Anime Review: My-Z-Hime: My Otome and My Otome Zwai

Spoiler alert: Maybe I should have said that about My-Hime as well but this one goes into more detail.

 

Also: You should watch my-Hime first as nearly all characters are reincarnated in this one as well.

 

Now; some people say this is an alternate universe version of My-Hime. If you watch close, this is a continuation of My-Hime. There are many hints about it. In Fact, the Otome system is a continuation of it, Miyu is still there, she is still an android from My-Hime, has the memories from My-Hime, references the Children Monsters in a couple of cases, and (spoiler) will tell us that Mikoto is the Crystal Princess. If you watched My-Hime to the conclusion and the first special that comes with My-Z-Hime collection, (the so called fake movie trailer that explains why Mikoto is the Crystal Princess) you realize that the two series are connected. This is not the first anime I have seen that ties the two together to close fridge logic connections with an OVA or specials.

 

The story follows Miroku and Nina as they progress through Garder Robe academy to become full fledged Otome. Seems simple enough except for on the way to Garder Robe, Arika is trying to cross the desert and collapses (sounds familiar) A desert ship passing through picks her up (also sounds familiar). There is no destruction of the ship this time. That little transgression happens in town. however, there are antics that happen between Nina and Arika involving a drink.

From there someone tries to attack Garder Robe using A monster called a Slave (why do they use that word, why not stick with Orphan–oh wait, that would be to obvious). During that battle, the blue sky saphire (an otome jewel) is revealed to be in Arika’s possession and sort of activates enough to save her, Nina, and princess Mashiro from doom long enough to be rescued from full fledged otome including Shizuru.

 

At this point I should tell you my favorite character. I usually will with any anime series including My-Hime. Since the Characters are the same. I saved that for her. My favorite character is Shizuru. It is because she has open agendas every step of the way. You usually know what she has planned and she grew between my Hime to My Otome from having a blind infactuation for Natsuki (to the point of kidnapping her) to teasing Natsuki and being a womanizer with anyone who will take her (and it happens in My Otome). I like it when gender norms are eschewed and no one calls out a woman that has a little fun while they are at it.

 

Roles are changed in this tale which has been at least a thousand years if not more in the future. Some of the good characters are on a different side of good and some are now clearly evil (the sears people seem to be more evil and Nagi is definitely evil as opposed to just a cog in the machine this time) And Mashiro is a a selfish brat this time but she clearly grows through the anime as she encounters hardship of other characters and her city falls apart.

 

You see a plan for people to take over Garder Robe academy hatch as you learn of “the War of the Twelve Kings” and the Otome Wars and why the Otome technology has been locked away. Eventually Nagi and his cohorts take over the school and use the body of Lena Sayers to start creating new Otome crystals to create their latest Otome series dubbed the Valkyries, to replaced the Fumi Coral, Opal, and five Pillar system. That is when you learn that the Otome crystals are created from the original Otome, Fumi, who was an Otome who gave birth to a child. They use her womb to create the nanites and crystals for every other Otome in existence including the Coral, Opal, and Five Pillars. The difference between Fumi and Lena is Fumi agreed to this and Lena did not. I don’t know what Japan calls this but in America, we call this “abuse of a corpse”

 

It is impossible for me to separate what I like from what I don’t like from the series into any particular list, so they are going to be scatter gunned.

 

Why did you use the Term “Slave” for the monsters? Choose another Term! For that matter, why did you put the cannon THERE! If you see episode one (and a couple of other episodes) you will see what i mean by there. the first time i saw it I litterally said, “wrong, wrong! wrong! wrong! WRONG!” Never place a cannon there!

 

Why did you have the Otome lose their powers by destroying the nanites by “coupling” with a man? At least they make it known and ask if the otome in training agrees to this before they enter training. It would be better if they just say that the nanites change them and they agree to it, make them no longer like men or something, AND agree to this before hand. Seems unfair to make them lose their powers.

 

Akane and Kazua: okay Akane said when given the chance to become a Meister otome that she would rather be with Kazua and lose her powers instead of become a Meister. So why, when Kazua’s father dies did you stop them from consumating their relations ship when they were in a hotel  clothes off, almost about to “couple” IN the bed. The king’s guard busts down the door and drags them out in nothing more than bed sheets and tells Kazua that Akane is going to be his Meister and forces them into an otome contract. from that point forward the two have a chaperone following them EVERY SECOND to make sure they don’t sneak off and consumate their love. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD it has got to be easier to find another otome and let them have their happy ending! It isn’t even adorable or funny by the time you get to Zwei.

 

Red Herrings everywhere! I love this! There is so much misdirection that you are driven left right and sideways through this series. Unlike the plot of My-Hime where things just get serious and a couple of plot twists keep you on your toes, you are in a dance from the moment you are introduced to the characters. below are examples of the red herrings.

