. Rika is an uptight reserved girl who actually is just jealous that she is missing out on sex and romance, so she copes by looking down on people with fulfilling love lives. Finally, Niina has had a fairly fucked up view on romance as she was mentored by an obvious lolicon for most of her childhood but developed some weird sort of Stockholm syndrome for him and is actually mad that he did not molest her. These girls are all crafted wonderfully with lots of nuance through interactions with other characters, foreshadowing, and their internal monologues which greatly humanized them and made them very likable.
While the plot execution does take a wild turn in the last few episodes, it actually is preferable to similar shows where cast falls apart due to backstabbing and fighting over each other’s boyfriend. The writing is very good, far more than one would ever expect from a show with this premise. Short comments by side characters, lines from the novels the girls were reading, and dialogue early in the show foreshadowed most of what happened in the story, but it isn’t obvious until the viewer finishes the show. This show is definitely worth a watch not just once but twice, one time to see it unfold and a second time to see everything that was overlooked and carefully foreshadowed the first time.
Another aspect about this show that was great were the production values. Visual directing is hard to master for action shows, let alone a rom com coming of age anime. The show has great framing and cinematography, excellent effects, and clean animation when it counts, these things are normally lacking in most low brow Ecchi shows. The sound is also quite impressive, although the opening does pale in comparison to the fire fighting anime, the sound and animation still place it in the top 3 for me this season, the background music and effective change in pace during confessions were also quite exquisite.
Finally, and most importantly, the overall message of this show is delivered perfectly. Love is a complex thing, most of our media revolves around it, most people in our society seek it, and it is something that is hard to define. This anime encapsulates love and carnal desire from the point of view of teenage girls in a serious manner, something most anime will tend to shy away from doing. It tells people that girls are sexual beings just like men and they have to come to terms with their sexuality, while understanding that everyone is an individual who may have a different approach to coming to terms with themselves.
Stark700
If you take a teenage soap opera, add some sex jokes, and make an anime version out of it, the result would be something similar along the lines of Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. It goes without saying the show appears to be a clichéd romantic drama about teenagers growing up. The journey to growing up isn’t without obstacles and for the Literature Club, they learn that the hard way. While the opening minutes of the first episode doesn’t seem too unusual, the second half of the premiere may change your mind. It’s not every day we get to see a guy getting caught masturbating inanime after all. But backtracking a bit, it also became clear the show wanted to make a story about characters growing up. The adolescence experience is a complex journey and for our main characters, they want to make the most of it. High school student Niina Sugawura makes her intention clear when she declares her intention of experiencing sex. In probably the bluntest way possible, this anime isn’t intent in hiding its adulthood culture. In fact, it’s easy to look at this anime with some controversy from the start.
The staff in charge of this anime includes script writer and original creator, Mari Okada. To me, this wasn’t a surprise considering the amount of drama that blew up as every episode progressed. Initially, it all began with the curiosity about sex. Then, it transformed into a plot about the characters wanting to grow up and experiencing it. Okada gives an appropriate tone with her writing by adding elements of drama at any chance possible. To do this, there’s plot with blackmail, dark troubling background stories, and various school drama shenanigans. However, this anime doesn’t hit home with its emotional drama, at least from a storytelling perspective. While some of her previous projects can be tearjerkers, Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo never once managed to make me feel emotional about its plot or character drama. As far as teenage romantic drama premises go, the series does seem to show some promise to craft realistic ideas. Spawned from curiosity, the Literature Club seeks to learn about sex as much as possible. Don’t take this as a sex education though. The anime sells the idea of adolescence with the characters growing up. Sex is just part of that process. In the meantime, the anime’s script goes through phases of letting characters experiment with their own ways of growing up.
While each character in the series has their own personality, most of them all fall under the ‘teenager syndrome’. In other words, they are constantly changing with puberty playing a prominent role. Characters experience a variety of feelings ranging from jealousy, sadness, anger, and other common mood swings. But don’t take this anime as some sort of psychological study. This takes the direction in tone with coming of age style of story presentation. Likewise, I believe the character cast all must learn about themselves before they grow up into adults. The main character, Kazusa Onodera, shows signs of fear in early episodes. Due to her infatuation with her childhood friend Izumi Norimoto, she has trouble breaking out of the friend zone. As part of a love triangle, Niina begins to develop feelings towards Izumi after growing to understand him. The anime pits the three characters into a romance angle that tests the limits of their feelings. Does this seem like trashy soap opera-esque writing? The answer is yes and no. With the growing amount of love in the show, we have to come and understand why characters feel the way they do. The anime does a decent job at showing this but sometimes fall short on overall execution. I won’t spoil it but it’s easy to point fingers at certain character behaviors and their how they feel attraction towards the opposite sex. One example is Hitoha Hongou, a novelist who develops feelings for an older man. The anime doesn’t commit much on their character relationship other than based on how Hongou wants to pursue a relationship with him. It’s the type of character drama that show little improvement and lacks importance to her overall growth as a teen. On the other hand, I do feel it’s worth getting invested by the main love triangle between Kazusa, Izumi, and Niina. While childhood romance dramas can be very cliché, this show contains a degree of realism that touches on more sensible subjects. Blending between the line of childhood romance and genophobia, you have to wonder how far the anime commits to its romance elements. However, do also be aware that the anime itself sometimes isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. This is especially true in early stages with the amount of jokes reinforcing the idea of “sex is evil”.
With a cast of teenagers on hormones, you have to also wonder how much the anime planned to develop each character individually. At its very base form, characters hopes to break out of their shell and become adults. Some even undergoes physical changes such as the case of Rika Sonezaki when she gets rid of her glasses after being told she looks beautiful without them. Others develop a more psychological change such as the case of Momoko Sudou. If you don’t believe me, just look at how she begins to see other girls in a different way, in particular Sugawara. To be honest, I think these type of character behaviors are common norm in our society. We all undergo changes especially during high school years. It’s during those years that characters experience growth in countless ways. Otherwise, I also find many of the characters relatable to us. Whether it’s speaking through their actions or personalities, there’s no doubt you’ve countered similar people in your life.
With a variety of projects under their umbrella, Lay-duce made this anime look and feel like what it is – a teenage romance drama. Character designs looks polished that makes the most of its character expressions. In fact, it’s especially important for this anime to bring out character expressions to show how they feel. Other times, I do feel the anime may be over the top with the way characters reactions, in particular Kazusa. The fear of sexuality hits hard that is all over her face. Some viewers may even wonder if she needs professional help. But on most parts, this anime managed to bring out the most of its animation qualities by illustrating character behaviors. Similarly, I do want to praise on the voice cast. It made me understand more about the cast’s personalities on more relatable terms.
Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo isn’t a niche anime but it can be a bit different than what people realize. While the initial first episodes can generate some controversy, it does manage to capture the elements of a romance drama. Love is probably a subject humankind will never truly understand. For the characters in this show, they took the first steps in becoming adults and at the same time, trying to experience sex and love.
SingleH
Mari Okada is an extremely controversial anime writer for reasons both obvious and inarguably deserved. The main complaint most everyone cites with her scripts are her characters being utterly non-relatable and overemotional. Often times their emotional reactions to certain events are outright far fetched, and moreover, they’re hyper-passionate about things no actual person would be so with. Screaming, crying, wailing, and flailing all their merry way, Okada’s characters always loose me and many other viewers because we cannot find ourselves within them at all, but while many of us feel the need to critique her writing, there was this one time I read something someoneonline said which really intrigued me. They thought Okada’s writing was actually just fine the way it was, and the only real issue with her scripting in their mind was the subject matter of her shows. From their point of view, if Okada had written her shows on topics with which her overdramatic writing would actually be appropriate for, then the masses—me included—would finally see her writing operating at its full potential…and I think this is supposed to be it.
