Mahoro Stops Functioning In...

...x number of days.

Perhaps one of the things that I really hate about anime producers (especially GAINAX) is their propensity to make endings so grand and convoluted that it works for the worst than the best.

I was able to finish seasons 1 and 2 of the Mahoromatic anime series minutes before 2:00 AM of January 5, 2009 - roughly six and a half hours before my first academic class for the year. And just as when you were about to expect a, well, orchestrated ending, its final sequences prove detrimental to the cause of the anime series.

You see, the very essence of Mahoromatic lies in the forthcoming death of the main character, Combat Android Mahoro (V-1046R MAHORO). Each episode (from season 1 to the very end) ended with a note saying "Mahoro Stops Functioning In... ___ Days". This is because Mahoro, to begin with, was designed by her creators (Vesper) as a fierce combat android - one that would save the world from all kinds of monsters (mechanical or not). And so fierce was Mahoro that she did every assignment with extraordinary combat prowess. In accomplishing her final assignment, she was given the option to decide on her retirement - whether to continue fighting, or become human by being employed on planet Earth. She chose the latter, and ended up being the household maid of Suguru Misato - to which her motivations are revealed later in the series.

The identity of "Mahoro Andou" (as she was formally named on Earth) is surrounded with mystery. Further immersion with it leads you to a conspiracy plot reminiscent of f Hideo Kojima's "The Patriots" from Metal Gear Solid. What remains true is that she's working for the Misato household to atone for her deadly sin - the murder of Suguru's father, and Vesper's Chief.

The series is laden with all fun, ecchi, and slapstick similar to Ken Akamatsu's Love Hina. It's semi-harem with the blue-haired Miyuki and erm, 'well-endowed' Rin (both of which crush on Suguru secretly), Chizuko who screams with every culinary delight, Shikijo-sensei (who dreams of getting Suguru laid with her), and the 2 guy friends. It becomes seriously funny when Mahoro says her signature line "Ecchi nanowa ikenai to omoimasu (Ecchi thoughts are baaaaad!)" in scolding Suguru for his dirty mags and ideas. Almost every episode is laden with this until the last few episodes which complicate the entire series.

The essence of the anime, I said, rests in Mahoro's eventual death. While 'death' is usually attributed to organic entities, Mahoro's biotic attitudes (like a pure/gentle/clean of heart) qualify her the use of 'death'. Admittedly, I hate watching series with a time bomb fate waiting for the main character(s). Aside from spoiling everything, you sometimes wish the ending will never come. In the same way, you wish that the main character suffers a death that is neither too harsh nor painful. I, for one, wanted Mahoro to die in Suguru's physical presence (whether he was 10 centimeters away or 1 meter away). But no, Mahoro had to 'die' in the line of duty. By using up all her life energy to defeat the persistent combat android Feldrance, Mahoro nails her demise - in ways fans see as heroic.

Tragedies are not my line. That's one thing I realized while reading Oedipus Rex. But one thing is for sure - when I say die, you die! A person who died, by biological, theological, and metaphysical conjunctions, must NEVER be brought to life again. I don't know why Mahoro needed to be resurrected at the final minute when all the watchers have been conditioned of her eventual demise.

Buti sana if their reuniting was some flowers-in-the-sky, pastel colored meeting. But no. It was just a white scene full of hydrangeas and a weepy couple reunited after 20 years. And when you see white sequences from a montage of dark, black ones, you immediately associate it with the depths of memory. In other words, the anime series didn't talk about whether Mahoro's real wish (back in Season 1) upon the tree was to be Suguru's wife.

Sure, there'd been fan service. And sure, Mahoro's deeply in love with her master. It only becomes apparent hours before her death when she finally kisses her by the beach. A romantic way to begin a whiplashing ending.

There's a lot of debate going on about Mahoromatic's ending. Crappy endings really fuel fans to write reviews or stories that would hopefully alter the issue. It's happening to me actually: I want to change the plot so badly. At least, if only through that, I would be able to do the story the way I wanted it to be.

So don't watch the series if you're not ready for a bad ending. But watch it if you want color and action rolled at the same time.

Be wary though, it's produced by GAINAX; and that firm really has a way of doing things... exquisitely.