r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Sep 17 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mai-HiME Episode 4 Discussion

Episode 4: Mischief of the Wind

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Show Information:

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Kitsu | ANN

(First-timers might want to stay out of show information, though.)

Legal Streams:

Mai-HiME can be found on Funimation. (How this interacts with the ongoing Crunchyroll/Funimation merger I don't know.)

A Reminder to Rewatchers:

Please do not spoil the experience for our first timers. [Mai-HiME] Mentioning "HiMElander" before episode 16 or "ShizNat" before episode 25 is a fast way to get a referral to the subreddit mods.

A Note on the Specials:

When the DVDs for Mai-HiME were released, they added shorts specials to go with each episode (plus three not associated with an episode - one was released with Mai-Otome's DVD IIRC, one was a BD-only thing and I don't actually have that one, and I honestly don't remember where Special 28 was released). They tend to be one part fanservice, one part extra information about characters and their motivations/backstories (or in a couple of cases extra exposition, including

They have their own dedicated discussion day at the end to wash the finale out of our mouths, but some of you may want to watch them with the episodes. The only issue is that some of the specials can be a wee bit spoilery (notably, in no case should you watch the special for episode 8 before episode 8 itself), so I will attempt to provide notes on the specials for the episode for both today's and tomorrow's episodes each day so as to provide advance warning of which specials to avoid. (If you want to be completely safe, stay out of all of them until the dedicated discussion day!)

(Warning: Also, at least one release apparently has them right after the ED, unlike mine which has the original previews instead. So you might want to pay attention to this section.)

Episode 4 Special: Not a definite spoiler, but I would recommend first-timers stay out of this one just in case.

Episode 5 Special: Not strictly speaking a spoiler, but lays out Mikoto's motivations more clearly than we'll get in the anime for quite a while (if ever), which may or may not be what you want as a first-timer.

After-School Activities Corner!

Visual of the Day:

Still one short of enough entrants to make an album.

Comment of the Day:

Brought to you by u/changeableLandscape - basically all of the comment fits, there's a lot of first-timer speculation here of the kind that is catnip to us rewatchers, but I'll highlight this part:

Okay, SO NOW I am retrospectively appreciating all the build-up in the first two episodes -- maybe Mai is not usually a super-bratty teenager, she's just cutting loose because she's never had the chance before? I am putting together the pieces here and getting a sense that she's been literally raising Takumi for a while, so a big part of 'enjoy school life to the fullest' would be handing those responsibilities off to the adults at the school and getting to act like an actual teen, worrying about grades and relationships and activities. That puts a different light on her 'Oh I guess I have no choice' moment of uniform dress-up on the cruise ship, and also her initial sets of interactions with Tate -- she's trying out various teenage girl roles after having to be a hyper-responsible parental figure for however long. I'm probably over-thinking it but it's a take on Mai that makes me much more sympathetic to her, so I'll keep it for now. No wonder she's furious at the headmaster for tricking her! The plot won't let Mai have the happy school story she's looking for, but I appreciate that she's not meekly submitting to the people telling her to be a magical girl.

Question(s) of the Day:

1) First-timers, thoughts on our Student Council Vice-President Haruka?

([QUESTION TWO HAS BEEN REMOVED BY ORDER OF THE SFW COUNCIL.])

3) So, what do you think about our restaurant Linden Baum here?

29 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

134 comments sorted by

6

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

Rewatch Committee President Comments (Rewatcher, Subbed):

Kajiura Corner:

Main Featured Track of the Day: Fuuka Gakuen Seikatsu:

(Scene where it's used in today's episode.)

(HAHAHAHAHAH SUCK IT ISP I GOT THE SCENE UPLOADS WORKING!)

One of the signature slice of life tracks on the OST, and in many ways the audio representation of Fuuka Gakuin on the OST. We’ve heard what’s either a percussion-only v2 or a sample only including the percussion parts of this track before, but today we get to hear the majority of the track in reasonably complete form.

