Maria-sama ga Miteru

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Maria-sama ga Miteru

Maria-sama ga Miteru logo.
マリア様がみてる
Genre Class S,[1] Yuri[2]
Light novel
Author Oyuki Konno
Illustrator Reine Hibiki
Publisher Flag of Japan Shueisha
Demographic Female
Magazine Cobalt
Published April 24, 1998 – ongoing
Volumes 33
Manga
Author Oyuki Konno
Illustrator Satoru Nagasawa
Publisher Flag of Japan Shueisha
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Margaret
Original run October 2003 – ongoing
Volumes 8
TV anime
Director Yukihiro Matsushita
Studio Flag of Japan Studio Deen
Licensor Flag of the United States Nozomi Entertainment
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo, Animax
Original run January 7, 2004 – March 31, 2004
Episodes 13
TV anime: Maria-sama ga Miteru: Haru
Director Yukihiro Matsushita
Studio Flag of Japan Studio Deen
Licensor Flag of the United States Nozomi Entertainment
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo, Animax
Original run July 4, 2004 – September 26, 2004
Episodes 13
OVA
Director Yukihiro Matsushita
Studio Flag of Japan Studio Deen
Licensor Flag of the United States Nozomi Entertainment
Episodes 5
Released November 29, 2006 – July 25, 2007
Runtime 50 minutes each
TV anime
Director Yukihiro Matsushita
Studio Flag of Japan Studio Deen
Other

Maria-sama ga Miteru (マリア様がみてる? lit. The Virgin Mary is Watching or Maria Watches Over Us), often shortened to Marimite (マリみて?), is an ongoing series of Japanese shōjo light novels written by Japanese author Oyuki Konno, and illustrated by Hibiki Reine. The series focuses on a group of teenage girls attending Lillian Catholic school for girls in Tokyo, Japan. A common theme throughout the series revolves around the lives and close relationships of the school's student council known as the Yamayuri Council. Maria-sama ga Miteru is considered as representative of yuri novels.[2]

The first Maria-sama ga Miteru light novel was published on April 28, 1998 by Shueisha. Since then, two to four novels have been published each following year, with the latest volume being published on April 1, 2008, as the thirty-third installment in the series. A set of short stories, written by the author of the novels, have been published since February 1997 in the shōjo manga magazine Cobalt by Shueisha; sixteen stories have been published as of August 2007. In October 2003, a manga series illustrated by Satoru Nagasawa, started serialization in the Japanese shōjo manga magazine Margaret, also published by Shueisha; eight manga volumes have been published, the latest on January 2008.

Maria-sama ga Miteru has been adapted into a three-season anime series, and plans for a fourth televised anime season were announced in the August 2007 issue of Cobalt.[3] There have been fourteen drama CDs based on the stories in the novels which are voiced by the anime voice actors; they too are published by Shueisha. On March 6, 2008, The Right Stuf International announced that they have licensed the first three seasons of the anime and will release it under the name Maria Watches Over Us.[4]

Contents

[edit] Plot

[edit] Story

Maria-sama ga Miteru's story revolves around the students of the Lillian Catholic school for girls, and can be considered character-driven, focusing on interactions between the characters rather than any sort of ongoing plot or goal to attain. At Lillian Girls' School, there is a tradition known as the sœur system (sœur being French for "sister"), in which a second, or third-year student, the grande sœur ("big sister"), will give her rosary to a junior student, the petite sœur ("little sister"), and promise to look after them and guide them.

When the story begins, Yumi Fukuzawa, a first-year student at Lillian, is praying in front of the Virgin Mary statue near the school entrance when she is suddenly approached by a cold second-year student named Sachiko Ogasawara who straightens Yumi's uniform ribbon. This seemingly simple act of kindness stays with Yumi the rest of the day, and she speaks of her meeting with Sachiko to her friends during class and lunch. After school is over, Yumi's classmate Tsutako Takeshima meets with Yumi to show her that she took a photograph of Yumi's meeting with Sachiko earlier that morning. Yumi asks if she can have the photo, but Tsutako says she will give her the snapshot under two conditions: one being that Tsutako can display it at the upcoming school festival, and two being that Yumi get Sachiko's permission to do so as well. Yumi agrees to this, which sets in motion a series of events involving the entire Yamayuri Council — the student council of the school. A few weeks after first meeting Sachiko, Yumi accepts Sachiko's rosary and therefore agrees to become her petite sœur.

