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The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome

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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:09 pm

Though September 30, 2004, the airdate for the first anime episode of Mai-HiME is a ways away, 2014 marks the ten year anniversary for the series as a whole . The franchise's main attraction, the anime series, was directed by Masakazu Obara, written by Hiroyuki Yoshino and had a killer soundtrack composed by Yuki Kajiura. Kajiura worked on some of the most beloved anime titles like Noir, Madlax, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica.




Mai-HiME told the story of twelve girls born with unique powers and abilities to fight monster-like creatures called Orphans. Each girls can summon a Orphan of their own that has become compatible with a HiME called "CHILDs" These mecha beasts assist their respective HiME in battle. The HiME soon discover that they serve a much larger purpose. The series is filled with a lot of drama, action, fanservice (but not to the point where it makes you sick. It's done at a minimum compared to other titles), and comedy. The same goes for it's spin-off sequel, Mai-Otome. But to truly appreciate the storyline of Otome, you have to watch HiME first. Trust me, they are connected.



Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome were loosely adapted into various forms of media including manga, video games and novels. The Mai-Franchise produced a long line of figures, posters, DVDs, accessories, T-Shirts,  art books, CDs, trading cards, doujinshi, wall scrolls and more. To honor ten years worth of Mai-HiME/Otome, I'd like to share just about everything this series has to offer.

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome 6839
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hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20HiME%20DVD%20box%20set%204
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20Otome%20seven%20DVDs
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Maihimeotomegames

For this thread, I'd like to see what the Mai-Series has done for you! Posting and showing what the whole franchise has done in it's history by showing merchandise, links to manga, songs, AMV. links to audio dramas, links to games, cosplay.....anything! You can even share them in timeline order; your first discover (like an AMV) to your latest discovery (FUNimation's announcement of the license!) This will be done day by day, until we reach the official release date of the FUNi DVDs/Blu-Ray or even better! The debut airdate of the original Mai-HiME!

 HiME 
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Post by planetwarrior Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:44 pm



Mai-franchise 10th anniversary Day 1/Month 1: Mai-HiME

This is the first ever in the franchise that started all with fanbase growing, and expands the whole franchise of how far it has gone from. Without this, we wouldn't have something like Mai-Otome, manga series, light novel series, drama CD series, visual novel, video games, dougin fighter, etc.... The intro song is done none other than Minami Kuribayashi, a staple and anime singer of the whole franchise. Just have to thank this for having been made by none other than Sunrise. I'm hoping the franchise continued in the future.
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Post by franticfranz Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:59 pm

Can't believe the Mai franchise is reaching its 10th anniversary. I got hooked into this series mainly because of the music. I mean, the music is by Kajiura-sama. Mai-HiME/Otome wouldn't be what they are if the music weren't hers. Honestly, it's one of the main reasons why I'm not a very big fan of S.ifr. Though the story is good, but I felt it was quite...out of place for me.

Anyway, here's my most favorite track from the Mai-HiME soundtrack.

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Post by Kuga Natsuki Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:09 pm

10 years already?! Wait til 20 years, just like Toy Story... almost

I'm not even sure what else to post here, haha. I shared my stories too many times here, already >_>

!

Luu, think we could all rewatch the entire Mai-Series starting around this time or closer to the Mai-HiME anniversary? :)
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Sun Jan 05, 2014 12:22 am


It's only the fairy tale : Alyssa Searrs My-HiME

I remember around the time the series came out, Alyssa's iconic song "It's only the fairy tale" (sung by the wonderful Yuko Miyamura) was being used in many AMVs. It was almost like a plauge! I was seeing it attached to Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura and even Ayasho no Ceres AMVs! Good anime songs leave quite an impression beyond it's own series.

