Maria Holic: Complete Collection

In the interview accompanying this 12-episode set, Yu Kobayashi—who voices freshman student Mariya Shidou—describes Maria Holic as a “love comedy” about a “girl who's into girls,” nicely summing up the premise of this darkly comic series. The story begins with second-year student Kanako Miyamae entering her late mother's alma mater, Ame No Kisaki Girls' Academy. From the start, Kanako is attracted to Mariya, who travels everywhere with her rude assistant, Matsurika, and isn't as nice or as feminine as she appears—in fact, Mariya is actually a boy in disguise. To timid Kanako, boys are “dirty and scary,” so the subterfuge comes as a particularly unpleasant surprise. Mariya eventually reveals an even bigger one: her female twin dresses in drag to attend an all-boys school. Then there's Kanako's cat-eared dorm supervisor, “God,” constantly accompanied by a fully-clothed dog and threatening death to anyone who crosses her (albeit in a very sweet voice). After Mariya, Kanako proceeds to develop crushes on her first roommate, her homeroom teacher, and the student council president. Throughout, her inner thoughts assume a variety of forms, most often as a childlike doppelganger, while the show's look also incorporates different styles, from black-and-white panels to art nouveau–inspired tableaux. Compiling all 12 episodes from 2009 in a two-disc set in Japanese with English subtitles, rated TV-14, DVD extras include a conversation with voice actors; and clips from a promotional event. Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)