Where do we even begin with Maburaho? It’s probably best to begin with the synopsis from the back of the DVD jacket (written above) and basically go downhill from there. The synopsis pretty much sums up the entirety of the first disc, and I’d be willing to gamble that there are very few surprises in store for the rest of the series. To this end, the rest of this review is pretty much padding, since with Maburaho, what you see is what you get, and I’m sure that you’ve already made up your mind as to whether or not you’ll venture into the strange world that is Maburaho.
The series does have some redeeming qualities. For a start, the animation is of good quality, and the basic underlying plot does have some promise. However, these two features are about it for the positive aspects. I believe that the problem I had with Maburaho is that I wasn’t part of the series’ target demographic. Basically, I was no longer a fifteen or sixteen year old boy. Realising the problem, I gathered a fellow male friend and some beer and attempted again to watch Maburaho. With beer and a drinking buddy, I was able to transform myself to the mental age of a fifteen year old (some would argue that I never left) and then suddenly Maburaho was brainless fun.
The problem is that the Maburaho DVD doesn’t come with a free six-pack, and so for many, watching Maburaho will be a sober affair. It’s in this sober state that Maburaho becomes an incredibly frustrating experience. This is mainly due to the fact that there are so many other anime series that are so much better. I could go on about how unrealistic the series is or even how the main character is even more annoying that Shinji from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. However, I feel that the main point is that there are far better anime series available and that time should not be wasted on Maburaho.
By now you should have decided whether or not Maburaho is interesting enough to warrant the expenditure of your hard-earned dollars. However, if you have not yet then please allow me to make a couple of alternative suggestions. If you’re looking for an anime series to keep you entertained, as Maburaho most certainly won’t, then you can’t go past:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Fullmetal Alchemist; to name but a few of my favourites. However, if you were actually interested in Maburaho for the sexual content, then look elsewhere. Apart from the fact that the women in the series are animated and thus not real, there is actually no sexual content. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of “panty shots” and so many slow pans across a girl’s body that each episode could be complete in half the time, but there is really nothing to get excited about.