The appeal and reviews of "MM!": A perfect blend of comedy and youth

MM! - MM - Comprehensive review and recommendation

Overview

MM! is a TV anime series that aired in 2010 and is based on the MM! light novel series by Matsuno Akito. The story revolves around the protagonist Sado Taro, who is troubled by a condition that makes him feel good when women abuse or treat him sadistically. The anime aired on AT-X, tvk, Chiba TV, Teletama, Sun TV, TOKYO MX, and TV Aichi, and consists of 12 episodes, each 30 minutes long. It was directed by Nagasawa Tsuyoshi, animated by XEBEC, and produced by the MM! Production Committee.

■ Story

A beautiful girl kicked me! A delightful SM fantasy romantic comedy for all masochists around the world ♥

Sado Taro (masochist) has discovered that he feels good when a woman abuses or treats him sadistically. If he continues like this, there's no way he'll ever find love. To cure this, he visits the Second Volunteer Club, which claims to grant students' wishes, but there he meets Isurugi Mio (masochist), a beautiful girl who calls herself God and is extremely delusional, and Yuino Arashiko (personality unknown), who was the catalyst for Taro's awakening to his masochistic side. One after another, the girls throw him a series of trials (pleasures). Do your best, Taro. Don't be happy about that.

■Explanation

"MM!" is a romantic comedy anime with an SM theme, depicting the protagonist Sado Taro's struggle to cure his masochistic tendencies. Taro visits the Second Volunteer Club, where he meets Isurugi Mio and Yuino Arashiko, and together they take on various challenges. The anime has a strong comedic element, and the characters' individuality stands out, entertaining viewers. Although it deals with the unique theme of SM, it also depicts universal themes such as love and friendship, making it a work that is accepted by a wide range of people.

■Cast

• Mio Ishido/Ayana Taketatsu
• Taro Sado/Jun Fukuyama
• Arashi Yuino/Saori Hayami
• Tatsuyoshi Hayama/Rina Sato
• Michiru Onigawara/Rie Tanaka
• Tomoko Sado/Sayaka Ohara
• Shizuka Sado/Kana Asumi
• Yumi Mamiya/Yuko Gibu
• Noah Hiiragi/Sayuri Yahagi
• Yukinojo Himura/Tsubasa Yonaga
• Yoshioka/Chiba Susumu
• Domyouji store manager / Tomokazu Sugita
• Kirino Ayasegawa/Ryoko Shiraishi

■ Main staff

• Original story by Matsuno Akito ("MM!" series, published by MF Bunko J/Media Factory)
• Character design: QP:flapper (Koharu Sakura, Tomeo Obara)
• Planning: Atsushi Iwasaki, Taiji Misaka, Isamu Shibata, Shinao Shimoji, Shunji Inoue, Yasuhiro Mikami
• Director: Tsuyoshi Nagasawa
• Series Composition: Rie Oshika
• Character design and chief animation director: Taeko Hori
• Art Director: Keito Watanabe
• Prop design: Kagehara Hanzo
• Color design: Tamae Matsuoka
• Director of photography: Nakata Tomoyuki
• Edited by Yoshiki Ushirota (J Film)
• Assistant Editor: Kenichi Hirai (J Film)
• Video editing: Motoki Shirai (Q-Tech)
• Sound Director: Takeshi Takadera
• Sound effects: Toshiya Wada (Swara Pro)
• Sound Mixer: Nobuto Kojima
• Sound Editor: Naotsugu Uchida
• Recording studio/HALF H・P ​​STUDIO
• Sound Production: Hiroki Uragari
• Music producer/Yoshiyuki Ito
• Music by Yukari Hashimoto
• Music Production: Lantis
• Advertising: Saori Takeyama
• Planning cooperation: Comic Alive Editorial Department, Masatoshi Takahashi
• Serialised in Monthly Comic Alive (Media Factory, Manga by Hiyori Issei)
• Cooperation: Tokyo Animator Academy, Yoshimi Nakajima (Quorus), Daisuke Kobayashi (Quorus)
• Original logo design: Yosuke Matsui (KARORI DESIGN)
• Official website created by Hirotoshi Maeyama and Sachiko Kuriyama
• Production desk: Asami Kitahara
• Literature and setting production: Takeyuki Ishida
• System Management/Tsuyoshi Hirota
• Production staff: Emiko Takashina, Hitomi Ishikawa
• Producers: Tatsuhiro Nitta, Akimasa Sasao, Takeshi Hashimoto, Takatoshi Chino, Katsumi Koike, Hiromasa Minami
• Animation production: XEBEC
• Produced by: MM! Production Committee (Media Factory, TO Entertainment, XEBEC, Lantis, AT-X)