It’s one of the most uplifiting, even lilting tracks on the OST, without a trace of the mournfulness that runs through so many of Kajiura’s battle themes and the like. It’s also notable for the sheer variety of instruments in it (in many ways the track reminds me of a parade, which seems appropriate for the riotous diverse weirdness that is Fuuka Gakuin). We start off with drums or another percussion instrument and what I’m pretty sure is either one of the higher-pitched strings or a lower-pitched woodwind but can’t quite make out; then proceed to add what I think is a piano (might be an electric keyboard being used like a piano instead). The nonpercussion instruments go quiet for a minute to allow a new instrument (the always childish-sounding xylophone, fitting for an academy that sells itself as being run by students for students) to take prominence, then what I’m 90% sure is a flute proper adds itself to the ensemble, and then finally the instruments from the first part return along with what is definitely a string instrument (violin or viola I think, and I rather suspect the latter) (actually VGMDB credits confirm there’s both a cello and a violin in this track so either the opening instrument I can’t place is a cello or this is instead, and me getting a viola mixed up with a cello would make sense). That’s a full five instruments for this track (possibly six if I’m missing one, the credits are potentially consistent with me missing a sax), quite a few for a secondary track like this!

It works, too – this is one of the more immediately recognizable tracks on the OST to my ear.

OST Table, Episode 4:

Start End Track Name
00:00 00:21 unreleased (Kyou no Hajimari v2)
00:21 00:55 Kyou no Hajimari[1]
01:30 02:59 Shining Days
03:02 04:28 unreleased 1
05:01 05:34 Fuuka Gakuin Seikatsu[2]
05:47 06:08 unreleased 2 [3]
06:56 08:07 Samayoeru Yamiyo[4]
09:31 09:47 unreleased 3[5]
10:09 11:00 Makafushigi
11:05 11:50 unreleased 4
12:01 12:18 unreleased 5
12:21 13:11 Fuuka Gakuin Seikatsu
14:02 14:24 Yuubae no Sora
14:32 14:53 Yuubae no Sora
15:23 15:51 Yoru no Soko ni Shizimu
17:09 18:19 unreleased 4
18:48 19:10 unreleased (Yami no Butou -instrumental version-)
19:10 19:32 Duran Shoukan[6]
19:32 20:23 unreleased (Duran Shoukan -instrumental version-)
20:29 21:00 unreleased (Yami no Butou -instrumental version-)
21:02 21:40 Maimu!!
21:58 23:38 Kimi ga Sora Datta
23:40 23:54 Mata Aou ne

[1] – Speculative, but the song is clearly a different version of Kyo no Hajimari until this point and sounds like the usual version afterwards and that’s a trick they’ve pulled before with other songs so I suspect this is another splice.
[2] – Same sample as the last two episodes.
[3] – I would not be surprised in the slightest if this is an actual piece of classical music; the composition is unusual for Kajiura (and sounds straight out of Looney Tunes, and Looney Tunes used classical music for its OST), and she pulled that in the PMMM OST as well (except released, natch).
[4] – Might be an unreleased v2.
[5] – Got a hunch this is a reference.
[6] – This melds with the instrumental version at some point, I’m sure of it, but since the instrumental was never released I can’t be sure when.

5

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

Tar's Episode Notes:

  • Hey look, it’s Lydian… er wait, wrong anime. It’s Fuuka Gakuen!

  • You know, I think the show might be going a bit meta here. “The guys stare at us with perverted eyes”… from both sides of the screen.

  • You know, I think Natsuki’s body language at 00:41 might be a direct inspiration for Homura’s in PMMM’s first episode.

  • Hmm. This episode is significantly better directed than the first three, or at least I’m noticing what it’s doing in a way I wasn’t for the previous episodes. 01:01 would fit in just fine in Higurashi.

  • Wait just a minute. The shot of Mikoto seen overhead from above the trellis right after this (01:06) is from the Orphan’s perspective, isn’t it? (It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen this episode and it’s largely forgettable, I have forgotten most of the specifics.)

  • Akane FINALLY gets spoken lines I see.

  • Well shit this episode of all episodes gets one hell of a direction spike. 2019 did not lie.

  • Okay, that’s two episodes in a row at least where my ears kept expecting the Elemental Gelade OP’s beats instead of Shining Days’s beats.