Kuga Natsuki wrote:Luu, think we could all rewatch the entire Mai-Series starting around this time or closer to the Mai-HiME anniversary? :)

Closer to the anniversary for sure! We'll need to watch the entire series in either release order (HiME, Otome, Zwei, Sifr.) or timeline order (HiME, Sifr., Otome, Zwei). I'll have that voting poll up in August.
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Post by hildebrant Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:12 pm

It feels like its been alot longer than ten years. I won't forget seeing Duran as someone's MSN avatar, talking with them about the series, talking with others, seeing the first ep on a Newtype Sampler disc and it went from there and its come into my life, the good, and the bad...
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:19 pm

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Hime_010

^ It was this image of Mai Tokiha that got me into the series. Many fans thanks AMVs for introducing them to Mai-HiME, but it was this image of Mai doing her best Supergirl pose that got me interested. It goes back to what I was saying about looking for the next big thing in magical girls at the time. My initial thought was that all the girls would be Fuuka Academy students, all wearing match uniforms until they transform. I was way off and that's a good thing. Anime and manga was modernizing; become a bigger presence in media, so we were seeing a lot of new characters with attitude. Case and point: Natsuki Kuga.

My next post will talk about what I thought about the first episode.  mai hime 
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Post by San. Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:25 pm

(Luu, love the topic, idea, everything. I'm wondering if you're some sort of forum-genie/genius)

Oh I remember so well how I stumbled across the series.
The year was 2006, a 254mb USB pen costed as much as a current 1TB disc, Converse with Jenifer Aniston highlights we're the latest fashion and I was a curious teenager.

There I was, travelling trou a google image search on "anime" or some sort (remind you the time when google still had many O's) when I came across this one:



hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai-hiME.600.443495

I liked it and used it as a desktop for a couple days until it started troubling me. Who the heck we're these chicks? It made me feel something (you know, teens...) I searched and found Mai-Hime
Little I know I was going to fall for a negi-rapist and swoon each time. Still do! Mind you I didn't know much about yuri and even anime those days, so I had a lucky shot! Haven't found one that shook me, moved me, even changed me like Mai-Hime. I still remember the shivers from Mai's insanity lip blood bite, sadness and fear from seing Shizuru's empty eyes twitching (how she reminded me of myself), crying when Alyssa died and laughing from Midori's glowing puke after a serious face element-summoning wilst drunk. Oh, and feeling hungry from Mikoto eating those gorgeous ramen. Heck, I still remember my tiny bounces in the OP and pout in the closing lines! 

Never met anyone who liked Mai-Hime, but neither felt alone. Specially back then when the series was only 2 years old. Now its getting harder, people forget it. Even I did, college took me so much time I hardly had for anything else. Got a relationship and got dumped. Life goes on. But when I needed them the most, insane from heat-break, back at parents home, no much hope nor friends, Mai-Hime was there. I know, they are not the same as people and friends but they taught me more than most. Still do and I still learn.

How did they help me? It's just a show, some random anime.

One could lose hope in people, lose faith in friendship, even not believe in love or trust others, even not laugh again, but not with them. They wouldn't let it.
They would always remind me how strong we truly are. 

To show it I present one of my favourite picture from a beautifull 6 page story from Doropanda Tours vol.6 (yaaaall know them!)


hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome <a href=hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome 19trqf14


(It's the first time I post pictures so I might have done it wrong...)
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:26 pm

Thanks for sharing your earliest memories of Mai-HiME, Triple San! You are so right about the scenes that made us shiver like furious Mai's lip blood bite, Shizuru's eye twitch and I'll also throw in Nao's bloody eye. Mai-HiME had it's share of horrifying moments that haunt your brain. Something memorable happened in every single episode now that I think about it. Even what fans considered the only boring episode, episode 5 ("Rain — Tears..."
"Ame — Namida...") where Mai gets depressed and Tate gives her a pep talk, has scenes that stick with you. Mai remembering her childhood as a young girl braving harsh weather to pick up Takumi, only to be told that Takumi got a ride home already. Then there's her breakdown later when Tate offers her his umbrella. Very overlooked scene.

That brings me to my initial impression of episode one:

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome PDVD_057
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome PDVD_047

((My full on review can be found here btw: https://ltahime.forumotion.com/t111-mai-hime-episode-1-a-girl-s-most-important-event ))

My first reaction was nothing but praise for the opening song, "Shining Days". The characters all looked so lively and fun! I knew this was an anime set in modern times (2004 at the time) as I saw Nao texting away on her old flip phone that was popular at the time. It's funny that Mai-HiME can be be considered as a period piece, haha!

