Anime: Mahoraba: Heartful Days

It's just a light-hearted (half-way, luke-warm maybe sorta cold) comedy/romance, so it's not worth watching.

But as a comedy don't expect it to be "that funny", if someone asks me to recomend a comedy this anime will never come to my head.

there is no point of comparing this to love hina or aiyori aoshi cause this anime isn't a harem and it isn't COMPLETELY FULL OF FANSERVICE, very light-hearted, and the characters are actually likable. But anyways I liked mahoraba ~ heartful days~ better than love hina

Animation
It looks clean and what you'd expect from 2005 and all the characters are drawn in chibi style pretty much.

It's simple, nothing too impressive but it fits. I do like the chibi animation style

Sound
i like the opening and closing songs the BMg wasn't really memorable and some of the BMG started rubbing me the wrong way after a while.

Story
Well there isn't much of a story, in the beginning I thought there was going to be one, somwhat of a interesting storyline but then it just gets annoying.

It pretty much has a great start (first 4 eps) then slows down (getting boring) and there's a horrible beach filler ep and gets better, worse but it ends on a good note. it's like a roller coaster but it's not to the point where the good eps entirely make up for the bad eps. Some of the eps were just such a drag to watch cause the stuff that was happenig just wasn't that funny or interesting or really worth watching.

As far as the comedy goes, it's light it's not the funniest thing ever for sure and some jokes just flat on its face. I hate those jokes where they make it very "look it's a joke, it's funny, laugh" it's just forced and it's not funny and mahoraba did a few of those jokes and that bothered me.

For a light-hearted comedy the "perverted" side just took away from that atmosphere but it wasn't that often.

I have seen some light-hearted/slice of life animes that i liked a lot but this anime was just boring at times and the comedy/romance was weak.

Character
Okay so all the characters reminded me of Love Hina like I could connect one to a character on love hina based on look or some personality BUT unlike the love hina characcters they were actually likable but still sorta annoying lame

I honestly wasn't all that attached to the characters or liked them that much. They didn't bother me but they weren't all that special.

All the characters are different, unique but I felt some steroetypicalness coming off. however they were all developed to an extent.

As far as the romance between the 2 characters... there wasn't much that developed it just the light-hearted, fluff so it's not really a good romance or even a romance.

Value
as far as re-watching, I definitely won't. As far as buying if it gets licensed, nope. It's just light-hearted comedy (which isn't that funny) people really aren't missing out not watching this.

there isn't much of a point watching this... it's just half-way, luke-warm, not much anything, boring at times

I would say it is average...

Well, well, well. I cut my anime teeth on a harem anime, so I've always had a weakness for the rom/com genre. Maybe it's because I'm a gigantic pu-

...

Moving right along, Mahoraba is a solid entry in the overcrowded romantic comedy field. While you're not going to see a lot of new ground covered, the ground that is covered is done very well.

Summary: Shiratori is an aspiring children's book author and artist. He decides to attend a vocational school after high school in order to focus on his dreams. The school of choice is located in Tokyo, so naturally, he needs a place to stay. In an absolutely bizarre twist of fate that no one could ever see coming, he has a relative who owns a nice old fashioned dorm/inn type place deep in the heart of downtown Tokyo. When he arrives there, he's greeted by a beautiful girl, Kozue, who he hasn't seen in ten years. He's also greeted by a very oddly assorted series of residents, one of whom warns him that he should never shock or surprise Kozue...

Or some very...weird...things...might...happen?

Animation
Character Design: Red flag! Red flag! Why the hell does Shiratori look like he's about five years younger than he's supposed to be? The poor guy looks like he's 13 or 14, not 18. This art style was mildly annoying, since nearly all of the characters looked to be younger than their supposed age. Shiratori is merely the worst offender of the lot.

On the bright side though, Kozue is plenty cute enough to carry the series. Her alter egos are equally cute, especially Natsume and Saki. There is no lack of cuteness in this series, as even the less-attractive characters are pushed to be cute. Almost, but not quite, cloying.

