Mai-HiME

Mai-HiME is a story of a gang of high school girls who learn that they have been given the capacity to materialize weapons and command robotic animals known as Children in order to stop an evil organization from carrying out their objectives of dominance.

The action and magical girl genres collide in Mai-HiME. It's a little bit of everything: every genre, every anime trope, and every character type imaginable all rolled into one.

Mai is a typical (dull) high school student that attends an exclusive anime school. She discovers that she is a HiME, which is a magical girl. I say sort of because, unlike other supernatural females, these girls can call weapons and mechanical monsters to fight their fights.

She forms alliances with other girls who share her abilities. The one is usually irritated, and the other is as stupid as a box of rocks, cutely and endearingly. But, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are a million additional characters, all of whom are much more uninteresting and underdeveloped than the primary trio.

The story of Mai-HiME takes a little to get into its stride, but once it does, it's actually rather fun. The first half of the series is a little more laid-back and lighthearted, but things speed up in the chaotic second half when things get more serious and menacing.

Even if it can come across as a little corny at times, comedy is a crucial aspect of Mai-HiME. There are plenty of hilarious moments throughout the series 26 episodes, such as the Iron Chef-style cooking competition and karaoke night out with the gals, that turned out to be amusing in and of themselves. While everything appears to be in order, there is a thorn in the side that detracts from the whole experience. It was at the very end, in my opinion, that things went wrong.

Hime is the Japanese word for princess, but it also stands for "Highly-Advanced Materializing Energy," which is the girls' primary power source in this series. They materialize their weapons and the "kid," a supernatural creature who assists them in combat.

The protagonist is Mai, a young woman going to a new high school with her ailing brother. Mai is a HiME, one of the 13 girls who can see a red star next to the moon that no one else can. The secrets of that star, their abilities, and the forces at work behind the scenes attempting to affect the HiMEs' fate will all be exposed throughout the series.

Sometimes, a show is fantastic because it is at the peak of comedy or incredibly insightful into a particular personality type. Other times, it is beautiful because it just accomplishes what it sets out to do really well. Mai-HiME is a magical girl show in the sense that it features girls with majestic powers.

Still, some episodes can go without magic and fights and have plots centered on conspiracy involving various groups who may or may not be working together anymore, not to mention trying to develop a large cast. This makes discussing it a little complicated, especially since it's not like the twists are entirely unexpected, or the action scenes are spectacular; it simply hits all of the right notes and is attractive to look at.

With such a huge cast, you won’t get bored. Mai is a captivating lead character, with neither she nor Takumi being quite the people you anticipate them to be at the start, and several of the secondary characters having a lot of backstory or growth that alters them.

Here’s a list of main characters from the series:

Natsuki Kuga

Natsuki is often shown as a stern, sensible blue-haired female who contrasts Mai Tokiha's lightheartedness. Natsuki's attractiveness has been the subject of countless jokes, most of which include her being humiliated in some way. Shizuru Fujino is usually one of her closest friends. Natsuki is generally connected with wolves, silver, and the element ice, and she always utilizes a rifle as her weapon.

Mikoto Minagi 

She is a middle school student from an unknown country rescued from the sea by a passing ferry. She has a solid attachment to Mai, even though her primary motivation for attending Fuuka Academy is to locate her brother.

Miroku, a giant jet-black claymore that responds to her calling anytime she is not near it, is her Element. Miroku boasts many unique abilities, including the capacity to cut through practically any object, including cruise ships, without the need to swing it physically and the ability to create energy blasts.

Mai Tokiha

Mai is a newcomer to the Fuuka Academy as a transfer student. As a commitment to her mother, the main heroine has been caring for her younger brother Takumi, who has had a heart ailment since her mother died. Mai despises burdening others with her problems, so she attempts to keep a smile on her face at all times, concealing her concern from her friends and brother.

Since the list of characters in the show is a list, I am leaving it up to you to discover the remaining cast.

The music of Mai- HiME is worth mentioning. This was Yuki Kaijura's first large series, and he knocked it out of the park with an operatic style that captures both the more significant action sequences and the gentler stuff.

Giving an animation score retroactively is perhaps the most challenging thing to do, but let's just say Mai-HiME was a good-looking anime back in its day. While the battle scenes have their times where they look great, the facial expressions truly stuck out for me. The exaggerated expressions were well done, whether it was a dramatic or comic scenario. At the end of the day, the visuals simply have a lot to offer. Mai-HiME may be getting on in years, but it still has a good appearance.

Mai-HiME isn't perfect, but it's a dark twist on the magical girl genre that's worth checking out. Though the series is somber at times, there is plenty of humor, and although the yuri is probably not as intense as most people would desire, it is clear that it plays a significant role in the plot. Mai-HiME is still an excellent addition to any yuri fan's library.