The episode itself blew me away. It immediately began with a heavy aura of mystery with that strange red star in the sky that only Mai could see. I was curious as to why Takumi couldn't see it. Then we have a girl with a cool looking sword show up and we get some misunderstandings between Mai and this strange looking fellow named Tate. When Shiho first arrived on the scene, I thought she was kind of funny. She didn't establish herself as the clingy, insecure vermin larva I know her to be now, so I thought she would be a fun comic relief that would torture Tate.

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai_hi41 Shiho was also the first anime character I've ever seen to have more pigtails than Eugeal from Sailor Moon S! My mind set off a nuclear blast when I realized this:

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Eudial10

Nothing could prepare me for the second half of the episode. Explosions, a glowing sword that cuts trucks like a hot knife through butter, a sexy biker chick who wanted to kill the sword girl for...reasons, a mecha wolf...and then there's Mai who discovers she has fire powers of her own! AND THE SHIP GETS SLICED IN HALF! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH TOTALLY RADICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I was a huge dork for the first episode. Who knew I would go all the way.  HiME 





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Post by San. Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:42 pm

Luu wrote:Thanks for sharing your earliest memories of Mai-HiME, Triple San!

Luu, you insane, I actually lauched with a pig snort with that nickname! Not expecting to see it. I have to add it somewhere on my profile!

Back to serious biz!

Whenever I re-watch the serie and the first episode begins I get a tingle in my stomack from the very fist song, "Gogo no Hizaji". So happy! Memories!
And Natsuki's holly mother sexy entrance / song, "Tokiiro no Mai" gives me a wide stupid grin. We all know how cool this is going to be! Again!

About those overlooked scenes, I admit I do the same, except the one on Mai's childhood flashback. That got me "ouch, mai... damn...". Mai is a hell of a character, and everytime I like her more and more. Not just boobs! Unlike Tate, which I always disliked. I think he has lack of character, a crime. Maybe I'm wrong but can't get over it. Predictable dude. Munching your lip on insanity isn't! (I swear if I was a dog or something, I'd put my tail between my legs and hide on that sight)

On a side note, you mentioned parts of the episode, as if you watched it on tv or something. Did it aired on your country? Just balant curiosity.

(It's terrible I can't see the images I guess you added to your post for some random reason. I have too check that.)
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Thu Jan 09, 2014 4:59 pm

San. wrote:Luu, you insane

That's what they tell me, Triple-San!  Feels 

San. wrote:Whenever I re-watch the serie and the first episode begins I get a tingle in my stomack from the very fist song, "Gogo no Hizaji". So happy! Memories!
And Natsuki's holly mother sexy entrance / song, "Tokiiro no Mai" gives me a wide stupid grin. We all know how cool this is going to be! Again!

About those overlooked scenes, I admit I do the same, except the one on Mai's childhood flashback. That got me "ouch, mai... damn...". Mai is a hell of a character, and everytime I like her more and more. Not just boobs! Unlike Tate, which I always disliked. I think he has lack of character, a crime. Maybe I'm wrong but can't get over it. Predictable dude. Munching your lip on insanity isn't! (I swear if I was a dog or something, I'd put my tail between my legs and hide on that sight)

On a side note, you mentioned parts of the episode, as if you watched it on tv or something. Did it aired on your country? Just balant curiosity.

(It's terrible I can't see the images I guess you added to your post for some random reason. I have too check that.)

Natsuki's entrance was so bad ass! Kneeing Tate in the stomach, having her way with a confused Mai and battling Mikoto? There is no better way to debut a character! About the music though, didn't you get chills listening to all the "Duran Shoukan" music cues for Natsuki and Duran? Kajiura is a genius.

Oh no! I wish Mai-HiME had a run on network television in the States. Bandai Entertainment got the rights obviously and released the series little by little on DVD. I'll talk about that in a future post. For now I can tell you that my first viewing was thanks to Anime Suki. I think it was Anime Suki when they had anime downloads way back in the day. I downloaded the first episode of Mai-HiME and the rest was history. Up until this point, I had downloaded anime all the time from Suki. My internet connection was slowly back then, so grabbing a 20 minute episode torrent took an entire day! Half that if I were lucky!

