"HAND MAiD May" Review: A charming story of a maid robot

HAND MAID Mei - The charm of a heartwarming robot love comedy

The TV anime series "HAND MAID Mei", which aired in 2000, captivated many viewers with its unique setting and distinctive characters. This work was produced as an original anime and aired on WOWOW in 10 episodes. The original story was by Mutsumi Mutsumi, the director was Shinichiro Kimura, and the production was handled by TNK. The copyright belongs to WonderFarm, TNK, PIONEER LDC, and PEA.

story

The story of "HAND MAID Mei" unfolds as a heartwarming love comedy with laughter, tears, and sex appeal. The protagonist, Saotome Kazuya, is a university student who is working hard to create a robot that can give people dreams and hope. One day, he receives a 1/6-sized maid robot named Mei, a Cyberdoll. Mei is a human in both appearance and intelligence, and Kasumi, the daughter of Kazuya's landlord, has mixed feelings about Mei's presence. Furthermore, other Cyberdolls appear one after another with the goal of retrieving Mei, making Kazuya and Mei's lives even more turbulent.

Commentary

"HAND MAID Mei" is an anime that was broadcast in 2000, and depicts the main character, Kazuya Saotome, as a university student who is passionate about "making Doraemon". Kazuya lives in a vintage apartment called "Kasumi-so" next door to a beautiful poster girl, while attending university and working hard on his research every day. However, one day, he loads a "DVD containing a special Nanbara virus" given to him by his bad friend Kotaro Nanbara onto his home computer, and falls into chaos. After a desperate resistance, Kazuya stops the invasion of the "Nanbara virus", but a mysterious message "ORDER MADE" appears on the computer screen. After that, a package sent by Cyberdyne contains a 1/6-sized doll "Cyberdoll Mei". Mei is a mysterious robot that moves and speaks of its own will, and the story of Kazuya and Mei begins. This work can be enjoyed as a slapstick comedy with a variety of unique characters appearing one after another, filling the screen with chaos.

cast

The main cast of "HAND MAID Mei" is as follows:

• Cyberdoll May: Maria Yamamoto
• Kazuya Saotome: Takayuki Yamaguchi
• Kasumi Tani: Mikako Takahashi
• Kotaro Minamihara: Yuji Ueda
• Cyberdoll Sarah: Kyoko Hikami
• Cyberdoll Rena: Rie Kugimiya
• Cyberdoll Kay: Minami Omi
• Cyberdoll Mami: Kikuko Inoue
• Ikariya: Miwa Yasuda

Main Staff

The main staff who supported the production of "HAND MAID Mei" are as follows:

• Director: Shinichiro Kimura
• Original story: June 13th
• Series Composition: Kazuki Matsui
• Character design: Yuzo Hirata
• Animation Director: Tetsuya Yanagisawa
• Color design: Junko Suzuki, Eiko Sekine, Yoshinori Ueki
• Art director: Goichi Katanozaka
• Director of photography: Yoshitaka Nagaoka, Megumi Saito
• Edited by: Toshio Henmi
• Sound Director: Kazuya Tanaka
• Music: Toshiro Masuda
• Original plan: Wonder Farm
• Production: TNK

Main Characters

Let's take a closer look at the main characters of "HAND MAID Mei."

Kazuya Saotome

Age: 19 years old Date of birth: October 18, 1981 Year of study: Ochanomizu Institute of Technology, Department of Electronic Engineering, 2nd year, Yumi seminar member Hometown: Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture Favorite drink: Milk Least favorite food: Dorayaki Special skill: Fast typing on the computer

Kazuya struggles every day to realize his childhood dream, the "Doramon Development Plan" (later known as the "MAID Theory"). He is a kind-hearted man who cannot say no when asked. The rent for the apartment where Kazuya lives, "Kasumi-so," is 45,000 yen, with separate bath and toilet, and air conditioning.

Cyberdor May

Appearance age: 17 years old Model number: TYPE G-99(D)-JPS (manufactured by CYBERDYNE)
Favorite drink: Milk Special skill: Changing TV channels

Mei is a Cyberdoll that arrives in a parcel at Kazuya's house. She is about 30cm tall (1/6 size) and can be charged from a computer using a USB cable connected to her body. She later becomes 1/1 size.

Tani Kasumi

Age: 18 Birthday: February 9, 1982 Year: 1st year, Literature Department, Gilmore College Special Skill: Baseball (right-handed, left-handed)
Hobbies: Baseball, cooking (especially curry)

Kasumi is the only daughter of the Kasumi-so apartment where Kazuya lives, and is the apartment's poster girl and rent collector. The windows of her room in the Kasumi house next to Kasumi-so are on the second floor and face each other, so she uses a ladder to go back and forth between Kazuya's room and her own room. She secretly has a crush on Kazuya.

Cyberdor Rena

Appearance age: 9 years old Model number: TYPE Cf-335L-JPA (manufactured by CYBERDYNE)
Date of production: March 3 Favorite thing: Ikariya

Rena is a Cyberdoll who came to retrieve Mei. When she starts crying, she emits ultrasonic waves, and when she's upset, she kneads her "DADA". She loves Ikariya, who was made by Kazuya.

