Title:
Hand Maid May Vol.1: Maid to Order |
Format:
Bilingual DVD
100 minutes |
Production:
Pioneer
TNK
ZRO Limit |
Comments:
You will fall in love with this show. |
Overall Rating:
 84% |
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Animefringe Reviews:
Hand Maid May Vol.1: Maid to Order
By Adam "OMEGA" Arnold
Have you ever had a bill collector calling your house wanting the money that you owe them? Well, even if you haven't, you can see how Kazuya feels when he learns that he has to pay an outrageous bill because he accidentally ordered a doll off the Internet. The thing is, this isn't just any doll... this is a cyberdoll from the Cyberdyne Corporation (yeah, the same company that created the Terminators). Yet, May isn't some grisly man looking to kill some lady, she's a cute little maid that can fit in the palm of your hand who can turn on the TV and clean your desk and pour you a glass of milk.
As the story goes, other cyberdolls - human sized ones for that matter - begin showing up to collect the bill or reclaim May. However, something strange begins to happen between May and Kazuya and things go from a recovery mission to that of a study of emotions. Throw in some totally outrageous characters and some panty shots, and you've got one heck of a fan service trip.
Hand Maid May is filled with scenes that will get a rise from even the most unexpressive viewers out there. I found myself aching from laughter before the first episode was even over, and the laughs just kept rolling by. So where does all this comedy come from? Simple... the fact that May is about one-foot tall is one part of the reason. The other is from the performances of such outrageous characters as Nanbara and Sara.
Though Hand Maid May is only 10 episodes and an extra OVA episode, there is enough character development and insane situations to help keep the show moving at a brisk pace. This pace keeps the show from falling into a filler episode trap that a lot of the longer series fall into. Plus, it helps that there are so many cute girls and a truly off-the-wall antagonist in the show.
The Hand Maid May DVD features one of the most unique and original menu systems out there. When first loading the DVD, a special menu done in the style of Nanbara's virus DVD appears with a number of options. Clicking on any of them leads to a different clip of Nanbara doing some weird thing. Once you make it through those, the menu shifts to a menu system set up like the Cyberdyne web site that appears in the series. In here, there is access to character dossiers and hidden links to the opening sequences. What is unique about these menus is that all of the options are there for all 3 of the DVDs, but ‘clearance' to view later info and dossiers isn't given.
Like NieA under Seven, Hand Maid May's picture quality is reduced because it is encoded with Macrovision. I also noticed a strange error when I played the disc in my Playstation 2... the Nanbara opening didn't load and instead a black screen appeared. I had to hit the menu button just to get to the options screen.
The dub features some fairly recognizable voice actors from such Pioneer series as El-Hazard. Kazuya's voice is a fairly original voice to use as the main character, as Steve Cannon's voice work as Shiro in 08th MS Team was quite the opposite of this role. May's voice is that of Lia Sargent who did Nanami in El-Hazard and Chun-Li in Street Fighter II, and I have to say her voice is insanely cute in this role. Nanbara is the unforgettable voice of Bob Marx who is famous for his insane Jinnai laugh. I'll let you name everything he's been in.
Finally, the P-Chicks theme is one of the most up-beat theme songs I've heard in quite some time and it's truly addictive in how it'll stick with you even after the show ends. I find the tune stuck in my head whenever I hear it. In much the same way, May will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
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