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ファイト／ステイナイト 
All things that begin eventually come to an end. Mai HiME is no different in this aspect, and here we have the final episode of one of the most exciting animes in quite a while.
The conclusion in the final episode is fairly controversial, so Garten had the idea to turn the review into dialogue-form to make sure that we get more than one side in. This is an experiment, so we'd like to get some feedback if this is a worthwhile format or not.
Garten's Episode Rating: +/-
Mentar's Episode Rating: +
RAW complexity: Fansubs are out
Finally, after 25 episodes, I get the feeling that I understand what Mai HiME is all about: "Omoi" - Feelings/Emotions. This is the underlying theme which has been presented and repeated in dozens of variations. And if my hunch is right, this will be the key to the resolution in the final episode. More about that in the extended entry.
On the outside, this episode has given us most of what we expected after the last one - however, in a much more gentle, almost sweet way compared to the brutal high-impact melodrama of old. I'm particularly impressed by what's one of the sweetest and satisfying death scenes which I've ever seen. It never ceases to amaze me how this show manages to show so much believable character development, and I particularly loved the resolution to the Natsuki/Shizuru storyline. I wished that more anime would invest as much emphasis on character growth, and maybe - with Mai HiME's great success in Japan - this is going to happen. One can hope.
After alot of thought, I eventually decided to give "only" a (+) rating, because compared to the strongest drama arcs, this episode didn't feel quite as gripping and enthralling. But this was not due to poor execution, but because the storyline called for a more somber tone. One more to go! I can't wait!
Episode Rating: +
RAW complexity: Fansubs are out
Aaaaah. This entry will feel so relaxed, because for the first time in ages the fansubs are already out - so I don't have to do a play-by-play summary, but can instead lean back and only comment. How refreshing! This will mean much less text, but I'll try to compensate that with a few more captions ^_^
Episode 24 concludes the quarterfinals, on to the semis! We have the second _real_ death of a HiME after Alyssa, interesting revelations about Nao and Shiho, destruction and in the second half of the episode, a brilliant dilemma confrontation which got me to tear up. The scene was so unfair and cruel... and yet beautiful. A feast for drama lovers like me.
After episode 23, which was still good but somehow lacked the oomph and impact of the 19-21 range, I was starting to wonder if I was becoming desensitized to the carnage. This episode proved that I wasn't, and that it was obviously caused by the atrocious selection of preview frames. Episode 24 was a real gem, so we have a clear (++) again.
Episode rating: ++
RAW complexity: Fansubs are out
Well, what can I say? The classic drama arc would demand the "new hope, starting the rebound of the heroes" now, but it doesn't happen. It's more like that this burning train wreck has broken through the final barrier and is headed for the cliff. They are going to complete the carnage - and then?
Two HiME victims, and even the survivors (you can't really call them victors) seem more dead than alive. At least Reito and Nagi enjoy this perversion of a festival to their fullest. I've got to admit that I'm already looking forward to them meeting their by now well-earned demise.
The episode suffered from an incredibly stupid selection of preview frames in ep22. The spoilage was waaay too big and therefore destroyed much of the impact of what could have become another drama shocker episode otherwise. Nevertheless, you shouldn't hold this one accountable for the failings of someone else in the past. Therefore (+) on the overall rating, and an intermediate rating on the RAWability.
Episode Rating: +
RAW complexity: Medium
What's worse than lying in bed with over 40 degrees centigrade, pumped up with antibiotics and suffering a feverish head? Riiight, going through all that while watching Mai HiME 22. True to its recent trend, the anime continues with the destruction of Natsuki's life, paints Shizuru in a much less glorious light than before and - my vow not to be fooled into making predictions again be damned - lays the foundation of what I expect to become Midori's demise in the next episode. Feel happy yet? Yeah, me too ^_^;;
Please forgive me if this entry is going to be much more terse than the usual ones, but I'm still in a very bad shape and needed 4 sessions to complete writing it. Therefore, I'll summarize quite a bit more than usual, with only few play-by-plays. Overall, what we have is a typical setup episode with no big bells and whistles attached (rating o), with the exception of the Shizuru/Yukino/Haruka showdown in the end. Since the episode had lots of dialogue in it, it will be difficult to follow RAW.
