Maburaho

Maburaho is a funny series that seems a bit too “paint by the numbers.” Although it’s an excellent show for killing a slow-moving afternoon, I would never advise cosplaying as any of the characters — you won’t be recognized, and people will think you’re crazy when you explain where your costume comes from.

People often compare Negima! to the Harry Potter series, but in terms of basic premise, Maburaho is far closer. Maburaho follows Kazuki Shikimori, a high school student at an elite magic academy. Kazuki is different from most of the other students — in this universe, people can use magic only a finite number of times before they die — he can use his magic only a handful of times. The plot then goes in typical harem anime territory by having various girls chase after Kazuki, obstinately because recessive genes mean any offspring of his will be extremely powerful. These include Yuna, who moves in with Kazuki and frequently claims to be his wife, Rin, who studies biology and wields a Katana, and Kuriko, who’s… very rich and flirtatious.

The big problem with Maburaho is that is holds virtually no surprises. After the “how did this happen” of a particular episode plays out, everything proceeds in the most straightforward way imaginable.