arlene.beatty - 2013-07-05 02:02:08

Unlike many anime comedy series that try to be funny with randomness but come across mostly as weird, SoreMachi is the type that leaves you snorting juice up your nose laughing at the absurdity of it all. Behold, the anime equivalent of eating pure sugar, in all its hyperactive wonder!Each episode consists of sketches about main character Arashiyama Hotori, a clumsy and completely clueless employee of a poorly-run "maid cafe" who loves mystery stories and tries (not always so successfully) to act as a detective, and her equally strange friends and acquaintances. The mood is set by silly rants by the narrator on some tangential topic at the beginning and end of the episodes. The stories themselves are mundane and aren't particularly memorable, even though they are often outlandish and deal with the paranormal, with the exception of the final episode, which is almost a little too profound and out of character for this series. But it is the insane antics of the characters have kept this series alive in my memory. I enjoyed the art design, but the quality of the animation left a bit to be desired. Actually, a lot. It's as if they weren't even trying very hard. However, it is Shaft, though, so expect high levels of derp. Still, the expressions are priceless. Voice acting really brings the characters to life, particularly that of Chiaki Omigawa, the voice of Hotori, who really makes her awkward and overly excited nature apparent. The music is pretty decent too, with a cover version of "Down Town" by Maaya Sakamoto as the opening theme, and the crazy ending theme "Maids Sanjou" with its obnoxious lyrics about things such as ... the fine Japanese tradition of "kancho". In short, SoreMachi is glorious. You should definitely watch it.