History Anime / MaiHime

* ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Miyu, after being rebooted by Midori.]]

* SecondYearProtagonist: Averted. Several of the high schoolers are first years and several more are third years, but none of the characters are in the year in between.

* ConspicuousCG: The large bell that's pulverized [[spoiler:by Shizuru to capture Natsuki who was trapped in it]] in one of the last episodes breaks into a few dozen particles, which are all perfectly triangular polygons.

* SuddenlySexuality: Some viewers see Natsuki's pursuit of Yuuichi in the manga despite having no interest in boys in the anime as an example of this.

* {{Meaningful Name}}: [=Mai-HiME=]. My princess? Dancing Princess? Princess Mai?
** [[MathematiciansAnswer Yes.]]

* {{Moe}}: [[Invoked]] On the first episode's [[OnTheNext next episode teaser]], Mai asked "Isn't this supposed to be a school kid's story and have lots of moe in it?" There is [[KillItWithFire moe]], but not always the kind she's looking for. [[spoiler: [[DontExplainTheJoke This is a pun on "moe" being a homonym for "fire" in Japanese.]]]]

* GambitPileup: There are two separate groups of [[AncientConspiracy Illuminati]] involved, just for starters. [[spoiler: One such group is in the middle of a power struggle between two {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, has one human [[TheStarscream Starscream]] with his own pet [=HiME=], has one DefectorFromDecadence independently working with Natsuki to bring the whole thing down, and ''had'' another member who tried to defect to the other side. The other group is more or less taken off the board in the middle of the series, but still works with Natsuki to trade information, and the immortal cyborg superweapon they lost control of proves key to stopping the BigBad.]]

* EasilyForgiven: Nobody holds ''anyone'' responsible for their actions during the Carnival, up to and including rape and murder, and is even lampshaded during the final battle.

* ThroughAFaceFullofFur: Natsuki Kuga in the fourth episode. She shamefully turns beet red in the face after the wind blows up her skirt and exposes her as bottomless.

[[quoteright:218:[[PowerTrio https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_mai-hime_trio.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:218:Mai, Mikoto and Natsuki]]

Mai Tokiha is a normal girl with a normal life. When she and her little brother Takumi take up residence at Fuuka Gakuen, their new boarding school, Mai discovers that the prestigious academy is the center of some very disturbing paranormal events. Mai also discovers that she is a [=HiME=] - supernaturally gifted with the ability to summon her "Element" (a set of strange artifacts that grant her great powers) and also bonded to a strange mecha-like creature called a CHILD. Mai realizes instinctively that the price of her new power is [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibility]] - but there's an additional, far more terrible price as well.

One of the better anime to appear on Japanese television in the 2004-2005 season, ''[=Mai-HiME=]'' is well-written and is lushly and beautifully animated. Like ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', it seems intent on bringing a [[PostModernism Post Modern]] sensibility to the aging MagicalGirl trope. This it does with a sly misdirection, by first presenting what appears to be an "ordinary" {{magical girl}} show stripped of some of the trope's more "fairy tale" characteristics. (There are no fancy costumes or over-the-top speeches, no real transformation sequences, surprisingly few pieces of StockFootage, and from the beginning, matters are significantly darker than the genre normally allows them to get.)

* BigBad: [[EnfanteTerrible Nagi Homura]] is the acting leader of District 1/the First District who creates the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Orphans]] that the [=HiMEs=] must fight and seeks to awaken [[GreaterScopeVillain his master]], the enigmatic Obsidian Lord/Prince. [[spoiler:Then [[TheMole Alyssa Searrs]] takes the role by leading the Searrs Foundation attack. After her defeat, the Obsidian Lord/Prince, aka the [[GeniusLoci HiME Star]], awakens and takes direct control, [[DemonicPossession possessing]] Reito Kanzaki and attempting to KillAllHumans via ColonyDrop.]]

When Mai Tokiha and her little brother Takumi take up residence at Fuuka Gakuen, their new boarding school, Mai discovers that the prestigious academy is the center of some very disturbing paranormal events. Mai also discovers that she is a [=HiME=] - supernaturally gifted with the ability to summon her "Element" (a set of strange artifacts that grant her great powers) and also bonded to a strange mecha-like creature called a CHILD. Mai realizes instinctively that the price of her new power is [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibility]] - but there's an additional, far more terrible price as well.