Op/Ed: I have to say that the opening was done very well for one particular reason. It seems as though whoever designed it actually selected an opening theme and designed the animation to mesh with it and reinforce the lyrics, instead of just slapping some song in place. Good attention to detail.

Artwork: I was fairly impressed with the artwork. The backgrounds were good and there were very few repeated animations or stills. There were also some portions of the show that were crayonimated to go with Shiratori's story. Credit for that.

Sound
Op/Ed: Well, the opening song as I mentioned meshed pretty well with the animation. It wasn't the best song ever, a little too upbeat for my tastes, but still good enough to listen to for a majority of the episodes. The ending song, sadly, did not live up to that standard.

Voices: I did enjoy the voice acting in this. Kozue is a little squeaky, Shiratori is a little wussy, but the supporting characters absolutely make up for their weaknesses. I mean, I nearly creamed myself every time Tama-chan went on a speaking rampage, ending everything with "-desu" in that oh-so-sweet tone.

Music: At last, a show that does background music right! They played music to fit the moods, fit the characters, and it was good. From the almost metal accompaniment to Saki to the whispered choruses, Mahoraba gets excellent credit for their use of music. I do so love the soft whispery choruses...

Story
Plot: Well, there's not a lot of plot. The first part of the show is your normal "throw the lead male into situations with each female character to learn about them" system. Then there's a few minor story arcs that involve some of the secondary characters that really aren't all that interesting. Finally, the last couple of episodes pull together the main flow of the show and it ends. Nothing deep, nothing special, and nothing new.

Kozue's disassociative identity disorder (thank you, psychology degree) is a good plot device, I can't deny that. It makes her a very interesting character, but its use early in the show is pretty sporadic.

Script/Writing: There are some issues with how the show develops. The personality issue was sporadic enough to become distracting at times, and it doesn't really lead up well to the events at the end. I don't believe it's a spoiler to say that the final "arc" is based on her personality disorder. Maybe it's just me channeling my abnormal psych professor, but I just don't feel that the entire thing is done very well. While I do realize that it's just an anime and that it's supposed to be funny, not serious, well...

Shit, me, being serious? Ok, how about this: that side plot involving Asami and Sayoko? What the hell was that for? Just as the series starts to climax (mmmmmmmm), the designers rip focus away from Shiratori and look elsewhere. Why? It was mildly interesting and entertaining, but it was a diversion from the main focus character. That's like having thirty seven chapters looking over Harry Potter's shoulder, then switching the viewpoint to, say, Hagrid for two chapters, then switching back. Writers just don't do that unless there's a truly amazing reason to break continuity. Anime scriptwriters seem to have yet to learn this lesson.

Character
Interest: I can go no further here without having a written and verbal orgasm: Tamami-chan is the best character ever. Ever ever. EVER. Oh. My. God. She is the best I ever had.

...

Officer, I didn't know she was only sixteen? Well, she's cute. She has a very sweet voice. She's got loooonnng brown hair. She has this disconcerting habit of adding "desu?" to the end of every sentence. And she's evil. Pure, cute, evil. The best pure, cute, evil character I have ever witnessed in an anime.

Ok, with that said, on to the rest: Shiratori is a pussy for the most part, though not as bad as some other famous male leads (I'm looking at you, Keitaro, Shinji, you fucking gimps). He has one nut at least. Kozue is cute and her alter egos are all pretty stereotypical personality fragments, but as another reviewer mentioned, the umeboshi-gasm is just...awesome.

I didn't like Sayoko or Asami all too much, nor was I a huge fan of Momo. Johnny/Haibara was underutilized. They all seemed to be background characters used every once in a while to catalyze events. It's worth noting that some of the very very minor characters were actually far more memorable than any of the secondary characters - such as Shiratori's teacher (what DOES she do in the Punishment Room?) and the Occult Lab President. The latter made me nearly cry laughing at every appearance - her voice is supposed to be somewhat spooky, but she sounds like an autistic girl on meth. Absolutely hilarious.

