The following article contains spoilers from episode 1 of Akiba Maid War. To catch up on the latest episode, it's available for streaming on HIDIVE.
The cute maid aesthetic has always been popular, especially in Japan - and now more than ever, with kawaii culture taking over the mainstream, what better time is it to than to introduce some cute maid girls? Akiba Maid War's maiden episode premiered on October 6th and so far it's managed to charm the hearts of kawaii and dark comedy fans alike.
In the year 1999, Nagomi Wahira starts her dream of working at a maid café. Though given the popularity and high demand, there's a lot of competition, and when it comes to this kind of business, it's a cutthroat industry. Literally.
The First(?) Kill
At the beginning of the episode, it is the year 1985. Three maids pull up to a tea house. As one of them prepares to enter, she is shot by another maid wearing a different uniform. Aside from this brief interaction, there is no context given. This is the perfect attention grabber to show the audience that what they're about to watch is no normal slice-of-life anime. Come the next scene in 1999, and we see the main character excitedly on her way to start her first day as a maid, along with another girl, Ranko.
Given her excitement, she's a little too enthusiastic about her new job and the first day doesn't exactly go as she expected - but at least she has another chance to redeem herself! A simple errand of delivering a letter to a competing maid café is assigned to her and Ranko. A simple enough task, until they encounter what looks to be a torture session between the manager and an unfortunate employee. After the letter is revealed to be an instigator, Nagomi becomes her new target of humiliation - that is, until the latter literally bites the bullet, courtesy of Ranko. Clearly she came prepared for this, and surely enough, a bloody battle broke out and our two main characters are the only survivors. But what's more, upon their return they're greeted with surprise from their co-workers. Perhaps that was their last test?
Straight Story Lined With Lace and Blood
The story so far is pretty linear and easy to follow. It doesn't constantly switch between characters and viewers only know what Nagomi knows. The narrative doesn't rely on exposition, we are instead shown everything from her perspective - as if we are the main character. Aside from the prologue, the atmosphere is bright and happy, mirroring Nagomi's excitement. The first episode also excels at introducing the cast one at a time - this helps the viewer understand the plot better.
Additionally, each of them play a role, but not large enough to take up the spotlight. This is partially helped by the fact that each maid has a designated character trait to recognize them by. Nagomi, the aspiring and upbeat genki girl. Ranko, the serious one. Yumechi, the stubborn one. Shiipon, the flirty gyaru. And lastly, Tenchou, the lazy manager, whose name quite literally means, "captain".
Though their defining traits aren't their entire personality. Nagomi, while an audience surrogate is idealistic and naive, but means well nonetheless. Ranko is older and more mature in age, but she knows much more than she lets on. Yumechi may be tsundere-like, but she takes her job seriously.
Shiipon is definitely the more "fabulous" one of the group, but she's there to support her peers. Tenchou may come off as a slacker, but she can run a team and do it well. These traits, while common in most anime, enhance their characters more than anything and leave just enough room for the audience to (blood)thirst for more.
Round 2: FIGHT!
The trailer for the next episode shows Nagomi trying to pack up and leave. Unfortunately, it looks like her new roommate won't let her. Perhaps she should have checked to make sure her contract didn't say anything about a "draft" before she signed it. Let's hope she doesn't lose her head amidst all the chaos.
Akiba Maid War is currently slated for 12 episodes and is licensed by Sentai Filmworks. Given its previous projects and the fact that there is an English logo, there's a high probability for an English dub in the near future.