Taro Hanaukyō, a young boy grieving for his mother, has been summoned to his grandfather's estate for reasons unknown. Upon arrival, he discovers several facts that are to change his life drastically:
- His grandfather is rich. Obscenely rich. Richie Rich-level rich.
- His grandfather has retired and left the entire estate in his name.
- The entire estate staff consists of hundreds of attractive young women in maid uniforms.
It is that last point that that really causes some concern for poor Taro, as it is rapidly demonstrated to the viewer that he has a violent allergic reaction to contact from women.note Unfortunately for him, the young ladies of the Hanaukyo estate are zealously dedicated to their job, be it organizing his schedule, assisting his studies, bathing with him in the dozens, assisting him with his zipper in the washroom....
Fortunately, there is also Mariel, the de facto head maid and apparently, the only woman Taro can be near without turning interesting colours.
Hanaukyo Maid Team (Hanaukyo Maid Tai) is a manga by Morishige, which was serialized in Monthly Shonen Champion from 2000 to 2006 and compiled into 14 volumes. It was adapted into a anime series in 2001; however, the anime was cut short due to difficulties with the production company. Only twelve episodes were aired out of a planned eighteen, and only three more were made and included on the DVD release. It was rebooted in a second series, Hanaukyo Maid Tai: La Verite in 2004. In this series, Taro is merely put off by too much attention from women, though Mariel remains the exception. It also introduces a dramatic plot line from the manga around Mariel, and formally introduces Yashima Sanaenote and her strong loyalty to Konoe Tsurugi, head of the Security division of the maids.
To repeat: the entire house staff are maids.
Note: If an episode number below doesn't mention which season it's from, it's the first. If it's from the second season it will say La Verite.
The La Verite season is available for streaming for North American viewers on HIDIVE
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This anime provides examples of:
- Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: In La Verite episode 9, Ikuyo Suzuki turns her head around 360°.
- Accidental Kiss: La Verite episode 12. After Ryuuka makes another proposal of marriage to Taro, she trips and falls on top of him, kissing him in the process.
- Accidental Pervert
- First season episode 3: After Taro gets off a couch, he accidentally falls into Mariel and gets a face full of Funbag Airbag.
- La Verite episode 2: He accidentally looks up Ryuuka's skirt while she has her foot on his face.
- Two Suggestive Collisions in 'La Verite'' episode 7.
- He's thrown onto Mariel during an earthquake and accidentally gropes her breasts.
- The puppy Fenrir jumps on him and knocks him and Mariel down. He ends up lying face down on top of her.
- La Verite episode 12: He inadvertently gropes one of his personal maid's breasts while sleepily trying to turn off an alarm clock.
- Somewhat averted in the OVA 2 (Episode 14) as Taro is revealed to be perverted to Konoe by not "focusing" on the training. He couldn't resist Konoe's boobs nor naked body.
- Action Girl: Konoe takes her job as head of the security division very seriously.
- Actor Allusion:
- In Verite, this isn't the first time Karen Strassman (Mariel) voiced a character who was artificially made and won't do anything lest she is ordered to.
- In Verite episode 5, she cosplays as Chi. Now who voices Mariel again?
- Adorably Precocious Child: Taro, who tries to act responsibly despite not always being taken seriously by the maids.
- Allergic to Love: In the first series, Taro changes colors and sometimes collapses whenever women (except Mariel) touch him.
- Almost Kiss
- Episode 10. When Mariel is washing Taro's back after a long day he turns to her and their faces move together...then Ikuyo Suzuki runs in yelling to break it up.
- La Verite
- Episode 2. Taro almost kisses Mariel, but it turns out to be a dream.
- Episode 7. After Taro accidentally falls on Mariel, she cups his face in her hands and pulls him toward her. They almost kiss, but Taro pulls away from her.
- Alternate Continuity: The first and second series cover slightly different ground.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Taro got disguised as a maid in episode 15 and crossplays as Mahoro from Mahoromatic in La Verite episode 5.