I am earning no sensitivity points with that one.

Growth: Not a lot. Expect the same sort of growth that you'd see in any other series in the genre. Seriously, it's that average.

Value and Enjoyment: It's a 26 episode series, so you'll get your time worth out of it. It's definitely done with attention to detail and fun and so it's entirely worth acquiring.

As for the enjoyment factor, I did enjoy the show quite a bit. It's not an instant classic, but it's not bad at all, especially if you're just looking for a nice warm fuzzy show that makes you laugh, smile, and sniffle. The payoff at the end is good enough to not disappoint.

Conclusion: In the end, Mahoraba is a great piece of rom/com work. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll like this series very much. In fact, I heartily recommend it to those people. It won't change your views if you're not into the rom/com or harem style of show, but hey, those people wouldn't be likely to be reading this anyways. Invest some time in this show and you'll enjoy it...maybe. As Natsume would say.

A gentle, Japanese "cute" comedy.

It's been a while since I've written a review, and I couldn't resist remarking on this anime. I usually am extremely tough on harem animes, let alone comedies, but I was thoroughly impressed with this one.

"Welcome to Narutakisou!" In the bustling city of Tokyo, Shiratori Ryushi finds himself residing in an old, nostalgic apartment house completely out of place with the rest of the city. Not that it would discourage him, since after all he is there studying to become a children's book author...

Well, of course, another bonus to living there is the 17 year-old landlady, Kozue. However, is he aware of all of the secrets of this mysterious apartment?

A common storyline played out well.

I would love to give this anime an 8 for it's story, but being that it is a harem anime with many cliché elements, I can't give it credit for originality.

The good thing about this story, though, is exactly how well thought out it is. Harem animes always start out with a clear intention, and tend to rely too much on their humor and "wandering" feeling (that is, letting the randomness of comedy take over, and lose meaning in its plot). Mahoraba somehow manages to balance out all of the comedy and storyline very well, preserving the attention span and humor as well. Despite many moments where I grew weary of the puns and directionless romantic interest, I somehow managed to find myself satisfied at the end of each episode. It doesn't overdo anything, so even some of the worst things in harem anime turn out to be the best things in Mahoraba.

Because it follows the lives of the characters, I cannot really describe any particular elements without spoiling chunks of the story. The story focuses more on developing a life living around people, adding just a dash of romance on top to subliminally drive all of their emotions. The comedy is light, loaded with silly puns, exaggeration, and slapstick. Sometimes you laugh your ass off, and sometimes you may be amused despite not laughing at all. It's a healthy, clean sense of humor worth the time to watch.

Also, even though there is conflict, you can't try to expect it. Digging too quick can make this anime mean nothing to you.

Adorable characters.

Some people think I've given up my masculinity, having words like "cute" and "adorable" as part of my outspoken vocabulary. I don't really care anymore, since watching cute characters gets me much more interested than the whole badass routine.

Basically, I loved everyone in this anime. Not a single character bothered me at all.

Shiratori, though he looks feminine and can be quite a weakling, shows a lot of strength at many points during the series. He's a nice guy, determined to do what he can with his creativity.

Kozue is just a beautiful person. I love female characters that are shy and abstract in thought. She hides a lot of her personality, but when it comes out, you can't hate anything about her.

Tamami is one of those people you would rather have as a friend than an enemy. She's a bit cunning, and would be exciting to share life with, rather than checking over your shoulder to make sure she isn't going to scandalize you.

Asami is the optimistic child that we all think we've figured out at the beginning of the series. Little do we know exactly what she goes through, and just how much she needs in her life to stay that way.

Sayoko is really lazy, and has an aura that is really bizarre. I think she is the most unique character in this series, since later on we find out just how glued she is to the way of life she has now.

