Plot: What’s it about?
The Aoi Academy is home to the best and the brightest in the field of young magicians, a place for them to hone their skills and prepare for the world. Although magic is taught in all school, Anoi is where the cream of the crop attends, to encourage bonds to be formed. These bonds include finding a mate, since two powerful magicians should produce a powerful child, if their genetics are combined. Kazuki Shikimori happens to come from excellent genetics, but like all magicians, his number of uses is limited, sadly to only eight in his case. But there is still a rush to be his mate, since he could pass on his family’s legendary genetics, as long as he finds a mate before he turns to dust. He is pursued by three beautiful, very different girls, each gunning to grab his DNA and make sure their children benefit. But will Kazuki ever choose one of the women to be his mate and if so, will his genetics be passed off before his magic runs out?
I haven’t seen an immense amount of anime, but I have seen enough to know that the story of a loser who finds himself covered in women is a common one. In this case, we have a loser who happens to have great genetics for magic, but has limited social skills and bad luck. I do like the concept of limited magic use, especially since our lead is so hamstrung in that regard, it really boosts things right from the start. I watched all of Maburaho in one night and while I was never bored, this is not a great series. I would liken the series to harmless fluff, its brisk and fun, but has a lot of padding. In other words, the episodes could have been halved and the not much would have been lost. The show isn’t bad, most episodes were fun and all, but the show never rose above filler level, it was there and that was about it. I think more could have made of the magical element, in order to spice up the stories somewhat, but perhaps that might have been overkill. In the end, Maburaho is a chipper series that strives to give you a few laughs and it succeeds, but I think a rental is the best option.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. These episodes look terrific, as bright and bold as we could want. The image is clean and clear throughout the series, with no serious concerns whatsoever. The show’s bright and colorful visuals really shine here, with no compression issues to mention. As I said, this show has bright visuals and they hold up here, thanks to vivid colors and always accurate contrast levels. In short, this show looks excellent.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original Japanese soundtrack is preserved in a 2.0 option, or you can choose an English language track in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. As always, I went with the original audio and while not remarkable, the soundtrack seems in proper order. The vocals are clear and never muffled, while sound effects give no reason to complain. The sound effects don’t offer much power, but the mix sounds natural and that is what’s important. No problems with the music either, it all sounds solid here. This release also includes optional English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials.