This officially inducts Yumi into the Yamayuri Council where she assists them in school matters at the same level as the other two petite sœurs — Yoshino Shimazu, and Shimako Tōdō — who are the petite sœurs of Rei Hasekura, and Sei Satō respectively. Through her activities in the Yamayuri Council, Yumi becomes closer to the other members and generally finds her experiences with the group to be enjoyable.

[edit] Setting and themes

Lillian Girls' Academy (私立リリアン女学園 Shiritsu Ririan Jogakuen?) was founded in 1902 in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan; the school is depicted as an elegant, clean, pure, and very prestigious institution. Among the facilities of Lillian, aside from the classrooms, there is a church, a greenhouse, a kendo dojo, an auditorium, a park, and the Rose Mansion, where the Yamayuri Council meet. The students are very respectable and in good standing. The uniform at the school is a long, dark green Japanese school uniform with a white collar. The Lillian Girls' School is based on a real school in Nishitōkyō known as the Musashino Joshi Gakuin (武蔵野女子学院 Musashino School for Girls?). Although it is a private school, it is not a Catholic, but a Buddhist school. The author, Konno Oyuki, graduated from a Catholic kindergarten in Musashino.

One notable aspect is the occasional use of French, although one need not be fluent in French to understand the story. In fact, the series is given the French subtitle La Vierge Marie vous regarde, which means "The Virgin Mary is watching you". In keeping with the tone of the series, formal language is used — gokigen'yō (ごきげんよう?) is a strictly formal and respectful greeting in Japanese, and is used both to greet and to bid farewell. By custom, this greeting is used often in the Lillian School; this has been one of the distinguishable and popular phrases of the series, and it is used to begin or to finish each volume. The Animax English language version translates the word as "Good day to you". The Lillian Girls' School uses the lily symbolism as the white lily is the flower of the Virgin Mary. The white lily is a Christian symbol of virginity and purity.

This lily imagery is also used as a reference to yuri:[5] the story has some elements of romance between female characters; the use of lilies reinforces this in subtext, as do the names of the student council and of the school itself.[5] The series is only explicit about this sort of relationships once in a flashback, but many of the sisters have relationships that go beyond simple friendship.

The musical choices of Maria-sama ga Miteru are generally classical music-inspired.[6][5] A song that is often referred to in the anime is "Maria-sama no Kokoro", or "The Virgin Mary's Heart". In the context of the series, "Maria-sama no Kokoro" is a children's song taught to the students at Lillian.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Maria-sama ga Miteru characters

[edit] Chinensis family

Yumi (left) with Sachiko (right).
Yumi (left) with Sachiko (right).
Yumi Fukuzawa (福沢 祐巳 Fukuzawa Yumi?)
Voiced by: Kana Ueda
She is the main character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Yumi is bashful beyond words, very timid and unsure of herself. She first met Sachiko, the star of Lillian School, and had her tie fixed by Sachiko, which mortified Yumi. Yumi's friend, Tsutako Takeshima, took a cute picture of this and wanted to display it in the school festival. Tsutako gets Yumi to ask permission from Sachiko. Other characters often comment on how her emotions 'show on her face'.
Sachiko Ogasawara (小笠原 祥子 Ogasawara Sachiko?)
Voiced by: Miki Itō
Prim and elegant, Sachiko has a rough side and a very sweet side. She is very protective over Yumi and cares deeply about her. However, Sachiko often has the same problem as Yumi does — she does not share most of her problems with her sœur, causing many misunderstandings. Sachiko is slated to marry her cousin and fiancé Suguru after she graduates. This has caused her some distress because she initially cared deeply for him but he did not reciprocate. In the manga, it is revealed that he is only romantically interested in men; they now have a complicated relationship.
Sometimes, Yumi must teach Sachiko how to live informally, like helping her select her first pair of jeans and dining at a fast food joint. Despite her sometimes stern appearance, Sachiko has her own share of insecurities regarding her relationship with Yumi, not to mention emotional insecurities arising from her home life; both her father and grandfather openly have mistresses, unabashedly dividing their time between home and the mistresses, which apparently led to her general disdain for men, as illustrated in the third season during a meeting with the student council members of Hanadera, an all-boys high school.
Yōko Mizuno (水野 蓉子 Mizuno Yōko?)
Voiced by: Emi Shinohara
Calm and reserved, but usually with a smirk on her face, Yōko is Sachiko's grande sœur. As the nearly indisputable leader of the Yamayuri Council during her time as Rosa Chinensis, she played a major role in maintaining stability in its sometimes unstable environment. Though usually cool and refined, she is also known to have a fun side. Additionally, it has been implied that she has feelings for Sei Satō.[7] Her dream is to see the Rose Mansion filled with ordinary students before she graduates.