- Bad Liar: La Verite episode 11. Ryuuka is revealed as one when she furiously blushes while trying to claim that she just came along to make a mess, as pointed out by Ikuyo Suzuki.
- Balloon Belly: In Episode 10, Taro develops a bloated stomach after he's stuffed with food during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Baseball Episode: La Verite episode 6. The maid departments (security, medical, technology etc.) compete in a softball tournament to determine budget allocations.
- Bathtub Scene: In the first episode, Taro is taken to a bath the size of a swimming pool. Also, his maids 'help him bath' by lathering themselves up and rubbing up against him. Remember, this is the season he's allergic to women.
- Beach Episode: During the second half of episode 7, Taro and his maids go to a beach to relax (the first half is a Hot Springs Episode).
- BFS: Konoe Tsurugi's Onee-sama has a huge sword in La Verite episode 11.
- The Big Board: Wall screens in the security maids' operations room can show situations that occur in the mansion.
- Big Entrance: In episode 5, Konoe is introduced by having her return to the mansion together with a whole squadron of fighting helicopters.
- Big Fancy House: Rule of thumb: When you can park a blimp in the driveway, you've got it made.
- Blue with Shock: La Verite Episode 7. Yashima Sanae goes blue in fear in the underground area when she thinks a monster is approaching.
- Book Ends: Lampshaded in La Verite. In episode 1, when Taro first meets Mariel he sees her upside down (he just fell down and she walks up from behind him). In episode 12, the last episode of the series, it happens again. Taro points out that it's the same as when they first met.
- Bound and Gagged: La Verite episode 6. In the Baseball Episode, the maid acting as an umpire is kidnapped (and shown tied up and gagged) and replaced with a Technology Department robot.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall
- At the end of episode 11, after Ryuuka has declared that Mariel is her rival for Taro's affection, Grace turns to the audience and says "Is this going to continue?"
- La Verite (2nd season) episode 7. The group encounters a series of odd traps.Ryuuka: Why is this place full of so many lame traps, anyway?
Ikuyo Suzuki: It's as if the producers wanted to show us how unimaginative they are!
- Catapult Nightmare: In episode 13, Grace/Cynthia wakes up sitting straight up in bed after having a nightmare about being harassed while at college (she was 6 years old at the time).
- Cat Fight: In La Verite episode 2, Ryuuka and Mariel have a "swimsuit cavalry battle" in the pool.
- Chain of People: In La Verite episode 7, Taro, Ryuuka and Ikyo Suzuki form a chain of people after they fall over the edge of a cliff while exploring an underground dungeon below the mansion.
- Changeling Fantasy: At the beginning of the series, Taro discovers that he belongs to a fabulously wealthy and powerful family.
- Clothing Damage: Episode 3. When a Weather-Control Machine explodes, almost all of the maids nearby have their clothing disintegrate.
- Compressed Hair: Cynthia keeps her hair loose, but on the very same head under the very same cap Grace keeps the very same hair, without changing the volume of the cap itself.
- Confused Question Mark
- Episode 9. Konoe Tsurugi refuses to have her picture taken because she doesn't want the camera to steal her soul. When she hears this, Mariel has three question marks appear next to her head, one at a time.
- Episode 11. When Ryuuka asks Taro if he's interested in someone else, he looks at Mariel. Mariel then has question marks to each side of her head. Later, when Ryuuka appears before Taro in his bath, a question mark appears over his head.
- Episode 12. Ryuuka has just given Taro a giant cake shaped like her for his birthday. When she sees him staring at it, a question mark appears over her head.
- Episode 15. Taro has a question mark appear above his head several times when he's puzzled.
- Cooldown Hug: Taro gives a hug to Grace in La Verite episode 3 when the latter is panicking about being merged with Cynthia and erased.
- Cosplay Otaku Girl: In La Verite episode 8, Konoe wants to borrow some clothes from Yashima, and we all know how Yashima reacts to Konoe.
