Anime: Hanaukyou Maid Tai 82s48

Your single parent mother has just died and now your poor excuse of a life is coming to an end. Luckily for Tarou Hanaukyou, his previously-unknown grandfather heads a huge organization with seemingly endless resources. Tarou soon finds his way over to his grandfather's estate, supposedly in Toyko(?), where he is immediately overrun by literally hundreds of maids waiting for his orders. These maids are not just ordinary maids, these are specialist maids who handle everything from cleaning and construction to security and cyber-warfare; oh, and they also are trained to take Tarou's grandfather's perverse orders.

Hanaukyou is a light, ecchi, not-so-ordinary slice of life. You'll find a bit of comedy, a very slight amount of action, and a lot of nonsense. Considering the outrageous nature of the premise, the series doesn't try very hard at making it seem feasible; the series prefers to just shove more fan service. Stay away from this series if you need real action, real drama, or any depth whatsoever.

Animation:
This is dated, unless you've been watching a lot of 90's or earlier works, you will cringe when you start this. As others have noted, this is indeed done fairly cheaply. There are lots of hand-blobs and other short cuts that you don't see often now a days. Expect plain backgrounds and limited shading. There was also a very noticeably wrong scene earlier where a helicopter was shown flying backwards.

The actual character styling isn't that bad, apart from Tarou appearing asleep with his (-.-) eyes all the time. All the important characters are distinct except for Ichigo, Ringo, and Sango (who are only distinguishable by their uniform color and VA). This is definitely an ecchi series, though it's not as bad as some reviews make it seem. This is almost as revealing as Yosuga no Sora (though much less sexually suggestive) and much less suggestive than B Gata H Kei or Kiss X Sis. Assuming the DVD version, expect full frontal nudity shots on multiple occasions with no censoring. You have been warned.

Sound:
The series starts off with a very appropriate sounding, and fairly catchy OP, which was made just for the anime according to the lyrics. The ED is less catchy and features random 3D girls for an unknown reason. I think it worked better in Lucky Star than here. The BGM is noticably aged but does include some memorable melodies. Overall, the sound quality is a bit low, and some sound effects are way overused.

As for VAs, the main maid, is voiced by Rie Tanaka. She gives her a surprisingly mature tone relative to all the other maids. The performance was average overall.

Story:
In this version of Hanaukyou the story is very random. While sequential, each episode is wildly different in theme. There really isn't much of a main storyline to form a coherent backbone, and so there really isn't any motive for watching multiple episodes together other than the very short 15min running time per episode. Basically, expect Tarou to slowly get acquainted with his new surroundings and servants, as various maids' antics keep everyone busy.

As for plot development, there really isn't any rising action or climax in this show. I didn't even realize when the original season stopped and the OVA started. The only series I can think of to compare this to is Princess Lover. And to be honest, that crazy series is actually more believable than this one. Hanaukyou just never feels palpable, and it doesn't help when they introduce seemingly random elements such as a private blimp or the world's most powerful computer, which apparently runs on GOTO statements (as a programmer I was quite offended when a computer hacking situation was depicted as a version of Space Invaders).

Character:
Though there are hundreds of mains that apparently serve Tarou, these maids obviously serve in different ways. Based on the series, Tarou only interacts on a daily basis with a handful. Some of these interactions are playful (you can expect some background info on these) while others are more carnal (no bg required, the bodies are apparently enough...). Tarou has a big problem with the latter type as he is apparently allergic to women; he has a mysterious gift that causes him and his clothes to change between different shades of color. This is true except for his main maid Mariel who not only can touch Tarou but can also miraculously cure him of his symptoms. You'd guess that the series is trying to guide something to happen but don't be fooled, there is virtually zero romance in this work. It's all lighthearted, even when Tarou gets kicked and flies 500 meters.

I almost forgot to mention that Tarou is as wimpy and hopeless as male protagonists come. Other than being "nice", he has no redeeming characteristic; he's allergic to girls, physically and mentally weak, and has barely any semblance of personal willpower. I assume this is not supposed to be a role model for Japanese dudes.

