Maria Holic Alive: Complete Collection

Despite frequent lesbian references—including a hilarious opening anthem sung by a priest (!)—the raunch quotient is pretty tame for the madcap Maria Holic anime comedy series (of which Alive is the second episode cycle). Kanako Miyamae, a "yuri girl" teen lesbian who literally has allergic reactions to males, enrolls in the Catholic-run all-female Ame Kisaki Girls' Academy in order to sate her Sapphic urges. But nothing ever happens for her, except chronic nosebleeds triggered by sexual stress. Worse, her roommate Mariya, a wealthy blonde with a full-time maid named Matsurika, is actually a cross-dressing boy (for non-sex-fetish reasons, explained in the first series). Serving up an utterly daffy, anything-goes style of humor (reminiscent of America's Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Maria Holic Alive mocks Japanese fads and pop-culture, turns characters into mecha or SD (super-deformed) versions, and throws in a cameo by CSI Miami's Horatio Caine. Presenting all 12 episodes from 2011 in separate dual-language DVD and Blu-ray editions, rated TV-14, extras include audio commentaries by the Japanese vocal cast. Recommended. (C. Cassady)