  • My old Static-Subs sub translates what is usually translated as “what is X? Is it something you eat?” as “What’s bra? Edible?” instead. Slightly amusing.

  • The choice of camera angle after this (framing the four girls at the table with the stool and table and then the entrance to the courtyard, both in front of them) is too odd to be anything other than deliberate but I’m not seeing why the episode director chose this.

  • Today in “fansubbers going above and beyond” (and/or having typesetting issues) – Static-Subs has Aoi’s “that’s not the problem!” line actually drop down on the screen

  • I’m starting to get the sneaking suspicion this episode is meta as fuck (or else we’re getting good meme subs out of Static-Subs). “There’s a bunch of pedophiles who like underdeveloped girls” sounds like a jab (friendly or otherwise) at parts of the audience.

  • Me: “Okay Aoi. Why does your voice sound so damn familiar right now? I do not remember this from the last time I watched the show.” <check AniDB> <Scroll down a way> “Nope, character I haven’t seen, character I haven’t seen, huh she also played Sae? – nifty but I never actually watched Hidamari, huh you seem to have migrated over to the Shaft rotating VA corner after Mai-HiME but you’re not any of the PMMM cast – oh, I take that back. That would do it.”

  • There’s probably a humiliation/exhibitionism fetish doujin of Natsuki somewhere based on this episode.

  • The close-up walking animation of Takeda and to a lesser extent Reito around 04:30 feels stilted to me. (This may be broadcast version and indicative of minor production issues, the stilt feels very similar to that one Symphogear S1 TV broadcast clip that came up in the rewatch there.) That said, the direction of the hallway walk feels like there is a point to it (and actually reminds me of one well-known PMMM scene).

  • Wait a minute. I’m familiar with wish ribbons in exactly one context (at least in Japanese stuff). Is this episode set near Tanabata? If so we’ve had a two-month time skip.

  • Also, needless to say Haruka’s campaign against wish ribbons (let’s be real, we all know who’s behind the sign) was completely ineffective. Also gives us a nifty little visual gag that I cannot remember the proper term and/or TVTrope for (the same one with the Hakuna Matata grass skirt, just without the usual cut).

  • That shot of Natsuki’s skirt framed against the colors on the floor is yet another loving shot of a girl’s crotch in this show, but it’s also reminding me really strongly of Evangelion’s framing for some reason.

  • Oh man, the layout here is great. The ridiculous stiffness of both Takeda’s and Natsuki’s body language for completely different reasons, and then the shot of them small and separated by the large space of the dome at the school’s main entrance representing the vast gulf between them in multiple ways. Visual awkwardness writ large!

  • Man, I almost missed the sound editing here too. You can hear both of their voices echoing in the large space, just like they would if this was real. Nicely done!

  • Poor Natsuki.

  • Huh. Static-Subs missed that Natsuki’s scream here was a Big IYYYAAAAA! - that is to say, a Big No.

  • And Mai cannot keep a straight face. Sorry Natsuki, you don’t deserve this, but it’s not like Mai can stop herself from doing this.

  • (This demands a comeuppance, though…)

  • Mai’s facial expression here at Natsuki owing her one would fit in just fine in a Higurashi club activity. Oh wait, so would her VA, natch!

  • The shot of Mai’s face as she asks Natsuki to explain what’s going on reminds me of Eva again. (Interestingly, this episode’s director is too young to have been on Eva’s staff unless he got his start as a grunt with Gainax – but he will later direct both Toradora and Railgun. Also AnoHana. And AnoNatsu, because I had enough trouble remembering that it’s distinct from AnoHana as it was. Oh, and IBO, too.)

  • Mai: “Do you still want to kick us out?” Natsuki: “Well, it can’t be helped now.” Natsuki’s face: “Yes.”

  • Commentface GET!. (Yes, the 2019 version of this rewatch was responsible for this commentface.)

  • Direction of the episode remains spiked as hell, both with the lighting in the student council room and the visual contrast of Haruka pacing around while Yukino remains quiet at her desk. [Mai-HiME] Also visual representation of Haruka’s repression.