Araburu Kisetsu no Otomo-dono yo is a show about teenagers and their budding sex lives, so, on a conceptual level, literally my new favorites anime of all time. Anime is criminally averse to sex, and while much of the community may not fully appreciate this reality given the illusion that is fan service in cooperation with the fact they’re not the type to go outside and live normie lives rife with casual sex, any among the rare breed of anime watchers who has made the journey into the real world will’ve surely already noticed just how glaring a void this aversion is in almost all anime made. Granted, most shows are made for teenagers and young adults, which is fine, but while young people may not need a sexual side to their media, there is still a sexual side to their lives whether they’re a bystander or not. My point is, the lack of sex drive within most anime characters is and should be an immersion breaker for any viewer who has even the thinnest shred of maturity or worldliness. And if you’re an older viewer like me? Well, shit, you’re totally out of luck, because it makes ninety nine point nine percent of highschool anime totally unwatchable, seeing as you are well aware of just how maddened people that age are by the idea of sex, especially if they’re not a normie whose having it all the time. This is where this show swoops in like an absolute hero, and just as that one forum poster had posited, Okada’s melodrama fit their puberty riddled angst like a glove, and it would’ve made this show a crowing jewel of the genre if not for the characteristically awkward execution which diluted and undermined the refreshingly hilarious concept and daringly realistic worldview.
But to get the easiest critique out of the way first, this show is not the most well-produced thing in the world. The animation is lacking at best and clunky at worst, and some of the ugliest episodes were littered with off-model artwork—even in the foreground and on principle characters. The voice performances were a mixed bag, and as you’ve probably come to expect, Okada’s autistic scripting made their dialogue sound even more ham-fisted than it already would’ve, and while the golden apples in that mixed bag aren’t spoiled by the rotten ones, they’re spoiled anyway by the utter lack of fluid animation. Mouths will stay open for more frames than necessary, lip syncing is virtually nonexistent, and really any standard issue with anime produced by lower tier studios are present and pressing as expected. However, this isn’t all to say the production wasn’t cared for, and in fact, I’d say it may’ve actually been a little too cared for. The animation staff behind this show clearly had a lot they wanted to do with the visuals which was simply far too ambitious given the clear lack of time, money, and manpower they had on hand. Gradient coloration on a frame-by-frame basis was impossible, so they settled for a horrifically ugly white filter which they laid over the ENTIRE show. A cut of perspective animation from a character running down the densely packed city streets was impossible, so they settled for the camera shaking back and forth across still images of the street as if the character was whipping their sight side to side exclusively. I could go on but you get the picture. Even if the show’s small, inexperienced staff was truly, wholehearted giving it their all, their all was just not enough to deliver a good looking final product.
But I could complain about bad productions all day. What really ended up turning me off to this show was what should’ve made me love it: the character writing. We discussed characters having sex drive. Great, love it, but while realistic on paper, the way the cast is characterized is—like all Okada shows are—so incredibly non-relatable and stunted. Our main character Kazusa is basically the “childhood friend” from any other generic dating sim anime if not for her sex drive, and since her character is mostly handled per that trope, she’s just a reminder why those girls never win, and when Okada actually tries to capitalize on her sex drive to make her at all interesting, her autism gets downright diagnosable—and to no real effect. The object of her affections is her childhood friend Izumi, with whom she shares a completely platonic relationship with, seeing as they’re both as pure as the Holy Virgin, and the inciting incident of the show is her juvenile image of him getting shattered when she walks in on him masturbating…which is awesome, but then she autistically scrambles away like Generic Male MC walking in on his waifu changing and spends half the show avoiding the subject through a series of retarded misunderstandings, so you’re just left wondering what the hell happened to the supposed realism. Izumi himself is even less believable, since the alleged reason for him and Kazusa drifting apart isn’t their budding sexualities and the insecurities associated, but instead the simple fact Izumi became popular whilst she remained a bibliophilic nerd. Now, if Izumi was a normie, you’d think he would’ve already gotten laid, but he hasn’t because he’s actually a closet train otaku, BUT IF HE WAS A TRAIN OTAKU, HE NEVER WOULD’VE BECOME A NORMIE, because no one would’ve EVER accepted him, especially in Japanese schools internationally notorious for their rampant bullying.
And the realism didn't escape to the side characters. I earlier compared Kazusa and Izumi to the Holy Virgin as a joke. Well, Kazusa’s best friend, Sonezaki, takes the comparison to a whole new level. Her skirt goes down to her shins, her glasses are bifocals, her hair is pinned strictly aside her forehead, and her only dialogue amongst classmates outside her bubble is pretentiously delegitimizing them as hedonistic beasts. This was a striking character introduction I loved. However, she’s the first one of the girls to give in, and the guy she gets together with is someone whose only reason to be attracted to her is the fact she gave herself a makeover. This is almost acceptable, because this is a girl who’s been bullied for being ugly for as long as she can remember, so when she changes things up a bit and finally gets a guy’s attention it’s reasonable to assume she simply couldn’t help herself, but while that’s personally the most (and only) relatable character piece in the show, I can say for certain—because it’s so relatable—such a turnaround would just come across as disingenuous and turn me off to whoever’s attention I caught. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Of course she reacted differently than you would. You’re a bitch, and she’s not, so of course you would take cynically what she took graciously.” But I remind you, this girl’s entire character was just built around her pessimism and judgmental disposition, SO WHAT HAPPENED? The irony of this inconsistent character writing is magnified to an immeasurable degree when it develops parallel to another side character, Momoko, literally having her lesbian awakening because she’s disgusted by the fact guys their age are only after women’s bodies and looks. Then there’s Hongō and Sugawara, but they’re fine. I mean, Hongō goes from a closet fetishist to a public exhibitionist in a matter of episodes and Sugawara explicitly, and in no uncertain terms, endorses the character of a pedophile who expressed sexual interest in her as a grade schooler, but their character writing is never inconsistent or broken, just…yeah.
Where the show finally came through for me, as most Okada shows do, is as a truly fantastic comedy. Okada’s so-called comedy has always been a matter of perspective. Anohana was a schmaltz tearjerker which was so over-the-top with its melodrama as to be hysterical; Red Garden was an inspired take on an anime musical which took its thespian aesthetics so far as to be farcical; Mayoiga was an ambitiously intricate whodunit murder mystery which overcomplicated itself and its bloated cast to the point of being a nonsensical horror-comedy. All Okada’s works are like this in that they take themselves completely seriously, but being so obtuse, no one can relate to them and therefore can’t take them as seriously as she does. This show is the first occasion on which the comedy was not only funny, but funny on purpose, not just us laughing at her toneless writing. The countless visual innuendoes were kind of the funniest thing on the planet, even though they’re not really what the show is about. From Izumi making Kazusa blush by putting his fingers in a bowling ball—one in the bottom hole and two in the top—causing her to stand up with her hands covering her crotch and scurrying away all flustered to Hongō uncontrollably shoving her teacher to the ground and straddling him only to realized what she’d done compulsively and run away embarrassed, only for the scene to close with a shot of the school’s water fountain dripping, every little one of these gems was a comedic treat. Granted, these jokes are ruined just as often when Okada decides to unsubtly spell them out for anyone oblivious and innocent enough not to recognize them, like the time Kazusa is terrified by a train approaching a tunnel, exclaiming how it couldn’t possibly fit inside, only for it to go right in much to her discomfort, but most of the time it’s a joke between you and the director, and it’s usually good for a laugh or two.