Megumi happens to be the outgoing, manipulative alcoholic in this anime. I noticed that without her in the series, there wouldn't have been enough pushing to get them to love each other. Though at first she gets pretty cheesy, she is crucial to a lot of character development in this anime.

Haibara is really, really subtle, but even he has his important part in this series. That and the fact that he has some outlandish ideas (just watch him fish, and you'll see) that would force anyone to laugh.

These descriptions are extremely biased and completely my perspective, so I can't say everyone else would agree with me. However, I do know that everyone could agree basically that each character has their own unique characteristics, and watching them hug or clash just makes this anime that much more interesting.

Average animation, but not in any way bad.

The designs look like a mix between plush and CCS cuteness. There is a lot of attention on the eyes, but they aren't horrendously huge or frustrating to look at.

My only frustration came from abusing the panel technique. I don't mind when artists, for comedic purposes, will start drawing manga panels, then voicing them over. Sometimes it's to save time or budget as well, but when it's overused it can really kill the sensation. In Mahoraba, the panel technique is a little too overdone.

One thing I did like, though, was the use of crayons to draw the children's story that follows along with the series. It's really creative.

Sound: meh.

The opening song isn't horrible, but it's not exactly my ballad of truth. Nor does the ending sound all that great. I wouldn't really look for these songs again, but they fit the series really well, so I won't complain if anybody else does love them.

The seiyuu were average; I think Sayoko's seiyuu was the unique one in this bunch. I loved her expression, and her delivery is always perfect for the moment. Other than her, though, I didn't find anybody else really quite as interesting, even though they all did a great job.

Life is wonderful.

An anime demonstrating just how wonderful life is gets a good grade on my part. If anything, Mahoraba got me out of my little writer's block, since I'm happily saying right now it was worth my time and effort to watch. I recommend this to anyone who could use a gentle comedy, or someone who wants to experiment with harem series anime.

Last of all, if everything else fails, watch this show for it's gestures of love. It suggests things about love that we all forget, especially when you are intensely into romantic-dramas. Mahoraba has very little romance, but strewn through it is a form of love equally as important.

First up, Mahoraba Hearful Days is about the main male character, Shiratori Ryuji. He wants to become a picture book writer and moves in to an apartment with an ultra cute landlady. This may sounds boring, at least to me when I first read this introduction. This may sound like an imitation too, like "love hina" or "chobits". Well, let me prove you that it's not the least bit boring or any imitation of any sort, and then you can let the series prove you that too.

Generally, Mahoraba is a cute, or some will say, childish, funny and at times heartwarming anime. I'm an anime fan who's hungry for actions and fighting scenes such as the ones in Naruto, One Piece and Bleach. However, Mahoraba is so good that it is enough to capture such a action-hungry fan like me. So here goes:

Animation -- 8
The animation is one of bright and cheerful colours most of the time. The special thing in Mahoraba is that all the characters in Mahoraba are "cute", or rather "chibified" if you understand what that means. Simply put, the 19 year old in Mahoraba looks like 12 years old and you can't distinguish who's the daughter, mother or granny. It was weird to start with, but this is the style of Mahoraba, this extreme "cuteness". I do not know whether fans that are more adult will like it, but I'm 18 year old and I do. The facial expressions are animated too, with only simple lines such as the taste of sourness when eating a plum, but the feelings get across straightforward with a tint of cuteness associated.
The anime also consists of sketchbook drawings just like a picture book for children. It may look childish at first, but it kind of form the backbone of this anime and wonderfully blend into the anime in the end. And I mean it, WONDERFULLY.
In roughly the middle of the anime, it also have some simple drawings that are not in motions, which kind of speeds up the story in any episode. It's normally short and funny so it's pretty enjoyable too.