■ Main Characters

• Mio Isurugi is a second-year high school student and the head of the second volunteer club, whose mission is to "make students' wishes come true." With her strong leadership skills, she uses every possible method to solve Taro and Arashiko's problems. She calls herself God.
• Sado Taro is a high school freshman who is troubled by his masochistic nature, which makes him happy when a woman abuses him. He visits the Second Volunteer Club to cure his perverted nature, which prevents him from confessing his feelings to his first love.
• A high school freshman who suffers from androphobia. Taro's classmate. Like Taro, she joined the Second Volunteer Club to cure her condition. In middle school, she awakened Taro's masochistic nature.
• Hayama Tatsuyoshi is a first-year high school student who is an honor student except for his appearance. He is Taro's classmate. He is Taro's best friend and understands his masochistic nature. He introduces Taro, who is worried about his own nature, to the Second Volunteer Club.
• Michiru Onigawara is the school nurse at Sakuramori High School, where Mio and Taro attend. Age unknown. She acts as a guardian to Mio and often shows up at the Second Volunteer Club. She also has a somewhat troublesome side, as she tries to make beautiful girls cosplay as soon as she sees them.
• Sado Shizuka is Taro's older sister. She is a university student. Taro takes priority over everything else, and she is a dangerous presence who tries to sneak into Taro's bed at every opportunity. Her rival is her mother, Tomoko.
• Sado Tomoko Taro's mother. A housewife. Taro takes priority in everything, and she is a dangerous presence who tries to sneak into Taro's room at every opportunity. Her rival is her daughter, Shizuka.
• Yumi Mamiya A childhood friend of Arashiko. A high school freshman. Worried about Arashiko's fear of men, she always gives her advice. She is the successor to the Mamiya style of massage. When she sees a beautiful girl...
• Noah Hiiragi is a second-year high school student and the head of the invention club. With an IQ of over 200, many of his inventions are a little out of the blue. Because of this, he is as famous as Mio at school.
• Yukinosuke Himura is a first year high school student who is a member of the invention club. He serves as Noah's assistant. He is a pervert who mainly likes petite girls, and can be said to be Taro's rival in terms of perversion... or is that right?
• The manager of the convenience store where Choutaro Domyouji works part-time. He has a pure heart and loves the two-dimensional world, but he also has a somewhat unfortunate side.

■Subtitle

• Episode 1: Straight Down First Love! (2010/10/02)
• Episode 2: Distance between similar people (2010/10/09)
• Episode 3: Dogfight for You (2010/10/16)
• Episode 4: And so they become a lovey-dovey couple (2010/10/23)
• Episode 5: Genius Girl's Runaway Panic! (2010/10/30)
• Episode 6: A home filled with chaos (2010/11/06)
• Episode 7: Midsummer Triangle Love? (2010/11/13)
• Episode 8: B and L's strange love story (2010/11/20)
• Episode 9: MFC's Magnificent Conspiracy (2010/11/27)
• Episode 10: Sadistic Miss Arashiko (2010/12/04)
• Episode 11: Lost Memory (2010/12/11)
• Episode 12: Christmas Wish (2010/12/18)

■ Related works

• Mm! Ss!