- Crush Blush: La Verite episode "Forced Entry". When Ikuyo Suzuki teases Ryuuka about her feelings for Taro, Ryuuka blushes furiously while denying it.
- Cute Mute: Cynthia from is an adorable, innocent little girl who is completely incapable of any sort of vocalization, due to psychological stress. Her split personality Grace is quite talkative however.
- Cuteness Proximity: La Verite episode 7. Konoe Tsurugi, normally a stoic badass who speaks in a deep and quiet scary tone, starts gushing whenever she sees a puppy. She eventually gets her own.
- Demon Head
- Episode 8. Head security maid Konoe Tsurugi's head grows large and angry while Taro is trying to get Cynthia to go to sleep.
- La Verite
- Episode 1. Ikuyo Suzuki develops a giant angry head when she admits that she was lying.
- Episode 5. Konoe gains a large angry head again when Ryuuka asks to become one of the security maids protecting Taro. Konoe demands to know why they should hire Ryuuka, who is the leader of their enemies the Jihiyou family.
- Episode 12. Two of Taro's personal maids get angry and have large heads when the third keeps Taro to herself.
- Disappeared Dad: Taro's father does not appear in either series. The manga mentions that he was a painter.
- The Door Slams You: In La Verite episode 7, As Konoe Tsurugi is waiting on one side of a door, her lieutenant Yashima Sanae slams open the door from the other side and smashes her in the face, giving her a temporary bloody nose.
- Dope Slap
- Episode 2: The maids use a bright light to cover up their assisting Taro in solving a math problem in class. When one of the maids tries to explain the light as a U.F.O., another maid gives her one of these and tells her to think of a better excuse.
- Konoe does it to various maids in both series (particularly Ikuyo Suzuki). Whenever she does, she hits so hard that it causes a lump on their heads.
- Doujinshi: La Verite episode 5. Ikuyo Suzuki takes the other characters to Comiket.
- Drop the Washtub: La Verite - to Ryuuka in episode 2 and multiple times to Taro in episode 7.
- Dueling Hackers: In episode 8 Grace defeats an enemy hacking attempt into MEMOL.
- Edible Theme Naming: Taro's personal maids. In the first series they're named Ichigo (strawberry), Ringo (apple), and Sango. In the second they're named Lemon, Marron (cake), and Melon.
- Emotionless Girl: To varying degrees, Grace, Konoe, and Mariel all act in an emotionless manner at times. Grace does it because she's suffering from a split personality, Konoe because she's been trained as a security maid, and Mariel because she's been brainwashed to be the perfect maid for her master Taro.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Okay, Konoe's far from evil, but she's quite cold. And Yet...◊
- Exposition Diagram
- Episode 4. Ryuuka uses a series of audience-only diagrams to explain the rivalry between the Jihyou and Hanaukyo families.
- Episode 7. While in a hot springs house, Taro's 3 personal maids hold up signs they pull from nowhere to describe the nature and beneficial effects of the hot springs waters.
- Episode 10. An audience only example when Mariel lists Taro's daily activities and they appear (as if being typed) in the air over Taro's head, gradually squashing his head down.
- La Verite episode 5. While the protagonists are at Comiket, a message in Japanese appears over Mariel's head.
- La Verite episode 7. During an underground expedition, two of Taro's personal maids hold up signs (which they pulled out of nowhere) with Japanese writing indicating they give up and don't want to go any further.
- Eyelid Pull Taunt: La Verite episode 7. Yashima Sanae has been insulted by Ryuuka, who insinuates that she's giving up on the expedition. As Mariel and Yashima Sanae walk off hand in hand, Yashima gives this to Ryuuka.
- Eyes Always Shut: In the first series, Taro always has his eyes shut.
- Face, Nod, Action: In La Verite episode 11, Taro and Konoe Tsuragi look at each other and nod before escaping the underground area where Mariel was being held.
