My-Otome Zwei review: A fascinating story and deep characters

My-Otome Zwei - My Otome Zwei - Comprehensive review and recommendation

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

November 24, 2006

■Release and sales

Bandai Visual

■Frequencies

28 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 4

■Original Story

Hajime Yatate

■ Director

Masakazu Obara

■ Production

Produced by Sunrise, Bandai Visual

■Works

©Sunrise

■ Story

Arika Yumemiya, who still does not have enough credits to become a Meister, is taking Miss Maria's remedial classes and living a peaceful life in order to become a full-fledged Meister. Meanwhile, Mashiro is also slowly becoming more queen-like. One day, a giant meteorite is approaching the planet Airu on a direct hit course. In the face of this unprecedented crisis, the countries cooperate for the first time and a mission to intercept the meteorite is carried out by the Meister Maidens! However, this is only the beginning of a new story, and the beginning of the biggest crisis in the history of the planet Airu!!

■Explanation

In the fall of 2004, the original TV animation series "Mai-HiME" started broadcasting. Contrary to the keyword "moe anime" that was initially set, it debuted as a "burning anime" full of action, comedy, sex appeal, and drama!! DVDs, comics (5 volumes in total), CDs, novels, and magazines were also released to great acclaim. Even after the broadcast ended, many people still wanted to meet Mai, Natsuki, and Inochi, and in the fall of 2005, "Mai-Otome" was launched!! The staff who created "Mai-HiME" used the characters of My-HiME and created the catchphrase "Character Star System" to send out a new story set in a new world different from My-HiME, "Mai-Otome". "Mai-Otome" adds science fiction elements and a profound historical drama to the taste of My-HiME, and has been well received by fans of the previous work and new fans alike, and is on its way to becoming a huge hit! Then in the fall of 2006, "My-Otome" was released as an OVA series called "My-Otome Zwei," with even more battle action! "My-Otome" and "My-Otome" aren't over yet!

■Cast

・Arika Yumemiya/Mika Kikuchi Nina Wong/Ami Koshimizu/Mashiro Blanc de Windbloom/Yukana Tokiha Mai/Mai Nakahara Mikoto/Ai Shimizu/Natsuki Kruger/Sako Chiba/Shizuru Viola/Naomi Shindo/Haruka Armitage/Suzuka Yuzuki/Yukino Chrysanthe/Mamiko Noto/Akane Soir/Junko Iwao/Chie Hallard/Saiga Mitsuki Juliet Nao Chang / Yuka Nanri Irina Woods / Kumiko Higa Professor Gal, Laura Bianchi / Kikuko Inoue Yoko Helene / Akiko Kimura Aoi Seno, Ain Lu / Ryoko Shintani Sarah Gallagher / Miyuki Sawashiro Maya Blythe / Yumiko Kobayashi Ribbon-chan / Minami Kuribayashi Nagi Dai Altai / Akira Ishida

■ Main staff

・Planning / Sunrise・Original work / Yatate Hajime・Director / Obara Masakazu・Series composition / Yoshino Hiroyuki・Character design / Hisayuki Hirokazu・Animation director / Hisayuki Hirokazu・Creature design / Miyatake Kazutaka・Guest mecha design / Taiga Hiroyuki・Set design / Aoki Tomoyuki・Title logo design / Kamata Makoto・Art director / Takasuka Shinji・Color design / Yokoyama Sayoko・Director of photography / Suehiro Takashi・Editing / Seki Kazuhiko・Music / Kajiura Yuki・Music producer / Inoue Shunji・Music production / Lantis・Sound director / Mima Masafumi・Sound production / Techno sound・Producers / Furusato Naotake, Kunizaki Hisanori・Production / Sunrise・Production / Sunrise, Bandai Visual・Distributor / Bandai Visual