At the end of the day, though, I feel compelled to remind you, despite sticking a positive turn on the end of this review, I can only really describe Araburu Kisetsu no Otomo-dono yo as a disappointment seeing as it failed to capitalize on the potentially hyper-realistic characterization which I wanted it to find success with. If there’s one group of people on this planet who need to have the realities of sex shoved in their faces until they accept and embrace them, it's the otaku whom this anime seeks as an audience, but the fact the characters therein are bizarre weirdos at best and backwardly written at worst makes it so the important message these incels desperately need to receive—if there ever was one—ends up totally flaccid and hard to entertain critically at all. Even if they nailed the worldview and attitude, failing to apply it to the characters in a believable or empathetic manner leaves most of the show’s efforts being all for naught, and the fact it had to constantly poke fun at itself in order to illicit any positive response from me at all really speaks volumes about how well it managed itself on really any level. I can’t recommend this show to kids because it would just confuse them or give them very bad ideas; I suppose I can recommend this show to adults who are like me and just dying to see ideas this risqué portrayed in a highschool anime whether it’s done poorly or not; I can’t recommend this show to teenage girls, because they couldn’t relate to it at all unless they are literally Mari Okada and probably shouldn’t be encouraged in their apparent perversions even if they are somehow able to see themselves in the characters; but I can most certainly recommend this show to teenage boys, the majority of the otaku audience, just so they can take notes on everything Okada’s woke author-insert, Sugawara, says.
Have sex, and thank you for reading.
RebelPanda
When we’re young, love and sex seem larger than life—it is the most embarrassing thing imaginable. Maidens of the Savage Season captures all those emotions in the most melodramatic way possible. It skips all of that pesky build-up, the characters are stereotyped, it’s oftentimes predictable, and so what? Who cares about all that crap when it’s so damn entertaining? Melodrama is what Mari Okada is known for, Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo is no different. Anything she writes that isn’t edited heavily by a director will surely be overflowing with melodrama. She’s an ambitious writer, however, she stuffed far too many ideas into this show.Sex, love, jealousy, homosexuality, social commentary, pedophilia, netorare, the list goes on and on. As someone who loves analyzing themes and the author’s intent, after watching Araburu I have no clue what the hell she was going for. There’s one thing I can say for certain, someone really needed to tell Okada when to stop.
Half of me hates Maidens of the Savage Season, and the other half loves it. So few rom-com anime are written over the top to the point where it’s hilarious. If you came here expecting a subtle drama with in-depth writing, you will be disappointed. Anyone who says this show is realistic is a liar! Sure it’s relatable at times, but it’s so intentionally unrealistic to be as enjoyable and shocking as possible. It will gut punch you immediately with the main point: sex, love, and growing up. Prepare to be beaten over the head with embarrassment until you cringe. After it grabs you by the collar and gets your attention, it slaps you in the face with endless sex metaphors. Trains going through tunnels, stimulating bowling balls, mushroom innuendos. Once it has your attention, the roller coaster is already moving and it’s too late to jump off. You’re stuck on it for every tight turn and a 200-foot drop. It’s a thrilling ride, I loved it at first.
Then the roller coaster came to a screeching halt. The writing worked, I wouldn’t call it good writing, but it worked. Eventually, it stopped being a cheesy coming-of-age romance about love and confronting adulthood. Instead, it was about jealousy, love triangles, cuckolding, homosexuality, teen pregnancy, and childhood trauma. It stopped being relatable. Rather than cringe-inducing, it was frustrating, uncomfortable, and creepy. Everything I liked about Araburu was still there, but it felt like an afterthought. When you try to force a cheesy romance to be serious, you get terrible NTR moments like this: Person A and Person B are in love, suddenly Person C inexplicably develops feelings for B. Rather than confessing their feelings, C forces B to grab their ass, cuckolding Person A. Romantic tension like this can work in a story with the proper character writing, and like I’ve said before this show does not spend time on that. We know who the characters are solely based on their personalities, which is fine for a comedy/melodrama. The moment the characters were shoved into a drama that wants to be taken seriously, the whole thing collapses. All of the characters are simplistic people.
The story follows five distinct heroines, in the same “savage season” of their lives but moving in different directions. Kazusa, the most prominent of the five has it rough. Imagine walking in on your crush beating their meat before ever being exposed to sex, it’s maddening; that’s the kind of laughable nonsense Kazusa has to go through. Her encounters are always contrived, which made them all the more entertaining. For instance, when Kazusa drops off the food at Izumi’s house, rather than calling his name or his phone, she just opens the door and walks up to his room. Something was bound to happen. Ignoring how predictable the scene is, the direction is so heavy-handed it’s comical—and it’s so good. The fear in Kazusa’s expression, the slow opening of the door, Izumi’s house shrouded in darkness, the distant rock music with a vertical slice of light shining down the long staircase. The anticipation is overwhelming. Unfortunately, the entire narrative falls apart by the end, Kazusa’s story included.
The cracks started to appear midway through the series, motivations for a few of the heroines were still unclear. Kazusa and Sonozaki were the best out of the five because it was plain and simple what they wanted: to figure out their relationships despite anxiety and a desire to remain pure. Momo had no clue what was happening; it’s so obvious from the first episode that she’s a lesbian and unfortunately that’s a defining character trait. She supports her friends, always with a smile, yet her scenes are underwhelming because she’s too busy being oblivious of her sexuality. If you’re uninterested in dudes, but tear up at the thought of a girl not liking you, then you’re probably gay—just saying. Her personality is so underdeveloped that her actions make no sense later in the show, making her seem like she’s bipolar. This is a huge issue past the halfway point in this series, at the drop of a hat as if half the cast suddenly becomes bipolar.
On the other hand, Hongou wanted to grow up faster and gain knowledge about sex. Hongou is a more subdued character, not quite standing out in the group aside from a few crude comments. She’s an aspiring erotica writer, regularly sexting with guys online to make her writing more authentic. Her motivations are clear, I liked her scenes, at first. Soon she finds out fabricating sexual experience is much different than the real thing. Her perspective focuses on the problematic pseudo-relationship with her teacher. Their encounter is unbelievable. Out of thousands of people on illicit chatrooms, they somehow meet each other. Later they decide to meet in real life, lo and behold they’re student/teacher. It’s absurd, but I wouldn’t expect any less of Maidens. Even his username is Miro, one letter off from his actual name Milo; you would think a teacher would try to hide his identity while sexting a random person online. Seeing her blackmail Milo and push around him is hilarious, at first. Eventually, the writers forgot Hongou was trying to become a more experienced writer, and she starts trying to get with Milo. There is very strange sexual tension between them; I won’t go into spoilers, all I’ll say is that the teacher also engages (don't forget she's underage). I came into Araburu expecting to cringe, laugh, and enjoy the emotional roller coaster, not to be frustrated and unsettled. There were points when it was uncomfortable to watch, however, nothing came close to the most disturbing parts of Nina’s story.
Conversely, the dark horse of the cast, Nina is by far the most flawed heroine. She’s messed up from childhood trauma (it’s not graphic, but enough to cause a warped perception of sexuality). As we all know, a flawed character doesn’t equal a bad character. However, when handled poorly they can be the worst members of the cast. Unsurprisingly Nina is the most hated character. The things she does are objectively wrong; however, you can explain most of her actions with development abuse. I wish that I didn’t need to assume ‘because trauma she is a bad person’. The absent nuances to Nina's personality seem less like a creative decision, rather it feels like Okada was ignorant about the psychological effects of trauma. Rather than connecting Nina's trauma and insecurities to her actions in the present, the show just gives us more of Nina's obnoxious self-loathing thoughts. The pedo's actions are always condemned. It’s pointless shock value—though I will admit the directing of these scenes conveys fear exceptionally well. While I can't ignore Okada's talents as a director, these themes shouldn’t have been in Araburu. Barely anything that occurs throughout the show matters at the end. Given this is a complete adaptation of the manga, it left me feeling robbed. At least the characters face consequences for their actions, Nina included. Due to the nature of melodrama, morality is rather black or white in Araburu: you do good, you get good. If you treat people badly, you will get bad in return. For example; the kids that bully Sonezaki are portrayed as sex-crazed sluts who get 'what they deserve’ in the end because they picked on the nice main characters. Dramas are meant to pull in the reader gradually so you can identify with the characters, to believe they could be real people, this is not a drama.