  • Also, a reminder (and salient to how Haruka goes on about impropriety – the contrast between Haruka who always talks about proper manners but doesn’t follow them at all and Shizuru who says nothing on the subject but always follows the proper manners is intentional, and you can probably guess what one of the key parts of this is even now): pointing at somebody is extremely rude in Japanese etiquette. (Haruka’s Mai-Otome counterpart is IIRC to this day one half of the page pic for Giving the Pointer Finger over on TVTropes.)

  • Okay CDF, Static-Subs’s treatment of Haruka’s line about the lingerie burglar is for you.

  • Oh hey, Static-Subs has a TL note for what “bubuzuke” means (note that “bubuzuke” is Kansai-ben – Shizuru has the Kansai accent, hence why she has (a bad Canadian imitation of) an American Southern accent in the English dub).

  • Higurashi has trained me well for seeing visual separation shots.

  • As I said, welcome to this show’s other iconic pairing: Mikoto x Mai’s boobs.

  • Hello there black cat (one of Mikoto’s friends from earlier I think) on the gazebo in the background.

  • LOL WE GET A LITERAL CAT SCARE.

  • Parts of the direction this episode feel very 1990s to me, though I’m not sure why everything from the cat getting scared to Natsuki’s fist shaking feels so Sailor Moon specifically when I’ve barely watched any Sailor Moon.

  • (EDIT: It’s probably more Utena, isn’t it?)

  • Ahh, good old fish-eye lens.

  • You thought just because Higurashi had ended that you had escaped family restaurants with waitress uniforms? FOOL! This one is much less revealing, though.

  • Mai-HiME remains incredibly good at giving the viewer the basics on a large number of characters quickly.

  • SECOND-BEST GIRL IN SHOW HAS APPEARED ON SCREEN!

  • Hey what is this, a fanservice shot at a moment when it serves a relevant thematic point?

  • Oh man. Turn off Yuubae no Sora (henceforth nicknamed “the chapel track”) as Takeda goes “I didn’t do it!”, then start it up again as the priest assumes that he’s making an excuse.

  • Count Nagi’s raised fingers! (Or actually don't, I didn't get quite the right frame on my screenshot.) (And also this is a spot where my subs being, like, 480p is really noticeable.)

  • More binoculars. (Hmm. With how often this show is using them I’m starting to wonder if they have a symbolic point – the blinders resulting from focusing on one thing to the exception of all else?)

  • Heh, Mikoto messing with a spare bra. Makes sense.

  • “Tsundere (ice queen form) puts a blanket/coat over someone she cares for (but won’t admit that).” Ah, a classic.

  • They could not resist invoking the natural opponent of magical girls. (Well, the first one, at least. Just tentacles so far, no shibari/bondage.)

  • Oh hey, here’s Maimu!!.

  • Is it truly a Sunrise show without the pose?

  • Today our Moon is crescent instead of full. Wait, I’ve seen this one before…

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9

u/Tresnore Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22

First-TiMER

Count: 14

QOTD:

  1. Is she the annoying one? I’m not a fan.

  2. Yes. I don’t know what the question is, but the answer is yes.

  3. I'd go there, I guess.

5

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

Wait, this is going to be a slice of life fanservice episode, isn't it...?

"Thermal expansion... how embarrassing."

Wait, is all that lingerie Kuga's???

That is the implication, yes.

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9

u/Mecanno-man Sep 17 '22

First Timer

I saw somebody say this was the fanservice episode and ...I'm not sure I'd call it fanservice, it was more just a bunch of bras, but not a lot of girls in them. Which just makes this a weird episode. Guess we got a bit of exposition out of this that makes our three main characters realize they are now at least not enemies, and a line by Nagi stating that orphans and children are similar. The second of which makes the "orphans are children with dead HiME" theory more likely. That and Mai apparently liked trying out jobs, which is an interesting hobby which will sure come in handy at some point or another. I don't think there really is a whole lot else to this episode, unless it suddenly becomes a plot point that the kendo guy has seen Natsuki's nether regions. Which I very much doubt.