- Fanservice: The surprising thing is how much more blatant the first anime was than the original manga. Wow.
- Fiery Redhead: In La Verite, Ryuuka is a redhead who can develop an awesome temper with little provocation. In the first season, she had brown hair.
- First Girl Wins
- Subverted in season 1. While Mariel "won", the first girl Taro met was Sango, who was also his first kiss, and by the end of the first episode she and her sisters had all slept with him.
- Played straight in La Verite. Taro met Mariel first and fell in love with her.
- Funbag Airbag
- Episode 3. After Taro gets off a couch, he accidentally falls face first into Mariel's chest.
- Episode 6. While running around a corner, Taro runs into the mansion's nurse.
- Furo Scene
- Taro and several of the maids share a communal bath during the Hot Springs Episode in second half of Episode 7.
- Taro and Konoe share a waterfall shower in Episode 14.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Ikuyo Suzuki. Her inventions include a Weather-Control Machine, a giant robot and a teleporting vehicle.
- Gainax Ending: A mild version in the second series La Verite. Ryuuka proposes marriage to Taro again and beats him up when he doesn't agree, the other maids all try to kiss him but he escapes. He meets Mariel and they walk off into a white background hand in hand.
- Group Hug: Taro's personal staff of Ichigo, Ringo, and Sango or Lemon, Marron, and Melon in the second series are undisputed masters of grabbing Taro affectionately.
- Gunship Rescue: La Verite episode 11. The gang is being chased by Konoe's sister when Ryuuka's zeppelin shows up to save the day.
- Hammerspace: La Verite. Fiery Redhead Ryuuka can pull all sorts of weapons (including pistols, hand grenades and assault rifles) out of nowhere, as she proved in one titanic battle with a Humongous Mecha created by Ikuyo Suzuki.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear
- Episode 11. Taro does it after Ryuuka intrudes into his bath area while he's naked.
- Episode 14. Taro also does, while bathing with Konoe in the natural hot spring.
- La Verite episode 1. Taro does it when several maids manage to disrobe him without his knowledge to help him get dressed. Later, several maids (including assistant Security chief Yashima Sanae) do it after one of Ikuyo Suzuki's gadgets rips off their clothing, leaving them naked.
- High-Pressure Blood: Episode 4. Ryuuka runs headfirst into an I-beam Taro is carrying and blood starts spurting out of her forehead like a geyser.
- Hollywood Psych: Grace/Cynthia has a Split Personality, with her Grace personality dominant at night and her Cynthia personality in charge during the day. Except when she doesn't.
- Hot Springs Episode: In the second half of episode 7, Taro and some of the maids go to a bathhouse (the first half was a Beach Episode).
- Humongous Mecha: In one episode, Ikuyo Suzuki demonstrates her latest creation: a giant robot resembling the Loch Ness Monster.
- Hyde Plays Jekyll: Episode 13. When Cynthia goes to the amusement park, she's actually her other Split Personality Grace.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: La Verite. Mariel appears to put Taro's happiness above her own, but it turns out that she's doing it because she's been brainwashed since childhood into being his perfect slave...er, maid.
- Indy Escape
- Episode 1. While Taro is walking down some stairs he accidentally steps on a trap trigger and a giant ball drops from above and starts rolling down the stairs after him.
- La Verite episode 7. While exploring an underground area below the mansion, Taro, Ryuuka, and Ikuyo Suzuki have to run from a giant ball after Ikuyo presses a button she shouldn't have.
- Insistent Terminology: Yashima Sanae being called "Sanae" and saying that Yashima is her first name.
- Instant Sedation: La Verite episode 8. Three security maids are rendered unconscious in seconds with a drugged handkerchief.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Konoe, especially in 'La Verite''. She starts off very stern and strict with Taro, but ends up becoming friendly toward him.
- Jet Pack: La Verite episode 11. Konoe's Onee-sama has a Jet Pack as part of her armor, which she uses to pursue the protagonist party as they escape via elevator after rescuing Mariel.