(You can see mine too. Wait a few minutes for the images to pop up. Our forum service is fixing that problem as we speak. Until the images pop up instantly, just wait a whole minute.)





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Post by San. Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:08 pm

Luu wrote:Natsuki's entrance was so bad ass! Kneeing Tate in the stomach, having her way with a confused Mai and battling Mikoto? There is no better way to debut a character! About the music though, didn't you get chills listening to all the "Duran Shoukan" music cues for Natsuki and Duran? Kajiura is a genius.

Oh, almost forgot that one! I like to listen to Duran Shoukan, specially the one with the howl, whenever I need total focus to kick-ass! (i.e., tea and draw...)


I wish I was young enough to make requests to santa... I'd ask for so much yuri. Wait, that'd be wrong...
Scratch that.
I should get myself a hand on some decent official Mai-HiME dvds.
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:11 pm

San. wrote:I should get myself a hand on some decent official Mai-HiME dvds.

The ones from Bandai Entertainment are out of print and very expensive now. Last night, I spotted the Mai-HiME "Legends" collection set for over $100 USD. Worth it if you have money to burn, otherwise, stay away and wait patiently for FUNimation to release Mai-HiME later this year. As you may remember, they own the license for the anime now. Mai-Otome too.
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Post by San. Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:23 pm

New release? I wish it'd appear for sale in this lousy peninsula and I would have to order from some the other side of the world.

What's next on Mai-HiME praising topic? *exited with the conversation*
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:33 pm

San. wrote:New release? I wish it'd appear for sale in this lousy peninsula and I would have to order from some the other side of the world.

What's next on Mai-HiME praising topic? *exited with the conversation*

Peninsula? Where are you from again, Triple-San? If you don't mind me asking.

I'm preparing my next praise! It'll be up after your next post and after I'm done uploading the new Youko screen shots to our gallery.  Yohko 
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Post by San. Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:49 pm

Luu wrote:Peninsula? Where are you from again, Triple-San? If you don't mind me asking.

Oh, right. I guess I didn't say either! I'm from the country of burning summer and no jobs, Portugal. If guessing where is that, we share the peninsula with the spanish.

I just had an idea to add to one of those praises: was it ever commented the doubts and missunderstandings from the beggining of watching Mai-HiME?
Or better saying, Mai-HiME is sometimes complex, it even left some flying strings on purpose, but how about those confusions we have sometimes in starting a new show?
Like, "at the beggining I thought Natsuki was Mikoto's long lost sibling" (random WTF)

Just came up and wouldn't hurt sharing.
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:26 pm

San. wrote:Oh, right. I guess I didn't say either! I'm from the country of burning summer and no jobs, Portugal. If guessing where is that, we share the peninsula with the spanish.

I just had an idea to add to one of those praises: was it ever commented the doubts and missunderstandings from the beggining of watching Mai-HiME?
Or better saying, Mai-HiME is sometimes complex, it even left some flying strings on purpose, but how about those confusions we have sometimes in starting a new show?
Like, "at the beggining I thought Natsuki was Mikoto's long lost sibling" (random WTF)

Just came up and wouldn't hurt sharing.

Wow! My trip to Portugal wasn't very exciting to be honest, although your country has some of the best seafood meals. :3 Bacalhoada anyone?

Anyway, there were a ton of doubts and misunderstandings during my first watch. Going back to the first episode, I didn't know who this weird-awesome biker suit was and why she was working with that funny looking man on the smaller boat. Natsuki struck me as a villain at first would is working for some organization. Ironic how that turned out! She wanted revenge on the organization behind the HiME Carnival! Sunrise avoided a cliche there! Anyway, I didn't think Mikoto would become a long lost sibling, rather a girl who lost her memory and is involved with the main villain. I was half wrong; she wasn't involved with the SEARRS once their agenda became clear. Reito on the other hand...