At least she's not alone - a [[TheMenInBlack secret organization]] called the First District has been gathering [=HiMEs=] to Fuuka Gakuen, at least nine of them; it seems the [=HiMEs=] are part of an ancient myth with a special destiny the First District wants to make sure comes to pass. But a powerful conspiracy based in America thinks it deserves to control their powers, and takes steps to make the [=HiMEs=] its own. And just when the [=HiMEs=] seem poised to become a unified force for good, an even deeper, darker secret about their purpose is revealed, completely and irrevocably altering the burgeoning connections between the girls.

As, one by one, the [=HiME=] fall, the monstrous orchestrators of the carnival, [[BigBad The Obsidian Lord]] and [[DragonInChief Nagi Homura]], finally appear on the stage, leading to an apocalyptic final confrontation.

* BigBad: The [[HiddenVillain enigmatic]] Obsidian Lord/Prince is head of the [[TheMenInBlack First District]], which seeks to make Japan the world’s ruling nation, but early events actually point to [[DragonInChief First District member]] [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Nagi]] [[ManipulativeBastard Homura]] as the villain; he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates then into fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Orphans]]. [[spoiler:Then [[EnfanteTerrible Alyssa Searrs]] appears to take the role by leading the Searrs Foundation attack, but she is defeated halfway through, after which the Obsidian Lord takes direct control and reveals himself as [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito Kanzaki]].

* MagicalGirl: The premise, duh; plus, one character ([[spoiler: Midori]]) seems to think she's Franchise/SailorMoon. Or maybe the [[SuperSentai Red Ranger]].

As, one by one, the [=HiME=] fall, the monstrous orchestrators of the carnival finally appear on the stage, leading to an apocalyptic final confrontation.

* BigBad: The [[HiddenVillain enigmatic]] Obsidian Lord/Prince is head of the [[TheMenInBlack First District]], which seeks to make Japan the world’s ruling nation, but early events actually point to First District member [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Nagi]] [[ManipulativeBastard Homura]] as the villain; he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates then into fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Orphans]]. [[spoiler:Then [[EnfanteTerrible Alyssa Searrs]] appears to take the role by leading the Searrs Foundation attack, but she is defeated halfway through, after which the Obsidian Lord takes direct control and reveals himself as [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito Kanzaki]].

* BigBad: The [[HiddenVillain enigmatic]] Obsidian Lord/Prince is head of the First District, which seeks to make Japan the world’s ruling nation, but early events actually point to First District member [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Nagi]] [[ManipulativeBastard Homura]] as the villain; he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates then into fighting the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Orphans]]. [[spoiler:Then [[EnfanteTerrible Alyssa Searrs]] appears to take the role by leading the Searrs Foundation attack, but she is defeated halfway through, after which the Obsidian Lord takes direct control and reveals himself as [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito Kanzaki]].

* BigBad: Both continuities have the same one. Though it’s not initially clear, early events point to Nagi Homura of the First District; in the manga, he is the one who creates the [[MonsterOfTheWeek orphans]], while in the anime he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates them. [[spoiler:Then Alyssa Searrs(anime)/Satsuki Kuga(manga) appears to take the role by leading the Searrs Foundation attack, but is defeated early on.]] Eventually, there is mention of a mysterious person called the Obsidian Lord/Prince. [[spoiler:He’s Nagi’s boss, the head of the First District, and [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito(anime)/Takumi(manga).]]

When Mai Tokiha and her little brother Takumi take up residence at Fuuka Gakuen, their new boarding school, Mai discovers that the prestigious academy is the center of some very disturbing paranormal events. Mai also discovers that she is a [=HiME=] -- supernaturally gifted with the ability to summon her "Element" (a set of strange artifacts that grant her great powers) and also bonded to a strange mecha-like creature called a CHILD. Mai realizes instinctively that the price of her new power is [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibility]] -- but there's an additional, far more terrible price as well.

At least she's not alone -- a [[TheMenInBlack secret organization]] called the First District has been gathering [=HiMEs=] to Fuuka Gakuen, at least nine of them; it seems the [=HiMEs=] are part of an ancient myth with a special destiny the First District wants to make sure comes to pass. But a powerful conspiracy based in America thinks it deserves to control their powers, and takes steps to make the [=HiMEs=] its own. And just when the [=HiMEs=] seem poised to become a unified force for good, an even deeper, darker secret about their purpose is revealed, completely and irrevocably altering the burgeoning connections between the girls.

