Ultra Maniac Highly recommended

Director
Shinichi Masaki
Production
ANIMAX, Ashi Production, Starchild Record
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2003

Ultra Maniac DVD Volume 1

By David Rasmussen
29th Dec 06

A practical girl who suddenly finds herself with an impractical friend who is a witch in training from the magical world turns over a series from the creator of Marmalade Boy (recommended earlier) worth checking out. Whimsical, funny, romantic and well done from writing to animation. Now in complete box set for those who want it all.

Ultra Maniac DVD V. 1
From the creator of Marmalade Boy comes a new series.
One with practical (and sometimes not so practical) magic, friendship and love, romance and… tennis? Yes, Tennis, somehow the creator of Marmalade Boy can never get away from tennis. Though on the bright side at least this time it isn’t about the possible romance between a young woman and her soon to be brother in law… so that is at least, you know, something.

Episode 1
Meet Ayu Tateishi, a practical woman who is about to be stuck in an impractical situation.
This is her second year in Junior High (aka Middle School) with one more to go, as Japanese Junior High slash Middle School has a three year schedule, and she’s the popular girl of the school because she’s the tennis club phenom (an inspiration to the girls of her school). She is idolized by those girls, but doesn’t desire that at all as she has only done that to catch the attention of one Tesushi Kaji, her one and only (if she was so lucky).

But that may be the only thing she believes in as she has no misconceptions about the world and love no matter how much she’s so into him. There is no magical happy endings, no miracle romance, only the conforming lock and load of the real world. This is abit of a disappointment though as Ayu can’t exactly go on living her life in the practical when her new best friend is a witch in training named Nina Sakura (Sakura?) who comes from a world of magic. Sent “abroad” (into the normal world) to train, and to find some “something” that her grandfather seems so obsessed about that he spies on her often, Nina has hit it off with Ayu and is now going with her to her Junior High while she trains in magic.

And train she has to do indeed. While most of the magic wielding people in her world can easily cast spells, she is forced to use a magic pocket PC and magic box (which acts as a sort of mystical training wheels) to cast her magic, as well as transform her into her witch’s wears (which looks like a watered down design stolen from CardCaptor Sakura which probably goes into explaining why her last name is Sakura). This might not be so bad as she is still a witch in training, except that her pocket PC was not given enough sentience in order to make sure she doesn’t go willy nilly with her magic at a whim… case in point, this first episode for example!

Today Nina learns the folly of playing cupid with the use of her limited training magic as she tries to be the Chuck Woolery for Ayu by helping her score with Kaji, only to mess up her attempt and get Kaji’s pal obsessed with Ayu which only rolls downhill from there.

And thus we come to the Practical Magic Safety Lesson of the day.
Love Potion #9 was nothing but trouble in the movie of the same name, so that will most likely mean that “Sequel” Love Potiuon #9 and 3/4th : Death by Chocolate will also be nothing but trouble.

Of course since we can’t stop at one badly done spell, Nina does another spell which only makes things worst… much much worst. Painfully worst (for others). On the bright side it does painfully harm the geeky glasses wearing nerd named Committee-kun (he who gives “birth” to committees on a whim) who has made it his “life” work to expose Nina’s secret (only for the principal to constantly get in his way which may mean that it might be from the same Magical World as Nina and is keeping an eye on her).

Episode 2
Last episode pretty much couldn’t go anyworse, maybe this one will be better.

Nina, in an attempt to form a love connection between her pal Ayu and Ayu’s love interset Kaji, creates a chocolate love potion and tries to feed it to him only for Kaji’s pal to eat it and become obsessed with Ayu. Things get worst when Nina creates a “cure” for the situation which is a ring that electrocutes any males touching her, which causes a long trail of harm before she accidentially shocks Kaji when he stops her from falling down a flight of stairs.
When the two are brought to the nurse’s room she has a chance to be close to him and gawk at him, only to be caught gawking at him by Kaji’s pal who was “poisoned” with Nina’s chocolate love potion.

As this episode begins she remembers this and thinks she’s in major trouble with him, so sure that her secret love for Kaji is about to be blown wide open. However, as it turns out, he didn’t say a thing about what he saw which turns out to be rather noble of him.

So now that all of that from last episode has blown over it looks like Ayu can comfortably go visit Nina’s “mom” and see her house in the human world (with a human mom and a magical dad). However quality time at the house (where cooking is 100% magic or take out for scary reasons) is derailed with a young man from the magical world shows up and starts to hit on Ayu (so much so that he gets her to show him around). What is he up to? It’s not as hard to figure out as you might think, but it’s a little bit of a twist if you don’t think the “obvious” choice right off the bat. I didn’t get it the first time either so don’t feel bad if you miss his intentions the first time around. (Hint - his intentions won’t become clear until a camera with magical properties comes into play, after he gets slapped around by Ayu for being a showoff jerk).

Episode 3
Here we go again, another one of Nina’s spells gone wrong. Today’s Practical Magic of the Day…
Believe it or not, the reverse of Kashimashi (only without the “I saw Ayu run over by a flying saucer” moment) may give Ayu a clue about the feelings of Kaji before this episode is over, or at least hint that something might be up that might benefit her… oh, and this is the first episode where the whole tennis influence finally gets a full “swing”.

Episode 4
While it looks like the manga (preview done this week) has Ayu and Nina’s first meeting right off the bat, it isn’t until this episode that you see how Ayu met Nina. Preview shows lots of night scenes and Nina flying on her magic scooter… apparently she couldn’t master using the Nimbus 2001 or Firebolt.
Breakdown time.

Ultra Maniac Breakdown the 1st
If you have already been exposed to Marmalade Boy (the Manga or the Anime) then you don’t need to be told how good this is, because you’ve already seen this creator’s best and getting into this next series should be something you’ll do without a second thought. If not? Well then this little magical mishap of love, friendship, botched spells and finely written story, animation and musical scoring should suit you.
Long story short you should have the boxed set of this series on your list for post Christmas shopping.
If I haven’t convinced you enough yet that I am into this series maybe next review will do it for you… soon. But for now maybe the score will sell you on my faith.

5 gifts of “The Mystical Arts for Dummies” book series for Nina out of 5

-- David Rasmussen 29th Dec 06

Ultra Maniac Images