[edit] Gigantea family

Sei (left) with Shimako (right).
Sei (left) with Shimako (right).
Noriko (left) with Shimako (right).
Noriko (left) with Shimako (right).
Sei Satō (佐藤 聖 Satō Sei?)
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi
The exact opposite of most of the characters in the series: loud, rough-around-the-edges, she loves doing what she can to push other peoples' buttons. However, Sei is one of the wisest and most caring characters in the series. Though seeming to have a playful and laid-back attitude, Sei has experienced many tragedies in her life, especially in her second year. Sei's personality was very different in her first two years — she was disinterested in everything, and never joked around like she did in her third year. Sei believes that Shimako should learn to solve her problems on her own, then only will she become strong.
Shimako Tōdō (藤堂 志摩子 Tōdō Shimako?)
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto
Prim, proper and very beautiful, Shimako is the most admired of the first-years. She is the petite sœur of Sei at the beginning of the story and later is her successor. Underneath Shimako's quiet, mannerly exterior lies a surprisingly strong resolve. However, Shimako is perhaps the most gentle and fragile of the three girls of her year in the Yamayuri Council. She is even unable to decide whether she should run for the next Rosa Gigantea at first, since she is not the type to lead people, and also because she just wants to work, not so much for the council, but for Sei herself. Reminiscent of Sei in her third year, Shimako is unsure of how to find a petite sœur in her second year after Sei leaves. She meets Noriko under the cherry blossoms, like how she first met Sei and later asks her to become her petite sœur.
Noriko Nijō (二条 乃梨子 Nijō Noriko?)
Voiced by: Kaori Shimizu
A young girl with a fascination with Buddhist statues and art. She enters Lillian Academy (a strictly Catholic institution) due to an unexpected turn of events. She has a fierce temper that contradicts her calm exterior and becomes Shimako's petite sœur after Shimako enters her second year.

[edit] Foetida family

Yoshino (left), Eriko (center), and Rei (right).
Yoshino (left), Eriko (center), and Rei (right).
Yoshino Shimazu (島津 由乃 Shimazu Yoshino?)
Voiced by: Haruna Ikezawa
In the beginning of the series, Yoshino is a girl who is very ill and cared for constantly by her grande sœur, Rei. Yoshino is voted as the best petite sœur near the beginning of the series, as everyone considers her to be soft and sweet; however, this is only her reputation. Yoshino is very independent and in some ways tomboyish, despite her sickly status and feminine appearance. After her heart surgery, she becomes more energetic throughout the series. In addition to being Rei's petite sœur, Yoshino is also her cousin and next-door neighbor. Their relationship is somewhat rocky, since Yoshino is eager to spread her wings, while Rei would like to protect her from the world's hardships.
Rei Hasekura (支倉 令 Hasekura Rei?)
Voiced by: Shizuka Ito
Rei, Yoshino's grande sœur, appears very tomboyish and 'bishōnen' on the outside but is in fact quite gentle despite her appearances. She enjoys reading shōjo novels, her favorite word is 'sincerity', and her hobby is sightseeing. She is involved in kendo, but obsessively cares about Yoshino and prefers the domestic arts, like cooking.
Eriko Torii (鳥居 江利子 Torii Eriko?)
Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame
Rei's grande sœur; one of the most well-respected of the Yamayuri Council. She is very gifted and good at almost everything, although she is also enigmatic and eccentric. She has a large forehead, which Sei made fun of when they were young, and began their rivalry. She said once that she chose Rei as her sœur to see if anything interesting would happen. She often has friction with Yoshino, as the younger girl is jealous of her bond with Rei. Eriko has three older brothers. After leaving Lillian, she studies the Arts. She hates the dentist above all else. She is in love with a man who is interested in dinosaurs.