- Joshikousei: In La Verite episode 8, Konoe and Yashima Sanae both dress in sailor fuku costumes.
- Little Miss Snarker: The little girl maid Grace likes to make sarcastic and snarky comments to her master Taro and the other maids.
- Look Behind You: La Verite episode 4. While Taro is out on the town, security maid Konoe shows up with her sword. When the passersby see the sword and become afraid, Taro distracts them by yelling "What is that giant furry seal doing there!" When the passersby look where he's pointing, Taro leads Konoe away.
- Luminescent Blush: La Verite episode 2. During Taro's dream, Taro and Mariel both blush to demonstrate their attraction to each other.
- Mad Scientist: Head maid of the Technology Department Ikuyo Suzuki sometimes becomes a mad scientist. When she does so, her spectacles become Scary Shiny Glasses. In La Verite, her face usually gets distorted as well.
- Maid Corps: The Hanaukyo maid teams loyally serve Taro, their master. The title group of the series, and the Trope Namer (tai means "team, corps") and co-Trope Codifier. It also depicts the gender-flipped version (Ryuuka's menservants).
- Marshmallow Hell
- Episode 1. Two of Taro's personal maids sandwich him between their chests when they reveal that they're in the bath with Taro. Seconds later, when a large group of maids all charge at Taro in the bath while they're all naked, one hugs him to her breasts against his will.
- Episode 12. Taro's three personal maids Group Hug him while he's taking a bath. Like the above example, they're all naked.
- Episode 14. Konoe doesn't notice her breasts bouncing against Taro's face while she's pressed behind him while teaching him martial arts moves.
- In Episode 12 of La Verite, one of Taro's personal maids does this to him after he accidentally grabs one of her breasts when trying to turn off the alarm clock. The two other maids get jealous and want to join in on it as well.
- Meditating Under a Waterfall: In episode 14, Konoe Tsurugi and Taro stand under a waterfall and concentrate while she's training him.
- Meido: Very nearly the entire cast of Hanaukyō Maid Team are maids.
- Missing Mom: Taro's mother dies in the Back Story just before the series begins.
- Moment Killer
- Episode 10. When Mariel is washing Taro's back after a long day he turns to her and their faces move together for an Almost Kiss... then Ikuyo Suzuki runs in yelling to break it up.
- Episode 15. When Taro and Mariel are having an intimate moment, an unnamed (as yet) Yashima Sanae breaks into their room in search of Taro (who was identified as an intruder earlier while in disguise).
- Mugged for Disguise: In Episode 6 of La Verite, one maid acting as the umpire during the baseball game is replaced by a robot wearing her outfit by the Technology Department. The real maid is briefly shown Bound and Gagged in her underwear and hidden somewhere.
- Mugging the Monster: Episode 5. While Taro and Konoe are out of the mansion, they're approached by three thugs who proposition Konoe and grab Taro. Konoe responds with martial arts attacks that quickly drive the thugs off.
- Naïve Newcomer: Taro is constantly befuddled by what happens at the mansion each episode throughout both series as he's continually hit by new information and surprises.
- Neck Lift: La Verite episode 11. Konoe's Onee-sama grabs Yashima Sanae by the neck and lifts her into the air while fighting her and does the same thing to Taro when he insists on trying to rescue Mariel.
- Ninja Maid: Chief Security Maid Konoe Tsurugi is a Comically Serious katana-wielding warrior maid and Taro's personal bodyguard. Her lieutenant Yashima Sana is almost as tough as she is.
- Noblewoman's Laugh: Ryuuka Jihiyou, a high ranking member of the powerful Jihiyou family, uses a high pitched superior laugh on a regular basis.
- Ocular Gushers: Chief Technology maid Ikuyo Suzuki is prone to have tears flow out freely. Taro has a large tearfall in episode 13 and 14 and La Verite episode 7.
- On One Condition: Imposed on Ryuuka by her grandfather. She must marry Taro in order to become the new head of her family.