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome PDVD_000

^ A lot of fans forget that Shizuru had an appearance in episode 1. When we got to see these nameless characters (Shizuru, Reito, Yukino, Haruka, Chie, etc.), my mind swirled with many possibilities. For example! The second Haruka started scolding Mai, I pegged her as the Kaichou. This was 2004; the tradition of having a lesbian student council president in yuri/subtext yuri anime didn't happen yet. I always imagined that a student council president was strict like Haruka, but she turned out to be the Executive Director.

And is it just me or did anyone think Mai Tokiha would of been one of those characters with an extremely dark past?  XD Around episode 14 or 20, she would reveal herself as some dark entity (HiME related) hiding inside her calm demeanor that was keeping in all her stress. I guess not...*embarrassed*
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Post by San. Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:41 pm

Luu wrote:Wow! My trip to Portugal wasn't very exciting to be honest, although your country has some of the best seafood meals. :3 Bacalhoada anyone?

Well, it can be pretty unexciting if you go to the wrong places. Go on a road trip in mid-summer to the unknown places and you'll be surprised. And about food, Mediterranean is always a pleasure and if portuguese take pride in anything is how they eat. Not just sea-food (I take it you went to the south, Algarve or something.)

Luu wrote:^ A lot of fans forget that Shizuru had an appearance in episode 1.

I didn't! I noticed her right away (since I went there for the girls in the picture) but wasn't so enthusiastic. She looked so ... straight. Which brings me to the topic of the missunderstandings. I did thought that they'd be "together" or have "something" on the long run but with that first impression of Shizuru I'd say it would be a gay Natsuki bad-girl falling for the very-straight-president's-daughter-Shizuru. How wrong that was and how delightfull it turned out!



About Mai... you guessed it??



Edit: Wait, I confused ep.2 with 1. Shizuru's appearance was pretty quick on the first one (on that scene where almost all the student characters fist appeared).
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:21 pm

San. wrote:Edit: Wait, I confused ep.2 with 1. Shizuru's appearance was pretty quick on the first one (on that scene where almost all the student characters fist appeared).

xD I was about to correct you; quick thinking Triple-San! Shizuru was in a quick non-speaking appearance, but it still counts. XD (By the way, if you want to continue the Portugal talk, head over to the off topic thread for Ethnic discussion: https://ltahime.forumotion.com/t360p100-what-s-your-ethnic-background )

---

When it came time for Bandai Entertainment to licensed the Mai-HiME series, I wasn't a bit surprised. If memory serves me correctly, Bandai already had several Sunrise Inc. anime titles under their license. I've often wondered what the girls would sound like (I'll go over that in the future...). One of the biggest curiosities was obviously Shizuru and how she would sound. Would they give her the retarded Southern yee-haw treatment that ADVFilms gave Osaka in the Azumanga Daioh dub? My mind swirled endlessly. Before the release of the DVDs, I had dreams of what the dub would sound like. Natsuki would sound like a typical deep voiced lesbian biker chick (like ADVFilms did for the character Kei from Dirty Pair Flash). Thankfully this didn't happen.

The release of Mai-HiME (renamed My-HiME in North America) DVD Vol. 1 would be avabilable by itself with the first four episodes. Or, you can get the collector's edition with volume 1 and a Fuuka Academy T-shirt. Here is shots of my old collector's edition box (with nice artwork of Mai Tokiha, Natsuki Kuga and Mikoto Minagi; as well as the logo) from the first release. This set will eventually be able to hold all seven volumes of "My-HiME", but it was such a flimsy box that Bandai Entertainment eventually released the stronger and better looking collector's box We'll get to that some other time:

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20HiME%20DVD%20box%20set
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20HiME%20DVD%20box%20set%203
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20HiME%20DVD%20box%20set%202
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20HiME%20DVD%20box%20set%204

I still own this box today. It's just a display item in my "museum".

