Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Shōnen Maid
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JaggedAuthor
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I wouldn't be surprised either way, but at the moment, my money's on him being alive. Keeping his face hidden ensures that if he appears in the future, the audience won't be able to peg him as the daddy. (Although if the stuff with Kazusa is any indication, his identity will probably be obvious to everyone but his son.) Also, I doubt the Takatoris have a legitimate shot at luring Chihiro away from Madoka, but if his actual father were to re-enter the picture, it could pave the way for some interesting conflict. "You abandoned Chihiro right after he was born, and now you want him back?! Where were you when your family needed you most?!"
They did a good job at keeping Madoka's reaction to his supposed death ambiguous. I honestly couldn't tell if he liked the guy, hated him or knew more than he's letting on with regard to his whereabouts. |
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sunflower
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Yes, I think his father is alive. It's very suspicious that they won't show his face. But I'm betting either the mother or father broke it off suddenly so the father doesn't know he had a son, and the mother lied to everyone so the father wouldn't be a part of the kid's life. |
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Animegomaniac
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As much as I enjoy Shounen Maid, it would have made my "best anime ever" list if Madoka turned out to be his deadbeat dad. Hey, who knew that even anime wasn't immune to nephewism.
Anime: Where it's more important that your father isn't there than if he is. And when he does show up, he'll just wander off again. Happy Father's Day. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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I'll bet the stealthy caretaker from the winter cottage was at the party, too. He or she was most likely hiding in the bushes - or possibly under the refreshments table.
Have they ever explained the exact nature of Keiichiro's relationship to the Takatoris? Was he their servant even as child (possibly by virtue of his parents also being their servants)? |
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Gina Szanboti
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Episode 11
That was pretty ho-hum, but I added half a point to my rating for the most adorable thing I've ever seen: 
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sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
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I really don't think forcing more humor out of this episode would have been appropriate. The two main chargers are depressed and with a decent reason. Going screwball would have been so wrong. And who says the storylines all have to be centered on jokes? Plenty of Shonen manga move into different territories as they progress.
I'm not saying this was a great episode, but I'm so tired of hearing about how it could have been milked for more humor, when that doesn't feel right at all to me. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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Personally, I didn't think the encounter with Kazusa should have upset either of the guys as much as it did. I actually found it strange that Chihiro appeared to be more outwardly affected by this than the death of his mother. Heck, his lack of a significant reaction to Chiyo's passing was used as a source of humor in the series premiere, so I feel like the show has already dropped the ball with regard to realistic reactions to emotional events. I wasn't necessarily expecting this episode to serve as the show's comedic centerpiece, but I agree with Amy's assertion that the party was a missed opportunity.
Last edited by JaggedAuthor on Sun Jun 26, 2016 2:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
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I thought it would affect both though. Madoka obviously has a lot of baggage about her. I mean she kicked his beloved sister out and was treated like crap by her, then shows up at his sister's grave already knowing Chihiro? He has to wonder what she's up to, if she's planning on taking the kid away. It would be surprising if he wasn't upset by it. And we find out he's far more the upset of the two, which makes a lot of sense. Chihiro is I think upset that she didn't tell him about it, when he liked her and she was someone he thought he could trust, and wondering if he's going against his mom's memory by liking the old lady. And too he's disturbed by not understanding what's going on with the adults in his life and wanting to help them. Chihiro loves Madoka and the whole picnic was him trying to help him with his depression. That had to be present or the show wouldn't ring true, which is why the others could have fun but I don't think the two main characters would truly embrace hilarity because they were always worried in the backs of their minds. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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I mostly agree, but I feel like if we're going to hold this show to semi-realistic standards, Chiyo's death should have been treated with more importance, and both Chihiro and Madoka should still be reeling from the loss. (I'm glad this isn't the case, however.) Assuming this is Shonen Maid's emotional goal post, I don't think a seconds-long encounter with an estranged relative should have had this profound an impact on the characters. Now, if it's later revealed that Kazusa was outright abusive towards her children or stood idly by while her husband was, I'll probably rethink my position on this, but based on what little we've seen, she seemed mildly neglectful but generally well-intentioned. Keiichiro's willingness to stay in touch with her may loan credence to this theory.
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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Episode 12
Amy's final take on Shonen Maid nicely mirrors my opinion of the spring anime season as a whole: a general contentment with being very good. Of the 22 shows I followed, few of them strove for wild originality, but the majority of them made the most of limited concepts, standard settings and familiar character dynamics. Series I thought would be endless fan service fests like Shonen Maid, Anne Happy, Bakuon!! and Three Leaves turned out to be some of my top picks of the season. Is it safe to assume Chiyo's ghost beau is Chihiro's supposedly-deceased father? If so, keeping his face hidden makes sense from a narrative standpoint, but it's kind of cruel to his son, y'know? Assuming both parents were signing off for good, he should have at least said some parting words to Chihiro. Since I was under the impression that he worked exclusively in showbiz, I was surprised to find that Madoka derives a portion of his income from designing wedding dresses. I also assumed he was at least partially living off family money, but in light of his apparent estrangement, I'm not sure this is the case. Still, I can't believe he'd be able to afford - or even want - a house that size unless the Takatoris already owned it. |
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sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
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^I wondered about the house too, but wildly popular designers make lots of cash so I guess is a testament to his popularity. I enjoyed the last episode and the series as a whole.
It was a sweet escape from life. Oh, and when i first saw Chihiro's dad I thought he was Mr. Rogers! Nice sweater. 
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4194 |
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2016: The point where anime being good just isn't good enough.
I'm happy Shounen Maid didn't end up being just a commercial for its source material like so many others. No, it had themes, a character arc, a situation that developed... it didn't reach its conclusion but it's not a live or die "read the manga" kind of thing.... but even as a slice of life, it did more than it had to do. It was good, it was charming. Wow, when was the last time a show was charming? Not just the leads or one particular character, I was fond of everyone. Any other show, there's always that one character who kind of kills the atmosphere but everyone fit here... including the grandmother and his dead mother. |
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sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
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There are never enough. But this season had three charming shows: this one, Flying Witch, and Tanaka-kun. I was in heaven. You could probably count Rainbow Days as well though it's the second half of its run. But before that we're back to summer of last year with My Love Story and Non non Biyori. |
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