Plot: What’s it about?
Kazuya has still not been able to complete his purchase of May, his twelve inch tall talking specially ordered hand maid. Of course, he still can’t even manage to pay his rent on time, so it should be no surprise he’s behind. The invoice on May is a steep one and unless he comes up with a million dollars soon, the two will have part ways forever. So Kazuya tries to focus on his work, as if he can engineer a superb product, perhaps he can get the cash he needs. But each time he attempts to get some work done, he is distracted by one of the numerous females who reside in the apartments, from Kasumi to Rena to Kei. All of these ladies, plus May and even others all want to win Kazuya’s affections, but he just wants to focus and under these circumstances, that simply isn’t going to happen. At the same time, Kazuya’s bitter enemy Nanbara continues to sabotage his projects when he can, even bribing delivery girl Sara with ramen. Can Kazuya manage to somehow keep May, or will these past few days be their final ones together?
I knew Hand Maid May would be a lot of fun from the opening theme, as it is colorful, fast paced, and has some very interesting characters. This is the second volume in Pioneer’s series of Hand Maid May releases, so the story has advanced more and we know more about the characters, so I found this second volume to be much better. Since we don’t have to take the time to introduce everyone, the story moves ahead at a brisker pace, but of course, the characters continue to evolve, sometimes in strange fashions. Hand Maid May is a quirky little series and this won’t be for everyone, but those interested in offbeat humor and fan service should be pleased. This series is loaded with panties, whining females, and oddball devices, as well as a massive amount of off the wall humor, all of which combines to make one unusual set of episodes. So yes, this series is a lot of fun and is quite offbeat, but there’s more of a story to be seen than you might assume, which enhances the series more than a little, I think. If you’re a fan of insane humor, tons of panties, and a crew of quirky female characters, then the Hand Maid May series is well worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. The image is clean, sharp, and looks excellent, no real complaints to lodge here. The animation is smooth, but simplistic and looks good here, while the backgrounds also come through very well. As this is a colorful series, the hues are vibrant and bold, but I never saw any errors to report. I found the transfers to have well balanced contrast also, so I have no problems to report with this disc. The visuals are fun to look at and offer some nice eye candy, so the transfers had to be good and thankfully, Pioneer’s disc offers almost perfect visual presentations.
Audio: How does it sound?
As with most Pioneer anime releases, this one holds the original Japanese soundtrack, as well as an English dub option. I chose the Japanese track for obvious reasons, but in truth, the English dub is one of the better anime dubs I’ve heard. The audio comes through quite well and offers no room for complaints, as the elements seem in fine form. The dialogue is crisp, clean, and always at a proper volume level, while the sound effects are clear and well placed, which enhances the available soundscape. I heard no problems with the musical score either, which leaves me to score both tracks as more than effective. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, which should come in handy if you don’t speak Japanese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a commercial for Kasumi apartments, some humorous character interaction files, and a few promo spots for the series.