As one by one the [=HiME=] fall, the monstrous orchestrators of the carnival finally appear on the stage, leading to an apocalyptic final confrontation.

* InvisibleToNormals, subverted: [[spoiler:Yukino's]] CHILD can do this, but people still see the collateral damage.

* [[spoiler: TheMagicGoesAway]]: [[spoiler:With the Obsidian Lord's defeat and the [=HiME=] Star's destruction, all the [=HiME=]'s Elements, Childs, and birthmarks vanish.]]

* BigBad: Both continuities have the same one. Though it’s not initially clear, early events point to Nagi Homura of the First District; in the manga, he is the one who creates the [[MonsterOfTheWeek orphans]], while in the anime he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates them. Eventually, there is mention of a mysterious person called the Obsidian Lord/Prince. [[spoiler:He’s Nagi’s boss, the head of the First District, and [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito(anime)/Takumi(manga).]]

* BigBad: Both continuities have the same one. Though it’s not initially clear, early events point to Nagi Homura of the First District; in the manga, he is the one who creates the [[MonsterOfTheWeek orphans]], while in the anime he doesn’t seem to directly antagonize the Himes but manipulates them. Eventually, there is mention of the head of the First District called the Obsidian Lord/Prince. [[spoiler:He’s Nagi’s boss, and [[DemonicPossesion possessing]] Reito(anime)/Takumi(manga).]]

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Midori, but [[spoiler: in a [[Main/{{ObfuscatingStupidity}} less genuine sense]].]]

* ConspicuousCG: The large bell that's pulverized [[spoiler: by Shizuru to capture Natsuki who was trapped in it]] in one of the last episodes breaks into a few dozen particles, which are all perfectly triangular polygons.

* CooldownHug: [[spoiler:Mai on Mikoto in the final battle]].
** [[spoiler:Natsuki kissing Shizuru immediately after she draws her into a hug during their last battle]].

* DatePeepers: In the last episode, Yuuichi and Mai are about to kiss when Mai withdraws, having noticed [[ClingyJealousGirl Shiho]], Akane, Kazuya, [[ThoseTwoGuys Aoi and Chie]]

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Defeat of [[spoiler:the Obsidian Lord]].

* {{Expy}}: From ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''; one character is a very transparent Rei Ayanami clone (cute, but [[CreepyChild creepy]]). Another is a blatant Kaworu Nagisa. His name? Nagi. Last but not least: they have the same [[Creator/AkiraIshida seiyuu]].

* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Nao gets stabbed in the eye by a stinger from her own CHILD. ''Ouch''.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Mikoto, largely after Mai constantly rejects her help, and decides to go help her [[BigBad brother]] instead.]]
** [[spoiler:Nao goes from a reluctant ally to full-fledged enemy after accidentally losing an eye in a confrontation over whether she attacked Yukariko]].

* TheFourLoves: Present in the Himes' bonds with their Most Important People

* HardLight: [[spoiler:the "ghost Mashiros" in the finale]]

* HermeticMagic: The sigils on Mikoto's sword. Also [[spoiler:Miyu's Platinum Dress, as she's powering up to break the seal on the pillars.]]

** Mai [[spoiler: suffers a particularly brutal one in episode 19 after accidentally overhearing her brother mention that he didn't want to burden her anymore, and then seeing Shiho force Tate to kiss her shortly afterwards. She snaps out of it briefly when Nao gloats to tell her she's going to attack Takumi, then falls into it again when Takumi disappears in front of her.]]
** Natsuki has one when she [[spoiler:learns that her mother was going to sell her before she died. She loses the ability to use her Element or Child, and is thus no longer able or willing to fight back against Nao before Shizuru shows up. Shizuru's actions for the sake of "helping" Natsuki push her further into it, but she eventually recovers and regains her powers]]

* HiddenEyes: [[spoiler:Shizuru, right before she challenges Haruka and Yukino]].

** TheAgeless: The BigBad is of course unaging, but he's also [[spoiler:an EldritchAbomination]].

* KillSat: Artemis, a gigantic orbiting ''mon''.

