My-HiME

I didn't enjoy the first six or seven episodes, I figured if it kept going like this I'd either drop it or wait a long time before finishing it. But lo and behold – it grabbed me. It started to entertain. The story is pretty simple, and at the beginning it seems like the characters are flat, uninteresting. But I somehow grew interested. Plus, I discovered a lot of clichés (e.g. gender-bender) and oddly enough, I was excited about it, I liked it. Besides, over time, people start getting mowed down in this (loved ones just disappear in a blaze of green drops of light ((wow, I'm poetic! :-D)). It's just a bit of a shame about the ending. As a mix of rabukome with a bit of mecha fights, I can recommend it. It's a good respite. A weaker 4 stars [BEGIN HUGE SPOILER!!!!] Damn, I kind of – a lot – wished someone would explore the roots of the flowers in their natural habitat, but they all have to survive… !!! (15/10/2010)

My-HiME is an interesting mish-mash of different themes, ideas, and clichés combined in a relatively fresh way. It is a bit like when you take some leftovers from the fridge and mix them up into something new and delicious. Although I was not too keen on it at first, it only took me two days to get through the first seven or so episodes. From the eighth episode onwards, at the end of each episode, something new and interesting happened, and due to these twists and new revelations, it made me want to really start getting into it. They suggested that the show’s narrative was not simply a crazy mix of some old ideas the anime’s creators had previously rejected and abandoned as they were not so good. Rather, they were well-thought-out episodes with a sophisticated setting and narrative. Plus, the last third of the season (from about episode eighteen onwards) is just an absolute treat. This show has action-packed twists, suspense, relationships, a psycho, a little romance here and there, just everything a viewer could want. If it had that kind of drive from the start, I would have awarded this show five stars and put it in my Top Ten right away, so it is a shame it did not. As for the characters, they also start to gain another dimension with new revelations and become more and more interesting as time goes on, plus they slowly develop as well, so I was more than satisfied. My favorite characters in the first half were the clingy and ever-hungry Mikoto, the overly-serious Natsuki, Yuuichi, and the white-haired Nagi, who is an enigma to all and capable of biting remarks. Towards the end, the Fuka Academy Student Council president, Shizuru, the goofy teacher Midori, and even Mai are good. Another positive thing is there are some fascinating lessons that My-HiME offers us, so you learn that even a nun is just a woman really, how to know true love and many other interesting things. The soundtrack is perfect, although I rarely notice the music in anime series and I usually only notice it when it is bad and distracting, however, the music in this show is not intrusive, so it is great. It is perfectly in sync with the story and adds a new dimension. The animation is rather average, although the fight scenes were pretty good. Because of the gripping conclusion, which really got me and almost made me forget my initial uncertainty, this anime series deserves a strong four stars from me. (01/03/2015)