Mai-HiME

[clowtrigger]

A recently Finished one of the best shows of batch 2004 and Mai-HiME Just rocks, It's one of the best Shoujo anime I've ever watched. Fight scenes are crisp and made me in awe for minutes. It's music is very well done.... and no, this anime isn't for young kids, this is a man's shoujo anime, there are a number of graphic scenes in this anime. Mai-HiME also has good BGM made by Yuki Kujira(Tsubasa RC,.Hack,and Gundam SEED Destiny)

[-Shizu-]

ok...ummm...... :weirdthre the smily is correct.

[clowtrigger]

Mai-HiME (舞-HiME) is an anime series produced by Sunrise, Inc., and aired on TV Tokyo from September 2004 to March 2005. The show is about HiME, girls able to materialize magical armament and summon powerful beings called Childs to battle the monstruous creatures known as Orphans.

The tone has many shōnen elements, with some parody of anime clichés, from magical-girls to romance, fan service or school life. But there are very serious matters afoot behind the comedy, and the show takes a more serious and dark turn in later episodes.


Story
Mai Tokiha (鴇羽 舞衣 Tokiha Mai) was your average young high school girl and devoted older sister who had just earned a scholarship to the prestigious Fuuka Academy. While taking a ferry to her new school though, the crew spotted and rescued a young girl found floating in the water, and gripping a large black sword. Mai happens to be the only one present who can give her CPR, and so is forced to do so. After reviving the girl, Mai notices that the girl has an odd birthmark, one identical to her own. The mystery seems to end there, until the one who put the girl in the water comes aboard the ferry.


Terminology
HiME, also known as Valkyries, is a name that stands for "Highly-Advanced Materializing Equipment" and refers to women with the ability to materialize solid objects from photons. HiME can be identified by a identical birthmark they all possess somewhere on their body. In addition, only HiME can see a special red star (Hime-boshi) in the sky near the Moon. HiME is a backronym of Hime, which is Japanese for princess.
PRINCESS is an ability similar to that of the HiME developed by the Sears Group scientists. It stands for Perfect realization of independent access.
Elements are weapons created by focusing a HiME's ability to create solid matter from photons. They serve as proof that a HiME has become aware of their own power.
Child is the name of the powerful beings who choose to act as guardians for the HiME. In exchange for accepting the protection of a Child, that HiME must put her most important person on the line. That means, the person the HiME cares about the most has his or her life-force bounded to that of the Child. If the Child dies, so does that person. Also, the stronger the bond between the HiME and the person, the stronger the Child becomes.
[edit]
Characters
(This section will describe the anime version only)

Mai Tokiha - A new transfer student to Fuuka Academy and the main heroine of the show. She has been taking care of her younger brother Takumi since the death of their parents. She hates to burden others with her problems.
Natsuki Kuga - Natsuki leads a double life: in one she is just a normal Fuuka Academy student, but in the other she is a girl on a mission. She seeks vengeance for her mother's death, which was seemingly by the hands of an organization known as the First District.
Mikoto Minagi - A middle school student of questionable origin who was pulled from the sea by a passing ferry, she is quite attached to Mai. She is in search of her brother.
Takumi Tokiha - Mai's little brother. His body is weak and requires daily medication due to an accident he suffered when Mai and he were younger. He wants to be more independant as he feels he's too much of a burden on his sister.
Akira Okuzaki - Takumi's roommate. At first Akira is annoyed by Takumi and goes out of his way to avoid him, but the two eventually become good friends.
Yuuichi Tate - A member of the Fuuka Academy student council who met Mai on the same ferry that rescued a nearly drowned Mikoto Minagi. He doesn't seem to get along with Mai, although it is clear that he cares for her at least in some way. He takes care of Shiho Munakata, a childhood friend.
Shiho Munakata - A girl who calls Yuuichi her brother (though they are not related). Shiho follows Yuuichi around but the wherabouts of her parents are unknown, assumed dead. Her grandfather owns the local Fuuka Shrine.
Haruka Suzushiro - The hot-headed director of the Fuuka Academy student council. She has a tendency to mispronounce things. She is best friends with Yukino and seems to despise Shizuru.
Yukino Kikukawa - The secretary of the Fuuka Academy student council and a bit of an introvert. She has been best friends with Haruka since elementary school.
Reito Kanzaki - Vice President of the Fuuka Academy student council. He has a calm attitude and is quite popular with the female students. He is interested in Mai.
Shizuru Fujino - President of the Fuuka Academy student council. Her cool yet inviting disposition and distinctive Kyoto accent have made her quite popular with both the male and female students.
Yukariko Sanada - A nun at the local church. Through her faith, she tries her best to help the academy students cope with the trials and tribulations of school life.
Joseph Gleer - A priest who works at the same church as Yukariko.
Miyu Gleer - Adopted daughter of Joseph Gleer. She is very close to Alyssa.
Alyssa Searrs - The most famous choir member at Fuuka Academy. She is shy around people, though Miyu appears to be the exception.
Nao Yuuki - A morally ambivalent middle school student who enjoys preying on men.
Midori Sugiura - One of Mai's co-workers and a Fuuka Academy instructor. She claims to be 17 years of age, but no one really believes her. It is later revealed that she is also an avid archeologist.
Nagi Homura - A mysterious figure who seems to possess clandestine knowledge about the HiMEs and their true purpose.

[MistaCloudStrife]

A recently Finished one of the best shows of batch 2004 and Mai-HiME Just rocks, It's one of the best Shoujo anime I've ever watched. Fight scenes are crisp and made me in awe for minutes. It's music is very well done.... and no, this anime isn't for young kids, this is a man's shoujo anime, there are a number of graphic scenes in this anime. Mai-HiME also has good BGM made by Yuki Kujira(Tsubasa RC,.Hack,and Gundam SEED Destiny)
Ehhh... Didn't like it very much... The middle was very boring to me...

And I read some of the manga before I watched the anime... And wow... There were already many differences from the two...

Firstly... HiMEs are supposed to need a key(Key is something living I believe) in order to summon thier child...

Mai and Natsuki's both share the same key... Tate.

And Tate in the manga was introduced as a new student... Not Mai... They totally flipped it...

Also... other students were introduced as HiMEs... I think they left out alot of stuff...

Anyways... The manga seemed more interesting than the anime... I still have to read all of the manga... So after I've read it all I'll be sure to post exactly what I feel... So far I think the manga is better paced than the anime... And the manga seems to hold my attention more than the anime... I actually fell asleep in quite a few of the anime eps...


Oh yes... And Mai Otome is out right now... Kind of a sequel to Mai HiME I'm guessing... I hear it has a few connections to Mai HiME but not too many... I'll prolly watch it after I finish reading the Mai HiME manga...

[shinju hoshi]

oh i havent read much but it's good so far ^^

[kct]

Very cool show. Just love the effects.

[buhbibutterfly]

i like this show...i love the graphics for the battles and the themes and bgm..the story i liked too...haven't read the manga yet but i'll read it soon...as for mai otome so far i don't like it as much as mai hime