Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, Volume 1 [Paperback]

Bunjuro Nakayama (Author), Bow Ditama (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Everybody oughtta have a maid...just ask Suguru Misato, a junior high school student who has been living by himself since his father's mysterious death. He would love a little companionship, not to mention someone to deal with the stacks of dishes and the ever present family of dust bunnies. Enter Mahoro, a retired battle android who has been reprogrammed for the domestic life. When Suguru meets his new maid, hilarity ensues, sexual tensions flare, and secret pasts become revealed in this quirky comedy about love, death, and robot nudity.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A must-have series for fans of Saber Marionette J

From Gainax Studios, creators of Evangelion and FLCL

Inspired the hit anime available on DVD

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Tokyopop (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591827299
• ISBN-13: 978-1591827290
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #916,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice cross between Ai Yori Aoshi and Chobits, July 15, 2005

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, Volume 1 (Paperback)

Call Mahoromatic Automatic Maiden a cross between Ai Yori Aoshi and Chobits, but this features another cute and kind girl who becomes not only a maid to a young boy, but also somewhat of a girlfriend/surrogate mother. Recently orphaned, teenager Suguru Misato decides to hire a maid to clean up the spacious house he lives in. On his way back, the bus he's riding on is hijacked by some thugs for some unspecified motive. These nasties order the women to undress, including a cute girl in a maid's uniform, and the usually timid Suguru is angered at the way she is treated and mouths back to the hijackers. The girl herself is shot at, only to deftly catch the bullets inbetween her fingers and thwarting the baddies.

After the ordeal, Suguru returns home to find that same maid working in his flower bed. Turns out that she is Mahoro, sent by Vesper Housecleaning Services to work for him, and that she is actually an android, albeit a former combat android who fought aliens attempting to take over Earth. Upon being informed that her life expectancy would give her a lifespan of 37 days-presumably from a particularly nasty battle or years of wear and tear, she was given a choice of lighter duties that would extend that limited life to 398 days.

Not only does she clean house excellently, she's also a great cook, and when Suguru brings her home-made lunches to school, he becomes the envy of his classmates, not only for the food. When she arrives at school to deliver her master's dessert and tells his inquiring friends "I am committed to Suguru-san with every fiber of my being," visions swim in their heads of Mahoro being his bedmate, and of Suguru whipping her. Eager to clear up any misunderstandings his friends might have, Suguru invites them over, where they are won over by Mahoro's great cooking and friendliness.

However, his homeroom teacher, 25-year old Saori Shikijou, who is incredibly stacked, is somewhat of a lech. Ever heard of Van Halen's song "Hot For Teacher?" In Saori's case, it's "Hot For Student," and that student is Suguru. Mahoro's presence inflames her, and she sees the android as a gold-digger. Mahoro in turn is irked that Saori tries to interfere with her duties and becomes protective of her master. She refers to Saori as that "ecchi sensei [teacher]" while Saori refers to Mahoro as "that sl-t wh-re maid."

Mahoro soft-spoken, kind, observant, and organized, and she does have a bit of an old-fashioned streak, as she tells her master that she doesn't approve of his collection of ecchi magazines (porn mags), but at least she doesn't throw them away. Yet she's unaware of some of society's morals. She unhesitatingly joins Suguru in his bath, to wash his back for him, seeing that as part of her duty as a maid. And it goes without saying that she has made his lonely life brighter. "She wakes me up every morning, makes me a delicious breakfast, takes baths with me, and the house has never been cleaner since she's taken over."

However, each chapter ends with the message "Mahoro's functions will cease in <XXX> days," reminding the reader that her time is limited. And there is a connection between her and the death of Suguru's parents that he's unaware of.

This manga yielded an anime that lasted two seasons, plus a summer special. Think of Mahoro as an android version of Aoi Sakuraba of Ai Yori Aoshi, full of kindness and service, but without the shyness of Aoi-chan.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Genre: Overdone, but still interesting, May 22, 2004

By 

J. Miller (NE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, Volume 1 (Paperback)

Sure, the robotic girl that falls on a single guy may be an over done genre (Like Chobits, Saber Marionette J, AI Love You... ect.) But if you did like those mangas, this may be an interesting read.

However, the countdown at the end of each chapter makes the ending a little bit predictabe. (I'm hoping they will add a twist to the end.) Also, the fan service *wink* is a bit overdone, even for an Otaku like me.