Sunday, July 18, 2010

Anime Review- Ultra Maniac


Ultra manaic is originally a manga by Wataru Yoshizumi. It was adapted into a famous anime series.

This was one of the animes I saw with Daa! Daa! Daa! and I loved it. It is a shoujo anime/manga with a fantasy twist.

Nina, a witch from the magical kingdom comes to earth with her cat Rio, to collect jewels that were scattered by the prince of the magic kingdom. The girl who collects these jewels first, will be the one to marry the prince. On earth, she meets Ayu Tateishi, a seventh grader who eventually discovers a secret. Nina and Ayu become best friends and start their magical adventures together. Ayu is in love with Kaji, a popular boy in school. Maya, another girl from magic kingdom competes with Nina. She uses black magic to collect the jewels.

Might sound like hardcore fantasy but it is a high school, romantic comedy. It is really funny and exciting. The plot develops well and the ending is good.
The anime runs 26 episodes long. It is worth a try as it is funny and romantic. It has its good moments.
Ayu and Nina's friendship is motivating.

As the story develops, more and more people from Magic Kingdom start coming to earth. Nina starts to have feelings for Tujiai, Kaji's friend and Ayu confesses to Kaji.

Wataru Yoshizumi's works are mostly about middle school kids thereofore, characters seem to concentrate more towards family and friendship than love. Mint na Bokura and Marmalade boy follow this pattern too. Her works are enjoyable but not epic due to their short length.

The high school adventures combined with magic is what keeps this anime going. Wataru Yoshizumi's sense of humour is good too. Her works mostly stand out because of her good sense of humour.

Ultra Maniac has very good art and music. The opening 'Kagami no naka' is very energetic and uplifting. A good way to start an anime like Ultra Maniac.

Art- 4.5
Story-4.3
Characters-4.5
Overall-4.4

Some cons might again be that the anime is stereotypical. A classic shoujo with a hint of fantasy.

However, the high school/middle school life of the characters is the saving grace.

I think it might be a good idea to give this anime a try. It is above average and can lift your spirits.

Pros

Comedy
Art
Characters
High school life
Fantasy twist
Good ending

Cons

Stereotypical
Romance lacks depth (Nina's)

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