Cyberdor Kay

Appearance age: 21 years old Model number: TYPE-Af 444LC-JPN (manufactured by CYBERDYNE)
Date of manufacture: June 19th Likes: Mathematical things

Kei is also a Cyberdoll who came to retrieve Mei. He carries Turgenev's "First Love", but inside it is a high-performance computer. He incorporates part of Mei's system into himself and discovers that the program is growing. Later, he begins living in the closet of Kazuya's room.

Cyberdoll Mami

Appearance age: 31 years old Model number: TYPE-Af 863LD-USNY (manufactured by CYBERDYNE)
Date of manufacture: 2nd Sunday of May Special skills: General housework, knee pillow and ear cleaning

Mami is a pure Japanese style Cyberdoll born at Cyberdyne's USA Factory, and her trademarks are her apron and rollerblades. Her catchphrase is "Oh my!"

Kotaro Minamihara

Age: 19 years old Date of birth: April 1, 1981 Year of study: Ochanomizu Institute of Technology, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Department of Electronic Applications, 2nd year, Hell Seminar member Hometown: Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture Likes: Kazuya's sad expression Dislikes: Kazuya's happy expression

Kotaro sees his childhood friend Kazuya as a rival, and is always trying to make him understand, but always fails. His father is a company president, and they live in a large mansion and drive a foreign car called "KO-TARO-NANBARA2000." He is always loud and uses exaggerated gestures.

Cyberdor Sara

Appearance age: 23 years old Model number: TYPE-Af 773LC-CHN (manufactured by CYBERDYNE)
Date of manufacture: January 11 Favorite food: Ramen

Sarah is a Cyberdoll who came to collect Mei from Kazuya, who had not paid within the cooling-off period. She is a highly mobile type who can run 100 meters in 3 seconds and jump over a 3-story building. She usually speaks common Japanese, but when she gets angry, she speaks in Hiroshima dialect. She is an avid ramen fan.

Ikaria

Ikariya is a squid-shaped robot created by Kazuya. It is still in development, so to speak, as a prototype, but with each upgrade it becomes more and more capable, telling jokes along the way. It is good friends with the Cyberdoll Rena.

Cyber ​​X

Age: Unknown Occupation: Works at CYBERDYNE Favorite drink: Milk

Cyber ​​X is a mysterious figure in a powered suit who helps Kazuya and Mei from the shadows. His true identity is Kazuya's descendant, and his real name is Takuya Saotome.

Command Z

Command Z is a descendant of Minamihara, and his real name is Minamihara Toutaro. He is apparently the president of Cyberdyne. He came to solve a certain incident that is happening in the future, but...

Komyoji Temple Light

Age: 18 years old Date of birth: December 24, 1981 Birthplace: Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture Year of study: 1st year, Department of Literature, Faculty of Literature, Gilmore College

Hikari is a classmate of Kasumi's, and her family owns a long-established Japanese sweets shop. She has a gentle personality and does things at her own pace.

Daimondai

Daimon Dai is Kazuya's classmate.

Tadokoro

Tadokoro is also Kazuya's classmate.

Aoi Saotome, Midori

Aoi and Midori are Kazuya's older and younger sisters, with Aoi being the older sister and Midori being the younger sister.

Munekata Gin

Munekata Gin plays the lead role of Yamazaki Kintaro in the TV drama "Love's Whirlwind." Many people may know him better if they call him "Yamazaki-san."

Naomi Ryuzaki

Naomi Ryuzaki plays the heroine role of Rokujoin Mika in the TV drama "Love's Whirlwind."

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode of "HAND MAID Mei" are as follows.

• Episode 1: Nice to meet you!
• Chapter 2: Is it helpful?
• Episode 3: What should we do...?
• Episode 4: Don't look!
• Episode 5: To this day...really...
• Episode 6: More, More!
• Episode 7: No time?
• Episode 8: I Want Lots!
• Episode 9: But I Still Believe
• Episode 10: Full

Related Titles

There is also an OVA version related to "HAND MAID Mei."

Theme songs and music

The theme song and songs for "HAND MAID Mei" are as follows.

Opening Theme

"JUMP ~ Hug Me Fully"
Lyrics: Hiroo Oyagi Composition: Hiroo Oyagi Arrangement: Hiroo Oyagi, Kaoru Okubo Vocals: P-chicks

Ending Theme

"True Feelings"
Lyrics: Yuko Matsuzaki Composition: Toshiro Masuda Arrangement: Toshiro Masuda Vocals: Mikako Takahashi

Ratings and Recommendations

"HAND MAID Mei" has captivated many viewers with its unique setting and distinctive characters. In particular, the exploits of the Cyberdolls, centered around Mei, provide viewers with laughter and emotion. In addition, the relationship between Kazuya and Kasumi, and his friendship with Kotaro Minamihara, also add depth to the story.

This work is not only a romantic comedy, but also includes science fiction elements, making it enjoyable for fans of various genres. In particular, Mei's growth and interactions with the other Cyberdolls provide viewers with a new perspective. Kazuya's determination to pursue his dreams and Kasumi's pure love will also resonate with viewers.

"HAND MAID Mei" is an anime from the early 2000s that is still loved by many fans today. Please watch it, including the OVA version. I'm sure you will be drawn into the story of Mei and Kazuya.