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Post by hildebrant Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:14 pm

Luu Sky Sapphire wrote:Thanks for sharing your earliest memories of Mai-HiME, Triple San! You are so right about the scenes that made us shiver like furious Mai's lip blood bite, Shizuru's eye twitch and I'll also throw in Nao's bloody eye. Mai-HiME had it's share of horrifying moments that haunt your brain. Something memorable happened in every single episode now that I think about it. Even what fans considered the only boring episode, episode 5 ("Rain — Tears..."
"Ame — Namida...") where Mai gets depressed and Tate gives her a pep talk, has scenes that stick with you. Mai remembering her childhood as a young girl braving harsh weather to pick up Takumi, only to be told that Takumi got a ride home already. Then there's her breakdown later when Tate offers her his umbrella. Very overlooked scene.

That brings me to my initial impression of episode one:

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome PDVD_057
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome PDVD_047

((My full on review can be found here  btw: https://ltahime.forumotion.com/t111-mai-hime-episode-1-a-girl-s-most-important-event ))

My first reaction was nothing but praise for the opening song, "Shining Days". The characters all looked so lively and fun! I knew this was an anime set in modern times (2004 at the time) as I saw Nao texting away on her old flip phone that was popular at the time. It's funny that Mai-HiME can be be considered as a period piece, haha!

The episode itself blew me away. It immediately began with a heavy aura of mystery with that strange red star in the sky that only Mai could see. I was curious as to why Takumi couldn't see it. Then we have a girl with a cool looking sword show up and we get some misunderstandings between Mai and this strange looking fellow named Tate. When Shiho first arrived on the scene, I thought she was kind of funny. She didn't establish herself as the clingy, insecure vermin larva I know her to be now, so I thought she would be a fun comic relief that would torture Tate.

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai_hi41Shiho was also the first anime character I've ever seen to have more pigtails than Eugeal from Sailor Moon S! My mind set off a nuclear blast when I realized this:

hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Eudial10

Nothing could prepare me for the second half of the episode. Explosions, a glowing sword that cuts trucks like a hot knife through butter, a sexy biker chick who wanted to kill the sword girl for...reasons, a mecha wolf...and then there's Mai who discovers she has fire powers of her own! AND THE SHIP GETS SLICED IN HALF! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH TOTALLY RADICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I was a huge dork for the first episode. Who knew I would go all the way.  HiME 







and so it begins...
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Post by Luu Sky Sapphire Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:42 pm

Mai-HiME/Otome offers a fine line of quality toys, figures, statues and resin models. There are more figures for this the Mai franchise than most popular series out there! I've collected quite a few over the years. While not every character in the franchise got their own figure (WHERE'S MY MARIA GRACEBURT FIGMA?! OR EVEN UNA SHAMROCK!), most of the main characters were covered like Mai, Natsuki, Shizuru, Nao, Arika, Nina and even Lena Sayers. Here are some examples of what you can collect from the My-HiME and My-Otome series. Note that these are all official releases. Nothing fan made, although I will show you those possibilities in the future:

Shizuru Viola from Mai-Otome was once part of the famous Beach Queens collection by Wave.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Picture%20003-1

As was Mai Tokiha and Lena Sayers:
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Mai%20Tokiha%20statue%201
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Nina%20sayers

An assortment of statues (Natsuki Kuga by Good Smile Company) and articulate Atelier figures (Natsuki Kruger and Shizuru Viola). The Atelier figures are the closest Mai-HiME/Otome is going to get to Figma quality as of this time.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome 6837

Mai Tokiha from My-HiME. Another nicely crafted product from the Good Smile Company.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Picture%20006

Mai-HiME/Otome also has a nice selection of gashapon figures. From left to right: Nina Wang, Juliet Nao Zhang, Haruka Armitage, Natsuki Kuga, Mashiro Blan de Windbloom, Coral Nina Wang and Coral Arika Yumemiya.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome 6848

You can even assemble your My-HiME or My-Otome girl with resin models. Here is one of Natsuki Kuga from Mai-HiME standing alongside the Beach Queen Shizuru Viola from Mai-Otome.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Shiznat_1288x821

The Otomedama series also had a beautiful line up of figures. Here is one of Tomoe Marguerite, arguably Mai-Otome's most hated character by fans.
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Picture%20159

Atelier Nina Wang still in her box!
hime - The Mai-franchise 10th anniversary: A look at the history of Mai-HiME/Otome Picture%20389
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