There's not much to say about the art. A washed-out palette plus a strange foggy filter makes it feel like your watching everything through a cloud. On top of that, the animation is very lackluster. From a distance, all the characters look off-model. Backgrounds often look hideous even up close. There were a few instances when the art style was changed for laughs, and they worked, but I wish there was more. The CGI cars look ugly and completely out of place. The character designs look much better in the manga; there is plenty of well-timed visual gags thanks to the director, however, the animation only serves to weigh it down.
Maidens of the Savage Season was a roller coaster ride. Exciting at first, then it rapidly spiraled downwards—out of control. I loved it for its flaws because it knew what they were and played them for laughs. Over time, it lost that self-awareness and it unironically became everything it mocked. It took itself far too seriously, then it became a jumbled mess of unclear themes, empty character motivations, and no playoffs whatsoever. My favorite character, Kazusa, was done a disservice with such a rushed ending. She deserved better than the cliched bullcrap she got. This is what happens when you have something great and ruin it by trying to unnecessarily add more ideas. No one told Mari Okada enough is enough. At some point, an author needs to know when to stop.
ExemplarCayman
"It fit." Have you heard about drama anime’s lord and savior Okada Mari? Here’s a blitz version of what matters: she’s an r/raisedbynarcissists hikikomori turned acclaimed scriptwriter who keeps adapting her own life into anime scripts. And this makes her works divisive, because her life was so rough and tumultuous that sheltered middle-class snowflakes who never lived through any hardships and have no real life experience find it “overblown” or “melodramatic”. The bottom line is, she writes some of the best human drama in the medium, and Savage Maidens is the best one of her works to date. The series is a dramedy about five high-school girlswhose literature club activities lead to the discovery that es-ee-ex is a thing, hilarity ensues. The comedic and dramatic parts of the story aren’t just juxtaposed - they’re amalgamated perfectly. Meaning, comedy and drama are one and the same. There is a scene where a heroine has a genuine nervous breakdown over the fact that somehow everything around her suddenly revolves about sex. She freaks out, gets up and runs outside. She runs and runs. She runs past the Big Wang’s Restaurant, past a Hot Meat Buns advertisement, past a train going into a tunnel... you get the idea. It’s futile. There is no escape for her. You laugh at this the way you laugh at your friend who tripped and fell, but ended in an unbecoming pose. You feel their pain and you feel like a dick for laughing, but the sight is just too comical to hold it back. For a show to invoke such complex emotions is a rare occurence to be treasured.
The plot is structured as five different story threads (one for each girl) running in parallel, which allows for an amazing variety of the top shelf plotlines to unravel in the span of just one cour. Are you a nostalgic 30+ y. o. for whom the Watamote-level cringe of teens discovering their sexuality actually looks endearing? This is a show for you. Would you like to see Nisio Isin-level insightful character drama that wasn’t written by Nisio Isin? This is a show for you. Did you like Emergence for its profound plot? This is a show for you. Do you think that there is no situation to which the answer isn’t “we need a bigger drill”? This is a show for you.
Naturally, these five threads all combine into one single cohesive story.
The production values are great and do this story justice, utilizing the medium to its fullest potential. The art style is uniquely distinct with its glossy character designs and the papery composite filter (think YoriMoi or Asobi Asobase). Beautiful cinematography gives all the dramedic scenes such a strong impact.
The icing on the cake is that the story is adapted from the manga in its entirety by the original creator herself.
12/10 (on a 15-point scale) for the best comedy of the season and the best drama of the year.
Tinybox
Adolescence is no uncommon stomping ground in the anime world. The pairing of high school and romance isn't exactly particularly new and exciting either but fear not, Mari Okada has arrived to crank the drama into levels never before seen. On a more serious note however, the themes presented in the earlier episodes of the show actually were engaging and interesting. Sex is a touchy subject, especially in the heat of your youth. Having a positive outlook toward sex encourages a more thorough understanding of it. Araburu handled this quite appropriately when the girls were beginning to express they had thought about physical contact and intimacy. Atthis point of the show, I was honestly impressed it didn't fall into the pitfalls that most drama pieces usually do.
But what's that over the horizon? It's needless and unwarranted drama.
As is the case with most things Okada writes, she tends to take a subject and then take another five or six and roll them up, hoping they stick together. More often than not it doesn't work and you end up with unsatisfying teen melodrama and baffling character logic as is the case sadly with Araburu. The slow and steady pace that the series had begun with started to mutate into lightning fast nonsense. Characters had begun to fall out with each other, a detestable teacher-student relationship to pander to fetishes and of course, a dull love triangle in the final stretch to name a few of the "interesting" events that begin happening.
The show completely loses it's focus and swerves into the lane of cliché. You find yourself rolling your eyes at every new development Okada attempts to stir the pot with. The characters you were rooting for begin to change into completely predictable shadows of what made them interesting in the first place and the illusion crumbles as you come to realise the show has set itself up to constantly dramatize each and every line of dialogue it has left. Each shallow attempt to cause controversy becomes as aggravating as the last.
Araburu is basically a 1 to 1 adaptation of the manga which is a huge let-down seeing as the show had the potential it did to be something great towards the start. Creative liberty could have done wonders in this case, but as Okada is penning both the manga and the anime that was never going to be the case. She didn't choose to challenge herself by improving material or subverting the expectations of already invested manga readers, she chose to sing the same tune she's always sung.
A true shame, this could've have been something special.
If there's any take away from this review, it's to watch White Album 2, it's a superior drama story with a love triangle that's handled exceptionally.
KANLen09
If there is ONE person to call out for this fine masterpiece of a work, it's gotta be Mari Okada. After her debut directorial flim that is Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms and SO MANY series compositions such as AnoHana, Hanasaku Iroha and Blast of Tempest (just to name a few), her debut manga series has not been well-hyped to a certain degree. Unbelievable, I know and understand that most of (if not everyone) is well aware of the usual shenanigans of Okada's works that always works wonders critically, in the face of absenteeism of something that doesn't click together. But on a basiclevel, that has been her shtick for the past 2 decades of scriptwriting supressingly-emotionalist anime that makes us learn and experience the hard way, only for us to sorely wail in tears (i.e. AnoHana) and such.
SO...Sex Ed the Animation. Mari Okada herself has been a victim of the early childhood syndrome known as bullying, and lived a life of teenage recluse, even under abusive parents, and a relationship that didn't work out for the good. Based on the idea that relationships are NOT for everyone (in her sights, love is an "item" of relapse, be it for the opposite or same sex), her idea (and eventually script) of Araburu was panned outward as: "SEX, the one LAST thing for girls to commit before their death." Together with famed director Masahiro Ando (who has worked with Okada in recent years) and Lay-Duce's director Takurou Tsukada, this series seems set to be one of Summer's most overlooked shows. And it largely is, part of the pun.
Puberty, adolescence, sexual (im)maturity, whatever you wanna call it, I'm gonna call it: The awkwardness of growing up. THIS is Mari Okada's framework into Araburu, as it attempts to deal the icebreaker on everyone's minds (well, at least more towards girls anyways): How to answer a question where love, relationships, and sex are intertwined altogether, that it seemingly is the end goal of the human life (well, not really to an extent though). And how do we go around conducting this seemingly innocent but trivial issue so taboo, it causes a stir? By interviewing some people in a club, because that's the "fruits" of the knowledge (or am I guessing it wrong?). And what started out as a random but blatant reply became the central focus of this series.
In the Literature Club, there exists 5 seemingly random girls who come together, at first for a thirst of knowledge through books: MG (main girl) Kazusa Onodera, (3rd party victim) Niina Sugawara, (lesbian love) Momoko Sudou, (erotica novelist) Hongou Hitoha, and (strict upbrought) Rika Sonezaki. One by one, through the simple word called sex (erm, sorry er...Es Ee Ecks), it started becoming the catalyst to everyone finding out more about the notions and intentions behind this seemingly "brave but dirty" deed.
