When that outfit’s just a bit too tight, Kanako has only one option – intense weight loss training.
What They Say:
Episode 3
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The first two episodes of Maria Holic Alive haven’t exactly thrilled me like the first season did, but they’ve had their moments. What I keep finding is that it’s dealing with all sorts of little things and typical gags but it hasn’t focused much on Kanako and her real hunger for a hot chick to be her own. Kanako’s had her moments, but she’s felt like less of a main/lead character in this season than what we saw before. Thankfully, we do get some fun from her right from the start here after the opening sequence, a nice little horror parody, as Kanako gets herself all dolled up to go out but has realized that she’s not quite as thin as she was before as an outfit is a bit tighter than it was before. Some of it is just growing up and getting taller and more mature though as her body goes through changes. None of that helps though, especially on top of the way she’s been eating recently.
Kanako’s efforts to diet become the focus as she sets to stop eating and really pay attention to everything. Some of what she eats is pretty disturbing, especially as the dried mushrooms look like they’re more than just dried, but rather on the verge of decay. Her seriousness is essentially the same level as her pervertedness so she takes all of that on rather easily and becomes decidedly creepy in attitude and appearance as she goes through all of this. And it seems like everyone else is becoming prettier through her eyes as well, which adds insult to injury. And the more time goes on, the more events unfold that turns her into a near demon of a creature that craves food, but is being held back by her friends that are trying to help her. The comical moments really do work, especially when she sees breasts as melons.
Kanako’s actions do really start to impact others, and she gets pretty bad off after just three days, which is where a lot of the second half focuses. She becomes more of an animal, even after being berated by Mariya, and even gets into trouble and labeled as a dog at one point because of what happens. Everyone keeps trying to talk sense into her about how to properly diet and what’s needed, but she’s very much intent on the drastic measures. And those measures let us see Kanako in the way that she was meant to be seen and that we haven’t really seen in full yet this season. She’s so over the top, especially in her own head, that when it bleeds out into the real world and affects others, it’s very well done. Seeing how far she goes, and how quickly she gets there, is a lot of fun because of the way she does it. And the style of the show captures it in all its wacky glory perfectly.
In Summary:
Maria Holic Alive is something of a welcome return with this episode as it starts to feel more like it did in the first season with its focus on Kanako. While I do like the other characters in the series to varying degrees, she is the reason I like watching it. Kanako is the kind of character you don’t really see all that often as a series lead with this kind of personality in a female character. You may get your guys like this, and even then they’re more usually along the lines of strong supporting characters, but Kanako is just spot on with her personality that’s not normal and fun to watch. Seeing her apply it to weight reduction and going through the effects of it on herself and her friends is a good bit of fun and had me smiling a whole lot. Definitely a reminder of why I enjoyed the first season so much.
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
Grade: B-
Simulcast By: The Anime Network
