Maid Sama!

Maid Sama!

Cover of Kaichō wa Maid-sama! volume 1 as published by Hakusensha, featuring Misaki Ayuzawa (right) and Takumi Usui (left).
会長はメイド様!
(Kaichō wa Maid-sama!)
Genre Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by Hiro Fujiwara
Published by Hakusensha
English publisher Tokyopop
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine LaLa
Original run December 2005 – ongoing
Volumes 13
TV anime
Directed by Hiroaki Sakurai
Studio J.C.Staff
Licensed by Sentai Filmworks
Network TBS, BS-TBS, Animax Asia, Seven Network
English network Anime Network, Animax Asia, Seven Network
Original run April 1, 2010September 23, 2010
Episodes 26 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga Portal

Maid Sama!, known in Japan as Kaichō wa Maid-sama! (会長はメイド様!?, lit. The President is a Maid!), is a shōjo manga series by Hiro Fujiwara. It is currently serialized in Hakusensha's monthly shōjo manga magazine, LaLa. There are currently 12 published volumes under the Hana to Yume Comics imprint in Japan.[1] In their Anime Expo 2008 panel, North American publisher Tokyopop announced its various newly licensed series and that Kaichō wa Maid-sama! would be titled Maid-sama!.[2] An anime adaptation began airing on April 1, 2010.[3]

Contents

Plot

Seika High School, once an all-boys school notorious for its wild students and for generally being a terrifying place for girls, has recently become a co-ed school. With the female population still a minority and living in fear of the over-the-top antics of the males, Misaki Ayuzawa takes it into her own hands to reform the school and allow the girls to feel safe in the rough environment.

Training, studying, and even becoming the first female student council president of the school, Misaki has gained a reputation among the male students body as an uptight, boy-hating dictator and as a shining hope for the teachers and fellow female students. However, despite her tough-as-nails appearance, she secretly works part-time at a maid café in order to support her family. Unfortunately, her hard-earned reputation is threatened when the popular, attractive, and somewhat impassive Takumi Usui takes an interest in her after discovering her in a maid uniform after school.

Media

Manga

Maid Sama! is written and illustrated by Hiro Fujiwara. This series is serialized in Hakusensha's shōjo manga magazine LaLa, and the serial chapters collected into eleven volumes. The first one was released on September 5, 2006,[4] and the fourteenth one is announced to be released on February 3, 2012.[5]

Outside Japan, the series was licensed by Tokyopop in North America,[6] and Pika Édition in France,[7] Carlsen Verlag in Germany,[8] Panini Comics in Italy and Brazil,[9][10] and Everglory Publishing Co in Taiwan.[11] In Indonesia, the series was published by M&C Comics under the name My Sweet Kaicho.

Tokyopop printed up to volume 8 before its closure on May 31, 2011.[12][13]