- Offscreen Teleportation: La Verite episode 9. Taro is standing on the ground with Mariel and looking through a fence. Taro wishes they could get a good view of the sunset. We lose sight of Mariel, and four seconds later she calls out to Taro from the roof of a nearby building.
- One Head Taller: Gender flipped: Mariel is one head taller than Taro, despite being the girl.
- Onee-sama: La Verite episode 10. Konoe refers to her mentor Shikouin as "Nee-Sama".
- Otaku: Ikuyo Suzuki, head maid of the Technology department. She writes and sells her own manga.
- This Page Will Self-Destruct: The message Taro gets from his grandfather in the manga's first chapter destroys itself.
- Parental Abandonment: Both of Taro's parents are dead, and both of Cynthia's parents gave her up to the Hanaukyo family.
- Pen-Pushing President: In one episode, Taro finds that one of his daily duties as head of the family is going through a huge pile of paperwork and signing documents.
- People Jars: La Verite episode 11. Taro finds Mariel stored in a jar of liquid in an underground room.
- Pin-Pulling Teeth: La Verite episode 7. While running away from a giant rolling ball, Ryuuka produces a grenade and pulls the pin with her teeth.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes
- Episode 1. Taro's 3 personal maids make their eyes large when he orders them not to touch him while he's in the bath.
- Episode 2. Ikuyo Suzuki shows large eyes (with tears) to Taro when she thinks that she might be laid off.
- Episode 10. Taro's personal maids have large eyes when he asks to be allowed to dress himself and his maid cooks give him the eye treatment when he can't eat all the food they've prepared for him.
- Episode 15. Ikuyo Suzuki uses large appealing eyes on Taro again to persuade him to wear a maid's uniform.
- La Verite episode 4. Konoe meets a little lost girl who tears up and develops large eyes when Konoe asks who she is.
- Red Alert: Happens several times in the anime (both seasons) when an emergency occurs in the mansion, sometimes with rotating lights and sirens.
- Same-Sex Triplets: Ichigo, Ringo and Sango. These three maids appear to be identical in all ways.
- Samurai: Chief Security maid Konoe Tsurugi clearly has had military training, especially in the katana, which shows in her demeanor.
- Scary Shiny Glasses
- The Meganekko maid Ikuyo Suzuki's glasses shine whenever she's being cunning or scary.
- Taro's grandfather in La Verite episode 1 has shiny glasses.
- Scenery Censor
- In episode 6, a female school teacher strips naked in front of her class of children. One of the children's heads blocks the view of her groin and moves as needed to prevent any viewing of it.
- In episode 12's opening title, a nude Mariel is on the screen. As the camera pans down, Taro's head pops up to cover her genitals.
- Schmuck Bait: La Verite episode 7.
- Taro and several of the maids explore a mysterious underground corridor. They've already discovered that the place is filled with booby traps. They encounter a rope suspended from the ceiling. Both Ryuuka and Ikuyo Suzuki thinks it's a pinata and want to pull it but Konoe orders them not to. Konoe accidentally trips and pulls it herself, then falls into an opening that appears in the floor.
- Later on, we find Taro, Ryuuka and Ikuyo Suzuki running from a giant rolling ball. A Flash Back shows a large button with a skull on it, then Ikuyo Suzuki says, "It was staring at me as if it wanted me to push it!"
- Scooby Stack
- Original series episode 7. While Taro is in the hot springs changing room, his 3 personal maids form a stack around the corner of the door.
- La Verite episode 8. Three of the security maids protecting Taro during a trip to the city stack themselves behind a vending machine while following him.
- Security Cling: La Verite
- Yashima Sanae jumps into Konoe Tsurugi's arms in the opening titles.
- Episode 7. After Konoe regains consciousness in an underground room, her terrified assistant Yashima Sanae runs into the room and performs a full body (arms and legs) frontal Glomp on her.
