Review of Maria Watches Over Us
(updated 9/19/18 for format and slight content revision) (updated 10/14/19 for section addition) Hi! Welcome to another of Robert's Too Late Reviews! First of note, this will be dealing with pretty much the first season with some slight commentary on later seasons' content. A more complete review, including all 4 seasons, is in the works. This was one of the first 'yuri' type animes I watched, and the first fully subbed version I really leaned into. Now I'm not hard to please when it comes to yuri anime, but Marimite (as it is often abbreviated) just blew my hair back! Its a safe bet that Marimite isgoing on the RTLR wall, now read on to find out how many spots this anime fills! Let's get into what makes this anime so very special.
Story: 10
The story is a HUGE factor in this anime. It is a very firm class-S (which is to say non romantic, or at least non sexual love) so if you're expecting a kiss fest like Sakura Trick, move along. It is also very proper and while dramatic, it is not over the top so if you're expecting Strawberry Panic, move along again. What this show has, is deliberately slow pacing, slice of life stylings that ease you into the complex relationship all these girls have with each other. The very first thing that will likely trouble you story-wise is the names. They have an unusually large amount of names to call each other. Not only their actual name, they refer to each other as dear sister, and they also use their station and office, i.e. Rosa Foetida (the 3rd year Elder Lady Rose), Rosa Foetida en bouton (2nd year Lady in training) and occasionally Rosa Foetida en bouton de souer (1st year, new to the whole thing) which can really cause your head to spin until you get your girls and their respective flowers worked out.
Once past that obstacle, however, you can begin leaning into the meat of the series. The first opening seasons focus on Sachiko and her developing deep relationship with her souer Yumi. As the seasons progress, we find Sachiko rightly takes a back seat as Yumi moves up to bouton and looks to find her very own souer or 'little sister'. All three of the rose branches feature interesting dynamics in relation to the members of that branch. For example Rei and Yoshino are related, giving their relationship a bit of a different curve than everyone else. Sachiko and Yumi are paired together by fate, but develop a lasting love for each other. The problem becomes having the patience to wait out these incredibly important morsels as the series goes on. They are given often enough, in my opinion to make viewing worthwhile, but Fairy Tail/Bleach, this is NOT. Each of the smaller episodes build into the relationships that are central to the anime.
One thing of note on the second season, we actually see the girls outside their sailor uniforms! That season deals with Sachiko's summer house, and the girls change clothes. Odd, but I haven't seen that much in anime save for perhaps Lucy from Fairy Tail. Most characters' wardrobes are fairly static.
Art: 8
This anime features simple, cleaner lines and less detailed art than many newer releases. I know i knocked Aoi Hana for this, but I find Marimite far less hard on the eyes than that show. But it still would have been nice to see a more detail oriented take on the characters.
Sound: 10
While I don't know the exact translation, I do know every word of season 4's opening theme and often walk around signing it. Drives my family up the wall. The earlier seasons featured instrumentals that were beautiful and fitting. For all seasons but the last, a little speech was given about the 'garden of maidens' before the theme song. Kind of missed that on the 4th, but the song with lyrics made up for it for me. The character voices are so spot on I couldn't imagine anyone else doing them. Yumi, Toko and Sachiko are particularly well done. But I will admit Sachiko is my favorite anime character ever so I might be biased!
Character: 10
This is the meat of the anime here. If the characters fall flat, you have nothing. There's a character that by the end of season one I was sure was Evil Incarnate. By the end of the series though I came to see she was just a hurt little girl who needed to be loved. The characters grow, especially the main character Yumi and to a large extent Yoshino. Every character comes to some form of change or growth as the story concludes. Yes, the growth might be slow, but it's slow in real life too, and that gives the stories weight. They don't fix flaws overnight. They don't rush from plot point to plot point. They gave it a much more natural curve, one that works really well with the amount of time they took to tell the story.
Enjoyment: 10
I came off of Soul Eater to watch this. I thought I was an explosions kind of guy. I thought the most 'girly' thing I'd ever watch is Sailor Moon (and she still is a fighter!) but Marimite got me. Sachiko is regal and classy, while Yumi is young and naive. Shimako is a beauty in a kimono while her souer is a bundle of nerves. They all felt real, like people I would know, and for that I greatly enjoyed this anime.
Best Girl: Sachiko by miles. Sachiko is pretty much my favorite anime character of all time. She's regal, yet has a kind heart. She's not above dressing someone down, but never in a vulgar way. She's just class personified. No one else even comes close.
A parting word, however. Pizza Hut partnered with the show in the last season, and due to this there are several highly out of place product placement scenes. They aren't a deal breaker, but if you like this anime like me, every time they flash that Pizza Hut sign you likely won't be able to keep from rolling your eyes. As for the wall of madness here at RTLR, Marimite scored not one, not two but in fact SIX spots on the wall, four of the queen Sachiko, two with Yumi. What can I say? This is one of my absolute favorites of all time! If you love the idea of girls loving each other in a deep, soulful, non sexual manner, this is the show for you. These girls are more than friends, they are more even than lovers, they are *truly* sisters in every sense of the word. All thumbs up!