Volume list

No. Japanese English
Release date ISBN Release date ISBN
01 September 5, 2006[4] ISBN 4592184319 April 7, 2009[6] ISBN 978-1-4278-1403-6
  • 001. "The Student Council President is a Maid!"
  • 002. "A Maid Even At The School Festival"
  • 003. "Misaki M and two S's"
  • 004. "Misaki shishou"
02 February 5, 2007[14] ISBN 9784592184324 August 11, 2009[15] ISBN 978-1-4278-1404-3
  • 005. "Miyabigaoka chess match"
  • 006. "Misa-chan as a boy"
  • 007. "Igarashi Tora"
  • 008. "Misa Chan and Igarashi Tora"
  • 009. "Sports Festival part 1"
03 August 4, 2007[16] ISBN 9784592184331 January 12, 2010[17] ISBN 978-1-4278-1405-0
  • 010. "Sports Festival part 2"
  • 011. "Unknown"
  • 012. "Little Sister Day?!!!"
  • 013. "Unknown"
  • 014. "Side Story"
  • 015. "Unknown"
04 December 5, 2007[18] ISBN 9784592184348 April 13, 2010[19] ISBN 978-1-4278-1406-7
  • 016. "Unknown"
  • 017. "Unknown"
  • 018. "Unknown"
  • 019. "Unknown"
  • 019.1. "Side Story - And so, Momotarou became Maid-sama too!"
  • 019.2. "Side Story - The 3 idiots become Maid-samas, too!"
05 May 2, 2008[20] ISBN 9784592184355 July 13, 2010[21] ISBN 978-1-4278-1689-4
  • 020. "Unknown"
  • 021. "Unknown"
  • 022. "Unknown"
  • 023. "Unknown"
  • 024. "First Time Visit to Usui's... House?"
  • 025. "Unknown"
06 September 5, 2008[22] ISBN 9784592186861 September 28, 2010[23] ISBN 978-1-4278-1690-0
  • 026. "The Transfer Student, Shintani Hinata, Appear"
  • 027. "Outdoor School Camp Part 1"
  • 028. "Outdoor School Camp Part 2"
  • 028.1. "Special Chapter - "Blue Spring"
  • 028.2. "Side Story - Vice-President is a Prince!?"
07 April 3, 2009[24] ISBN 9784592186878 November 30, 2010[25] ISBN 978-1-4278-1819-5
  • 029. "The Eating Contest"
  • 030. "Sensei, Misaki-chan Is in Deep Trouble!!"
  • 031. "The Secret Girls Talk"
  • 032. "Do You Want To Devote Yourself To Me?"
  • 032.5. "Side Story - Aoi and His Happy Friends"
08 September 4, 2009[26] ISBN 9784592186885 March 1, 2011[12] ISBN 978-1-4278-1820-1
  • 033. "Enter the World of the Witch Maid"
  • 034. "The Things that He Wishes for, Is Always, Always Just that One Thing"
  • 035. "The Message between His Eyes"
  • 036. "Seika High's student council is in a big pinch...!?"
  • 036.1. "Side Story - Idiot and Delinquent and Hero"
  • 036.2. "Side Story - A Certain Morning in the Student Council Room"
09 April 5, 2010[27] ISBN 9784592186892 May 31, 2011[28] ISBN 978-1-4278-0519-5
10 June 4, 2010[29] ISBN 9784592191803 September 20, 2011[30] ISBN 978-1-4278-3163-7
11 August 5, 2010[31] ISBN 9784592191810 December 27, 2011[32] ISBN 978-1-4278-3258-0
12 February 4, 2011[5] ISBN 9784592191827 -
13 August 5, 2011[33] ISBN 9784592191834 -

Anime

The October 2009 issue of LaLa announced that a 27 episodes television anime adaptation of the series would be produced.[3] It was broadcasted in TBS and BS-TBS during Spring 2010.[34] The April 2010 issue of LaLa revealed the broadcast date to be on April 1, 2010 at 1:55 midnight. The adaptation was also present at the Tokyo International Anime Fair with Ayumi Fujimura, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Kana Hanazawa and Yū Kobayashi's attendance.[35] The anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks, with The Anime Network currently streaming the series on their video portal.[36] Anime distributor Section23 Films will release the first subtitled-only set on DVD, June 7, 2011.[37]

The staff list was announced and Hiroaki Sakurai directed the series with series composition done by Mamiko Ikeda who previous worked in the series composition for Emma: A Victorian Romance series and most recently the Rental Magica series and Hanasakeru Seishōnen while the animation character designs by Yuki Imoto and music composed by Tōru Motoyama. The series was animated by J.C.Staff who previously worked on Honey and Clover, Toradora! and Nodame Cantabile.[38] Ayumi Fujimura and Nobuhiko Okamoto took on the role of Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui respectively.

Drama CDs

A drama CD for Kaichō wa Maid-sama was released in Japan.[39]

Reception

Connie C. described the manga as being "pretty entertaining, if shallow", feeling that it was sexist towards both genders, but lighthearted enough in this that offense could not be taken, saying that she would continue to read the series as a "guilty pleasure".[40] Deb Aoki feels that the maid cafe setting provides both fanservice and a vehicle to critique gender roles.[41] In contrast, Johanna Draper Carlson feels that the story is "a male fantasy, where the scary, strong, smart, self-possessed girl turns out to secretly be subservient to men. It’s sort of funny to read, until you think about what its real messages are."[42] Robert Harris notes the formulaic beginnings, but feels that the characters make the manga enjoyable.[43] Leroy Douresseaux found the character of Takumi unconvincing, describing him as a "cheap plot trick" to rescue Misaki when needed.[44] Carlo Santos felt the premise was "otaku-tastic", but appreciated the lack of fanservice and panty shots in the maid cafe scenes, feeling that these marked the series as being shojo. He also appreciated the chemistry between the leads, and the humour, but noted the stereotypical plot, and criticises the layouts and overly-talky characters.[45] Connie C. described the second volume as reminding her that plot devices are plot devices because "they work wonderfully if used right", feeling that the sense of humour and character interactions lifted the stereotypical plots of the school sports day and rich new classmates.[46]

