Maid Sama!
Cover of Kaichōu wa Maid-sama! volume 1 as published by Hakusensha, featuring Misaki Ayuzawa (right) and Takumi Usui (left).
会長はメイド様! (Kaichō wa Maid-sama!)
Genre	Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by	Hiro Fujiwara
Published by	Hakusensha
English publisher	NA Tokyopop (2009-2011)
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	LaLa
Original run	December 2005 – ongoing
Volumes	16
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroaki Sakurai
Written by	Hiro Fujiwara
Studio	J.C.Staff
Licensed by	NA Sentai Filmworks
Network	TBS, BS-TBS, Animax Asia
English network	NA Anime Network SEA Animax Asia
Original run	April 1, 2010 – September 23, 2010
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga portal

Maid Sama!, known in Japan as Kaichō wa Maid-sama! (会長はメイド様!^?, lit. The President is a Maid!), is a shōjo manga series by Hiro Fujiwara. It is serialized in Hakusensha's monthly shōjo manga magazine, LaLa. There are currently 14 published volumes under the Hana to Yume Comics imprint in Japan.^[1] In their Anime Expo 2008 panel, North American publisher Tokyopop announced its various newly licensed series and that Kaichō wa Maid-sama! would be titled Maid-sama!.^[2] An anime adaptation began airing on April 1, 2010.^[3]

Plot [edit]

Seika High School, once an all-boys school notorious for its wild students and for generally being a terrifying place for girls, has recently become a co-ed school. With the female population still a minority and living in fear of the over-the-top antics of the males, Misaki Ayuzawa takes it into her own hands to reform the school and allow the girls to feel safe in the rough environment.

Training, studying, and even becoming the first female student council president of the school, Misaki has gained a reputation among the male students body as an uptight, boy-hating dictator and as a shining hope for the teachers and fellow female students. However, despite her tough-as-nails appearance, she secretly works part-time at a maid café in order to support her family. Unfortunately, her hard-earned reputation is threatened when the popular, attractive, and somewhat impassive Takumi Usui takes an interest in her after discovering her in a maid uniform after school.

Media [edit]

Manga [edit]

Maid Sama! is written and illustrated by Hiro Fujiwara. This series is serialized in Hakusensha's shōjo manga magazine LaLa, and the serial chapters collected into volumes. The first volume was released on September 5, 2006.^[4]

Outside Japan, the series was licensed by Tokyopop in North America,^[5] and Pika Édition in France,^[6] Carlsen Verlag in Germany,^[7] Panini Comics in Italy and Brazil,^[8][9] and Everglory Publishing Co in Taiwan.^[10] In Indonesia, the series was published by M&C Comics under the name My Sweet Kaicho.

Tokyopop printed up to volume 8 before its closure on May 31, 2011.^[11][12]

Volume list [edit]

This incomplete list is frequently updated to include new information.

Anime [edit]

The October 2009 issue of LaLa announced that a 26 episodes anime television adaptation of the series would be produced.^[3] It was broadcasted in TBS and BS-TBS during Spring 2010.^[33] The April 2010 issue of LaLa revealed the broadcast date to be on April 1, 2010 at 1:55 midnight. The adaptation was also present at the Tokyo International Anime Fair with Ayumi Fujimura, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Kana Hanazawa and Yū Kobayashi's attendance.^[34] The anime series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks, with The Anime Network currently streaming the series on their video portal.^[35] Anime distributor Section23 Films release the first subtitled-only set on DVD, June 7, 2011.^[36]

The staff list was announced and Hiroaki Sakurai directed the series with series composition done by Mamiko Ikeda who previous worked in the series composition for Emma: A Victorian Romance series and most recently the Rental Magica series and Hanasakeru Seishōnen while the animation character designs by Yuki Imoto and music composed by Tōru Motoyama. The series was animated by J.C.Staff who previously worked on Honey and Clover, Toradora! and Nodame Cantabile.^[37] Ayumi Fujimura and Nobuhiko Okamoto took on the role of Misaki Ayuzawa and Takumi Usui respectively.

Drama CDs [edit]

A drama CD for Kaichō wa Maid-sama was released in Japan.^[38]/

Reception [edit]

Connie C. described the manga as being "pretty entertaining, if shallow", feeling that it was sexist towards both genders, but lighthearted enough in this that offense could not be taken, saying that she would continue to read the series as a "guilty pleasure".^[39] Deb Aoki feels that the maid cafe setting provides both fanservice and a vehicle to critique gender roles.^[40] In contrast, Johanna Draper Carlson feels that the story is "a male fantasy, where the scary, strong, smart, self-possessed girl turns out to secretly be subservient to men. It’s sort of funny to read, until you think about what its real messages are."^[41] Robert Harris notes the formulaic beginnings, but feels that the characters make the manga enjoyable.^[42] Leroy Douresseaux found the character of Takumi unconvincing, describing him as a "cheap plot trick" to rescue Misaki when needed.^[43] Carlo Santos felt the premise was "otaku-tastic", but appreciated the lack of fanservice and panty shots in the maid cafe scenes, feeling that these marked the series as being shōjo. He also appreciated the chemistry between the leads, and the humour, but noted the stereotypical plot, and criticises the layouts and overly-talky characters.^[44] Connie C. described the second volume as reminding her that plot devices are plot devices because "they work wonderfully if used right", feeling that the sense of humour and character interactions lifted the stereotypical plots of the school sports day and rich new classmates.^[45]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Maid Sama! (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Maid Sama! at Hakusensha (Japanese)
• Maid Sama! at TBS (Japanese)