■ Theme songs and music

• OP1
  HELP!! -Hell side-
  Lyrics by Saori Kodama Composition by corin.
  Arrangement: corin.
  Sung by: Isurugi Mio (Taketatsu Ayana)
• OP2
  HELP!! -Heaven side-
  Lyrics by Saori Kodama Composition by corin.
  Arrangement: corin.
  Sung by: Isurugi Mio (Taketatsu Ayana), Yuino Arashiko (Hayami Saori)
• ED1
  More-more LOVERS!!
  Lyrics by Aki Hata Composition by Kenichi Maeyamada Arrangement by Kenichi Maeyamada Singer by Natsuko Aso
• ED2
  Happy Birthday, my holy day
  Lyrics by Saori Kodama, Music by Yukari Hashimoto, Arrangement by Yukari Hashimoto, Vocals by Mio Isurugi (Ayana Taketatsu)
• IN1
  Hallelujah♡Study Lyrics: Saori Kodama Music: Kazunori Watanabe Arrangement: Kazunori Watanabe Sung by: Mio Isurugi (Ayana Taketatsu), Arashiko Yuino (Saori Hayami)

■Detailed evaluation

"MM!" has a very unique position as a romantic comedy anime with a SM theme. The protagonist, Sado Taro, struggles to cure his masochistic nature, and gives viewers laughter and empathy. In addition, Taro's interactions with unique characters such as Isurugi Mio and Yuino Arashiko, whom he meets when he visits the Second Volunteer Club, add depth to the story.

The story of the anime revolves around Taro's trials to cure his masochistic tendencies, but various comedic elements are incorporated along the way. In particular, the individual personalities of the characters, such as Isurugi Mio's strong leadership and Yuino Arashiko's fear of men, are prominent and entertain the viewers. In addition, while the anime deals with the unique theme of SM, it also depicts universal themes such as love and friendship, making it a work that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people.

The cast also includes a number of talented voice actors, including Ayana Taketatsu, Jun Fukuyama, and Saori Hayami, who bring out the best in the characters. In particular, Ayana Taketatsu, who plays Mio Isurugi, perfectly portrays a character with strong leadership skills and who calls herself a god. In addition, Jun Fukuyama, who plays Taro Sado, realistically portrays the feelings of a high school student who is troubled by his masochistic tendencies, eliciting sympathy from viewers.

As for the main staff, director Nagasawa Tsuyoshi and the rest of the staff worked together to create the work. In particular, character designer and chief animation director Hori Taeko worked on designs that accentuated the individuality of the characters, enhancing the visual appeal. Yukari Hashimoto also composed the music, which plays an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

As you can see from the subtitles, each episode has a different theme and challenge, so viewers will not get bored. Episode 5, "The Genius Girl's Panic!" and Episode 10, "Sadistic Miss Arashiko" are particularly memorable episodes that highlight the individuality of the characters. Also, Episode 12, "A Christmas Wish," is a touching scene that serves as the climax of the story, leaving a strong impression on viewers.

"MM! SS!", which can be mentioned as a related work, is also a love comedy with an SM theme, and is a work that fans cannot miss. The theme songs and music are also important elements that enhance the appeal of the work, and the opening songs "HELP!! -Hell side-" and "HELP!! -Heaven side-" in particular are memorable songs that symbolize the characters of Isurugi Mio and Yuino Arashiko.

■Recommendation

"MM!" is a very unique love comedy anime with a SM theme. The protagonist, Sado Taro, struggles to cure his masochistic nature, and gives viewers laughter and empathy. In addition, Taro's interactions with unique characters such as Isurugi Mio and Yuino Arashiko, whom he meets when he visits the Second Volunteer Club, add depth to the story.

This work has a strong comedic element and the characters' unique personalities make it entertaining for viewers. Although it deals with the unique theme of SM, it also depicts universal themes such as love and friendship, making it a work that is accepted by a wide range of people. In particular, it features a cast of talented voice actors such as Ayana Taketatsu, Jun Fukuyama, and Saori Hayami, who bring out the charm of the characters to the fullest.

As you can see from the subtitles, each episode has a different theme and challenge, so viewers will never get bored. Also, the related work "MM! SS!" is a romantic comedy with a similar SM theme, making it a must-see for fans. The theme songs and music are also important elements that enhance the appeal of the work, and the opening songs "HELP!! -Hell side-" and "HELP!! -Heaven side-" are particularly memorable as songs that symbolize the characters of Isurugi Mio and Yuino Arashiko.

As mentioned above, "MM!" is a very unique love comedy anime with a SM theme, and is a work that will make viewers laugh and sympathize. Please give it a watch.