The climate of the anime market may seem very depressive lately, but at least we do occasionally get some good news. One of the series I’ve been avidly following fansubs of over the past few years is not only getting its North American debut, but at a price that should make those accusing anime companies of being greedy swallow their words. And for a series that, even with it’s subtle shoujo-ai context, isn’t going to appeal to the vast majority of anime fans, it is a reassuring occurance; even with the slow down of the market, it bodes well to see we are getting more than big budget productions or fanboy fodder.
I can’t quite remember how I first came to watch Maria-sama ga Miteru, better known to fans as Marimite, though I am sure it was during a period of lamenting over how much shounen-ai there was out there compared to the few snippets of shoujo-ai. A poor reason to start to watch a series, but very quickly it proved that its popularity wasn’t solely down to fans hoping for a little girl-on-girl flirtation. In fact those going in primarily for this reason will be greatly disappointed; apart from a considerable amount of subtext, there is little in the way of true romance. But despite that fact, it is heralded along with the likes of ‘Revolutionary Girl Utena’ as one of the stables of shoujo-ai aimed towards a female audience. It has even had a massive impact upon one of the recent popular male-targeted shoujo-ai series, ‘Strawberry Panic’; they share more than a few commonalities.
The true strength of Marimite is, without a doubt, its focus on characterisation and how that in turn carries onto the interpersonal relationships between not only the principle but also the extended cast. It is a gentle paced show that will bore any fan not into their slice-of-life anime or manga, but for drama aficionados, it is a pure, heavenly delight.
There is little that could stop me buying this series when its released, but it does still bolster my excitement to see that it is being handled by RightStuf. I don’t have many DVDs produced by them, but just from the amount of work they put into their ‘His and Her Circumstances’ release, I know of the quality of their products. Secondly, a new release 13-episode boxset for US$50 before standard online price discounts… even if there isn’t a dub track present, it’s more than worth it’s money.
With a forth season to be aired in Japan in the next few months, it’s the perfect time for a little bit of Marimite love, so get your pre-order in.
