Maburaho Volume 1: Bewitched and Bewildered - Ascully.Com

• Media Source:Ascully.Com
• Reviewed By:Paul Hayes
• Review Date:08/12/05
• Read the original review click here

"I figured this one was going to be a little weird about half way through the first episode when Kazuki gets tackled by the hottest girl in school who then proceeds to try and have sex with him in the middle of the dorm hallway."

Introduction:
Throughout the ages magic has become more and more commonplace, so commonplace that the strongest magical families are set apart like a ruling class. Throughout the world there are schools much like any other high school. They teach the art of magic to those who possess abilities above the rest. The prestigious Aoi Academy sees some of the worlds finest magic users in its halls, Kazuki Shikimori is not one of them. For Kazuki, it is a bit of a mystery why he is even attending Aoi in the first place. The average student there can use their magic over 8000 times in a life time where he can merely use his 8 times. When word spreads that Kazuki's lineage is filled with some of the worlds most powerful magicians, the girls at the school begin to pay this underachiever a lot of attention, hoping, that they can be the one to help him spread his magical genes.

Case Art and Extras:
That's certainly an interesting premise. I figured this one was going to be a little weird about half way through the first episode when Kazuki gets tackled by the hottest girl in school who then proceeds to try and have sex with him in the middle of the dorm hallway. After a rough start I decided to give it a chance. On the disk there are several extras to supplement your viewing experience, including, 'The Art of Maburaho', original Japanese promo spots, Translator Notes, clean opening and closing animations, and ADV previews. The case leaflet also reads like a school paper, offering a few articles pertaining to the series as well as some comic strips. The first volume has the standard 4 episodes plus next episode teaser spots, and runs approximately 100 minutes.

Episode 1: It's a promise, Mr. Greatest Magician in the Whole World
Episode 2: It Fell
It's just another day at school for Kazuki. Go to school... late again. Peek in on the girls in their underwear during their physicals... get caught. Head back to the dorms for the evening... find a mysterious girl claiming to be your betrothed. Well, almost any other day. As things begin to sort themselves out, Yuna isn't the only one jumping on the 'Marry Shikimori' bandwagon. Kuriko and Rin are also showing a vested interest in Kazuki. Rins family wants her to marry the young man, but she wants to choose her own life. Kuriko wants to marry him because their offspring could make a lot of money for her company. And Yuna just wants to be with him because of a promise he made many years ago. Thinking Yuna's interests were the same as the others', Kazuki is hostile; rejecting her advances. Heartbroken, Yuna runs away. After seeing her necklace, Kazuki begins to remember the promise he made many years ago. Even though he can only use his magic 8 times, his magic is very potent. He summons his energies and creates a small show shower. The white flakes begin to slowly drift to the ground as the two realize that they should probably give it a chance after all.

Episode 3: It Appeared
Although Kazuki and Yuna are kinda going out (at least that's what I gathered). Yuna wants to go ahead and move in together. Kazuki, and the rest of the school, don't think that it is such a good idea. The two return to Kazuki's dorm only to discover the spirit of a young girl named Elizabeth has taken up residence as well. She explains that many years ago her family lived in the mansion across the street but long after they had died realtors bought the property and fortified it with magic barriers. Since she cant live there, she is living in the dorms. Kazuki can't have a living girl in his dorm, much less the spirit of a girl, but it seems the cost of getting her to leave is a bit steep.

Episode 4: I Saw It
After the incident with Elizabeth and the dorms, strange noises have been heard around the campus. Kazuki is experiencing nightmares with Behemoth's attacking him. Dr. Akai seems the think the nightmares are prophetic in nature and it is only a matter of time before Kazuki has an encounter with a Behemoth in reality. As the students begin investigating the strange noises, signs begin pointing to a summoned Behemoth as their source, and Dr. Akai as its summoner.

Art Audio, and Voice Acting:
I can't really say much about the music since it is the same recycled stuff we have all heard a thousand times. It isn't bad or anything, its just in the realm of cliché. The audio is clean and clear, and the voice actors do a pretty good job. The DVD transfer is well done as well, although these days it is all mostly digital to begin with. There isn't much else technically that I can talk about since it is all pretty average fare.

Conclusion:
Although the technical merits are average, at its core Maburaho isn't so much about flashy animation and special effects. It is a romantic comedy fantasy schoolyard story. So far the plot seems to be interesting enough to stick with for a little longer. The series had enough in it to pique my interests, and the last episode on the disk left me wanting to see a little bit more just to see what happens and answer some questions. You can get Maburaho Volume 1: Bewitched and Bewildered from ADV films.

Posted on Friday, August 12, 2005 (Archive on Monday, September 12, 2005)