ADV Films // 2003 // 100 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Mitchell Hattaway (Retired) // June 9th, 2005
Harry never had it this hard!
Kuzuki Shikimori is a dorky high-school student who can't get a girl to give him the time of day (duh -- this is an anime series we're talking about here). Kuzuki attends the prestigious Aoi High School, a campus for students with magical abilities. Most people in Kuzuki's day and age are able to use magic, but their specific abilities differ, as does the number of times any particular person can cast a spell. The average number of spells for an Aoi student is 8,000. Kuzuki, on the other hand, can only use his talents eight times -- after that he becomes a pile of ash. Thing is, many of Kuzuki's ancestors were powerful magicians, which means their cumulative abilities have been channeled into a latent magical power that now resides within Kuzuki's genes; when word of this gets out, every girl in school suddenly wants a chance to get into his pants.
The first four episodes of Maburaho are included on this release. Here's a brief rundown:
* Episode 1: "I Showed Up"
Kuzuki does his best to avoid the
latest battery of magical ability physical exams; he's well aware of the number
of times he can use magic and sees no reason to subject himself to another round
of humiliation. Feigning illness, Kuzuki flees to his dorm room, only to find a
half-naked girl waiting for him. She says her name is Yuna, that she is a newly
arrived transfer student, and that she is going to marry him. Kuzuki panics,
runs out into the hallway, and slams right into Kuriko, the big-breasted Big
Girl on Campus. Kuriko knocks Kuzuki to the floor and tries to rip off his
clothes. Yuna attempts to stop Kuriko, only to be startled by the arrival of
Rin, the school's resident tough chick. Rin draws her sword and threatens the
other girls. Kuzuki runs back to his classroom, only to find Yuna introducing
herself to the class as his wife; Rin and Kuriko don't take too kindly to this
and start another row. Dr. Akai, the school's resident physician, comes in and
explains Kuzuki's background and latent talents. Kuzuki suddenly finds himself
the most popular guy in school -- at least with the female students.
* Episode 2: "It Fell"
Kuzuki has nightmares about his three
new paramours chasing him. He later begins to understand why the girls have
taken a sudden interest in him. Yuna, Kuriko, and Rin all belong to families
whose influence in the magical realm is slowly dwindling away, and it's believed
that Kuzuki's offspring will help restore their families' stature. Kuzuki heads
for his class, only to find himself trapped in a sealed room with the other boys
from the school. Seems they don't appreciate all of the attention Kuzuki is
getting and want him to stay away from the female population. Rin, Yuna, and
Kuriko break in, a fight breaks out, and the classroom is destroyed. The
school's administration later rules that any girl is welcome to pursue Kuzuki,
but precautions must be taken in order to assure no one becomes pregnant. Kuzuki
later learns exactly why Yuna is so adamant about marrying him.
* Episode 3: "It Appeared"
Yuna begins moving her things
into Kuzuki's room, although he isn't so sure it's a good idea (he's afraid
someone will beat him senseless when it's discovered he's living with a hot
girl). Kuzuki attempts to find Yuna a room of her own, but the only available
room on campus is occupied by a ghost who refuses to leave. Yuna and Kuzuki
offer to help the ghost, whose name is Elizabeth, return to her previous home, a
mansion on the school's campus. The mansion is scheduled to be demolished by the
real-estate company that now owns it -- a company owned by Kuriko's family.
Kuriko agrees to halt the demolition and allow Elizabeth to return to the house,
but only if she can have first shot at Kuzuki. Yuna and Kuzuki refuse the offer
and must then find another way to help Elizabeth.
* Episode 4: "I Saw It"
Kuzuki has dreams about being
attacked by a large monster. Dr. Akai tells him these dreams are actually
visions of the future. Overhearing the conversation, Kuriko decides to hunt down
Kuzuki's dream creature, which she believes to be roaming around the campus.
Kuzuki, Kuriko, Rin, and Yuna scour the school for the creature but have no
luck. Kuriko then confronts Akai about the monster, which she believes he has
locked in a room in the nurse's station. Turns out Akai does have a monster
locked in a room in the nurse's station, but there's yet another creature
roaming the school, as Yuna discovers when she foolishly opens a locker in a
storage room.
Maburaho kept me entertained while I was watching it, but I stopped thinking about it the moment it was over. It's not a bad show, but it's not particularly distinguished, either. There's nothing really original about the characters or the situations. That being said, it's reasonably fast paced, doesn't take itself seriously, and, for those who are into this sort of thing, showcases a large number of well-endowed young women in various stages of undress (fan service is quite possibly this show's primary reason for being). There's just one thing I don't get: Kuzuki has all of these women throwing themselves at him, but he spends a lot of time running away from them. What's wrong with him? I don't see what the problem is. What's so bad about a bunch of hot young women who want to make the beast with two backs? Better yet, imagine all of the money he could make offering stud services. Ah, maybe it's a cultural thing.
ADV's presentation here is quite nice. The transfer is extremely fine -- it's clean and clear, with bright, bold colors. The Japanese stereo track is pretty much anchored to the screen, with very little in the way of channel separation. The 5.1 English track (which contains some very misguided dubbing) won't blow you away, although it does a nice job of opening up the sound. Extras include some production sketches, Japanese promo spots for the show's original broadcast, previews for other ADV releases, and an interview with Richard Kim, the man responsible for the show's English translation (this is a pretty interesting little feature, even if Kim does have a tendency to ramble). You also get an insert designed to resemble an issue of Aoi High's school newspaper (which isn't so interesting).
Maburaho is a marginally entertaining show, but I doubt it will ever grow beyond its status as a pleasant enough time waster. I can't recommend an outright purchase, but a rental wouldn't be out of the question. Be warned: I'd advise that anyone interested in the series take the episodes one at a time; there doesn't appear to be any sort of arc to the stories, so watching them in one sitting can be a little tedious.
Review content copyright © 2005 Mitchell Hattaway; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2012 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 75
Perp Profile
Studio: ADV Films
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Japanese)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Release Year: 2003
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* "Translator Notes" Featurette
* The Art of Maburaho
* Original Japanese Promos
* The Magic Times Newspaper Insert
* Clean Opening/Closing Animation
* Volume 2 Preview
* ADV Previews
Accomplices
* Anime News Network Page
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3078
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0399990/combined
* Official Site
http://www.advfilms.com/titles/maburaho/