Sound -- 8
First up the OP and ED are catchy songs. I'm not a Japanese so I don't really look up for the real meaning of the lyrics but I find the songs pleasant, and catchy as I have said. Of course, some may find these songs a bit childish, but all these is just part of Mahoraba childish appeal. (But mind you, it's not as childish as it seems! You can read on to find out.)
Secondly, the voice acting is excellent, and I really mean it. All the voices are just as cute as the character design, and brings out the character at its very best. Be it laughing or crying, if you listen properly, you'll find that it is well-done.
Special mention goes to the main character, Kozue Aoba, the landlady of the apartment. I don't think this will be a spoiler since if you read the introduction, you probably knows the secret of this landlady, which is having split personality. And mind you, after I finished watching this anime and researched who's the one acting Kozue because I was so awed by the cute voice acting, I was completely shocked by my own findings! It was the same voice actor for all of Kozue-chan and all her other personalities! They sound kind of different for me but she was able to voice act all the 5 personalities in all so well!

Story -- 8
At first look, or watching the few epsidoes, it seems to be a carefree anime which is purely aimed at comedy. Well, I've said, that's the "first look". If you watch on, there's a deeper storyline beneath it, and all the happenings kind of blend together. It is easy to generate some sad feelings at certain scenes and episodes, where values are taught as well. It's not all that complicated, but this storyline is satisfying and is one that warms the heart.

Character -- 8
As you have probably read, the characters in Mahoraba are eccentric. Well, I think "special" will be a better word. All the characters have their side stories, or rather, their history, which are sad but teaches us to be stronger at the same time. It is probably a waste that not all the characters are fully portrayed in this short 26 episodes anime, but the main ones are portrayed really well. If you see the main picture of Mahoraba showing ALL the characters, you probably have fun naming them while you watch the anime! Of course, the characters are enhanced by the good voice acting.
All the characters have their characteristic and enjoyable side. Be it cute, sincere, bossy, lazy, sleepy, hearty, ghostly you can all find it in this anime!

Value -- 8
Because of the high comical value, this anime is definitely worth the rewatch! Moreover, the characters are well developed and so cute, which just makes you want to watch them all the more! That's exactly the feeling I've got after I finish watching this anime.

Enjoyment -- 8
I certainly enjoy watching Mahoraba, and I'm quite certain you will too, unless you hate jokes and cute voice and kids or something...It not only provides "surface entertainment", but it has some meanings for our daily lives too.

P.S. Sorry for the all 8 ratings, but I simply can't bring myself to move any point down to 7 or up to 9. This probably means it's generally quite a good all-round anime. If you don't watch it you have missed out something good; if you watch it and don't like it then it's my fault! Enjoy Mahoraba~!

Waaay overarated.

I was looking forward to Mahoraba. Cute characters, slice of life and good animation. Everything I look for in an anime, however, I was disappointed.

The animation uses vibrant colors, and the movements are somewhat fluent, the backgrounds all and all were good but something about it annoyed me. I can't say I was too fond of the style they used; the character designs seem too childish, and they're even somewhat cliche. I can't decide if Mahoraba was made for children or if it's a harem, but overall the animation wasn't very gripping.

The sound, sadly, was one of the weakest points. I strongly disliked the opening, it sounds like an alternate opening to a Japanese Barnie, with the little 'Daiji Da-I-Ji-' crap. The ending is just awful. Not only is the singer horrid but the whole song and lyrics are just plain bad! The voice actors luckily were decent, but I hated how Shiratori sounded so wimpy and girly that you could actually tell he was being played by a girl, and I thought personally Kozue's voice was too deep to fit her personality. Shiratori's voice actor should have played Kozue and vise versa!

I hate the story; a guy named Shiratori goes to live in some weird apartment because he wants to illustrate childrens books. It's pretty lame, and it's obvious Mahoraba isn't to be taken seriously. I really didn't get into the story at all.

The characters are the strongest point of Mahoraba. They're all unique in their own way and have cute designs, but sadly they all got on my nerves. I don't want to be a killjoy with all my negativity, so I'll just go on out and say the characters are good. Don't watch Mahoraba for a good story, but for good characters. There is also quite a large cast, so if you suck at remembering names like me, you might want to just give up and drop the series as I did!