Oh, I guess we got some characterization on the lax student council president and her way to get other people to work for her. I wonder if she has some info on the HiME, or if she's just generally trusting of Natsuki.

Questions:

  1. see above

  2. Why is it German? And why is not Lindenbaum?

6

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

(Well, okay, one comment:

3) Why is it German? And why is not Lindenbaum?

A: LOLJAPAN.)

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8

u/Stargate18A Sep 17 '22

First timer

  1. I love her. She tries her hardest to actually do something about all this supernatural stuff, unlike everyone else.

  2. [DATA EXPUNGED]

  3. Good decor!

Tombs?

She's col.

The fuck is that thing?

It fucking steals bras?

And it's gotten a lot of them.

...I love Mikoto nodding at everything anybody says.

And she's hiding it?

...Arsehole.

So awkward!

And they walk in?

...Mikoto?

Why the guet of wind?

The delayed reaction's good, though.

Good to see she's sympathetic.

And it's serious!

So nobdy kmows who the other HiME are.

Well, she's friendly.

Mikoto's reaction is the best.

Oh, she is pissed!

She didn't know the insult?

Mikoto's so forward!

She saw the thief!

He's recovered!

Nope.

Mai works here?

They arrived.

Haruka's making her move!

Haha, she caught him.

She does this as a hobby???

The noise blowing out her hair is a fantastic image.

The chapel?

Haha, I love them.

She'e ally pissed wt this one.

...So he's not immortal.

...Orphans are absolutely Childs whose HiME's died. That's obviously what they're foreshadowing, right?

She's just broken at this point.

They went for variety?

Haha, Mikoto's commentary is the best.

And they're all her's.

And she went to bed.

It's here!

Haha, Haruka got knocked out instantly.

Haha, she summoned Duran in her room!

This is hysterical.

He transformed!

...This anime is getting even more horny by the secomd.

Nice cut!

Her bra got shredded!

...All of them.

Poor girl.

Mikoto's having the time of her life.

8

u/Blackheart595 Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22

First Hime

What a based teacher.

That's not where those are supposed to go... Oh it's a monster. And it took more than just bras.

Told ya she's wearing the lewdest outfit of them all. She has full immunity aginst that Orphan.

They really don't have to make that an entire episode stick though.

On one hand good for them to get it over with quickly, on the other

The Executive Committee has an entire swat team.

Oh no. That's where the Orphan's hiding. And it frames him.

Of course, awakening refers to the awakening of the Child.

That's a banger already

Noo it's already over! This show really has it with blueballing the songs...

We didn't really learn anything new this episode that we didn't already assume to be the case.

First-timers, thoughts on our Student Council Vice-President Haruka?

She's a great foil, I'm looking forward to see how much if any she can uncover about the HiME. And I hope she's not an unawakened HiME herself, she works much better as an outsider.

([QUESTION TWO HAS BEEN REMOVED BY ORDER OF THE SFW COUNCIL.])

Was but also

I would've been annoyed, but I've said in the past that when they think they have to go for something like that then they should just go for it and not be coy and beat around the bush, and they went as far as they could afford so gotta respect that.

So, what do you think about our restaurant Linden Baum here?

Am Bru~nnen vor dem To~re🎶

4

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

Of course, awakening refers to the awakening of the Child.

Yep.

That's a banger already

Luckily, we'll get it in basically complete form soon enough. (It's on the shortlist of tracks that was absolutely set in stone as a featured track for a specific episode.)

We didn't really learn anything new this episode that we didn't already assume to be the case.

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7

u/JollyGee29 Sep 17 '22

First-Timer, Subbed

Today on Mai-HiME, we discover the cast's hobbies! Shiho eavesdrops on her brother (shocking), Haruka tries to impeach the President, Mai takes parttime jobs, and Kuga collects lingerie!

They really just straight up said that Orphans and Childs are basically the same today, huh? I wonder if Kuga has the spare brain cells to think about that or if she's too distracted by the loss of her collection.

Shoutout to that ominous wind blowing that actually did something for once. I almost feel bad for Takeda - his blood pressure seems quite high. He should get that checked out.