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: During the hacking incident in episode 8, it's mentioned that the mansion has a self-destruct system accessible through the MEMOL supercomputer.
- Sensor Suspense: La Verite episode 10. Multiple intruders are detected, and a giant screen in the security maid's HQ shows their position as they move through the mansion.
- Sequential Artist: Episode 5. Ikuyo Suzuki reveals that she's a mangaka and takes the main characters to Comiket to sell her Doujinshi, which features a (fictional) relationship between the maids Yashima Sanae and Konoe Tsurugi.
- Shout-Out: At one point, Konoe and Yashima are cosplaying in maid uniforms from Tsukihime. Konoe even has a sword hidden in her broomstick.
- Skinship Grope: During the episode 7 Hot Springs Episode, Ikyo Suzuki comes up behind Mariel and wraps her arms around her chest to feel her breasts.
- Sleeping Dummy: La Verite episode 9. Taro puts a dummy in his bed to trick his personal care maids into thinking he's still in it.
- Smashing Watermelons: Episode 9. Taro and the maids forget to play the smashing watermelons game during their Beach Episode, so they do it while most of the mansion's maids have gone home on vacation. Security chief Konoe, who is an expert with the sword, cuts a watermelon perfectly in half multiple times.
- Soft Reboot: The series was first animated in 2001, but production problems caused its premature ending. It was rebooted in 2004 as Hanaukyō Maid Tai: La Verite. The second series takes place in the same continuity, with a number of differences (both small and large) between it and the first show.
- Spit Take
- First season episode 5. Taro spits out what's in his mouth when Chief Security maid Konoe asks him why he doesn't just sleep with Mariel.
- La Verite episode 8. Konoe spits out liquid when her assistant Yashima Sanae asks her if she's in love with their master Taro.
- Split Personality: Grace/Cynthia has two personalities: Grace (highly intelligent and abrasive) and Cynthia (sweet, childlike and mute).
- Stripping Snag: In episode 1 of La Verite, Ikuyo Suzuki's gadget rips the clothes of several maids right off their bodies.
- Suggestive Collision: La Verite episode 7.
- After an earthquake, Taro ends up lying face down on Mariel.
- The puppy Fenrir jumps on Taro and knocks him down, causing him to fall face down on top of Mariel. They end up in an Almost Kiss.
- Surprise Vehicle: La Verite episode 1. When the maids pick up Taro and Mariel in a helicopter, it appears right next to them with no noise warning of its approach.
- Sword Pointing: Chief Security Maid Konoe Tsurugi's "sister" points her sword at Konoe in Episode 8 while training her in swordplay, and points it at Konoe's lieutenant Yashima Sanae during a confrontation in episode 10.
- Tantrum Throwing: In episode 13, when Taro can't tell Grace what he wants, she starts throwing things at him and tells him to get out.
- Tap on the Head: La Verite episode 2. While Ryuuka and Mariel are in a contest, Ryuuka is hit on the head by a falling heavy metal basin and knocked unconscious. It turns out she was supposed to catch it.
- Team Shot: At the end of the La Verite opening credits, all of the main maid characters and Taro are in a line facing the audience.
- Tempting Fate: La Verite episode 7. Ryuuka is standing in an underground tunnel which has shown itself to be trapped. She says "I'm not like Taro. There's no way I'm going to do anything dumb." Immediately thereafter she accidentally pushes a brick into the wall with her elbow, causing a metal pan to drop from the ceiling onto Taro's head. Lampshaded by Ryuuka herself immediately afterward: "Boy, I sure set myself up."
- This Is Unforgivable!: La Verite episode 9. After Lemon, Marron, and Melon speak rudely to Captain Konoe Tsurugi, Konoe's lieutenant Yashima Sanae tells them "Speaking so rudely to captain...unforgivable!" She then chases them away.
- Thundering Herd
- Episode 1 introduces the male lead to his new staff as they charge in a cloud of squeals, aprons, and barely repressed shotacon.
