Maid-sama! Vol. 3 & 4by Wolfen MoonsgetReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 5 The Seika Sports Festival ends with a race in costume -- and only Yukimura is enthused. Café Maid Latte continues to enlist the aid if Usui, much to Misaki's annoyance. Misaki struggles with "Little Sister" roleplay. The manager's niece butts heads with Misaki. A student tries to prevent Misaki from recruiting more girls to the school. A day for club recruiting sees several male students being miserable. And the Café Maid Latte employees spend summer at a beach. There's also a bonus story featuring the characters in a feudal fairytale, and another focused on "the idiot trio," and (pointless) interviews with the characters.The art is fine, but the dialogue is stilted at times, the editing choppy. This is another omnibus of a romantic comedy that's much more frustrating than romantic or funny. When I do find myself warming up to it, I have to wonder if it's really that it's getting better, or I'm just building up a tolerance to the skeevier aspects. Either way, it still grates on me often enough to still not recommend it. In particular, Usui really manages to tick me off with some abusive, controlling behavior, especially in the beach arc, and there's some questionable depiction of crossdressing and possibly a transgender individual (but some positive as well, at least). On the upside, Misaki is getting more likable (though sometimes she acts out of character). And I do rather like two of the new characters. One starts out pretty badly, but once we learn the reason for his behavior (still bad actions, but with a good motive), his story becomes a something of a redemption arc, and one of the sweetest moments in the series so far involves him. I actually find myself wishing Usui would get replaced by this guy! The other character is a brat, but makes things interesting, their intro story involving a great twist, and allows us to see more of Misaki's more affectionate, sweeter side. Spoiler time. The manga-ka found an interesting way to not have the leads lose while still allowing Yukimura to win the race. Still, I'd rather Yukimura won by perseverance, not default. I appreciate that he took getting a maid costume in-stride, but then being dressed as a maid seemed to bother him in another story, so it spoiled a character that originally didn't seem to see being feminine as a negative. There is a point where several guys dress like Misaki out of admiration -- which would be great if it didn't seem like we supposed to laugh at their antics specifically because they were dressing like a girl. Also, the question of Yukimura's sexuality is likewise treated as a joke, to my irritation. And then we have poor Aoi. It's unclear whether Aoi is transgender or just likes cute dresses. It's great that Aoi stands up for theirself and wants to get back at the people who mock them for liking to dress and act like a cute girl, and great that Masaki defends Aoi! It's not so great that Aoi's own family, specifically the two aunts who seem like good people otherwise, try to inhibit Aoi from acting feminine, acting like he's just a belligerent child. The older aunt at least gives Aoi something of an out by saying she'll let Aoi dress as they please and even leave early if the kid wins a volleyball tournament, because that will demonstrate masculinity to appease Aoi's father. Still, if she were really supportive, she would make her home a safe space for Aoi to be theirself, and stand up to Aoi's father on their behalf. It's irritating how the work keeps adhering to gender tropes. Misaki is not girly enough to other characters because she doesn't dress the part -- but she's constantly being made to do so. She herself asks the other girls to make a "safe," "feminine space" -- which turns out to be a maid café, because of course being feminine means loving frilly outfits, and never mind that the maid café seems to be more about catering to the male gaze. Yet Misaki okays it! And she's mistaken for male in one of the extra stories because she's dressed as a samurai, only recognised as a woman when she dresses as a maid. Abducted woman are happy to be taken away from the guys they slave for -- to a "beautifully decorated" place where the mass of them all dress as maids for one guy. And even boyish Misaki knows women can't possibly be happy in a male pigsty, but of course guys are all filthy and women are all clean. And then we have Usui. I appreciate the greyness of him doing questionable things for questionable motives, and that Misaki does call him on things, but not that his behavior is treated as if she should see it as romantic, nor that he never really suffers any consequences. Giving her a hickey is assault; the fact that he does it so that she's too ashamed to be seen in her bathing suit adds an extra level of sinister. He's slut-shamed her out of jealousy! And him putting his own selfish wishes (as in, not wanting her half-naked in front other guys) before Aoi's struggle for the freedom to be theirself is not at all romantic -- he's not only jealous to an abusive level, trying to police her body (and they aren't even dating!), but he lacks empathy and seeks to impede her doing something for a worthy cause. He's like an inverse of the trope of a bad boy with a good heart. It's not that I can't see the humour in these things, or even how the author intends certain things to be romantic, but the humour and sensibilities are woefully out of date. It's like a romantic comedy for misogynists (even as the work actually tries to be feminist). It basically undermines the example Misaki sets as a smart, authoritative woman who is admired for being such, by demeaning and even damseling her. Written: November 14, 2015
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