Value:
I was expecting a bit more depth from this work. If you really really want the ecchi parts, then stick with this series. Otherwise... if you're looking for cute maids and some drama check out Kaichou wa Maid-sama! If you're going for more of a harem-type try out Princess Lover. If you're going for the innocent little boy aspect I'd try the Negima series instead. All in all this wasn't a complete disaster, but there's definitely more relevant/realistic works out there.

I've watched Hanaukyou Maids Tai (HMT) years ago, but it's lately that I've started watching it again. And I must say, it's still super enjoyable.

The artwork is dated, but by no means ugly. Colors are vibrant, and the animation isn't too bad. More importantly, I like how the characters are drawn. Nothing specular, but definitely very easy on the eyes.

Sound-wise, I love the bg music. And the OP actually stuck with me for months when I last watched it. Wonder how long it's gonna be for me this time. The songs are very catchy and high-energy. As for the seiyuu, I find them alright. Mariel's voice really reminded me of Belldandy a lot. As for the rest of the girls, they were quite fitting. What I like about this series is that all the characters are VERY emotive. Every gasp, sigh, etc were really well done.

Story: Episodic, no plot whatsoever.

Characters of HMT I like. You get some really generic characters which are fleshed out really well. There are the "more-important" characters, such as Taro, Mariel, the ichi-ni-san gos, the sword-weilding Konai san a few more. Then there're the generic maids that do not stand out, but adds to the atmosphere of the series.

Value and Enjoyment. As cliched or generic as the show may be, I enjoyed it immensely. And the fact that I'm rewatching it again is proof. HMT appeals to me because of its genericity (if that's a word). I can easily rewatch the series as a whole, or any random episode without much thought. Besides, with loads of fanservice and chuckles, I'm sold.

HMT might only appeal to a particular group of anime viewers, but thankfully, I'm one of them. Not a series that I'd boast about, but definitely one of my few guilty pleasures.

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on , whether it is a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

Hanaukyou Maid Tai is an extreme ecchi. While many harem anime have ecchi, few have it in such large quantities. Tons of uncensored nudity and strong sexual innuendo pervade throughout Hanaukyou’s twelve episodes. Ecchi works best when it is used for laughs rather than elation or arousal. Unfortunately, the majority of Hanaukyou’s ecchi seems intended to arouse the viewer, which it fails to do in most instances. Still, it’s a semi-enjoyable watch if you’re a big fan of harem anime.

The animation is borderline, with characters that are drawn attractively, but move about the screen in a rather jarring manner. There is no repeated noticeable repeated footage, but still frames are used a little too often. The series is done cheaply, with almost no fluid movement, giving the series more of a manga feel, though not an intentional one, like in Kareshi Kanojo No Jijou (His & Her Circumstances). While the characters are attractively drawn, they’re design lacks originality, looking like any other harem anime out there.

There’s very little to say about the music and sound effects, since they both worked well without drawing attention to them. The opening song is a pleasant little soft rock piece explaining the nature of the Hanaukyou Maid Specialists. The ending song is good for a once through, but no more than that. Sound effects are done more than adequately, though nothing in particular stood out as being good, bad, or special.

This is a harem anime, so there are some mandatory cliché’s to click off:

Male lead who is afraid/allergic/shy of women: Check! Taro Hanaukyou is a fourteen-year-old waste of space, whose grandfather has given him a humongous mansion taken care of by several hundred maids, all who are more than willing to have sex with Taro if he asked them to. Sadly, Taro is allergic to women, with the exception of the head maid, Marielle. Taro is a failure at sports, schoolwork, making friends, and life in general, but… he’s such a nice guy! Taro is about as cliché a harem lead as they come.

Cute little girl character who loves the male lead: Check! Cynthia/Grace is an adorable little blond with a split personality (this would be a terrible plot contrivance, with the terrible explanation for it. However, this is pure comedy, which makes it easily forgivable) who spends most of the series smiling widely at Taro.