Mai HiME Rating: o
Absolute Rating: o
RAW complexity: Difficult
February 25, 2005 | 
49 Comments
Major setup episode with several important developments. They continue to tear the lives of the main HiMEs to shreds - this time, Natsuki follows in the tragic footsteps of Mikoto and Mai from episodes 19 and 20. But there's also some silver lining on the horizon - Mashiro tells Midori that there is a faint chance to avoid the grisly HiME fate, and she is going to risk everything for it.
It's evident that the dozens of little hints and clues from the past are converging now. Yes, the show manages to continuously shock and mislead the audience, so that you can never feel "safe", but at the same time it also rewards the careful and acute viewer, because it confirms many deductions you could make in the past aswell. This episode convinced me completely that the story will not peter out in the final arc, because more and more unexplained "loose ends" from the past are now picked up and put into context, painting a bigger picture. In other words, the screenwriter knows exactly what he is doing, and he's doing a tremendous job. I can't wait for the next episodes!
A very good episode in all aspects and a welcome change after the angst- and drama-dripping last ones. However, since many many dialogues were kept intentionally vague, it will be difficult to follow raw.
Mai HiME Rating: +
Absolute Rating: +
RAW complexity: Difficult
February 18, 2005 | 41 Comments
There's one problem with entries beginning with "Spoiler warning!" - usually it's well-intended, but at the very least it already indicates that surprising things are going to happen, and this in itself might sometimes be a bigger spoiler than whatever you're trying to preserve for the viewer's enjoyment. This time however, I feel confident that everybody watching this outstanding piece of anime art will be as flabbergasted as I was and not expect what's going to happen. Therefore:
"Spoiler warning!"
What we have here is simply the best Mai HiME episode so far, and one of the best anime episodes I've seen in a long long time. Anything less than (++) wouldn't do it justice. If you have been following the story, watch it RAW. Almost all contents are very easy to follow this time.
Mai HiME Rating: ++
Absolute Rating: ++
RAW complexity: Easy
February 11, 2005 | 19 Comments
Ouch. For fans who are rooting for the lead protagonists, this episode was the equivalent of a kick below the belt. In a nutshell, things are breaking apart rapidly, and almost all HiMEs are in a world of hurt, sniping against each other.
In this episode, Mai's life is reduced to rubble, and it happens in such a painfully logical way that it's actually pretty impressive. Yes, I expected Mai HiME to get darker, but I somehow didn't expect it to become like THIS. In a way, it's probably more disturbing than turning to simple carnage and character-killing, because the atmosphere is way more oppressive.
After watching the episode, I thought I had to rate it as "-" this time, because I really didn't enjoy it at all. However, I realized that the episode was a necessary evil, and my lack of enjoyment was due to the turns of the story, not the execution. That said, there were only very few gems to make me smile compared to other times when the drama kicked in, so more than a "o" would be incorrect either. Finally, RAW-wise there was lots of relevant talk, so if you don't have any japanese skills, you'll miss alot here without a review: Difficult rating on that.
Mai HiME Rating: o
Absolute Rating: o
RAW complexity: Difficult
February 6, 2005 | 64 Comments
I'll make it short and sweet this time (who snorted "Yeah right", huh?): Episode 18 was great. Due to the HiMElander prophecy things are slowly unraveling, so the expected downspin which the classical drama arc demands now is set into motion. But in what a wonderful and smart way. Maybe I've just had a very slow day, but the final twist caught me unprepared again.
Both Mai HiME and Absolute Rating get a (+) this time. We have goodies for everyone - the action, drama and character fans. The RAW wasn't easy, but not too difficult either, so you should be able to watch it and understand most of what happens.
Mai HiME Rating: +
Absolute Rating: +
RAW complexity: Medium
January 29, 2005 | 27 Comments
Are you playing chess? Episode 17 clearly reminded me of a very typical scene from a chess evening: The last match is over (episode 15), you have gleefully celebrated your victory, and suddenly your opponent tells you "Not so fast, one more match. Loser picks up the tab" (episode 16). What happens in this episode describes the aftermath of Nagi's HiMElander revelation, and how our heroines deal with the implications. The chessboard is cleared and all pieces are set up again, preparing for the upcoming conflict.
For normal anime viewers, this episode is unspectacular, therefore I can't give more than a so-so (o) rating. For Mai HiME fans who know the series pretty well and like to speculate what's going to happen now, this episode is a treasure chest, warranting a (+) verdict. I wouldn't want to watch it RAW without good Japanese knowledge however, since there's very little action you could deduce the contents from.