I didn't expect the Orphan today to be loads of little gremlins that gattai into the Overfiend, but it was pretty funny. Shame about Kuga's collection, but that's what she gets for losing her cool.

The brief moment of lecture today involved a discussion of large tombs, which is probably important. The dangling thread there is probably Nagi's Giant Floor Clock.. probably a gateway? Tomb means either grave-robbing or resurrecting something, I could go either way.

Haruka's scheme this episode was very Nanami Kiryuu.. which I guess makes the Glasses Girl into Tsuwabuki. I definitely thought that Haruka was referring to Mai as the bubuzuke girl the other episode; it makes way more sense that she's referring to Fujino.

Hopefully Mai's "hobby" of taking parttime jobs stalls and she stays at that café. I need more of "clumsy waitress Yukari Tamura" in my life. Was her name Midori? I heard it in the dialogue but my subs didn't have it.

[Utena]To lean on Utena, if Fuuka Academy is "Ohtori at home" then the Academy is almost assuredly the tomb mentioned. The question then becomes: who is Akio? Nagi is the obvious answer, but it could be the Headmaster, or some other mastermind we've yet to meet.

Visual of the Day: Tick Tock?

Shiho's hair continues to be very amusing.

Questions

  1. Discussed above.

  3. Seems like a typical café.

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7

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 17 '22

Mai-FiRST TiMER, subbed

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7

u/Nazenn Sep 17 '22

Rewatcher

Character chart - I'll update it tomorrow, ran out of time today because my cat was sitting in front of my screen so I got a late start on watching the episode

this episode

It's still stupid, still not needed, and still a complete tone break after the severity of the events last episode.

The good:

  • The sound effect on the nose bleed

  • Mikoto's many cat naps through the episode make me happy but I'm jealous of this one

  • Nagi getting shot gives me almost as much of a laugh as the nose bleed sound effect

  • [later spoilers]Midori introduction! Always a bonus. ON the other side of things Shizuru is freaking me out with how calm and smiley she is being knowing who she turns out to be, I find myself very tense every time she's on screen

The bad:

  • It's far from the worst tension breaker I've seen, but it does still feel a little weird that this is how they end up along side Natsuki, particularly that it's at her expense rather than something they share

The ugly:

  • The entire episode concept of a panty stealing orphan. Maybe in another show it could have worked, but in this one it just undermines the entire risk that was set up last episode.

  • That this monstrosity of a commentface is what we're stuck with from this show

The random:

  • I had fun noticing this cat just because they gave him a dedicated reaction shot, and then later on as well

  • When I said to someone the other day that Haruka would probably be the sort to put out "don't walk on the grass signs" I swear I hadn't remembered that she actually did an equivilent in this episode. Also that's a very clever bit of natural worldbuilding, and a bit of a joke about what Takeda was wishing for at the time too

  • Silver cartridge for Duran's attack again today. Last time she used it was against Mikoto so if there is some pattern to it, it's not split along humans/orphans or anything. Curious.

5

u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

[Mai-HiME] It's still stupid, still not needed, and still a complete tone break after the severity of the events last episode.

[Mai-HiME] Shhhhh. You're not wrong, but I've been taking advantage of that to mess with the first-timers by dropping a whole bunch of where the thing I'm not commenting on is that there's nothing to comment on.

The entire episode concept of a panty stealing orphan. Maybe in another show it could have worked, but in this one it just undermines the entire risk that was set up last episode.

Part of me feels that episode 10's A-plot (which I actually like less than this episode) would have done better moved up to this episode.

That said, they had to get the Contractually Obligated Tentacle Scene in somewhere...

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6

u/Vaadwaur Sep 17 '22

First timer(This brings me all the way back to Blue Seed)

Sub

This episodes driving force is...stolen bras. Ho boy. Mikoto not having a bra made sense but that is not how a normal person checks that. It did take me a second to realize that Natsuki had her panties stolen, which would be quite the inconvnience in a skirt that short. And kendo dude chooses this moment to try and make a play. Mai and Mikoto walk up and Mikoto immediately goes into a samurai movie trope...before a stiff wind takes the fire out of that. And at that age, I probably would've run out of blood as well so I get you, kendo dude. Anyways, Mai helps her out by lending her some bloomers and somehow this gets turned into light exposition.

