Mayo Chiki!

One of the more light hearted shows from Summer 2011. Despite being light hearted did it contain a hidden gem? Or was it just all fluff with no backbone? Jump the break to find out.

What is it: Kinjiro Sakamachi is a 17 year old high school student who suffers from gynophobia (fear of women). His illness manifests itself by causing his nose to bleed whenever he has physical contact with a female. As more people find out about his secret they work to help finding a cure for his gynophobia. Based on the light novel written by Hajime Asano with illustrations by Seiji Kikuchi, 12 episodes were produced by Feel.

Why is it special: Currently one of the more popular themes in Japan is traps and reverse traps. Mayo Chiki is pertinent to Japan because the main heroine (Subaru Konoe) is a reverse trap (a female posing as a male). Of course the whole point of traps is generally not to be found out that they are posing as the opposite gender.

Plus One:
The characters: Sometimes this section can get a little stale but surprisingly most of the characters have no major flaws that would cause a viewer to dislike them. Sure there are points where they may make the obvious mistake but it is never damaging.

The setting: While traps have become popular as of recent in Japan, Mayo Chiki does the theme well by having two characters who are both suffering from their own problems try and help each other. While reverse traps maybe more common in anime, it is great to see that she a character who can hold her own and isn't dependent on the protagonist.

Minus One:
The plot: While there is an overarching story where everyone is trying to help Sakamachi get over his gynophobia there really isn't much of a plot. Each episode felt more like stand alone episodes that didn't really fit together except for the use of the same characters.

The harem: As expected Mayo Chiki falls victim to the harem effect - having one main male, all the females will eventually fall for him. It is kind of disappointing to see that most of the females do start showing signs of affection for Sakamachi because early on it seemed like they could be more independent and not reliant on him.

All for One:
Mayo Chiki is a pleasant show to watch that does keep viewers watching week after week but fails to really get anywhere in terms of plot or story. Mayo Chiki, while pleasant at times, seems to be riding the popularity wave and doesn't really bring any innovations to the genre. Mayo Chiki is a show for those looking for nothing really deep but want to be entertained.