Mahoromatic

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Mahoromatic is one of those series that's a little difficult to pin down. It's got fanservice, goofy humor, a lot of action, an underlying series story, a surprisingly depressing premise and eye-catching artwork. And I only really became interested in reading it after watching the anime on a friend's recommendation. The anime version was okay, but the inconsistency between the serious premise and story and the screwball animation was not very attractive (good music, though), and I absolutely hated the way the anime ended. Its final episode was incongruous. It was confusing, illogical and frustrating, and raised more questions than it answered. It didn't even ... allow us to know what had become of the supporting cast.

When I learned the ending was different from that of the manga, I decided to give the manga series a try. I found the same inconsistency between story and presentation, and some slightly uneven storytelling. The series started off well enough but dropped in quality with the third volume, and I began to think that, whether it was in manga or anime form, this just wasn't a series I was going to like that much.

Then I was greeted with a surprise in volume 7 as the humor began to drop off, and the storytelling took the same tone as the story itself, resulting in a much more solid read. I found this encouraging and, immediately after reading 7, picked up 8 to find out what happened.

It turned out that trudging through less-than-impressive volumes 3 through 6 had been worth it. With volume 8, things were finally coming to a head, and the cast, largely caricatures throughout the series, were finally developing into real characters. More to the point, I found I was sincerely starting to care about what happened to them.

It would be a disservice to describe volume 8's story, especially since it wouldn't make much sense to anyone who hadn't read the previous seven volumes. So rather than do that, I will instead confirm that the manga's ending is VERY different from that of the anime, and it makes a hell of a lot more sense, too. It also allows us to see what happens to all the major supporting characters, giving us the closure the anime never does.

I actually rather wish the whole series had been done like volume 8, as I likely would have enjoyed it a lot more. Volume 8 is a good, powerful read, and frequently made me teary-eyed, especially in its final pages. I like it when a book, be it a traditional literary work or a graphic novel, has this effect on me. Sometimes I want to laugh, sometimes I just want a thrill, but sometimes, I would prefer to be moved. And volume 8 moved me.

At the end of the day, Mahoromatic is a so-so series with flashes of brilliance, but for anyone who likes true romance, it's worth it to wade through the series and read the final volume. If what happens to Suguru and Mahoro doesn't move you even a little, you may as well be an android with no soul.

Mahoromatic is about a battle android named Mahoro. She is part of Vesper, an organization designed to deal with human-aliens relations like the Men in Black. Unfortunately her operating time is running out, and the only way for her to “live” on is to turn off combat mode and live a peaceful life. She chooses to become Suguru Misato’s maid and changes Suguru’s life.

Story: 7/10
The idea of the story is pretty decent. A combat android switching from goddess of war mode to a peaceful maid and serve a high school boy. The manga goes in a slice of life kind of pace, with plenty of ... ecchi moments and nice laughs. The plot of the first half of the series seem like a pure slice of life/romantic comedy sort of sense. But as you read deeper into the series it becomes a more serious turns as plot is quickly developed, but not in a rush that leaves you confused. The chapters are usually standalone chapters, very similar to a slice of life, and narrates the new life Suguru now have. Every now and then there is a serious turn as a new enemy appears and Mahoro has to fight it. Most of the times they are not serious battles. And after the battle, the peaceful comedic nature of the manga returns.

Art: 5/10
The artwork is really plain. The main characters are detailed just enough to distinguish them as the main characters, while background and supporting characters barely have any details at all.

Character: 7/10
The character development of the main characters Mahoro and Suguru is well done. The first few volumes make it seem like a typical slice of life/romantic comedy that would have little character development. But as the series goes on, character development is quickly achieved and done pretty well. The supporting characters on the other hands have almost zero character development. Mainly the supporting characters are just there as either fanservice or as part of a comedic gag.

Enjoyment: 8/10
The series was pretty enjoyable. It was filled with laughable moments along with heartwarming moments. The only part that may have been a problem was the last chapter/epilogue that may cause some confusion, but beside that, the plot is pretty straight forward and is easy to understand. Though, it could cut down on the fanservice a little bit. And some comedic gag was pretty repetitive, but overall it was a pretty fun read.

Overall: 7/10
Mahoromatic is a romantic comedy/slice of life manga filled with many surprises. Most of the chapters are standalone at first and seems like there is no plot development, but as you read on, it nicely develop into a decent plot, without the reader feeling rushed or overwhelmed by the sudden seriousness of the situation. The jokes it has are pretty decent, and the main character development are also quite heartwarming and done at a nice pace. Overall this is a manga series with decent plot that you should give it a shot if you like a nice paced romantic comedy/slice of life manga.