Starting out with main girl Kazusa, she wears the typical "childhood friend" face, where her next-door neighbour Izumi Norimoto, whom she has known for years, suddenly causes her to fluster at the thought of having sex with Izumi. But that's saying too far-stretched, as a relationship will only get both of them into the proper leeway of truly wanting to have intimacy with one another. Alas, as much as Kazusa wants to engage with her own feelings to be properly conveyed to Izumi, she constantly takes one step forward, two steps back, fighting for her own ambitions to be by Izumi's side, and knowing how much her best friend and rival too is also garnering for his attention. And this is highly relatable for all of us, because there is always the 50/50 hindsight of acceptance or rejection. What's worse is that compared to the next person in line, is someone that is overly beautified to no end:
Melancholic girl Niina Sugawara, whom as described by boys as being a "fragile crane". Being the ideal girlfriend in terms of both looks and physique, it's no surprise that the childhood friend that Kazusa has been "aiming" for faces intense interference, along with the fact that she is said girl's best friend. Like, how messed-up and shitty is this love triangle!? Due to her upbringing being one of the most hideous and scarring events that destroyed her outlook of love, Izumi's kindness and care unknowingly triggers her heart emotions to crack the past hurts of her heart into the "prancing" territory of "girl hooks up with men, have multiple friends with benefits". And as much as we hate how spoiled and ignorant Sugawara is for her presence in both Kazusa and Izumi's relationship, the constant nagging that she surpassing Kazusa is real and deep thoughts of the path treaded and no turning back. In the end, empathy is the best medicine I can only describe her as being someone who is naturally hooked onto, but comes up short.
For the guy in question, Izumi Norimoto is also (like Kazusa) the typical childhood friend, only this time, he's the subject matter of "contradictions". Even though he has been kind and caring to Kazusa all those years, the same EXACT properties of him swinging towards Sugawara's way develops a sense of danger all around. What's detrimental is being the naive guy he is, and with this love triangle exposing him to the depths of darkness having to deal with the influx capacities of more than choosing the right girl, he has to take lead and choose wisely. From once the "I like trains" boy to someone who understands the girl's intuition and acting in a proper manner, like men should to make and break hearts. Sadly, what he did throughout this series was shallow, not the type of guy anyone would reference to being a role model (and yep, from a guy's perspective, I would bar my thoughts as well).
Momoko Sudou on the other hand, she seems like the type of girl to be the average layman: get a guy who rouses her interest, get together and be intimate. However, for some goddamn sake of an excuse, she went from being straight to being pro same-sex love. Not much is shown of her interactions, but she did have some guy of interest, and it broke apart as soon as she realizes that she is developing feelings for girls instead (essentially, lesbian love), and who to look out for to be her "knight in shining armor"? None other than the beautiful but fragile Sugawara that is her unconscious and immeasurable one-sided Cupid's arrow.
For Hongou Hitoha, things could have gotten so easier, as opposed to doing it IRL, she brings the entire love-jolting exercise onto online adult chatrooms. After being told that her erotica novel isn't quite up to snuff, she decides to hook an adult to replicate the desires of the flesh, an untouched boundary between adults and high school girls. After meeting up with what seemed like a potential candidate (he was there together with her the entire time), it turns out that candidate was Tomoaki Yamagishi (or Milo-sensei), a teacher at their school, who was once blackmailed to be the Literature Club's advisor, and now being Hongou's friend (of benefit). Despite the challenges that Hongou has faced trying to seduce Milo-sensei, more often than not he will push her away and give her second throughts to take ownership of her own feelings of wants and needs.
Last but not least, is the venerable Literature Club's president Rika Sonezaki. Despite being the strong advocator that the issue of sex shouldn't even be mere child's play, she is the most innocent out of the 5 girls to get a full-on relationship that is the healthiest and most supportive. Despite receiving love for the very first time, it doesn't seem that Sonezaki herself would waver, but as time passes, the boy who caught her attention and eventually scores her heart, is really heartwarming. Goes to show that even as trifled as you are skeptical in love, the same love will break your heart to see how much he/she has encapsulated all that love to reach out to you and steal the innocent heart in play.
When it comes to Okada herself, characterization is her strongest suit, aside from the usual overbearing melancholic "drama" that has us waver in favour or objection of the issues of her storyboarding, but I'd say that this series have that prevalent Okada flawness onto it, the same way that she does her stuff in the past.
I'd have to say that Lay-Duce was the perfect studio to being Okada's vision to life, as pretty much their vibrant and stunning cool-lighted art effects, coupled with some good animation, is another highlight in the series. Though it may seem cel-shaded at times with disparing quality dips, for the most part it handled the series gracefully from start to finish. No problem with colorful and stunning visuals though.
And the music, I have to say that as with accompanied Okada-styled shows, the music also plays a part in establishing the feelings and emotions of not just the characters, but the setting overall just oozes pure unadulterated moments, even at the constant signs of destress. With HoneyWorks conducting the OP, I'd have to say that it's as great as usual sounding for their repertoire of songs. ED was plentiful was well, giving the series a closing feel. Regardless, a fine showing.
If anything, I'd say Lay-Duce's anime adaptation of this series somewhat fell short of the ideals that the production staff and/or even Mari Okada herself would contemplate withholding information as each episode passes in a jiffy, so much so that information gets hoodwinked or lost in the structure. But really anyways, it's not a great show, and it's not a bad one too, I still think it's worth a watch if you're a fan of Mari Okada's works and nothing more. This journey to finding the true value of sex will be a mixed bag worth hits and misses.
nanatshi
i am just one form those brain dead people who enjoyed seeing everything maybe and i like this show so much because it's talk's about something that all teenagers have problem with and this thing is not knowing what is the difference between love and sex and i am too have the same problem , i just did'nt know the difference because i really watched a lot of hentai to be honest which leading to make it and what makes watching this show feels so good is that slice of life anime have a shocking moments and this is just amazing because it's reallyrare to find something like that most of the time slice of life anime is just relaxing events and calming down but this show is the opposite
story(10/10) :-
this story is really wired story but in the same time i find the idea of the story very related to the teenagers and the most important thing in this anime that i find this anime very funny also i find a lot of unexpected actions and events which is surprise me and shocked me in the same time and i think this story about sex and youth felt really good to watch because during watching you will try explore this idea about what love is really mean for you not just for characters you also will start to think of it
art (10/10) :-
i think the art fit really good with the story and the way they draw the characters and faces express the character feelings in a really good way but sometimes i find too shiny for my eyes but i just accept it because i find that it's really Special and beautiful in the same time and this one from things that gives the show his own feeling and that's why i really love the art so much
ost /sound (10/10) :-
i find that the sound is really amazing and beautiful you can find that the sound just stick with your mind because they just using it in the perfect time and i really don't how to describe it i find it relaxing but in the same time it's turn to dramatic ost with few moments and that's make it so amazing and special in the same time , i really want to hear the ost again but i could'nt find it ( @__@ )
characters (10/10) :-
yes i love the characters i find every one of them very special and have his own turn in the story , i find all the types of the characters the stupid one , the one that can't go again's the rules , the one that feels lost , the one that think that she need's to be more interesting and last the one that tried to get the love in any way possible and i understand what they think of , why they act like that and most important i understand thier feelings , i understand why they love , what they think about love , what they want from this love and most important what is thier idea about what love is really is for them is it just to have sex or just to know that other side loves you
enjoyment(10/10) :-
i enjoyed this show so fucking much i like the characters and i find this anime to be the best of this winter when it comes to the enjoyment side because it's really funny and have a lot of shocking moments you know for just slice of life anime you did''nt find that special thing most of time but in this anime yes you found it the special thing that you wanna see
overall (10/10) :-
i don't really know how write a review for this anime very well because i love all the animes that i watched for some reason and this anime just made me write a review about it because i really will never forget this show even if i grow up and i really enjoyed every moment of it i find this anime to be master peace and yeah i love it in the end that's my review if you enjoyed just tell me and i will so happy and sorry for my bad eng
thanks for reading this review and hope you have soprashi day !!