* LastKiss: Yukariko and Ishigami, then Mai and Yuuichi, in the ''same episode''. The first one is played straight, but the second one is a near-miss, as [[spoiler:Mai's lips just barely touch as Yuuichi is dissolving. The series ends without them having kissed at all.]]
* LastNameBasis: Mai and Yuuichi often call each other by their last names. [[spoiler: In St. Vlas's LotusEaterMachine, and at the end of the series, this shifts to FirstNameBasis]].
* LethalChef: It's not clear whether Mikoto, Nao, or Natsuki is responsible, but their cake not only sends the judges (almost every significant male character in the series!) to the hospital, it makes an ''Orphan'' sick to it's ... whatever it uses to digest food.

** Shiho gets back at Mai later in episode 19 when she is being walked in her wheelchair by Tate and then notices Mai sitting on a swing in the playground below where they are. She guilt trips Tate to give her a kiss, in full view of Mai, and Tate was unaware that Mai was around until she gasped in horror at them kissing.

** Shiho and Shizuru. The former targets her romantic rival Mai, and Shizuru attacks all of Natsuki's enemies.

** Don't forget [[spoiler:Sister Yukariko.]] Mai even calls her out on the fact that everything bad that happens in the last ten or so episodes is pretty much directly her fault, and she did it because her boyfriend told her to.
* LovableTraitor: Nagi

* [[spoiler: TheMagicGoesAway]]: [[spoiler:With the Obsidian Lord's defeat and the [=HiME=] Star's destruction, all the [=HiME=]'s Elements, Childs, and birthmarks vanish]].

* TheMenInBlack: the First District.

** Mai, under the influence of [[spoiler:Yukariko's]] [=CHILD=].

* {{Moe}}: [[invoked]] On the first episode's [[OnTheNext next episode teaser]], Mai asked "Isn't this supposed to be a school kid's story and have lots of moe in it?" There is [[KillItWithFire moe]], but not always the kind she's looking for. [[spoiler: [[DontExplainTheJoke This is a pun on "moe" being a homonym for "fire" in Japanese.]]]]

* MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Attempted by Shiho, but Yuuichi sees through it]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Mikoto breaks down when [[spoiler:she realizes she struck down Akira's CHILD and killed off Mai's brother Takumi. She was aiming for Yatagarasu, Shiho's CHILD that had attacked Mai earlier, but her [[BrainwashedAndCrazy conditioning took over]] and caused her to attack the first thing she saw, which unfortunately happened to be Gennai. A flashback immediately following that event shows that she was also responsible for killing her grandfather.]]

* MysteriousInformant: Natsuki keeps meeting him for exposition purposes.

* {{Ojou}}: Shizuru

* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Kazuya, Akane's boyfriend, has a perfectly average life at school and working with Mai and Akane at the dinner. [[spoiler:He's also the first person in the series to die.]]
* PantyThief: An Orphan in an early episode.

* PoorCommunicationKills: The BigBad's primary plan is helped along at multiple instances by his [[TheDragon Dragon's]] selective omission of information and other characters' outright deceptions, and one of the most bloody rampages of the show is caused by [[spoiler:Shizuru not telling Haruka her reasons for leaving the school and the latter's suspicion-fueled digging up of all Shizuru's dirty secrets.]]
** Natsuki cares for Shizuru significantly more than she lets on, and admitting the extent of her feelings might have averted some of the problems.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: The show's {{Mons}} are powered by [[spoiler:the love that the [[KidWithTheLeash [=HiME=] ]] has for their Most Important Person.]]
* ThePowerOfLove / ThePowerOfFriendship: [[DeconstructedTrope Used quite literally]] throughout most of the series, but played straight in the finale, as [[spoiler:Mai's mutual admirations for Yuuichi and Mikoto helps her overcome her problems and defeat the BigBad]].

* PreserveYourGays: Gay couple Shizuru and Natsuki die at the end of their fight with each other, as a result of Natsuki using an attack that destroys both their Childs, killing each other, as they are each other's Most Important People. Everyone is fighting, they are the last to die... and then the first to get resurrected in the next episode.

* RealTrailerFakeMovie: There is a trailer for a ''[=Mai-HiME=]'' movie with Arika as the main antagonist, which is apparently set to be released ''in almost eighteen millennia''.

* ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Miyu, after being rebooted by Midori]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Mai really loses it when [[spoiler: Mikoto]] inadvertently kills [[spoiler: Takumi, by defeating Gennai, Akira's child. She's wrong about Mikoto being to blame, but doesn't realize this until later.]]

