Review of Maria Watches Over Us

I began Maria-sama ga Miteru with only Strawberry Panic! as my previous yuri experience. Compared to Strawberry Panic!, the characters are better fleshed out, there is no pandering, and it isn't a cheesy melodrama. But I found myself preferring Strawberry Panic!, an anime I did not especially love. I was so confused by this, I had to make a review to search for a reason why. The characters are the strongest point of the show, followed by the plot. Both feel especially real, and there is bound to be a character or two you like. For me, that was Yoshino, asickly and misunderstood girl who struggles to overcome perceptions that she is a gentle flower, and Rosa Gigantea Sei, the most extroverted of the characters, who I thought had the most character development.

I might honestly call the art the low point of the series, and even then it is merely average. The uniforms are cute, but I was a little put off by the art and couldn't enjoy it as much as I otherwise could have. No obligatory blue hair, which deserves some sort of praise.

Really, that touches upon another issue; Maria-sama ga Miteru's greatest praise is not what it does, but it doesn't do. It doesn't pander. It isn't a trashy yuri, it doesn't rely on cheap misunderstandings to generate drama, or force love triangles. (Looking at you, Strawberry Panic!..) You will even like the characters.

However, while MariMite isn't doing those things, it isn't doing much else, either. The show generates relaxation and warm fuzzies, but it isn't profoundly moving. It may have been unfair to expect a strong reaction to be elicited from something that just portrays a relatively problem-free life, but other slice-of-life manages to create more attachment to the series, while I am not sure was a lasting impression here.

I fully intend to watch the next seasons, but that is out the show will grow on me and respect for the effort put into MariMite and the loyalty its fanbase has for it, rather than anticipation generated by watching the first season.

It raises questions about what should be expected from anime of different genres, and if it is wrong to look for more. I'd welcome feedback from folks who get considerable enjoyment from MariMite or similar shows.