Scientific computer genius character who screws up and blows things up on accident: Check! You’ll know her when you see her.

Main female lead who is in love with the male lead: Check! I was certain that Marielle, the purple haired head maid, was being voiced by Kikuko Inoue, my favorite voice actress, who does the voice of Belldandy in Ah My Goddess!. She is actually voiced by Rie Tanaka, who did the voice of Chii in Chobits, as well as Yomi from Azumanga Daioh. Resume aside, Rie does a spectacular job voicing Marielle, elevating a cliché character to the top of the pile with her sweet voice and understated yet readily apparent romantic feelings.

Cute animal: Missing! Where’s Ryo-Ohki? Where’s Pochi-san the alligator? Oh well.

The rival: Check! Ryuka, a fellow multi-millionaire, considers herself and her company to be in constant battle with the Hanaukyou, though her feelings are completely one-sided from Taro’s standpoint.

The story is as cliché and simple as it comes. Taro lives out his days in the mansion, being constantly sexually assaulted by maids, who make him turn different colors whenever they embrace him. Why do the maids seem so interested in having sex with a fourteen-year-old boy? Who knows.

As a pure comedy, there are three important questions to ask: Is it funny? How often is it funny? How funny is it? The answers are “Yes”, “Frequently”, and “Somewhat. A handful of belly laughs over the course of the series, but mostly light chuckles and smiles.” I’m tempted to recommend Hanaukyou Maid Tai regardless of its faults, but there are so many better harem ecchi comedies out there. If you have not seen Love Hina, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Ah My Goddess! TV, Mahoromatic Season 1, or He Is My Master, put Hanaukyou Maid Tai at the bottom of the pile. If you’ve already seen everything, this series is good for a once over. Hanaukyou is funny, but not funny enough.

Hanaukyo Maids is an awesome series tat can make u guys(male) wanna be in his shoes! Imagine a young guy living in a huge mansion, surrounded by hundreds of gals(maids) wanting to serve u every min of the day! He even gets special treatments!!

I would not recommend this series to gals.. its more for a guy thing! Its a great series.. but sorry to say the ending was abrupt and leaves fan hanging! So be ready!! Overall it is funny and enjoyable.. *a good stress reliever*

The series has a tad of romance in it... watch out the La Verite is the 2nd season of it!! Watch the 1st season though ..

Hanaukyo Maids is kind of hard. I guess how you see this anime depends on how far you can let fan service go. Hanaukyo Maids has A LOT of fan service; some would say too much, I'd say its ok for us corrupted ones. This anime might not be as fun for a female audience.
I'll warn you already now that it seems this anime hasn't been completed, not like a cliffhanger ending but it's not the real end. I don't know if there's more to come or not.
The episode end song with real Japanese girls dressed like maids spooked me out though, at least you can click next episode then and later it's replaced with a better one. ;)

The animation is good, fan service a plenty aside I really like how the characters are drawn, my style of anime. :)

I listened to the opening and ending song several times, the character voices felt good, nothing exceptional but still good.

I don't really believe you watch this anime for the story really, more like a no-brainer relaxing (or?) anime, kind of like you flow with the story, you're more after the maids anyway when you watch this. It's just a trodding story; sadly it makes big jumps from part to part in the story which I personally find annoying. It has some twists though and those are appreciated.

Characters are ok, individual but not excellent. You will probably find someone you like which is often important for how much you like the anime.
It actually lacks somewhat in range of characters rather than in character depth imho but that comes mostly because it's focused around one single guy.

I had fun seeing this anime, you'd probably want an ecchi streak to like it but while I probably won't see the whole of it again I'm happy that I saw it and might go back and see a few episodes again.

I personally just plain felt dumber after watching this. Story of approximately 0...ecchi for the sake of ecchiness. Animation and sound is fine.. but nothing compelling about this anime.