LaLeLuLiLo
Adolescence is a rather turbulent period for most people with all its conflicting thoughts and emotions. Considered too old to be treated as a child, but not old enough to be seen as an adult. An odd transitory road that many have to go through and along the way hopefully figure out who they are as they come of age. And it is that coming of age that really fascinates people and what many try to capture in their fiction. It’s a mode of story telling the begs for change and begs for development because it is what the characters are going through. Maiden ofthe Savage Season is no different with its main focus being the sexual awakening of a group of young literature girls.
The story follows five girls who belong to the literature club that also serves as their own clique as they all are good friends with each other. They are also sort of portrayed as outcasts to the rest of the school, mainly to the fact the club tends to read more risque novels. Despite the content they read none of them has had a romantic relationship. As they are near the tail end of adolescence it all wells up and finally bursts from the mouth of Sugawara, one of the club members, who wishes to have sex. This in turn leads to the other girls wondering about their own sexuality which sets forth the story for them all.
Each of the girls follows a different facet of having a relationship. With the primary one being the the main lead Kazusa who follows the mode standard of the childhood friend. The others include between classmates, teacher and student, homosexuality, and the final one being a bit all over the place. They all develop in their own certain way and at times intertwine and conflict with one another. The conflicts themselves aren’t that bad and the friendly relationship between the girls doesn’t become too strained which mostly comes from the tone it has.
Savage Maidens has a weird tone as it is sometimes very light hearted and comedic, and other times it is serious. It does make sense to have a sort of serious tone when dealing with something like sexuality as it is both intrinsic and extrinsic experience. The fear, anxiety, and uncertainty of knowing whether or not someone likes you back like it’s life or death situation. The confusion of your own sexuality and whether your feelings are true and whether or not people will accept you as you are. However it also makes sense to also keep a light tone as well in order to keep the show from wallowing in it’s own seriousness so that it doesn’t come off as pretentious. The show recognizes its own self-seriousness and uses it’s comedy to ground the show so that its head isn’t sticking up its own ass. It would seem like a decent balance, but that’s the thing, it really isn’t balanced. Since sometimes the comedic tone at times will undermine the serious moments, and the serious tone can at times propagate out of nowhere and feel unwarranted and unnecessary.
The main group of girls are all decent for the most part and thanks the the light tone of the show they become very easily likable. Some of them are better than others such as Rika and Hitoha who are the more developed of the main group, Kazusa despite being the lead is just decent, and Momoko and Sugawara who aren’t bad, but they really aren’t that well developed or interesting. Sugaware especially being the lesser of the two who comes off as a plot device who adds drama for the sake of drama. The rest of the cast are ok across the board they all aren’t that interesting or aggregating to take not of with maybe the lit club’s adviser being the exception.
Even though the show was a rather decent experience, it does peter out during the last couple of episodes. All the interpersonal relationships and tension that was built up during the entire show is pushed aside for some outside force in order to hurry things along. It does try to keep with the theme of sexuality and sex, but it is a cheap replacement to all that has occurred. It’s a shame seeing these characters who came a long way from what they were in the beginning be given such a bombastic yet flat ending, hindering this show from being far greater than it could have been.
CastorKlapaucius
If you were thinking this was going to be this embarrassing sexual-education type series (like Tsurezure Children which beats this show in every aspect) with a lot of humour and relatable situations then you're dead wrong. You're in for one dimensional characters, unnecessary, formulaic drama-conflict and worst of all: NO SEX-ED HUMOUR! I'm not saying this should've been a hentai, that wasn't my expectation but when that charlatan Gigguk recommended this to me as an awkward shoujo about girls interested in sex, I thought it was going to be an awkward shoujo about girls interested in sex. The characters are absolutely trash. We have: - love triangle foreign girl withthis mysterious and deep personal philosophy /s
- nerdy perverted chikan girl
- fujoshi
- normal girl
and lest we forget
- token lesbian...
... because we have to be inclusive but can't be bothered to do it right.
If I said that this show was worth my time, i'd be lying. I'm a completionist at heart and kept trying to give it that final chance to shine because by some miracle i'd breached the three-episode threshold but at episode 8.5 I have to concede.
Don't watch this trashy show and don't watch shows like it. There's no humour, no comedy and no awkward sexuality. There's only cliches and tropes.
Go watch Tsurezure Children instead, or Nichijou.
LuketheDuke424
This anime is a very tricky subject. Anime is loved by all types of people from all walks of life, so often times the desires of the viewer can vary greatly. Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo is not like a typical shoujo anime. This show covers some seriously heavy subject material, so viewer discretion is heavily advised. That being said, for those who are open to a rather dark, intense look at the reality of the struggles of human adolescence will find one of the greatest stories ever told on the matter. This show is definitely not for everyone, but it has stories to tellthat deeply reflect some of the most beautiful and most evil parts of our world.
And that's not to say that this show lacks an uplifting message. As this anime shows the stories of the struggles of each of its characters, it brings them together in one of the most heartwarming finales of any anime. If you've got the stomach for some serious subject matter and want to see a nuanced commentary on things concerning puberty, grooming, and the loss of innocence with a uplifting conclusion, then Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo is the anime for you!
Murasaki_Sama4
This show is awesome, but not many people will agree with me. I think the main reason I enjoyed the show as much as I have, is because I watched it at the perfect time, the time where I was also thinking about such things. I really love how the characters change a lot about their views and personalities over the span of the anime, and I don't understand why people call this an inconsistency in character. People change, they always have, and always will. This show is also incredibly unpredictable in a good way. You could never know what was gonna happen, how thecharacters were gonna act in a certain situation and it really encourages you to want to know more about them, as weird as it sounds. The more you watch the show, the more you understand their actions and thoughts and root for them. I was really just at the edge of my seat rooting for the characters at all times.
It is a rollercoaster of emotions where you cry in one moment and laugh your ass off in the next.
There is one thing I would like to critique however, that being the last, perhaps second to last conflict in the show(no spoilers). It went way too quickly and had no breathing room to develop wich led to me just straight up not understanding why the character felt that way. I think why they did it was obvious, that being time and money constraints but it really hurt the show considering it's relevance in the plot. It is a REALLY important plot point and it just pisses me off that there wasn't enough time to develop it properly.
But another thing I appreciate about the show, are the inherent flaws the characters have. For example, one of the girls is so obsessed with her love interest that she eventually ends up black mailing them into love, wich is very fucked up, and it sounds weird to call this a pro. But I love how all characters are just a little stupid like people are at that age. It makes you want to know how they overcome their problems and fears.
And the ending was downright perfect.
It wrapped up the story so well and made me feel so happy for the characters.
I can only recommend this show. If you don't like it, I understand, but I love it.
Thank you for reading!
~Murasaki
fastghosthunter
This here is a doozy. An incredibly dense, emotional story that has several girls who are in a literary club, while at the same time coming to terms with their burgeoning puberty. All of this has the nice bow on top of Mari Okada's melodramatic writing style, which seems to be the space she is most comfortable in. I liked this enough, but I in no way think it was Mari Okada's strongest outing or a very worthwhile show. Primarily because it is far too textual for my taste. This anime is just a string of girls falling in love while also trying to get laid.Sure there are other things that happen but 99 percent of the show and its ethos can be wrapped up in that. This is where I come to my limitations as a reviewer because if you relate to the specific dynamics between these characters and all of the drama, awkward and conflicting feelings therein than you are going to love this. No discussion to be had, no need to overanalyze, that is really all there is to it. You like what you like and I totally understand why it can be so cathartic for a writer to have the insight to feel like she is speaking directly to YOU. I get it.