[edit] Yamayuri Council

Much of the story of Marimite revolves around the Yamayuri Council (山百合会 Yamayurikai?, lit. "Mountain Lily Council"), which acts as the student council. The Yamayuri Council meet in a building called the Rose Mansion (薔薇の館 Bara no Yakata?). Located within the school, it consists of two stories; the second story is where the meeting room is. The Yamayuri Council itself consists of three offices, named after roses: Rosa Foetida (ロサ・フェティダ Rosa Fetida?), Rosa Gigantea (ロサ・ギガンティア Rosa Gigantia?), and Rosa Chinensis (ロサ・キネンシス Rosa Kinenshisu?).[8] These are also referred to by their colors; the Yellow Rose (黄薔薇 Kibara?) is Rosa Foetida, the White Rose (白薔薇 Shirobara?) is Rosa Gigantea, and the Red Rose (紅薔薇 Benibara?) is Rosa Chinensis.

A Rose (薔薇 Bara?), or Rosa (ロサ?), is one of three senior members of the Yamayuri Council, although it is also possible to generally speak of all the members of the Yamayuri Council as roses. A Rose makes the important decisions within this group, since she has control over the student council. Candidates for the position, which lasts through the school year, are chosen through an election. Any student can run to become a Rose, although the position is usually given to the en boutons, or petite sœur.

The petite sœur of a Rosa is called an en bouton (アン・ブゥトン an būton?),[9] otherwise known as bara no tsubomi (薔薇のつぼみ?). En bouton is French for "in bud" — as used in the example Rosa Chinensis en bouton — and is unofficially considered part of the Yamayuri Council, as is the petite sœur of the en bouton, if she has one. The en boutons must be in a lower year than their oneesama, and generally the en boutons execute the plans discussed by the Roses, like assistants. Although the offices of the Yamayuri Council are traditionally passed to the en bouton on the graduation of the current holder, they are nonetheless elected offices which anyone may run for.

The petite sœur of the en bouton is called en bouton petite sœur (アン・ブゥトン・プティ・スール an būton puti sūru?) — as used in the example Rosa Chinensis en bouton petite sœur — and is otherwise known as bara no tsubomi no imōto (薔薇のつぼみの妹?). She must be in a lower year than her oneesama and performs small duties, such as attending to the Roses' en boutons, cleaning the Rose Mansion, and making tea and snacks for the Yamayuri Council. This lasts a school year, and the following year, when their oneesama is elected, the petite sœurs become en boutons automatically.

Most of the main characters are members of the Yamayuri Council. The following table shows their titles and sœur relationships: each character is the grande sœur of the character below them, if any.

Yumi's first year
Foetida Chinensis Gigantea
Rosa ~ Eriko Torii (Third year) Yōko Mizuno (Third year) Sei Satō (Third year)
Rosa ~ en bouton Rei Hasekura (Second year) Sachiko Ogasawara (Second year) Shimako Tōdō (First year)
Rosa ~ en bouton petite sœur Yoshino Shimazu (First year) Yumi Fukuzawa (First year) None
Yumi's second year
Foetida Chinensis Gigantea
Rosa ~ Rei Hasekura (Third year) Sachiko Ogasawara (Third year) Shimako Tōdō (Second year)
Rosa ~ en bouton Yoshino Shimazu (Second year) Yumi Fukuzawa (Second year) Noriko Nijō (First year)
Rosa ~ en bouton petite sœur None None None

[edit] Sœur system

The sœur system is a fictional system incorporated in the series and is a central concept. In the graphic novel, any second or third year student might pick a younger girl who will become her "sœur" (sister in French). The basic etiquette demands the "petite sœur" (young sister) to call her guide back "oneesama" (older sister in Japanese). Aside from being used in prayer, the rosary is the instrument that certifies the sœur union and relationship between two students.

