UlasanAnime.com – The reviewer finally managed to catch up on the series “Maria the Virgin Witch,” explaining the delay was partly due to its availability on Funimation. This delay also highlighted a concern common among viewers of modern late-night anime.
The reviewer quotes a sentiment expressing hope that the anime wouldn’t devolve into a “morality play about the Otaku Virtues.” Initially, the reviewer was drawn to the series by the prospect of more “toilet jokes” and found the Shakespearean feel combined with appropriately crude fanservice refreshing.
However, the series turned out to be different, focusing more on plot development and character motivations, which the reviewer found acceptable. The primary issue for the reviewer is the overt moralizing that permeates the story, feeling like the main character, Maria, is forced to act and speak in certain ways to avoid a world depicted as morally ambiguous and corrupt.
While the reviewer understands the conflict between Maria’s heretical nature and the established religious norms, this only exacerbates the problem. The reviewer expresses discomfort with the show’s eagerness to present clear-cut judgments of good and bad, finding it overly preachy and less impactful than the nuanced moral explorations found in the works of renowned playwrights like Shakespeare.
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A humorous, albeit speculative, question is posed: “Maybe the problem really was that Maria was French?” This is followed by a more direct critique: the French, in this context, are perceived as lacking a sense of humor. The reviewer believes humor is an underutilized tool in “Maria the Virgin Witch,” arguing that comedy often makes potentially uncomfortable themes, like fanservice, more palatable.
While the series features owls having a good time, their antics are rarely depicted as genuinely funny. The reviewer notes that most laughs come from bullying Hanazawa’s owl or crude jokes from Pikasha. The reviewer suggests that both the show and Maria herself need to improve in this comedic aspect to enhance the viewing experience.
Despite these criticisms regarding the show’s heavy-handed moralizing and lack of humor, the reviewer concludes that “Maria the Virgin Witch” is otherwise a solid and refreshingly different anime. However, the reviewer feels that these significant, yet unfortunately executed, issues will ultimately prevent the series from reaching its full potential and being truly excellent.
