It wasn’t until around episode 15/16 that I considered reflecting on Mai-HiME. My perception was altered by the curves of the characters, but there does lie a seriousness to Mai-HiME. I have absolutely no regrets taking the time to experience this series, or any for watching it with unusual quickness. The timing was well paced so pondering between episodes wasn’t really a big deal; some episode had greater impacts than others of course. I’m not going to bring in screen shots and spoilers, but I’d like to give my regard for the implications this series brings to our anime culture (short btw).
What we have is an above average series with simple vaults and hints of perfection; a good blend to keep us in our shoes. I was trying to find a way to explain the emotions of Mai-HiME, not that they are extraordinary, but my best relation is that to poetry and music. If I consider music to be poetry, and the emotional tugging of Mai-HiME to be music, I have to say that it is good, heartfelt, fun, and enjoyable music. Though, similar to the modern day em0 music. Mai-HiME is totally emo, but like this modern day craze, it lacks a true encompassing atmosphere that will not fade. The emotions are no less important, being as they drive the series to the end, but the emotions lack strength in depth. Let me ask, how did Spike Speigal’s walk down the staircase feel? It is something I still think back upon. Or for something recent, Gretel’s final scene in the latest completed Black Lagoon arc.
I’m not really saying that these are the best representations that will/have come to be, but what I am comparing is the emotion and beauty of creators such as Keats and Dickenson, with that of modern day emo music (heart break is valid I suppose). Mai-HiME lacks the maturity I suppose, but in sense of characters. Youngersters shouldn’t have to be troubled with losing a loved one because of their actions, but the series shows very well how teenagers react in critical conditions; they sway, falter, get confused, lack assertion, lose focus, etc. Nonetheless, the emotion is great, and without, Mai-HiME would possibly just be a speck on the windshield.
Over the emotions. I really found similarities between Mai-HiME and it’s unrelated underclassman, Eureka 7. This comes from that slightly immature feel, but comparitively they are both stronger and weaker in certain aspects. HiME has some plot consistency over E7 (semi-fillers in middle of story). E7 also has a more shounen vibe with the “trump-card-destroy-all”, which loses out to the slightly more complex, Mai is strong, but oh so is everyone else in the end. E7 wins in concept though. They’re close, and I’ll be using E7 as a relative for ranking, I’d say HiME is around 8.6/10, but I’m not going to draw up OST/Character/Story points and average it out; wingin’ it.
The love for HiME has to be the HiME’s, my top 5:
- Natsuki - strong, untouchable but vunerable at times; almost tsundere, but more determinded than anything. “Did you see that girl stare right through you?” … “Yeah.. it was awesome…” <- not an actual line, just find that would be my reaction to someone like her
- Mikoto - fun fun, random, Ed II, would like to see a mature version of her
- Akira - solid, kinda creepy as a guy, but good chemistry
- Mai - would’ve been higher if she could have figured out her em0 better
- Haruka - so she wasn’t a HiME, but fantastic!
That’s it, I’m spent. I don’t really know if I’ll watch the Otome, but if so, it will be not next week. May be before the OVA, but meh, dunno. Mai-HiME, enjoyable. If I look back over this and cannot understand it, then I apologize ahead of time. 
Ryan A
I think I enjoyed my-hime more for the community that came up around it. It was one of the first series I was really watching through fansubs, so I was watching on a weekly basis. Then the shit hit the fan and the battle royale arc started and everyone went crazy. We would all have these crazy long discussions on what was going to happen from week to week, who was going to go next, would it have a happy or dark ending. Many a sleepless night were spent waiting for a raw. Yeah those were good times. It’s the first series I remember that the whole community really got behind. I guess the last one like that was Haruhi…still my-hime is a good show, just hard to say if it’s a classic like you said. But like I said half the experiance came from when it first aired I think.
I’m such a newb, lol. I can definitely understand that though. If I didn’t have the next ep to watch, I would have went bonanza.
I do think it will stand well for its year, may be not the first half of the decade(00-04), but still notable. Haruhi and the tsunderes will probably be the last half, at least for now.
I’d like to see someone point out the top five for each year since 2000. I’ll probably dig for that, but I don’t have the watching history to figure it.
^_^