■ Main Characters

・Arika Yumemiya A girl who is always cheerful, always positive about her dreams, but a little clumsy. She came to Garderobe from her hometown, Galleria, to become a maiden of her dreams and longings. It has been one year since the armed invasion of the Windbloom Kingdom by the Principality of Altai and Schwarz, which changed Arika's fate greatly. Arika became Mashiro's Meister Maiden as the "Blue Sky's Blue Jewel," but she was also in a bit of a pinch. If things continued like this, she wouldn't have enough credits to graduate from Garderobe!?
Mashiro Blanc de Windbloom: A year has passed since Mashiro, a free-spirited, mischievous and spoiled princess, began her journey to become the queen of the Windbloom Kingdom. With Arika as her maiden, with whom she has shared joys and sorrows and deepened her friendship, she has grown into a queen, little by little.
Irina Woods: A former classmate of Arika. She is now a researcher at Garderobe and serves as an assistant to Professor Yoko.
Ribbon-chan A girl from Schwarz who helps out at Mai's ramen shop in Nekogamiyama.
Nina Wong: Arika's former roommate who lives with the amnesiac Sergei. Originally from the Principality of Altai. She once fought Arika as the Meister Maiden of the "Jet Black Diamond" of the Principality of Altai. She entered the ruins with Nao in search of clues to the mysterious incident, and discovered the Lost GEM "Emerald of the Sea God" inside...
・Tokiha Mai A Meister Maiden known as the "Legendary Maiden." Originally from Zipangu. Older sister of Zipangu's Prince, Tokiha Takumi. Her GEM name is "Flame Ribbon Ruby" and she wears the "Flame Ribbon Robe." She still lives with Mikoto and has not returned to Zipangu. She runs a ramen shop in Nekogamiyama (Black Valley) with the help of Ribbon-chan.
Akane Soir A Meister Maiden who serves her lover Kazuya, who became the new Emperor of the Chaldea Empire. She is from Florinth. Her GEM name is "Machache of Pure Love" and she wears the "Robe of Pure Love". She was once the number one Pearl Maiden, but eloped with Kazuya during the contract ceremony with King Florinth. After that, she was found by Maya of the Five Pillars.
Chie Harard is the captain of Delta Otome, a unit of the National Security Agency of the Republic of Aries. She is originally from the Republic of Aries. She wears a different Meister Robe than her subordinates, Jiji and the other three. She was once the number two Pearl Otome, and her boyish personality and appearance earned her enthusiastic support from her juniors. She is the best friend of Aoi, Mashiro's lady-in-waiting.
・Juliet Nao Chan Meister Otome One of the Five Pillars, the Fourth Pillar. She serves as a peacemaker, mainly in Altai. She is originally from the Principality of Altai. She goes by the nickname "Spindle of Broken Strings" and wears the "Robe of Broken Strings". She was once the number 4 of Pearl Otome, and was appointed as the Fourth Pillar of the Five Pillars when the position was vacant during the Vint Incident.

■ Main robot items

The New Fuuka Palace, which was destroyed during the armed invasion of the Kingdom of Windbloom, has been restored and reborn with a dignified(?) appearance, crowned with a giant sunflower designed by Queen Mashiro herself.

■Subtitle

・First act/Yume no ☆ Tsuzuki (2006/11/24)
・Second Act/Premonition of A-la-shi (2007/02/23)
・Third Act/Striped Dance/Maiden's Labyrinth (2007/05/25)
・Act 4: Connecting Dreams (2007/08/24)

■ Related works

・My-HiME
・My-Otome
・My-Otome Zwei Omnibus ・My-Otome 0~S.ifr~
・My-Otome Short Animation ・My-Otome Maiden's Prayer

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
・Period/1
・Believe: Eternal Bonds
Lyrics: Aki Hata Composition: Shinji Tamura Arrangement: Cher Watanabe Singer: Mika Kikuchi

・TM2
・Period/2
・storm
Lyrics: Yuki Kajiura Composition: Yuki Kajiura Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura Singer: Ami Koshimizu

・TM3
・Period/3
・The color of a smile is the color of the rainbow・Lyrics by Aki Hata・Composition by Yuki Kajiura・Arrangement by Sei Anze・Singer by Yukana

・TM4
・Period/4
・Otome wa DO MY BEST desho? 2007ver.
Lyrics by Aki Hata, Composition by Hitoshi Haba, Arrangement by Kaoru Okubo, Sung by Mika Kikuchi, Ami Koshimizu, Yukana, Mai Nakahara, Saeko Chiba, and Ai Shimizu

A comprehensive review of My Otome Zwei

"My-Otome Zwei" was released as an OVA in 2006, and was co-produced by Sunrise and Bandai Visual. It was written by Hajime Yatate, directed by Masakazu Obara, and has a stellar staff, with series composition by Hiroyuki Yoshino and character design by Hirokazu Hisayuki. Although it is a short series of only four episodes, it has a dense story and attractive characters.