My problem is that I just don't find that type of very on-the-nose writing particularly enjoyable or artistically engaging as a viewer. There is a character who struggles to come to terms with her feeling for her childhood friend and works up the courage to tell him. There is also a character who has been emotionally traumatized by being groomed by an older creep, also a character who is a little underdeveloped physically and tries to blackmail her teacher into making her feel special. These sort of generalizations of the plot is sure to make fans of this show angry, due to the fact that all the details and nuances of these character relationships are what makes the show. However, to be frank I just didn't really care that much. For the life of me, I can not understand why people are trying to hold this up as emotionally intelligent when it is so full of suffocating drama.
If I was a hardcore shoujo fan I would actually be quite offended by this show because it gives the genre such a bad look. This anime transforms from being a rather comfy, positive message of girl companionship and bonding to really trite and horny boy/girl relationship drama.
AliveOrb
If you enjoy being stressed out and watching unrealistic situations with deplorable characters, then this show is for you. To be fair, the actual design of the characters and the sound design around them is fantastic -- it's what initially dragged me in. This show is very pleasing on the eyes and ears. Also, the voice acting is outstanding! I was blown away with some of the performances of the voice actors and actresses in this show. They truly carried it. They are expressive and emotive, and the art brings their acting to life. Also, the story itself had a lot of potential. It was a bitdifferent from the typical drama/slice of life-type shows you see for high school anime. We learn about the trials and tribulations associated with budding youth. All the things we get wrong growing up are represented in one way or another.
But the major intolerance is with the characters of this show. My god, are they all truly deplorable. It's really, really, really bad... and I mean bad.
We have: a psychopathic soon-to-be-author with zero realistic character traits other than her crushing depression; a tyrannical know-it-all who only becomes lovable through a complete 180 (now look, I get that Sonezaki *becomes* a good character, and maybe that reflects how we learn in our youth... but she's the only semi-redeemable one out of the bunch); a clichéd beauty whose indelible good looks make her inarguably perfect on the outside, yet so predictably sick and twisted due to a completely ridiculous origin story (started off meaningful, turned ridiculous); a totally forgettable character whose main trait is to be occasionally cute and supportive to drive plot, yet cause several nuisances to the other characters that she just harped over being sweet and sincere; and ah yes, let's not forget our main character! an egocentric, self-interested, narcissist whose main goal in life is to fuck her essentially-brother (onii-chaaan kyuun! ...blergh) without taking a single second to step back and evaluate a situation. This, not to mention the fact that she fails to observe any notion of privacy or personal space, and has a grand habit of jumping to the first victimizing conclusion her brain arrives at.
And, oh yes!
Sweet banana pancakes up my ass, let's talk about that ending. What in the- I don't even- words cannot describe... The show finally manages to get some sort of cohesive plot, and then the show ends in the most half-assed, cooked up, savior-fantasy-esque ending I could've possibly thought of. I want to know what crack the writer's were smoking when they came up with the last episode. These men ran out of film time and that much is all to clear. Good lord. I can't speak to certain points without giving away spoilers, but just know that it is ridiculous. The show was heading toward a natural conclusion, and just veered into another dimension.
Look, I don't write many reviews on here because I know many people don't care. Maybe you look at the top rated review and give a couple others a glance, just to get the feel of audience reception -- many don't even get that far.
But if my review can save just one... just ONE person from wasting their time on this show, then I'll sleep soundly tonight. The only reason I'm not giving this show a 1/10 is because it would be a disservice to the fantastic voice acting cast and art/sound design. Hats off to that... somehow you've managed to polish a mighty mighty shit.
PhoenixCadenza
Basically a teen love comedy, except you turbo boost the teen part. And honestly it isn't as bad as it sounds. I was actually surprised by how in depth the story and some of the characters were. There was real conflict and the characters weren't just superficial blobs of cliché. Of course this is no masterpiece, actually it's very far from that, but it was still somewhat enjoyable nonetheless. What makes this show 'unique' is its focus on the chaotic frustrations of the teenager. What is sex? Am I sexually attracted to person A? What does that mean anyway? Are some examples of "teenage frustration andconfusion."
However, while I was surprised about how good the show was, It isn't great. The story was interesting, though often times it was disappointing. There are a lot of these intense moments that end up not leading to much, which ended up being very much average, with some spice.
If you read the description and thought, "yeah, that sounds kind of interesting, but it sounds edgy" then definitely give it a go, as it is genuinely interesting to a certain degree and not as cringe as you might think. There is quite a bit of it though I mean what do you expect, the description has 'sex' and 'highschool' in it.
andiabrudan
I'm on the lookout for anime that don't deserve their rating. This one isn't it. My main issue is that none of the characters are relatable. Maybe I'm just too old for this kind of stuff, or maybe because I'm a man, but I could not connect or cheer for any of the characters here. They all have good moments, but just when it gets good, it feels like another one of our main cast steps on the foot of the character we're focused on. Heck, there are like 2 or 3 moments where the suspense is actually tangible, but then they drop a cliché interruptionthat just ruins the moment.
The first few episodes do actually have a good hook. It's something new that we don't see in generic high-school anime. But, for me, as the story progressed, I felt like I could not stand most of the main cast.
As controversial as Hongou's relationship is, I think that one worked out the best, in the end, as it's so sequestered from everybody, and we actually get to explore her thoughts and feelings the best.
The rest of the girls, however, I almost completely hated. In fact, I was actively hoping that they would fail in their endeavors.
They all try to get with boys for one reason or another, but the way they go about it is, for lack of better terms, dumb and annoying. This is why I say I might be too old for this kind of stuff; I just wouldn't have the patience to put up with their shenanigans.
I would say that there are 2 parts to the story here. There is a tipping point around halfway through.
The main cast stops being so exhausting after that, but the plot doesn't get any better. The girls actually start stepping on each other's toes even more after that.
Honestly, it kinda made me wish the story would just go haywire like in School Days towards the end. There is some mild tension that could actually explode in a glorious way, but unfortunately the author never sets fire to the keg. Instead, we get a wishy-washy ending that solves all the problems and everybody lives happily ever after.
It is sad to see a story that has a strong start become more and more generic as it goes on. This could have been much better.
T0fy
This anime is fucked up in so many ways to the point where you actually enjoy it somehow: Story: It’s about girls who want to learn more about sex life and the way things go is just really a big miss but somewhat enjoyable at the same time Art: Really liked the art style and it was mostly on pointSound:
Okay i guess ?
Characters:
Fucked up that’s all i can say
Enjoyment:
Idk why but it was fun and heartbreaking at the same time
Overall:
If you’re looking for a heartwarming anime then the first 6 episodes are certainly is but after that it’s heartbreaking
R0rack
O Maidens is unfiltered Mari Okada from beginning to end. And that is precisely why this has been such a divisive series. You either hate it, or you love it (as I did). But to understand why that is the case, we have to take a look at how Mari Okada approaches melodrama, and how this anime is a perfect example of Okada’s best and worst qualities. First, let’s start with the bad things. That would probably be... the dialogue? Look, Okada's dialogue is like listening to peoples thoughts. With that I mean that is like the characters that she writes always say exactly what's ontheir minds, but without the filter that allows a normal person to really know what is normal and what is not normal to say. This results in a lot of scenes where it feels like people are not talking like real people would. Though Japanese society is very different in culture to any other country, I still feel the dialogue in Okada's works is a bit exaggerated. You'll know what I mean if you watch the first few episodes. Also, as most people are aware of, Okada is known for writing melodramas. That means big emotional outbursts and people screaming out their feelings, resulting not only in exaggerated emotions, but also in exaggerated situations. You will see what I mean by that in the last few episodes.
After all I just said, is easy to understand why anyone could not like Okada's work, and mostly this one, that displays many of those issues. But I still feel like it’s worth watching. Why? For the same reason a lot of people still like Okada.