Mai HiME Rating: +
Absolute Rating: o
RAW complexity: Difficult
January 21, 2005 | 20 Comments
The preview of the last episode already made perfectly clear that the action-loaded serious drama would take a day off. Instead, we got a decent wrap-up of the aftermath of the battle with some more character development, lots of Midori antics, a karaoke party of the "unforgettable" kind and Nagi at his scariest, ending the episode with a shock due some very unpleasant news.
Compared to other Mai HiME episodes, this one is okay, but unspectacular, hence the (o) rating. Unless you've developed an aversion against over-the-top comedy, you'll still enjoy the contents quite a bit, and Midori pushes the overall rating to (+) level. Since most of the episode is dialogue-based which does not easily indicate the current topic (especially in the final revelation scene with Nagi), you will need a good vocabularly to follow the episode raw.
Mai HiME Rating: o
Absolute Rating: +
RAW complexity: Difficult
Mai Hime Battle Theme
Performed by Minami Kurabayashi
Kanji/Kana version
身体中あなたで満たされた時に
小さな星降りたの
私の腕の中へ...
どこにあるの？
真実を探している
深い夜
孤独な 宇宙（そら）彷徨う
あなたに出逢えますように...
初めての涙とても暑い
壊れそうなほど 切なくて
透きとおる瞳は命の輝き
そっと抱いているから
寂しくないよ
誇らしく微笑む月を見つめてる
神秘の力で
今、私を目覚めさせて...
闇の向こう
愛しいあなたが泣いてる
手を伸ばし 迎えにいく
待ってて
もうすぐ生まれる光
想い重なってひとつになる
守り続ける 永遠に...
この世界がいつか消える日が来ても
ずっとそばに居るから
恐くはないよ
身体中あなたで満たされた時に
小さな星降りたの
私の腕の中へ...
透きとおる瞳は命の輝き
そっと抱いているから
寂しくないよ
誇らしく微笑む月を見つめてる
神秘の力で
今、私を目覚めさせて...
January 14, 2005 | 26 Comments
Sometimes business trips are unavoidable, but this time I felt doubly punished. Not only did I have to go, but it also caused me to see Episode 15 one day late - exactly the one episode which I was certain would be exciting. Boy, was I right.
StaticSubs is starting to lag with Mai HiME a bit (they've certainly been busy with the first episodes of the new season, which are always extra time-intensive), but this means that more and more people will probably have to start watching Mai HiME raw, and they will need some explanations. Therefore I have decided to extend the number of screenshots a bit, to make the episode a bit easier to follow.
However: MAJOR SPOILER WARNING! Do _not_ read the extended entry unless you've watched the raw before. I repeat, do _not_ spoil this episode for yourself. You would utterly regret it. And you can understand it pretty well just by watching, even if you don't understand a single word of japanese.
A few days ago Garten invited me to make a guest appearance on his fine blog. How could I refuse to give my ramblings some more publicity? Therefore I have decided to pick up the series which has been impressing me most lately, Mai HiME. My japanese language skills are only very basic, so my RAW-based summaries might be missing some details. However, my friend Takemi Ikazuchi helped fill in most of my blanks, so I'll try my best to keep my report at the same quality you've come to expect from Garten. And if not, I'll at least compensate for it with more captions! On we go...
I realised that the title sounds lame in that DVD-promo kind of way but I'm too lazy to think of anything better. Anyway, I've enjoyed this show quite a bit but I am not sure if I can add another series to my weekly watch lists. Having said that, I still want to do an entry or two for the series and think that impressions on the first half and probably the later half will be good enough in the case I can't follow the series in its entirety after this. This entry will actually cover the first 13 episodes so if you haven't watch them, then it's a good idea to stay away from this entry. Also be aware that this is a very long rambling about the series which is mostly intended for my own sanity/so I don't keep it all in my head. As a result, this may not be pleasant reading for anyone else.
December 31, 2004 | 1 Comments
The series begins when Tokiha Mai and her younger brother, Takumi, travel on a ship that will take them to their new school, Fuuka Gakuen. In the middle of their journey, the passengers realise that there's a girl drowning in the sea so they decide to save her. That night, however, another girl called Kuga Natsuki manages to secretly board the ship and ends up in a deadly fight with the first girl, Minagi Mikoto. Mai, who got trapped in the crossfire, learns that she and these girls are actually HiMEs, girls with power to summon elemental forces. Unfortunately, before she can fully comprehend her discovery, the fight between the two other girls causes the ship to sink. Mai, who's unable to make it to the lifeboat, ends up sinking to the bottom of the ocean with Mikoto.