 

Who is the princess of Windbloom (and does it even matter): Mashiro is introduced as the princess of Windbloom city and it is quickly let known to the viewer through her flashbacks and through Nagi that she is called the “Fake” princess. Arika is introduced as being the daughter of an Otome right away but they put that into question as well. as Major Wong gets information he thinks Arika is the princess. But that’s not all, It is determined that Lena pulled a bait in switch BEFORE the bait and switch that the old lady saw because Miyu was with her before she was killed and delivered Arika to the “Grandma” that Arika always referenced in the series. Arika is correct, Arika is the daughter of Lena Sayers and Lena is part of the Sears family line. Miyu confirms that because Miyu has watched the line all the way back to the spirit incarnation of Alyssa Sears… The real princess of Windbloom ends up being Nina Wong, but who ends up governing and being the queen of Windbloom in the end is Mashiro. SO, did it matter?

 

Is Mikoto the Cat? From the beginning of the series Mashiro has a cat named Mikoto. If you watched My-Hime, you know Mikoto acted a lot like a cat. Since Miyu who shows up later treats a little bird like Alyssa, you have to assume that since you dont see a Mikoto incarnation that Mikoto IS the cat. Mikoto is also protective of the friendly characters of the cast, just like Mikoto would be. However, when you find Mai, you also find Mikoto the human, the self proclaimed “Cat Goddess” and the Crystal Princess as referenced by Miyu. This is backed up by the fact that Mai says Mikoto swallowed her control crystal, creating an Otome contract between Mikoto and Mai. Fitting since the two were close friends in My Hime in the first place.

 

Spoiler: What planet are they on? They keep referenceing the Colonization era but never stated why people went to other planets or why they are on another planet BUT, are they on another planet? It doesnt look like Earth. You naturally assume they are another planet. However, if you watched My-Hime and you pay attention to what Miyu does, and where a couple of the Otome go near the middle of the series (and what they call the library) it starts becoming clear that they never left Earth. In each instance they were at the old Fuko academy. This would explain how Miyu was wandering around in the first place and why there was no explanation as to why they left, because they never left in the first place. other people left!

 

Nao is good! She has a cavalier attitude but she seems to be up to her old ways at times. She even states she has her own agenda but when it counts, she willingly becomes one of the five pillars, although you never see her in a robe until one of the last episodes. she has really grown from My-Hime to My-Z-Hime: My Otome.

 

Zwai is lumped into this but it has a simple plot. Arika stops an asteroid in the beginning of the series using her Zwai power (the full power of the blue sky saphire) and then a monster is born, stealing Otome powers and locking Otome in some sort of stone shells. they are alive but unable to move. Mashiro and Arika must defeat this monster and restore the Otome. it is really the continuation of the series obove, which is why it is included.

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Anime Review: My-Hime

I am not good at finding free images to use for anime yet so I don’t have an image of this anime. You will have to trust me on this, there are several great posters online for this anime.

Synopses: This anime loosely follows the story of Mai, Mokoto, Natuski, and a few others as they gain Hime powers and are forced to fight monsters called orphans and later each other to become the last Hime to control the Hime Star and prevent world wide calamity. I say loosely follow the story of the 3 because there are 12 Hime in all and it sort of flies around in focusing on their stories which isnt a bad thing.

The story begins with Mai and her brother Tokia on a ferry going to Fuka academy where they find Mokoto floating face down in the ocean she and fellow student, Yuuichi rescue Mokoto. Mokoto clutches her sword and Hime weapon so tightly that when the workers force it off, the weapon activates and slices the boat strings off and they nearly fall back in the ocean. the sword does fall into the sea, only to be summoned by Mokoto in her sleep later.

In the night, Natsuki attacks the ship, stirring an epic battle between her and Mokoto. During the battle, Mai’s powers awaken as she defends herself and Mokoto. Natsuki gives her a warning after asking Mai if she can see the red star next to the moon and tells her to stay away from Fuka academy. Mai falls into the ocean only to be found in a crop circle the next morning at the academy.

From there the series starts out showing the Main Hime’s powers by fighting the orphans after introducing another character and supposed antagonist named Nagi. You assume that he is sending all the monsters called Orphans to challenge the Himes. You are not told how many Himes there are and Nagi takes a special liking to Mai. He helps Mai gain her own monster which he calls a child and tells her that if she accepts this child and continues to fight, she will risk the person most important to her. also, if she dies, the child and the person most important to her will die as well. She doesnt question it but she summons the bird and blows up not only the monster but the side of the back mountain as well. this explains why the Hime have their own pet monsters.

 

Enough said, let’s break it down

Lets start with the Cons.

