19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the funniest animes in recent memory !!!, September 30, 2001
Actually, I was quite reluctant to purchase Hand Maid May as I feel that anime seems to be getting more and more expensive. However I decided to give it a try, and I definitely think I got my money's worth.
Satome Kazuya is a your typical comedy anime hero : poor, has weird friends, but is surrounded AND adored by girls and has genius level intellect. He's very much into computer programming, and is finalising an Artificial Intelligence program to be used in his squid robot, Ikariya (such a cute thing !!! If there were a soft toy of Ikariya I would definitely buy it). Insanely jealous of his past successes, his disgustingly rich best "friend" cum jealous rival from childhood, Nanbara, (perhaps the most obnoxious and yet endearingly FUNNY character to ever appear in an anime ever !!!) gives him a CD-ROM promising Satome that the software within contains the most up-to-date A.I program ever developed.
Not surprisingly, Satome, the most innocent character this side of Tenchi, loads the program which contains Nanbara's personal virus. Hijinks and laughter ensue as the virus is an insult program that proclaims Nanbara's everlasting greatness. (Hit the rewind button on this one over and over again...it's one of the funniest sequences in anime history !!!) With the virus uploaded into the computer, Satome accidentally orders a cyber doll from Cyberdyne, and thus, Hand Maid May is introduced into the series as a 1-foot cyberdoll that relies frequent recharging using a USB cable plugged into...erm...ahem...her unmentionables.
Every character in the Hand Maid May series is instantly lovable. You have the hero, Satome, who blushes constantly even though he seems to harbour a hidden desire to stare at the "taboo" areas of the females that surround him.
Then there is Kasumi, the tomboy but sentimental daughter of Kasumi hostel, who is not only Satome's best friend, but also shows a lot of romantic interest in Satome.
May, the cyberdoll, is sweet and innocent and is SOOOOO adorably cute !!! She always tries her best to help Satome with the housework and daily chores, but for the first few episodes, makes quite a mess of things.
And of course, Nanbara himself, the most HILARIOUS "villain" ever to appear in an anime !!! Nanbara is pompous and greedy, and most of the show's funniest moments involve him; if he's not being hit by giant stuffed bears or falling down from ladders, he's generally making a fool of himself by overexaggerating his movements and actions. The two other characters in the first four episodes, Rena, the child cyberdoll who has a penchant for being overly cute and getting her way through crying, and Sala, the ramen-devouring cyberdoll who appears to be a villain at first glance, but actually has a sensitive side AND a thing for Satome as well, are equally lovable and able to identify with. In fact, you should be able to identify with anyone of the characters, or at least know someone who resembles their personalities.
Hand Maid May is definitely a must-see for fans of Tenchi Muyo. In my opinion, it's much more hilarious, and the characters are definitely cuter than any other anime character, even Cardcaptor Sakura !!! The one thing I must caution you about though, is the amount of fan service in the series. There's a LOT of bouncy chests, bra straps slipping and panty shots, but there's no real nudity shown at all, nor is sex suggested at any time in the series. In fact, the fan service adds to the appeal of the show by making moments more awkward and thus funnier.
Both the opening and ending themes are catchy and will leave you humming at the beginning and after each episode. The "Next episode" blurbs don't make much sense though, you just get more of Nanbara screaming in his weird but endearingly humourous voice. Give this anime a try if you're looking for an anime with either (1) funny or (2) extremely cutesy characters and plots !!!
Story : 5 of 5
Picture Quality : 5 of 5
Sound Quality : 4 of 5
Price : 4 of 5 (still a bit too expensive for me though)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story about a boy and his doll..., May 27, 2001
(Note: This review is based on watching the original Japanese edition. Based on other Pioneer dubs I have watched, not much should be changed for the English dubbed version.)
Kazuya Saotome is a college student who lives at the Kasumi Sou (Inn). His dream is to build a doraemon (robot). He is always being followed by his school rival Kotaro Nanbara. One day Kotaro gives Kazuya a computer disc. Kazuya runs the disc, which turns out to be a net virus. While the virus was running, unknowing to Kazuya, an order is placed at the Cyberdyne Co. Several minutes later, there's a knock on the door. Kazuya receives a parcel. Inside the box is CBD May, a cyberdoll about 1/6 the size of a human girl. The doll is an excellent work of artificial intelligence. Once Kotaro finds out about May, he is doing whatever he can to get the cyberdoll. But Kotaro is not the only one. The Cyberdyne Co. is also looking for payment of the US$1.45 million price tag for the CBD May.
This anime series, although short (10 episodes plus a "video only" episode), is truely a winner. Hand Maid May allows you to use your imagination and realize that it does not matter what someone is (human or cyberdoll), you can care for them just the same. Overall, I give this series an A-.
Parents: Hand Maid May is the story of a boy who has several lifelike robots (cyberdolls) fall in love with him. Almost every episode contains at least one or two borderline ecchi (suggestive) references such as bouncing breasts and up the skirt scenes that many animes are known for. Besides this, there is no sex in this series. The only violence is the comical type that is typical in anime. As with most anime, the storyline is the focus and most episodes have a cliffhanger. I recommend Hand Maid May to 13 and up.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short and sweet, June 20, 2005
I'm kind of up in the air about this series. While the amazon review basically calls it a waste of time, I don't agree. Hand Maid May is a short and sweet series. While it is basically a harem comedy ala Love Hina or Steel Angel Kurumi, it did have a couple of elements that made it stand out.
1. Unlike Hideki in Chobits, or the guy from Love Hina, Kazuya strikes me as a nice, NORMAL guy. I still, to this day, can't figure out Hideki's attraction, but Kazuya generally seems to care about everything, and everyone. This helps to explain everyone's attraction to him. OK, I got that
2. May is a very sweet character. She tries very hard, and she seems genuine. Or, as genuine as an anime character can be. This point comes in handy when you have to belive her love for Kazuya. I'm sorry, but the romance in Steel Angel Kurumi was unrealistic, and as much as I love Chobits...I never once believed Chi had anything approaching feelings. May, however, makes me believe.
3. I didn't feel any of the ridiculousness of characters I did in Love Hina. Naru, for instance, drove me nuts with her Keitaro, you pervert shouts every 5 minutes. Come on...cut the guy a break...especially when it isn't his fault. Ahem. While Mom was over the top, I felt that the characters in HMM were very genuine and entertaining.
4. This is SHORT! You almost can't get hung up on the oddities or inconsistencies in this series because it is so short. 11 episodes does not take too long to watch, and the story wrapped up quite nicely by the end. (unlike ANYTHING by gainax!)
All in all, I'd say this series is worth the watch. It is a heartwarming, if unoriginal, tale.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