* SchoolgirlLesbians: Some fans argue that Shizuru represents a {{Deconstruction}} of this character type; others a simple PsychoLesbian. Yukino might be a straight example; [[spoiler: Haruka is her Key (in the manga) and Most Special Person, so she may be in love with her.]]

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Mild example: Midori usually wears a tight-fitting tube top that reveals cleavage and quite a bit of midriff. Even while ''teaching in class''.

* StupidEvil: Alyssa and Searrs seem to prefer making a bunch of threats to the other [=HiME=], basically amounting to telling them to stay out of their way, to bring about the "golden age" and never bother even explaining what the "golden age" even is, as opposed to trying to win any of them over.

* SuicidalGotcha: Mai pulls one to punctuate a very emphatic, angry ItsNotYouItsMe. [[spoiler:She's got her own dragon, though, so she'll be okay]].

* ThoseTwoGirls: Chie and Aoi

** Shizuru and her obsessive love for one of the main characters, Natsuki. Fandom has rewarded this with a series of doujinshi, the tamest of which explore Shizuru's more publishable fantasies. The more extreme, well... let's just say that Shizuru is a very ''imaginative'' individual. One of the [[AllThereInTheManual artbooks]] states that they "find happiness" at Natsuki's graduation. Shizuru's popularity in this series likely led to her ''Mai-Otome'' incarnation [[OfficialCouple actually hooking up]] with that universe's Natsuki.

* UncannyValleyGirl: [[spoiler: Two of them: Miyu and Alyssa]].

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Shiho. [[{{Yandere}} And she does NOT like it.]]
* UnstoppableRage: Mai after... well, that would be telling.

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Searrs' ultimate goal is to bring about a "golden age" by harnessing the power of the [=HiME=] Star. Exactly what said "golden age" is is never explained.

* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler: Shiho]] turns into one later in the series.
** Shizuru has that [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness look]] on her face when she's "protecting" Natsuki.

* YouKilledMyFather: A large part of Natsuki's beef with the First District. [[spoiler: But with her mother instead of her father.]]

* ZettaiRyouiki: Nao, and (perhaps unexpectedly,) Haruka.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Alyssa's death. She's too cute to die, and too overtly evil to let get away, but it's still so damn ''sad'' to watch her go]].

** Shizuru has one of these with Natsuki, after her secret desire is exposed by Haruka and Yukino. She informs Natsuki that she never wanted her to know about her "wicked love" that she felt could never be returned. [[spoiler:Natsuki later tells Shizuru that she doesn't feel quite the same way that Shizuru wants her to, but she's happy Shizuru loves her and also loves her in her own way]].

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Miyu]].

* BarehandedBladeBlock: [[spoiler:Miyu again]].

* BelligerentSexualTension: Mai and Yuuichi. She realizes the LotusEaterMachine is a fake in part because they're ''not'' fighting in it.

* BloodstainedGlassWindows: [[spoiler: Shizuru and Natsuki fight in one of these in Episode 25]].

* BulletTime: Used in at least one scene where [[spoiler: Miyu cuts through the shells Duran just fired at her.]]

* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: It's explicitly stated that ''they'', not the director, Mashiro, run the school.

* AdventurerArchaeologist: What Midori ''wants'' to be, and [[spoiler:who her "most important person" ''is''.]]
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Alyssa's death. She's too cute to die, and too overtly evil to let get away, but it's still so damn ''sad'' to watch her go.]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Mai and Yuuichi. She realizes the Lotus Eater Machine is a fake in part because they're ''not'' fighting in it.

* ThisAndThat: Haruka doesn't even know what it means.

* JapanesePronouns: Natsuki uses ''kisama'' on Nao. [[spoiler:Akira]] uses ''ore'' while pretending to be a boy.

** This may be justified, however, since the Childs are powered by the love that the [=HiME=] feels for most important person. Natsuki, at least initally, denies that she even has someone she cares about that much. When she finally admits how she feels about Shizuru, Duran becomes enormous as any of the other Childs for their final confrontation.

* {{Expy}}: From ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''; one character is a very transparent Rei Ayanami clone (cute, but [[CreepyChild creepy]]). Another is a blatant Kaworu Nagisa. His name? Nagi. Last but not least: they have the same [[Main/{{AkiraIshida}} seiyuu]].

* XMeetsY: ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' meets ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}''.