Mai-HiME/Otome ect. aesthetics What's your favorite?

Basically a thread for which character designs we like most from any corner of the canon My-Multiverse and which character portrayal we like most. List reasons and preferably a pic or two.
My favorite character designs are probably from that dating sim. Can't remember the name of it and wasn't a fan of what I read about it concerning Shizuru's suicide but damn the characters look cool.



Just look at how sleek Duran looks and don't even get me started on Natsuki.

As far as portrayals go I like EXA Natsuki best. She definatly seemed like the most competent of all her incarnations. By the Void she even single handedly took down Mai and Kagatsuchi.

It's not just you most anime seems to become homogenous in terms of art style, probably for budget reasons. And no doujinshi art because everyone would pick Doropanda Tours myself included.

Without starting with the obvious (Natsuki Kuga), let me begin with Haruka Suzushiro/Armitage.

Haruka Suzushiro from the original Mai-HiME anime by Sunrise is preferably one of my favorites. The art in Mai-HiME isn't as beautiful and rich as the PS2 game Tree of Fortune, I'm aware of this. Credit is given to the way Sunrise handled Haruka's emotional reactions to everything. Her personality shines through the art, as if the character herself is an extra in a play, trying to outclass the other cast members.



^ Look at the confidence on her face, even when she's doing something as simple as telling a terrible joke. I can see *why* Yukino would find interest in her, the poor girl is trying way too hard to please. It's cute.



^ Then there are moments where Haruka, the ever cocky Executive Director, showing moments of vulnerability. Also the scene in Mai-Otome where Haruka Armitage is embarrassed by a child fan asking her to marry him. Her cute blushing face shows us a girly side of her.

As for which Haruka I prefer, I'd have to say manga Haruka Suzushiro. I've always said Haruka was always missing something to make her more unstable in the anime and it was HiME powers:



^ The equivalent of a kid wielding her dad's gun.

Hime Haruka one of the few good things to come out of the manga. That reminds me...

Magus Phantalus wrote:Hime Haruka one of the few good things to come out of the manga. That reminds me...

*laughs* I enjoyed the manga a bit more than others. It made sense to make her a HiME, since I kind of thought she'd become one during my first viewing of Mai-HiME. So it's like a little dream coming true.

Haruka being a Hime at the lose of Shizuru being one. What's that saying "Can't have your cake and eat it too."? I want a manga with a nice fluid story, awesome art, both Shizuru and Haruka being Hime on top of the others we've come to expect, Mai and Natsuki as the main characters, relevant and likable male characters, and MOST importantly a shiznat subplot.

Now I have a strange craving for pecan pie. The Magus will find some... one day when I'm not feeling lazy.

Magus Phantalus wrote:Haruka being a Hime at the lose of Shizuru being one. What's that saying "Can't have your cake and eat it too."? I want a manga with a nice fluid story, awesome art, both Shizuru and Haruka being Hime on top of the others we've come to expect, Mai and Natsuki as the main characters, relevant and likable male characters, and MOST importantly a shiznat subplot.

Now I have a strange craving for pecan pie. The Magus will find some... one day when I'm not feeling lazy.

ShizNat subplot sounds delicious` I'd like more Tomoe Marguerite involvement too, even if she has to be a comic foil for ShizNat.

So you'd like a manga with a nice fluid story with Mai-HiME EXA art and the rest of what you listed? Not bad for far, Mag.

Nah I'd want it to have the art of that dating sim game. But I'd want Natsuki to be like her EXA counterpart. That Natsuki is the very definition of badass.

I am infamiliar with that character, but then again I could never finish the mangas.

I will concede though that the manga art is beautiful and I'll stop myself there lest I depart on to another rant. Be THANKFUL for the thoughtfulness of The Magus!

I have but three questions.

1 What manga is that?

2 Is there yuri in it?

3 Is it in english?

Magus Phantalus wrote:I have but three questions.

1 What manga is that?

2 Is there yuri in it?

3 Is it in english?

The manga is seikon no qwaser

There are some yuri overtones,

Tokyopop translated the first three or so issues before they went under and the series is pretty easy to find. But whether or not you'll like it is anyone's guess

I've heard of it... mixed things perchance what volume is the shiznat cameo?

Magus Phantalus wrote:I've heard of it... mixed things perchance what volume is the shiznat cameo?

I don't know, I never knew there was a shiznat cameo in it.

Well guess I got some searching to do thanks for your time and info.

I'm iffy on getting it for one panel of a cameo considering how fan servicey the manga is. Then again I am a sucker for cameos. Which volume if I may from my search I think it's volume two.

I figured as much still I don't know anyway getting back on track.

Check out this Kiyohime. Sells Evil right away in my opinion. From the same dating sim game as the natsuki pic I posted in my first post.

I agree on the stylish part but I gotta say the naginata has been growing on me lately. But then again I'm more used to swords so maybe the naginata just feels diffrent to me.