Mai, and presumably, the rest of the chosen ones never question the “Risking the most important person to me” Until they find out about what happened to the first loser Akane in her fight with Miyo. Akane loses her boyfriend in that fight and goes catatonic for what seems like forever. The fight between Akane and Miyo was also not planned to happen and that caused Nagi to come in just as the fight ended where he told her “I told you that when you fight you risk the one most important to you.” This seems like the most obvious point to the watcher (you aren’t risking yourself Akane, you are risking someone else, stupid!) Akane thought she was going to die but watched her boyfriend disolve right in front of her. When the characters find out, they rightly so start to worry. Didn’t anyone start to ask “hey Nagi, what do you mean by Risk the one most important to me?” you know, fine print?

Also, regarding fine print: in the beginning Nagi told Mai (and the rest of the Hime) that they could do whatever they wanted with their powers. Mai wanted to stay out of the fight but was soon drawn in trying to fight the Orphans just like Natsuki and some of the other Hime. Now Nao did use her powers for personal gain. Some of the others used it to spy or protect the ones they loved or Occlude the Hime Battles so no one knew what was going on around Fuka academy, as you later find out during the series.

Alyssa, the “Fake” Hime was counted as one of the 12 Hime. Nagi called her a fake Hime as she was created by the Sears foundation and one of her powers was to create orphans, and Miyu was technically her weapon so there is that. However, we didn’t have a 13th Hime and everyone in the series just accepted her as the 12th Hime. She even had a Pillar before the entrance to the final place where the Obsidian Prince was. Seems Suspect to me. Did Nagi Just accept the fact that she had Hime powers and called the Artemis Sattelite her Child and made her father the risked one? went “Okay that’s number 12, let’s call it a day?”

 

The Good:

Nagi’s Orphans vs Alysssa’s Orphans: There is a clear difference between the two sets of orphans. Alyssa’s are bent on destruction and chaos. they cause destruction and disrupt people’s lives on the island. They force the Hime to use their powers and expose them. You can tell which one is what and as soon as you see Alyssa create one, you can tell which is which. When you see Nagi talk to one of his Creations, you start to tell that the playful and mostly prank causing Orphans are his. From the cake eating monster to the underwear theif to others i am sure i have forgotten about, the Orphans Nagi creates are really nothing more than minor nusances that really don’t do much more than rouse the attention of the Hime and don’t do a lot to disrupt the lives of the mundane world. if it wasnt for the meddling of Alyssa and Sears, i am sure Nagi would have had a bunch of these running around and he would have been busy with a lot of prank causing monsters. it would have been an entirely different series. Thank you Alyssa for keeping the series just serious enough to balance it out.

Breaking up the Hime Pact: The way the Hime pact got broken up is a work of art. It starts with the nun, one of the Hime’s deception (although it was a bit shallow) claiming that Nao had attacked her which created an epic battle in which Akira’s Frog child was killed. It looked like Mokoto killed it which set Mai and Mokoto against each other for most of the rest of the series (because Akira’s most important person was Tokiha) Nao had been injured in a previous battle and voew revenge against the group of Hime. The battle was supposed to rid Mai of her ability to summon her child but the Sears agent had miscalculated as Yuuichi is her closest person.

The Tragedy of Shizuru and Natsuki: That little detail of a Hime being killed means they and their significant other being lost? Well, Shizuru and Natsuki love each other. if they fight each other or if one of them loses, the inevitable ending is, well, inevitable.

The tragedy of Mai and Shiho. You know from day one who Shiho likes. You dont know from day one that Shiho is a Hime. So when you do find out (and it wasnt hard to know that the ghostly figure was her when she appeared) you knew that Mai and Shiho shared the same important person. You knew crow versus dragon would end in one victor. Mai wouldnt defeat Shiho however so someone else was told to. Goodbye Yuuichi….

If Mokoto’s Child Miroku was defeated, Goodbye Obsidian Prince. The misdirection between Nagi (who really was neutral in all this) and Sears who was teetering on the edge of being the stupid obvious bad guys, was the Obsidian prince, the reall power behind the badies was the obsidian Prince. If Mai defeated Mokoto instead of swayed her back to her side, the result would have been a lot easier instead of the other result which was just as cool. It does bring up a plot hole however (bit of fridge logic) if Mokoto and Mai were the last TWO standing and there should have been ONLY ONE (highlander style) how did Mai gain entrance to the chamber in the first place?

The end seems to tie things up pretty cleanly which is what usually confuses people when they see that a year later My-Z-Hime: My-Otome comes out. This is also a pretty cool anime. Some say that doesnt take place in the same universe but it really does (just a thousand years or so later on a different planet after humans migrated from Earth. I will review it later).