Even though the relationships are basically related to friendship, some prove to develop into further feelings. There's an implicit code of behavior between sœurs, especially in the student council, Yamayuri Council: quietness, measure and respect towards each other; values deeply attached into the Japanese traditional education. Due to the high importance the three Roses families (Rosa Gigantea, Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida) have in the development of the student activities within school, those who become petites sœurs of any of the mentioned families receive a functional "inheritance" through the grandes sœurs teachings, to adopt a position given certain circumstances. In this way, there are patrons recognized through the generations of the members of the Rose families.

Still, after graduating, the grandes sœurs of the Yamayuri Council may continue with a fair participation in the events concerning their families, as shown in the novels[10] which follows the story after the second animated season.

[edit] Media

Light novel volume 1.
Light novel volume 1.

[edit] Light novels

Main article: Maria-sama ga Miteru (light novels)

In February 1997, Oyuki Konno, who was already an established author, (having won prizes in 1993 for the series of novels Yume no Miya) published in the shōjo magazine Cobalt a short story called Maria-sama ga Miteru, that told of the experiences of preparatory students in an austere, elegant school called Lillian School for Young Ladies. The success of this story in the magazine inspired Konno to turn the story into a series of novels. Thus, on May 10, 1998, the first volume of Maria-sama ga Miteru was published, with additional illustrations from Hibiki Reine, an artist who specializes in shōjo. This volume is the true beginning of the Maria-sama ga Miteru story; the short story of 1997 was republished in the ninth volume, in 2001. As of April 1, 2008, thirty-three light novels have been published by Shueisha. In February 2003, with already more than twelve volumes published, Konno began to publish short stories in Cobalt, as well as continuing work on the light novels. As of April 2007, fifteen short stories have been published. The light novel series is being translated into German under the name Rosen unter Marias Obhut.[11]

Manga volume 1.
Manga volume 1.

[edit] Manga

A manga adaptation, drawn by Satoru Nagasawa, started serialization in the Japanese shōjo manga magazine Margaret in the October 2003 issue, and is published by Shueisha. The story follows that of the novels where each manga volume is based on its respective novel volume, such as with the first manga volume based on the first novel volume. The first volume was published on February 25, 2004. As of February 19, 2008, eight bound volumes of the manga have been released. The manga has been licensed and officially translated in Germany, under the name Rosen unter Marias Obhut.[12] This translates to "Roses under Mary's care", and the Latin names for the Roses are removed, in favor of simply using the color of the rose.

Original manga-only stories were published in the shōjo magazine Cobalt by Shueisha, with drawings by Reine Hibiki; these stories were based on some scenes from the novels. The titles for these stories are as follows:

  • Yumi no Varentain Ibu (祐巳のヴァレンタイン・イブ Yumi's Valentine Eve?), February 2003
  • Matsuri no Mae (祭りの前 Before the Festival?), October 2003
  • Kurisumasu Purezento (クリスマス・プレゼント Christmas Present?), December 2003
  • Sotsugyō Made ni... (卒業までに… By Graduation...?), February 2004
  • Hitori no Nichiyōbi (ひとりの日曜日 All Alone on Sunday?), April 2004
  • Toshi no Hajime No (年の始めの The Beginning of the Year?), December 2004

[edit] Anime

See also: List of Maria-sama ga Miteru episodes

Towards the end of 2003, an anime adaptation was announced — a season of thirteen episodes to run from January to March 2004, produced by Studio Deen. Given the success of the first season of the series, and the fact that this season only covered to the sixth volume, it was decided to launch, between July and September 2004, the second season of anime — ~Haru~, with thirteen episodes and with the same personnel that worked in the first season. Haru would cover to volume eleven of the novels. An omake was made that appeared in the DVD of the anime series, called Maria-sama ni wa Naisho (マリア様にはないしょ Keep it secret from the Virgin Mary?). Maria-sama ni wa Naisho was a brief animated parody of the anime series, which were mostly faked "outtakes".