References

  1. ^ "s-book.net Library Service - 会長はメイド様!" (in Japanese). s-book.net/Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_series?tid=459218431. Retrieved October 27, 2009. 
  2. ^ "Tokyopop Announces New Manga Titles (Update 2)". Anime News Network. July 5, 2008. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-05/tokyopop-anonunces-new-manga-titles. Retrieved August 27, 2009. 
  3. ^ a b "Kaichou wa Maid-sama! Shōjo Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. August 21, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-08-21/kaichou-wa-maid-sama-shojo-manga-gets-tv-anime. Retrieved August 22, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b "会長はメイド様! 1" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=4592184319. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b "会長はメイド様! 12" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592191827. Retrieved January 15, 2011. 
  6. ^ a b "Maid Sama! Volume 1". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/1. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Maid sama / Shôjo" (in French). pika.fr. http://www.pika.fr/new/node/7358. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  8. ^ http://www.carlsen.de/web/manga/serie?id=175875
  9. ^ http://www.paninicomics.it/web/guest/productDetail?viewItem=650330
  10. ^ http://www.paninicomics.com.br/web/guest/titulos_detail?category_id=148621
  11. ^ http://www.books.com.tw/exep/prod/booksfile.php?item=0010366527
  12. ^ a b "Maid Sama! Volume 8". Tokyopop. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1427818207/. Retrieved December 17, 2010. 
  13. ^ "Tokyopop to Close North American Publishing Division (Update 3)". Anime News Network. 2011-04-15. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-15/tokyopop-to-close-north-american-publishing-division. Retrieved 2011-07-06. 
  14. ^ "会長はメイド様! 2" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592184324. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  15. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 2". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/2. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  16. ^ "会長はメイド様! 3" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592184331. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  17. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 3". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/3. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  18. ^ "会長はメイド様! 4" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592184348. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  19. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 4". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/4. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  20. ^ "会長はメイド様! 5" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592184355. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  21. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 5". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/5. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  22. ^ "会長はメイド様! 6" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186861. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  23. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 6". Tokyopop. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2638/MaidSama/6. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  24. ^ "会長はメイド様! 7" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186878. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  25. ^ "Maid Sama! Volume 7". Tokyopop. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1427818193/. Retrieved December 17, 2010. 
  26. ^ "会長はメイド様! 8" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186885. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  27. ^ "会長はメイド様! 9" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186892. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  28. ^ "Maid Sama! 9". Borders Group. http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1427805199. Retrieved February 28, 2011. 
  29. ^ "会長はメイド様! 10" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592191803. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  30. ^ "Maid Sama! 10". Borders Group. http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1427831637. Retrieved February 28, 2011. 
  31. ^ "会長はメイド様! 11" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592191810. Retrieved August 3, 2010. 
  32. ^ "Maid Sama! 11". Borders Group. http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1427832587. Retrieved February 28, 2011. 
  33. ^ "会長はメイド様! 13" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592191834. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
  34. ^ http://fujihiron.jugem.jp/?eid=213
  35. ^ "TBSアニメーション・「会長はメイド様!」公式ホームページ / 最新情報 - 10年2月記事" (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/maidsama/news/news1002.html. Retrieved March 5, 2010. 
  36. ^ "Anime Network To Begin Streamin Maid Sama On June 15". Anime News Network. June 8, 2010. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-06-08/anime-network-to-begin-streaming-maid-sama-on-june-15. Retrieved June 8, 2010. 
  37. ^ "Section23 Films Announces June Slate". Anime News Network. March 16, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2011-03-16/section23-films-announces-june-slate. Retrieved April 27, 2011. 
  38. ^ "TBSアニメーション・「会長はメイド様!」公式ホームページ / スタッフ&キャスト" (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/maidsama/staffcast/staffcast.html. Retrieved March 2, 2010. 
  39. ^ http://natalie.mu/comic/news/29487
  40. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5qwPX28Fx
  41. ^ http://manga.about.com/od/tokyopop/gr/MaidSama1.htm
  42. ^ http://comicsworthreading.com/2009/04/04/maid-sama-book-1/
  43. ^ http://www.mania.com/maid-sama-vol-01_article_113910.html
  44. ^ http://www.comicbookbin.com/maidsama001.html
  45. ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/right-turn-only/2009-04-14
  46. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5qwITv9IF

External links