- In episode 12 all of the maids charge Taro to give him birthday presents.
- In La Verite episode 1 the maids charge Taro en masse in the (giant) bath room, while they and he are naked.
- Training from Hell
- In episode 14 Konoe takes Taro into the mountains and puts him through training worthy of a martial arts movie. Running, standing under a waterfall, etc.
- La Verite
- Episode 5. Ryuuka joins the household as a maid and takes over the division that serves Taro personally, putting them through a harsh workout.
- Episode 6. Most of the maid departments go through vigorous physical training to prepare for a softball tournament.
- Trap Door: In La Verite episode 5, Ikuyo Suzuki uses a trap door to send Ryuuka down a garbage chute.
- Tsundere: In La Verite, Ryuuka is harsh and insulting to her intended husband Taro most of the time (e.g. calling him "midget"), but will on rare occasions shows her attraction and liking for him.
- A Twinkle in the Sky: La Verite
- Episode 2, when Taro is kicked into the sky by Ryuuka he ends up as a twinkle of light.
- Episode 7, when Ryuuka uses a grenade underground she becomes a twinkle.
- Unexpected Inheritance: Taro Hanaukyo inherits a vast fortune, a mansion, hundreds of maids and the position of family leader after his grandfather retires.
- Unknown Rival: Ryuuka, the pompous rich leader of the Jihiyou rival house. In episodes 7 and 11 of the first series Taro doesn't know who she is, even though he met her in episode 4.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: In one episode, Taro dresses up as a maid. The other maids (except the one who convinced him to do so) are really shocked when he reveals his true self.
- Unwanted Harem: Hanaukyo Taro inherited his grandfather's fortune and, with that, hundreds of maids willing to serve him. In each season he has three personal maids who constantly try to seduce him. The problem: he's only a child.
- Visible Silence: Ryuuka stands in silence when she first learns Taro is the new head of the Hanaukyo family.
- Weather-Control Machine: Episode 3. Ikuyo Suzuki's greatest invention, Tenki-kun, can control the weather. Too bad she can't control him.
- Welcome Episode: The first episode of each series, as Taro becomes the new head of the Hanaukyo family and meets the mansion's maids.
- Wham Episode: La Verite episode 7 "Unidentified Living Creature". Up to this point in the series, the episodes had been light-hearted and comedic. An earthquake reveals a tunnel leading under the mansion. Deep underground the mansion, there's a smaller duplicate mansion. Inside the duplicate mansion, Chief Security maid Konoe Tsurugi finds on old portrait of a woman who looks exactly like Head Maid Mariel. This leads to a chain of events that results in Mariel falling deathly ill, being kidnapped by Taro's grandfather's minions and having to be rescued, all as part of the grandfather's plans.
- Wheel of Feet: La Verite
- Episode 5
- After Konoe Tsurugi is taken away by Comiket security, Yashima Sanae spins her feet like wheels while following after her.
- After Taro is forced to dress as a maid and sell Ikuyo Suzuki's manga, he loses it and runs away with his feet wheeling around.
- Taro's personal maids (Lemon, Marron and Melon) run their feet in circles while carrying Ryuuka to Taro.
- Episode 5
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Grace is considerably more intelligent and wiser than the other maids, even though she's younger than they are.
- X-Ray Sparks: Episode 10. Ikuyo Suzuki puts Taro in an electrified chair to help him stop falling asleep while studying. When he's shocked, his skeleton can be seen through his skin.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Head maid Mariel is attentive, polite, demure, intelligent and capable enough to be the head maid. Although she's always obedient to Taro's wishes, she can usually get him to do what she wants anyway. The best example is in episode 10, where she gets him to do his chores by saying she'll have to lay off maids if he doesn't. She's much more so in the first season than later. Deconstructed in La Verite.
- Yaoi Fangirl: La Verite episode 5. Ikuyo Suzuki makes yaoi doujinshi and drags the others with her to Comiket to sell them.
