480th G-View: Akiba Maid War

I came into this show expecting a fun show about cute and sexy maid girls competing in maid cafes. Let us just say the “What I expected, what I got” meme fits nicely when talking about this anime. Viewers are not ready for this one and it is highly recommended going into it as blind as possible. I will do my best to not delve too deep into this one while still selling it as a truly fascinating watch I personally will not forget as we take a look at Akiba Maid War.

Alternate Title: Akiba Maid Sensou (JP)

Genres: Action, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Yuri (probably)

Theme: Maids

Number of Episodes: 12

Objectionable content: High. Viewer discretion is advised.

G-Rating: 9/10 (Personal), N/A (Overall).

Plot Summary: Nagomi had a dream when she came to Akiba. She aspired to become a maid which is why she eagerly applied for the Oinky Doink Cafe. What she did not expect was she would enter the gates of a proverbial Hell on Earth in the guise of maids. She would become part of a peculiar group, especially the other new member, Ranko, the 36 year old mysterious beauty.

Nagomi Day 1. If she only knew what she got herself into…

It is a show about maid cafes and their maids themed around animals (and some aliens) competing with each other to attract customers. Our heroine and her interesting fellow piggy maids get into one crazy situation after another in an effort to keep their cafe going as long as possible. Them being the main group it naturally means the Oinky Doink Cafe has an uphill battle to stay afloat. There are rules among the groups but they are lax for the most part. Having said that rules play an important part later on. Codes of honor, laws of power, what it means to be a maid, ramen law, ageism and more.

This show is part comedy, specifically dark comedy. Almost South Park-esque. There are few limitations to the sense of humor here. As mentioned in the introduction knowing this anime is one of those “expect the unexpected” shows still will not prepare viewers for what is to come. Alongside the many episodic shenanigans there is an ongoing narrative with twists and turns. Some expected and others admittedly surprising. Try to think up some shenanigans and you might be right…or way off.

Nagomi’s oddball coworkers and manager: Shiipon, Manager and Yumechi.

Let us go over Nagomi’s coworkers. Shiipon is a gyaru and the less rough of the group at first.

Yumechi is the proudest member initially as in she does not appreciate anyone getting in the way of her work.

The Manager is one those who mostly thinks about her own skin but deep down does care about the girls. Her reactions and mannerisms are particularly amusing.

Also there is a panda.

Alongside the main five a sixth member joins near the end of the first quarter. She is my favorite side maid. I briefly talked about the side maids first because other than their respective character centered episode they spend most of the show helping the main duo. They are all cool and get to shine outside their episodes just do not expect them to be in the spotlight as often as the main duo.

Main girls Nagomi and Ranko.

Next are our main heroines starting with Nagomi. She is an optimistic girl aspiring to be a wonderful cafe maid before being hit by the truth as hard as the Isekai Truck of Doom (This show is not an isekai). After that she does her best to keep the dream alive but it becomes harder and harder with each passing day. Truly a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad world of maids vying to be the top money bringer all while trying to maintain whatever semblance of order there is in Akiba. Nagomi’s road to adaptation is far from easy as the competition grows more fierce.

Alongside her is the 36 year old beauty Ranko. Her defining characteristic is her wonderfully stiff yet passionate delivery in every sentence. She conveys many emotions all in glorious monotone. Keep this in mind as it is very important later on. Other than that she is the classic intimidating but kind badass. Emphasis on intimidating and badass but her kindness is also heartwarming. Nagomi and her get the most character development which makes sense as they are pivotal to the plot and most of the reveals over time. Speaking of reveals most things are answered over time.

The only thing I will spoil.

There is an action tag in the genres. REMEMBER THIS going into the show. Top notch battles between maids for the prize. Oh yes indeed. This is thanks to the nicely done presentation that compliments the unpredictability of the show. The soundtrack features my favorite OP of the season, maybe even year. The ED is pretty cool too.

I will stand on top this hill. There is something between the heroines. That is all I will say.

Overall I did my best to keep it as vague as possible while enticing readers with an inkling of interest to check out Akiba Maid War. The presentation is really good and the main duo delightful provided viewers are okay with pacifist or peace seeking heroes in Nagomi. Ranko is a badass though. I firmly believe there is something between them. While the side-characters do not get the spotlight as often as the main duo they have their strong moments besides their dedicated episodes. Having said that the dark comedy is definitely not for everyone. As mentioned in the description though…viewer discretion is advised. I cannot guarantee an enjoyable viewing experience but it for sure is a fascinating one for those willing to stick with it.