Overall Mahoraba is way overrated in my opinion. It's fairly boring, and the jokes just weren't funny. If you like things with plot, don't watch this.

I started Mahoraba Hearful Days rather late. When I first read the breif intro in AnimeDB, I am a bit skeptical about the story line, as it seems to reminds me of many 80's style anime, and the large amount of characters seems to be a rerun of Ranma. After watching the first few episodes, I have been proven wrong, and I really do have a wonderful time when watching this show.

Animation:

The animation is definitely not bad. The animation design work is not too detailed, which would normally be bad thing if it is a mecha type animation, but this medium range detail create a nice atmosphere and suited the layback, party and family theme very well. The design of Narutaki-So (the house) was simple yet extremely unique with the strong contrast of busy cityscape, the interior design (square layout) I think also serve a purpose of conveying the theme of closure (family bond), since square is a perfectly enclosed shape, but this is just my feeling, it could just be that the designer is lazy, so square is easier to draw and render. The use of colour in Mahoraba is excellent, all the character is unique and lively thanks to the colour (other than Sayoko of course, the purple dress make it look like a night gourment, which indicate she is ready to sleep all the time and help convey her character image). Other than that, the set design is rather ordinary and a bit dull, but it is again an atvantage here as most the residence of Narutaki-So tries to make boring lives a bit more interesting.

Sound:

The soundtrack is very well done here. The opening theme music is gentle but lively and memorisable. I normally fast forward the OP once I hear it a few times, but this is not the case for Mahoraba as I really like the opening theme and graphics. The background music is very good as well, it matches many of the actions perfectly. One of the most memorable one is when the whole show suddenly becomes a picture book like animation, that cheerful and unique track make the whole situation even more funnier and suited the unique and playful graphics on the screen.

Story:

The storyline is simple, it is about Shiratori moving to the city and living in his cousin Kozue's apartment. Then it is about how Shiratori mix with the rest of Narutaki-So's residence, so generally, it is a life experience based & making friends kind of animation, which sound extremely boring as many has been done. I do agree with this point, in fact, many of the events and jokes has been done so manytimes before. However, Mahoraba for some reasons, seems fresher and more heartwarming. It might have something to do with the setting and the relax atmorsphere it created. Even though some jokes are a bit old, they are still very funny, and cracked me up everytime. Other than the jokes, the slice of life is very well done, I extremely like ep 21-22, about Sayoko meet her long abandon family and has to make a decision of remarry and giving up Asami, even though the ending is extremely predictable, but it is still very heartwarming thanks to the excellent use of music and graphics.

Characters:

Character developments are excellent, you really do learn a lot about them and grow to love each and everyone of them as the story progress. The use of split personality on Kozue has sometime created some funny storyline and development, but I think the clothes fetish personality didn't work too well for me. I first thought they have way too many characters, but after watching it, it seems to be ok, as they did not try to cramp too many in an episode, also, most of the activities they engaged in are group based, so it is easy to follow. There are a fair bit of flashback, but they are very entertaining and help to add some depth to many characters (especially in the case of Tamami, in a mere 1/2 episode flashback, I grow to like her the most). It is good to see that the studio didn't try to repeat flashback again and again like Naruto for example, but then, there are only 26 episodes, I guess they can't afford to lose time and waste animation.

Value:

This is a very fine animation, and really deserve to watch. It is funny and cleverly done. The use of music, graphics and storyline is perfectly timed which makes the show very memorable. It also have good rewatch value even though many themes it convey has been done so manytime, but never has it been done this well. The characters are unique and lively, which makes them adorable (even the dancing eraser at who only got featured at the begining of the series) and heartwarming to watch.

Enjoyment:

I thoroughly enjoyed Mahoraba, it makes a nice change as many newer animations tends to be darker and more involved with so many fighting. This show is extremely relax and nice to watch, and has make some ordinary daily route becomes extraordinary and fun. I honestly will miss this show when all the episodes fansubbed by FrothBite were completed.