Ive watched a fair amount of absurdist comedy anime in recent years and the better ones Ive seen have been the shows that try to push the envelope as far as they can without letting the envelope fall over the edge of the table and splay its contents all over the floor. It takes a lot of skill to turn a potentially mundane everyday story concept into something surreal and maddeningly wacky without losing sight of the end goal but MariaHolic achieves that tightrope balance with near perfection although such observations are often matters of personal preference which might explain its lower rating on this website. The series wobbles regularly and always looks ready to collapse but the fact that it never actually does is testament to the sharpness of its humor coupled with the breakneck speed at which it operates. Its very much like riding a bicycle you have to ride it fast enough and well enough so you dont tip over and bruise your knees. And as in the tale of Goldilocks the amount of cringe thats served up always feels just about right. Never too hot that it tempts you to drop never too cold that it starts getting old. Premise 3/5: A school full of unflowered pure maidens is set upon by the raging lesbian Kanako Miyamae whose unbridled lust has to be kept in check by her new roommate Mariya Shidou. Or at least thats what Mariya would probably have you believe. In truth underneath Mariyas divine features lies a cold and calculating sadist whose personal dichotomy also extends to her anatomy. It doesnt help that Kanako breaks out into hives whenever she touches a boy which is exactly what her crossdressing roommate happens to be. The school in question Ame no Kisaki was where Kanakos parents met and so most of the plot if you can call it that revolves around Kanakos bullheaded attempts at finding her own brand of love before her high school career comes to a close. Of course the machinations of Mariya who aims to become the schools chairman in order to fulfill his grandmothers wishes inevitably get in her way. The result is a relentless barrage of jibes jabs and jitters between the two buttressed by the comings and goings of their wellmeaning yet somewhat naive friends who are kept in the dark about the duos true intentions and personalities. As a whole MariaHolic feels like a long stream of standalone comedy sketches rather than one coherent story but theres really nothing inherently wrong with that. 500https://i.ur.com/ePszI5m.jpg Far more than meets the eye. Characters 5/5: The cast is one of the most wonderfully diverse that Ive seen in any anime comedy or otherwise. Many of the characters are multifaceted and subsequently duplicitous in the most intriguing ways and none more so than the titular character who hides an icy mischievous and oftentimes cruel demeanor beneath a facade of youthful maidenhood and delicate compassion yet also occasionally finds it in himself to care for those around him even if hed much rather not inconvenience himself unnecessarily. The least mysterious member of the cast is Mariyas counterpart the tall heavy girlloving tomboyish bargepole known as Kanako Miyamae whose private intentions are always written all over her face and sometimes all over the floor when something particularly salacious triggers one of her many nosebleeds. The minor characters also have many faces: Matsurika is the omnipresent maid whose silence serves only as a veil for a vulgar vernacular and mercilessly rude attitude Kanakos group of friends though universally caring have their own disparate issues and personal insecurities to overcome the dorm leader known only as Boss or God is a peculiar and idiosyncratic entity whose small stature belies a creeping air of hostile danger and obscure threats Ayari the student council president is a perfect specimen molded in Mariyas image which makes it fitting that the two of them have an intertwined history and a relationship that often borders on belligerence. There is not a single boring character in the series which is just as well since most of them get more than adequate amounts of screentime in order to allow them to display what truly makes them special. 500https://i.ur.com/6L3uDS0.jpg What indeed? Audiovisuals 5/5: MariaHolic is a quintessential showcase of the abstract avantgarde and seemingly arbitrary style of animation by which the Shaft animation studio makes its name. If youve watched the Monogatari series youll know what Im talking about. Though the background art is some of the least detailed Ive seen in any anime thats just about the only real flaw you might be able to find. The animation fervently darts between different aesthetics from meticulous shoujoinfluenced sparklyeyed character art in one instance to the hard outlines and chiseled cheekbones more reminiscent of series such as JoJos Bizarre Adventure in the next. Every comedic device available to animators is thrown into the stew creating a concoction that feels like art in its own right yet somehow manages to be something much much more. The soundtrack is a mostly thematic repertoire of calm orchestral tunes as befitting an anime about a Westernstyle girlsonly school alongside more dramatic tracks for the more climactic and sometimes a little scary moments in the show. The OP and ED are exceedingly catchy and the wealth of sound effects and excellent voice acting means that every nuance every anvil drop and every pained scream always appears in the right place at the right time. Overall this is definitely one of Shafts finer works. 500https://i.ur.com/KiBHnG0.jpg Absolutely nothing suspicious happening here. Execution 4/5: The most vital aspect of an absurd comedy is whether it knows when its taking a joke too far a joke that wears out its welcome immediately becomes a nuisance and hence a reason to leave the theater in a hurry. MariaHolic is sometimes guilty of overcommitting which can make it an exasperating watch but that problem is outweighed by the sheer variety of humor it has at its disposal. It doesnt have to focus on one particular gimmick simply because it doesnt need to it goes through the motions at an unprecedented velocity slaloming from stunt to stunt with zero time for rest. It will parody anything and everything in its pursuit of entertainment and even those moments that make you facepalm with overwhelming force invariably draw a few hearty chuckles. The dialogue is just as snappy and incisive as the pacing which doesnt hurt the shows chances at all. Like most absurd comedies MariaHolic is an acquired taste. Many will hate it or dismiss it as an exercise in mindless pointless theatrical experimentation brought to the big screen. But if this is the sort of series that happens to tickle your pickle then youll absolutely love it even if the throbbing pain in your heart after witnessing so much cringe takes a while to subside. Matters of personal preference are often hard to explain and one mans poison is another mans gravy. MariaHolic to me was some of the smoothest and spiciest gravy Ive ever had the pleasure of savoring. 500https://i.ur.com/rf9TMoG.jpg The end of Kanakos life perhaps... or maybe just the beginning. Overall: 4/5