Mao Chan DVD 1

There's a fine line between being something for kids and something that anyone can enjoy. Mao-Chan is the latter, being a show both you and your kids will enjoy.

Mao Chan: I will protect the peace of Japan! DVD 1 of 4
Originally by Ken Akamatsu, manga illustrated by RAN
Geneon/Pioneer, All ages

Mao-Chan is a 2nd grader whose grandfather is the Chief of Staff of the Ground Defense Force. She has been trained to become a valuable member of the force since she was born. When she turns eight, she, together with her friends Misora and Sylvia, form the elementary school self-defense team. Mao protects the land, Misora, the skies, and Sylvia, the sea. These pint-sized girls do their best to protect Japan from "cute" alien invaders.

At first, the premise might make you think of two things, the first being "Is this lolicon?" Well no, it isn't. The 2nd is "Wow, this is going to be stupid." Well, no, it isn't. It's a good comedy/magical girl/defend the Earth (well in this case Japan) story that the whole family can enjoy.

Story
I'll admit I wasn't taken in by the premise that much either. Just reading it made me say "Is this some cheap-shot at money making? What a dumb idea." The story follows the (attempts) Mao-chan makes at protecting Japan. Along the way, she gains fame for being such a young defender at just eight years old, has her friend Misora join the air defense force, and meets the sea-defence force girl Sylvie.

They defend Japan against all kinds of "cute" aliens, from bunnies to kittens to watterskippers. Actually, Japan is rarely in any real danger, so there's nothing to worry about. They just transform (which is nothing but a cosmetic change) and usually end up doing something like lecturing or firing one of their defense triangle to stop it. They don't really do any intense/violent battling, despite Mao-chan riding around on a huge tank that could easily take out a city. I'd give it a 3/5, because there isn't much of a story but it follows the girl's lives and attempts at defense. It does what it says on the box. Cute girls defend against cute aliens.

Characters
Take your pick. We've got your pink-haired main protagonist, your blue-haired best-friend of the protagonist, and the foreign, etiquette girl with brown hair that eventually teams up with the protagonist. They actually have personality, with Mao being the somewhat strong/clutzy leader, Misora being the stereotypical and caring BFF of Mao, and the polite foreigner Sylvie. They're nice, and have grown a little bit over the 7 episodes on this disc.

We've also got your side characters, with the three grandfathers (Mao's, Misora's, and Sylvie's) who dispute over who's eight-year-old daughter is the best. We've also got Yuriko, the student-council president who's actually an alien with an interesting backstorty, and her friend Chinami, the vice-president. We've also got Kagome, the colonel of the defense force, who has a thing for Mao's grandpa. Kagone bears a resembelce to Naru from Love Hina, another one of Akamatsu's works. The character design a bit above average, but they need to have more fleshed-out personalities. 4/5

Animation
The animation is standard quality, I've seen better and I've seen worse. It was consistent in this volume, with no drop in quality yet. I'm going to call it average. 3/5

Menus, Extras, Package, OP's and ED's
The menu stood out on this DVD, with a quick, 10 second introduction clip of "I'm Mao, and pledge to protect the peace of Japan!" Then the menu is Mao standing in the middle with 4 clovers on the bottom, with the standard Play/Scene Selection/Setup/Extras.

We've got the creditless OP as usual, and a blooper reel. Not much on extras for this volume. The OP and ED are both preformed by the somewhat famous Yui Horie, and are both excellent if you are a fan of her. The OP is All my love and the ED is It's my style.

This package stood out to me on the shelf because of the picture of Mao and the huge tank behind her. It comes with a reversible cover with some screencaps from the first 7 episodes included on this disc. The episodes are only about 7 or 8 minutes long, which is a good thing because if they ran any longer than that they might have become boring or stale. 4/5 Note: as of now, the DVD is out of print until Geneon find someone to re-distribute it. You can find used copies at Suncoast/FYE for cheap, though.

Dub/Sub
The English dub isn't half bad. They stay true to the script except for a few places, which is good. The only thing you'd miss out on by watching the dub is Sylvie's references to Love Hina. I'd say they did a good job on both the dub and the sub. 4/5

Total
3.6, or a B-. It's a good show for almost anyone. It's not too sweet which many say. It's supposed to be a light show for everyone. I'd watch a few episodes just because it's short and enjoyable. You don't have to put your mind to work thinking out complex plotlines or what's going to happen next.

It's not the next revolutionary anime and it isn't going to win an award, but hey, for 7.99 a DVD, it's worth it if you have the extra money and want to take a break from any serious stuff.