Towards the end of 2005, "Project Maria 2006" was announced, and a publicity campaign was run to publicise the new animated series to come in 2006. In August 2006, the third anime series was announced to be presented in Original Video Animation format. It took place just after the second season, and with the same voice actors. The OVA series aired in Japan between November 2006 and July 2007. Plans for a fourth season have been announced in the August 2007 issue of Cobalt magazine,[3] and the final scenes of the fifth OVA.[13] The fourth season, like the first two, will be televised.[14]

The first official foreign-language broadcast of the series outside Japan was attempted by the Philippine television station ABS-CBN, translated and dubbed into Tagalog. Episodes one through eight of season one were aired from January 28, 2006 to March 25, 2006, every Saturday morning at 10:30. However, without any official explanation from the station, the anime series was taken off the air after episode eight. In May 2006, it was announced officially that both the first and second seasons of the anime series had been licensed in Spain by Jonu Media. Shortly after that, the license of the OVAs was also confirmed. The complete anime series, including each season, has been translated and dubbed into English for broadcast across the English language networks in Southeast Asia by the anime satellite TV network Animax from March 2007, being the series' first English language television premiere.[15] Animax have also aired the series across its networks in Hong Kong and other regions. In April 2007, a subtitled DVD release was announced by Diamond Comic Distributors, but this was in error.[16]

On March 6, 2008, Nozomi Entertainment, the licensing branch of The Right Stuf International, announced that they would be releasing both TV seasons and the five OVA episodes in box sets. The sets will be in the original Japanese with English subtitles. The first set is planned to be released on July 29, 2008.[4] A sampler DVD with the first episode was released for review.[17] The release will come with two subtitle tracks, one with regular dialogue subtitles and a second subtitle track that retains the Japanese honorifics.[18]

[edit] Audio CDs

Main article: List of Maria-sama ga Miteru albums

In 2004, the media franchise was expanded with the publication of the first of a set of drama CDs, using the same voice actors from the anime series. The drama CDs have special stories that are based on the stories in the novels, and were published by Shueisha. There have been eleven drama CDs, the last of which was released on July 14, 2006; volumes five and ten were released in a regular and limited edition versions with a slipcase. Two original soundtracks of the first two anime seasons were published with the aid of musical duo Ali Project in 2004. The first soundtrack contains thirty-five tracks, and the second contained thirty-six. In 2005, three image albums were released, each one with seven tracks consisting of one opening with vocals, three instrumental intervals, one dedicated to each person, one ending with vocals, and the opening and ending themes of the anime series in karaoke format. Each image album was assigned to one of the three families of roses; the songs were sung by the voice actors of the anime series.

[edit] Internet radio show

An Internet radio show, starring the voice actors of the anime series, was produced by Animate on their web radio channel.[19] These broadcasts, which run for half an hour, are unrelated to the original story of the novels or the anime. They were more a kind of omake of the series with conversations and publicity, often commenting with news of the third anime series and other funny situations from the plot of the novels. Initially, a special for Christmas was done on December 22, 2005, but the radio show's true beginning was on March 9, 2006. The show ran until November 24, 2006, with nineteen broadcasts; an additional New Year's Day special was done on January 25, 2007, and the next broadcast was a Hinamatsuri special on March 1, 2007. Further broadcasts are expected starting from December 21, 2007 as part of the Pizza Hut tie-in campaign.[20] The program was mainly hosted by Kana Ueda, who voiced Yumi, although occasionally the specials were presented by other voice actors from the anime. Some of the programs have been collected on radio drama CDs.[21]

[edit] Reception

The English language reception to the Maria-sama ga Miteru anime series has been generally positive.[6][5] Carlos Ross from Them Anime regarded it as "one of the most beautiful and graceful anime" series,[5] adding that the animation is sometimes of questionable quality but overall "very appealing".[5] Andrew Shelton from AMR found the series to be "fairly unique" compared to other shōjo works, explaining that although the story is "a little basic" and "overly dramatic", what it is most important is the "response and actions of the character on who the story is focused."[6] Stig Høgset, also from Them Anime, commented that the third season was criticized for being too short, but he personally did not feel "like it was lacking something".[22]