The story is about Arika Yumemiya, who struggles to meet her Meister qualifications while facing the threat of a giant meteorite approaching the planet Earl. Each country cooperates to launch an intercept operation using Meister Otome, but this is the prologue to a new story and the beginning of the biggest crisis in the history of the planet Earl. This work surprised fans by introducing new developments while continuing the worldview of "My-HiME" and "My-Otome".

The "My-HiME" series is an original TV animation series that began in 2004 and was initially introduced as a "moe anime". However, in reality it gained popularity as a "burning anime" packed with action, comedy, sex appeal and drama. DVDs, comics, CDs, novels and magazines were also well received, and the support from fans continued even after the broadcast ended. In 2005, "My-Otome" was launched, and a new story was developed that added science fiction elements and a profound historical drama. "My-Otome Zwei" was released as a sequel, an OVA series with enhanced battle action.

The cast includes a star-studded cast of voice actors, including Mika Kikuchi, Ami Koshimizu, Yukana, Mai Nakahara, Ai Shimizu, and Saeko Chiba. In particular, Mika Kikuchi, who plays Arika Yumemiya, left a strong impression on viewers with her charming portrayal of a bright and positive character. Yukana, who plays Mashiro Blanc de Windbloom, also portrayed her realistic portrayal of her growing from a free-spirited, spoiled princess to a queen.

The main characters are also attractive, with Arika Yumemiya struggling to become the maiden she dreams of and aspires to be. Mashiro Blanc de Windbloom begins her path to becoming the queen of the Windbloom Kingdom, and welcomes Arika, with whom she has developed a deep friendship, into her own maiden. Tokiha Mai is known as the "legendary maiden," and also appears as the older sister of Tokiha Takumi, the prince of Zipangu. Nina Wong is depicted as living with the amnesiac Sergei, and confronting mysterious events.

The New Fuuka Palace, which appears as the main robot item, is a restored version of the Fuuka Palace that was destroyed in the armed invasion of the Windbloom Kingdom, and is characterized by its imposing appearance topped by a giant sunflower designed by Queen Mashiro herself. This New Fuuka Palace functions as an important setting for the story, making a visual impact and being deeply involved in the progression of the story.

Each of the four episodes has a different theme: "Yume no Tsuzuki," "A-ra-shi no Yokan," "Shiba no Maiden's Labyrinth," and "Tsunagari Yume." These subtitles symbolize the content of each episode, allowing viewers to enjoy the story while predicting how it will unfold.

Related works include "My-HiME", "My-Otome", "My-Otome Zwei Collection", "My-Otome 0~S.ifr~", "My-Otome Short Animation", "My-Otome Maiden Prayer", etc. These works share the worldview of the "My-HiME" series, but depict different perspectives and stories, making them a must-see for fans.

The theme songs and music are also attractive, with "Believe ~Eternal Bonds~" in the first episode sung by Kikuchi Mika and "Storm" in the second episode sung by Koshimizu Ami. "The Color of Smiles is the Color of the Rainbow" in the third episode is sung by Yukana, and "Otome wa DO MY BEST Desho? 2007ver." in the fourth episode is a luxurious collaboration between Kikuchi Mika, Koshimizu Ami, Yukana, Nakahara Mai, Chiba Saeko, and Shimizu Ai. These songs not only liven up the atmosphere of the story, but also leave a deep impression on the viewers' hearts.

Recommendation

"My-Otome Zwei" is a must-watch for fans of the "My-HiME" series, and is sure to appeal to new fans as well. Though it's a short series of just four episodes, it has a dense story and fascinating characters that draw viewers in. It also has enhanced battle action, so it's recommended for fans of action anime.

In particular, pay attention to the story of Arika Yumemiya's growth, Mashiro Blanc de Windbloom's growth as a queen, and the exploits of characters such as Tokiha Mai and Nina Wong. Also, don't miss the design of Shinpuuka Palace and the subtitles of each episode. You can also enjoy the performances of the gorgeous voice actors and the memorable theme songs and music.

By watching the other works in the "My-HiME" series, you will be able to understand the world view more deeply and enjoy the story of the characters. "My-Otome Zwei" is an essential work for fans of the series, and is also an attractive work for new fans. Please give it a watch.