Now, let’s talk about the good things. And that is obviously the characters. Is funny, because I've always thought that to write great characters you need great dialogue. But Okada is kind of an exception to me. Why is that? Because Okada has a tremendous understanding of how human emotions work, especially adolescence emotions. Every character in O Maidens comes from a very different background, has very different worldviews and experience throughout the run of the anime very different situations. Each of them truly feel like they could be a protagonist in their own story, but by colliding each story to one another, it elevates each one of them even higher than they ever could if it were just the story of “one girl".
And the dialogue is, well... unfiltered; as is Okada. This gives room not only for a few over the top scenes and turn of events that are as ridiculous as they are hilarious (because yes, great part of the comedy in O Maidens comes from just how ridiculous it can all get), but also for incredibly frank conversations between the girls sometimes. Kazusa's problems are universal, and I think anyone could relate to her insecurities, but all of the other characters have at least one scene where there are great observations on their own very unique perspectives. Sugawara saying that men always decide on your personality just by looking at you when you're pretty, without taking into account the real you; Sonezaki getting infuriated by discovering that you cannot change who you are in middle-school when people have already decided what to think of you; Momoko experiencing the difficulty of coming to terms with her own sexuality when she’s surrounded by crushing heteronormativity; or Hongou being unable to tell the difference between the media she has consumed about sex and love which shapes her understanding of relationships and social rules, and the way things really are (I'll talk about that a bit more later).
All of this incredibly sharp observations on very different personalities and situations wouldn't be possible without the Okada touch. That unfiltered dialogue that wouldn’t work in any other story. You could say that it’s a flaw that plays in favor of the shows priorities. In a way, it defies all we're taught about "show, don't tell", but it tells such interesting, important and true-to-life stuff, that I don't really care about it. Okada's writing is always a bit ludicrous, but it always has this balance of silliness and thoughtfulness. What she has to say is very real, even if the way she says it isn't very realistic. (btw, I believe that's why her style works more on fantasy settings, because we can suspend our disbelief more easily than in this kind of stories; a good example being her movie "Maquia")
As for the male characters... this is where it gets tricky. I feel like the only relatable male characters are Izumi and Amagi, and the only one of those that actually plays an important role is Izumi (whom is really complex, and even though he makes a lot of bad choices, his actions are always understandable). As for the rest… they’re obviously the main reason why this series has been so controversial. First there’s Saegusa, a character that is blatantly portrayed as a pedophile in the anime, and is the former abuser of Nina, and while she claims that he never laid a finger on her, he obviously said some things that deeply affected her way of thinking and her self worth. Then there’s Yamagishi, a professor that becomes the advisor in the literature club the girls are in, if only because Hongou knows a dirty secret of him that could get him fired; they also get entangled in a very unhealthy relationship in which she is hitting on him, and he doesn't do much to stop her from doing some very inappropriate things for a girl her age, even though he could and he very much should. And oh wait… I forgot Sugimoto. Sugimoto is just kind of an asshole.
Now, there you have a proper reason why anyone would actively dislike this show. Mostly Saegusa and Yamagishi. But, just to be crystal clear here, the anime NEVER encourages the behavior of this characters. Listen, this are things that are cringy in a way that is beyond awkward, but the anime portrays them as the negative things that they are. And as hard as this is to accept, this things happen in the real world. More people that you would normally think of have probably suffered from abusers, be it physically or psychologically. And the “girl that falls in love with the teacher” is something as clichéd as it is realistic. If you’ve ever been to school at all, you’ve probably heard some stories like that.
Saegusa himself is nothing in the story more than a psycho that manipulates Nina to fulfill his own twisted curiosity. The relationship is obviously harmful to Nina, and it’s very clear from the start all of the weight she is carrying in her shoulders because of him. While he never “touches her” in a physical sense, he’s the reason of all of her insecurities, and these are portrayed with upmost empathy. I feel like is so important for a show to tell this kind of stories. They are unpleasant, yes, but they need to be spoken of. The fact that there is a pedophile in the anime doesn’t mean the show is promoting that kind of conduct, but rather it's creating consciousness around how hard it is to overcome this kinds of things, and how downright harmful and perverse it is.
As for Yamagishi and Hongou, they’re both portrayed as deeply self-loathing people who wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing if they didn’t hate themselves so much. And Hongou herself is just kind of confused as to what love and sex really are, because she’s been conditioned by the literature that she's consumed in her life, which is, to put it bluntly… porn. She’s obviously going to have some distorted ideas about relationships, love and sex, and that is partly why she gets into such an unhealthy and awkward situation. But as I said, the series demonstrates this with the utmost empathy towards its characters. It never asks you to feel good about what they’re doing, but it makes you understand “why” they came so low in their lives to be doing it. And by doing it, I mean they just play a kind of “will-they-won’t-they” game throughout the story, because the series never goes as far as to make them do something that they’ll regret later. And that I have to admire.
For a series about 5 girls that want to know more about sexuality and sex, the series is surprisingly restrained in what it chooses to show, and I wouldn’t take it any other way with the themes it deals with the storylines of both Houngo and Nina. Their stories never reach any outcome that would convey the wrong message. I don’t want to spoil anything, but again, the series portrays these relationships as toxic as it can, without delving too much into adult content territory. Is an incredible balance to achieve, and that is the main reason I would recommend this to almost anyone. As I said, this stories should be told, and they’re not comfortable to watch sometimes, but this series balances that by being restrained about its heavier themes, and compensates it with other three different stories that are more upbeat at the same time, so it never feels too heavy handed, neither too light hearted.
Though, wait… Momo’s story isn’t so upbeat. And I wanted to get here. Momo’s story is something I’ve been wanting to see in an anime for a long time. Most of the times that an anime portrays a gay character, it will probably make several other characters gay. This isn’t to say that I dislike those shows (I really liked Given, and literally everybody there seemed to be gay), but the story of the gay character that isn’t reciprocated isn’t something that I see a lot in anime, and is also something that isn’t too far away from reality. Momo’s realization of her own sexuality is followed by sense of isolation that is never truly resolved in the series, and that is only heightened by Sugimoto’s role in her story. Sugimoto represents everything wrong with heteronormativity. How he misinterprets Momo’s politeness for true attraction, and then blames it on her for not being clear about her emotions, implying that she is somehow weird for not feeling attracted to him. Is infuriating, and is true to life. Momo is a great character, and her story is something that I really appreciated in the series.
Speaking of which, O Maidens usually speaks about good intentions creating misinterpretations. I think that also applies to the series in a meta-sense. Many people didn’t like how it handled its themes, even though I doubt Okada was approaching them from a mean-spirited angle. That’s just not her style. I think people just didn’t like how frank it all sounded. I said how characters sometimes don’t speak like a real person would in O Maidens, but Okada herself never went to school (she was a truant), so she’s writing here about a very specific time and place she never really got to experienced. By knowing that, is enough for me to forgive some of the most glaring issues about dialogue and unreal situations that happen in the anime (and again, it’s a frickin' romcom most of the time, so just try to laugh along when it gets ridiculous), but it also surprises me how much she got right about the social dynamics and insecurities a teenager goes through in school. Okada really, really understands people. And that is the main reason why I loved O Maidens.
Each character has a great character arc. (I didn’t mention Kazusa’s nor Rika’s storylines, not because they aren’t well made or good, but because they’re the characters that go through the most normal conflicts a teenager goes through, and I wanted to talk more about the heavier, more controversial aspects of the series, and why I actually liked them). Not everything is resolved smoothly at the end, but it shouldn’t be, because life isn’t like that. Nonetheless, characters grow and learn every single episode, their mindsets and perspectives changing as they learn more about others people’s thoughts, sometimes through those frank conversations, and sometimes through their literature club activities. Because, in the end, literature is about that. Is about seeing something through the lenses of someone else, and learning empathy because of it. And as the series progresses, each character grows closer to a better understanding of the people around them, and a better understanding of themselves.
And I’d dare to say that so did I.
