I can’t really offer any “deep” thoughts about Mai-Otome - not yet, at least. The show is such a Frankenstein of a monster that, no matter how deep I dig, I’ll never manage to get to the core of anything. I’m happy with the ending, I think, and my overall opinion of the show is positive. I definitely enjoyed it. The thing is, I think I enjoyed it just as much - if not more - on a meta “what is Sunrise up to?” level as I did for the content itself.

I will say that the mechanics of the ending were kind of clunky, as if the writers had just about run out of gas. Actually, given the “one step forward, two steps back” nature of the second half of the series, I wonder if they weren’t running on fumes for quite some time. Arika’s final words to Nina in space are evidence of this, I think, seeing as they were just a rehash of the lyrics to the ED theme. Believe in your dreams and keep moving forward? Saio sen jiko yo? Was that the point of the entire show? It’s not a horrible message, that’s for sure, but it’s far from original. And the fact that it essentially resolved the entire story proves more corny than heart-warming.

But, I’ve seen a lot of anime over the years, so I’ve seen my fair share of good writing, mediocre writing, and just plain bad writing. I’ve seen every “trick” in the book, so to speak. It’s gotten to the point where cliché no longer annoys me as much as it amuses me - and, obviously, I’d rather be amused than annoyed - so, just as I found the cliché-ridden Mai-HiME ending acceptable, so do I find the Mai-Otome ending worthy. In fact, the legacy of its predecessor may make Mai-Otome even more tolerable, seeing as, deep down, I expected a goofy, happy ending. “Fool me once, shame on… shame on you. Fool me… you can’t get fooled again,” as His Majesty would say.

I do hope, however, that this will be the end of the Mai franchise. As much as I enjoyed both shows, I say so with a heavy heart, but I don’t think you can reinvent these characters a third time and expect it to work. Hell, it barely worked the second time around. If the coming Mai-Otome OAVs reflect the tone of the first half of the series, that’s great. If Sunrise plans to use the OAVs to resolve the ending, on the other hand, they’ll probably be pushing their luck. Others will no doubt feel differently, but I’d rather they go ahead and lay the whole thing to rest in its current form.

So, what about the ending itself? A few thoughts…

I’ll be honest: I couldn’t stop laughing. I think the only scene that had me pursing my lips was the one in which Arika prepares to toast her mother, and even then, I started busting out again when this popped up. Yoshino Hiroyuki is such a goof.

Despite the promise of hot Otome action (no, not THAT kind), there were probably only three good fights in the entire series. And, as a friend points out, one involved the tentacle monster! Unfortunately, the last episode didn’t offer much, either: “OK, WE’RE GONNA FIGHT NOW! Whoops, something happened. OK, NOW WE FIGHT! Dammit, you stole my kill! EAT THIS! Whoops, there goes my Robe. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE! Aw fudge, someone just blew up the world.”

Akane and Kazu never got it on? The way they went rushing out of the shrine in Episode 13, you’d think they’d have done it in the bushes on the way to the car. Twice.

Nagi made a great villain. Dude’s really not evil… just a clueless narcissist. At the end, I half expected him to strike a pouty face and go “I’M SO VEWY SOWRY… it was Sergey’s idea!”

It’s funny how the Otome all have these skimpy Robes, yet, by virtue of being Otome, they’re all… well, you know.

“I’ll never forget this, Yumemiya Arika! And your little Queen, too!” … *SPLAT* … “Just kidding!”

I still don’t understand the deal with all the cats.

For a minute there, I thought Miyu was going to bukkake the moon.

Sucks to be Erstin.

Nina gets a bad haircut and gets to spend the rest of her days watching over a brain damaged Sergey? BAD END.

Actually, I guess it could have been much, much worse…