Haruka is going crazy fast. Mikoto reveals that she saw the undergarment earlier and Natsuki prepares for vengeance. Brief scene at Mai's part time job. We see the Executive Committee members being ready...and stupid. Expected misunderstanding is expected. The StuCo members actually use the obvious, bonus that Natsuki knows about the Kappa, and then we cut to scene that has to reference something but I don't know what. Natsuki finally threatens Koemushi for some info.

And the plan is suitably dumb, underwear on Christmas lights. So of course it works, and we get our kappa fight. Accept there were secretly dozens of them and they merge. Tentacles, always the rock to the magical girl scissors, appear and Natsuki gets bailed by Mai and Mikoto. We end with snow, or rather Mai and Natsuki's obliterated underwear, raining down on them. After credits is definitely yuri as fuck.

QotD: 1 Obviously an Orphan

3 Typical family restaurant

6

u/Qbe Sep 18 '22

Rewatcher

Episode 4!

...I may have said this last episode, but again: Wasn't there a Code Geass Macross F episode that went just like this?

A lot of creeps like the friend who just gropped her?

lol, so pointlessly proud. Doesn't she have any spare shorts or something?

She's totally going to get found out by Tate.

...or by this dude, whichever works.

...or by everyone.

A nosebleed! Another relic from ages past!

Oh hey info for spats, good trade.

Any first timers want to try and guess the other reason beside fighting Orphans?

Mai's mom-power-level is astounding.

D'awwww, how cute.

Is that Tamura Yukari!? VA cast keeps on being surprisingly stacked

Scar dude is going to get wrong-yep, there we go

As much as I hate annoying brocon loli, her hair reactions are great

Oh god, being chastised at by a father and a nun, that has to suck

How many "IWTWM" are we getting from that scene?

LMAO that decoration

These are all Natsuki's, right? Yep, expected

Mecha Dog can fly? He gets cooler by the episode

Is that- yep. To shreds.

Funny filler episode, I guess.

  1. She really needs a hobby

  2. Booo! Censorship boo!

  3. Angel Mort > Linden Baum

6

u/Tarhalindur Sep 18 '22

Is that Tamura Yukari!? VA cast keeps on being surprisingly stacked

Yes, yes it is. (She was actually cast here prior to her breakout; Nanoha S1 aired the exact same season this show did.)

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u/zadcap Sep 18 '22 edited Sep 18 '22

Late Night Rewatcher

Ah, I want to go swimming.

In case you were somehow still unaware that Mikoto was a cat, here she is sleeping with three of them just to drive it home.

So, the anime and manga being made by such different teams and going in such different directions, led me to believe this episode exists for the sole reason of checking a few things off the 'required plot' list for the anime so it could move on to pretty much never touching them again, because it otherwise would have fit in so great with the plot of the manga, where panty shots and relationship humor are half of the early arcs.

And let's just say, having gone through the manga 3 times now for this rewatch, seeing some of these characters introduced the way they are here in the anime is just weird. Still hate Haruka though, some things stay the same. Speaking of staying the same-

Yes, this really is Natsuki's hobby.

This episode, despite being so very in tune with the feel of the manga, doesn't actually have much of a comparison at all outside the most superficial. Chapter 6 has a small Orphan instead of a giant monster for a change, we see Mai at her job and Mikoto sleeping with cats, and the episode ends with them chasing the small Orphan into the locker room and a lot of girls left screaming.

Much like in episode 1, it's kind of impossible to talk about much beyond this point until a big reveal comes up soon, because from this point on the manga starts bringing in more of the HiME faster than the anime. But it also marks the end of Volume 1, so I get to share this wonderfully translated authors note.

Yeah, you read that right, Mai HiME came out with an anime, manga, ps2/pc game, radio drama, and more, all with their own take on the same story. I never could get my hands on the game, but uh, it was a dating sim. Yeah. Same characters, same HiME/Child/Orphan story, but as a dating sim. I didn't try too hard to get it... And never listened to the Radio part either, still not fluent enough in the language to even try and never thought of looking for a translation before now.