A characteristic element of the series is the extensive use of French titles, which Carlos Ross has criticized as "distracting".[5] On the other hand, Ross compared the "atmosphere" presented by the series' artwork with those from other anime titles of similar setting, including the bright and vivid Revolutionary Girl Utena.[5] Another reviewer from Them Anime also compared Maria-sama ga Miteru with Oniisama e..., but noting that the former is much less dramatic.[23] Newer anime titles that Maria-sama ga Miteru is compared to include Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru and Strawberry Panic!.[24][25] Marc Hairston commented on the unusual character designs compared to other series, and said they are "ordinary students".[26]

Andrew Shelton has suggested that Maria-sama ga Miteru's "reduced capacity for epic drama" is due to the lack of malicious characters;[6] he considers the series "pure shōjo", mostly due to its character-driven storyline.[6] Japanese reviewers for their part regard the story as a revival of the Class S genre, and specifically a modern-day equivalent of Nobuko Yoshiya's Hana monogatari.[1] Hairston notes that Maria-sama ga Miteru emphasizes romance and emotion over sexuality, and it has a respectful treatment of its homoerotic themes.[26] He describes the series as "one of the most interesting and touching anime series of the last two years",[26] adding that it is "about self-discovery and self-acceptance".[26]

A Pizza Hut tie-in campaign for the fourth anime series started on January 7, 2008.[14][20] The Rose Mansion from the story is going to be recreated in the Second Life virtual world and will open on February 8, 2008.[14]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Esu toiu kankei (Japanese). Bishōjo gaippai! Wakamono ga hamaru Marimite world no himitsu. Excite. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  2. ^ a b Azuma, Erika (June 2004). Yorinuki Dokusho Sōdanshitsu (in Japanese). Hon no Zasshisha. ISBN 978-4860110345. 
  3. ^ a b Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th Season Anime Announced. Anime News Network (July 17, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  4. ^ a b Maria Watches Over Us. The Right Stuf International. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Ross, Carlos (2004). THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Maria-sama ga Miteru. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  6. ^ a b c d e Shelton, Andrew (2004). Anime Meta-Review Maria-sama ga miteru. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  7. ^ A Guide to the Marimite Characters and their Relationships. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  8. ^ Miller, Ian. Dē Rosīs Puellārum Lilliānēnsium - "Concerning the Roses of the Lillian Girls" (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  9. ^ In the anime episodes, Japanese casts clearly pronounce the word "būtun", although the katakana ブゥトン indicates the sound "būton", which is closer to the correct French pronunciation.
  10. ^ Konno, Oyuki. Maria-sama ga Miteru volume 21 "Sœur audition". 
  11. ^ TOKYOPOP. TOKYOPOP - Bücher: Romane: Rosen unter Marias Obhut : Einleitung (German). Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
  12. ^ Tokyopop - Bücher: Manga: Rosen unter Marias Obhut : Einleitung (German). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  13. ^ Maria-sama ga Miteru OAV 5, Ciao Sorella. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  14. ^ a b c Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th Season Confirmed for TV. Anime News Network (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  15. ^ Animax East Asia. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
  16. ^ Anime On DVD News Archive (April 17, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  17. ^ Maria Watches Over Us Episode 1 Sampler. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  18. ^ Maria Watches Over Us Trailer Premieres, Plus More Season 1 Release Info. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  19. ^ Maria-sama ga Miteru on Animate.Tv. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  20. ^ a b MariMite Pizza Hut Japan Campaign, Fan Disk Announced. Anime News Network.
  21. ^ Friedman, Erica. Okazu:Maria-sama ga Miteru DJCD 1 and 2.
  22. ^ Maria Watches Over Us season 3. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  23. ^ Berman, Jennifer (2004). THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Maria-sama ga Miteru ~Haru~. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  24. ^ Høgset, Stig (2007). THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  25. ^ Friedman, Erica (2006). Okazu: Yuri Anime: Strawberry Panic. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  26. ^ a b c d Hairston, Marc (2006), “The Yin and Yang of Schoolgirl Experiences: Maria-sama ga miteru and Azumanga Daioh”, Mechademia: An Academic Forum for Anime, Manga, and the Fan Arts 1: 177-180, <http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/L/lunning_mechademia1.html>. Retrieved on 6 April 2008 

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