Jun 10, 2014
Maria-sama Ga Miteru was quite a ride. I enjoyed the first two seasons, though it took me a while to get used to the french terminology and the relationships between the Student Council. The second season was more enjoyable, and when I saw the third, I was absolutely hooked. After taking a pause, I decided to rewatch all of it and finish off the last season.
Marimite has a wonderful setting, an all-girls Catholic school. The school obviously fosters graceful behavior, moral qualities and faith in its students, and it was very refreshing to see anime show Catholicism in a more realistic light, after all those
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vampire-killing Vatican priests you often see in action shows. Granted, I'm fairly certain there's nothing like the Souer system in actual catholic schools, but it's a great concept consistent with the premise.
Two girls who become sisters are something more than friends, yet not lovers. There is no romance or sexual attraction here, but very deep friendships. There is one character who is a straight-up lesbian, however (Sei), and she is definitely one that sticks out from the cast, and has several episodes devoted to her. Still, the relationship shown does not end up in happiness and explores a part of her character.
In general, most of the Student Council members get focused on individually, and their personality and relationship with their Sisters is a common subject through the show. Yumi and Sachiko are often portrayed as an ideal couple, and settle their quarrels fairly quickly, but I liked that Sachiko is a very flawed character. Her temper and personality often reveal an ugly side, but she is nevertheless a good person who tries her best to deal with people, and finds much support in Yumi.
The animation varies through the seasons. Watching the first season again really reveals the budget constraints here, and it can get very bad. Still, it didn't inflict my enjoyment of the show. As it goes on, the animation gets steadily better and reaches its peak in the third OVA season, which is really beautiful and has a distinctive art style. Season 4 is really good on this department too.
The music is very memorable and mostly consists of classical pieces that fit the mood of the show perfectly. I recommend listening to the soundtrack.
I'll give the whole show a rating of 8/10. It has its downs, but the emotional impact it had on me was very powerful and easily overshadows some gripes I have with the shows, such as occasionally cringe-inducing dialogue and huge dramas over trivial matters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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