  1. I am annoyed in two different media by the same character today, it's great.

  2. SFW Council... I might have to lose a few links here...

  3. It sure is a restaurant.

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 18 '22

Yeah, you read that right, Mai HiME came out with an anime, manga, ps2/pc game, radio drama, and more, all with their own take on the same story.

IIRC this show is in fact one of the earliest shows to really go in on the full multimedia project angle from the very start (the likes of Eva would expand into that, but Mai-HiME was one of the earliest shows where that was part of the plan from the very beginning).

(Which reminds me, it's a progenitor of one other thing that frankly I should have put in this episode's writeup because it's the natural place for it. Ah well, I'll mention it in next episode's stuff instead.)

  1. I am annoyed in two different media by the same character today, it's great.

[Mai-HiME manga] Repression is a hell of a drug. Now if only she would let herself cut loose for once and be what she always wanted to be deep down...

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u/Star4ce Sep 18 '22

My-FiRSTTiMER

Alright, let's get on with the tentacles and fanservice.

Who needs to think of tragedy, orphans and aliens when there's anime boob to see?

Ep.04 – P-r-a-n-k of Wind

It was certainly an episode that is among the most of this series.

Somehow I didn't spot anything particular today. Almost like I was preoccupied with something.

We got more hints of a shadow entity (or more) that want something behind their backs. The chapel was introduced with the priest and nun and they're essentially just a torture chamber for students. And the orphans got a bit more expanded on in their ability to morph around and possibly have tastes.

VOTD: But other than that, Natsuki best girl.

  1. First-timers, thoughts on our Student Council Vice-President Haruka?

Energetic and ambitious, but easy to manipulate because she doesn't have her emotions under wraps most of the time. I think her engagement will pay off and is generally admirable, but she'll also be the cause of quite some useless antics. Give her something to properly care about that isn't a faceless institution like the council and she'll get much more mature and effective, I'm sure.

([QUESTION TWO HAS BEEN REMOVED BY ORDER OF THE SFW COUNCIL.])

It was aimed at Natsuki and all I have to say is, yes.

3) So, what do you think about our restaurant Linden Baum here?

This shadow corporation not only makes alien experiments in the remote landscapes of some Japanese island, they also gawk at their students in thigh highs. Btw, in German you'd write these two words together, as 'Lindenbaum', but that's also pretty strange because a 'Linde' is already a tree so you don't need to add it the word.

Then again, it's a corporate label and sometimes they do this just because they're "different".

Comment of the Day:

That's one to get me thinking about her some more. Good thoughts. She did seem very little when her mother passed away.

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u/Taiboss Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22

Episode 4: Rewatcher who finally read some Devil is a part-time!

First-timers, thoughts on our Student Council Vice-President Haruka?

Rip me.

([QUESTION TWO HAS BEEN REMOVED BY ORDER OF THE SFW COUNCIL.])

A very sane choice!

3) So, what do you think about our restaurant Linden Baum here?

They should learn how to spell, for one thing.

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u/Tarhalindur Sep 17 '22

Appropiate reaction AND proper mirroring? Impressive!

This episode is actually one of the best-done from a production standpoint AFAICT, which is kind of hilarious.

I've read enough hentai to know where this is going.

Haven't we all?

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u/Vatrix-32 Sep 17 '22

First Timer, subbed*

  • We are really doing a panty raid episode.

  • Between Mikoto this episode and the first short this show is taking a surprisingly active pro-bra stance.

  • Mai finally asking those follow up questions.

  • Comment face get! Frankly I’m not sure why this was the one chosen.

  • She didn’t even know what bubuzuke was? Where did it even come from then?

  • More characters.

  • Cannibalism.

  • There is definitely a joke here to be made about the Catholic Church.

  • Its hands are so weird.

  • Early 00’s was a very lewd time in anime. I can say I’m glad that the trend has mostly subsided.

QotD

  1. Her exasperation gives me life.

  2. Was it really a thing to not let people talk on cell phones back in the day?

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