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aka: Mai Otome

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"I finally found my dream. So call me reckless or whatever, but I'll do it."
Arika Yumemiya

My-Otome is a 2005 anime series from the creators of My-HiME.

Sometime in the future, on a distant colony world that has almost forgotten about Earth, the rulers of the various nations are accompanied by super-powered female bodyguards called "Otome". These Otome are ordinary girls who have been transformed into fearsome weapons of war through training and nanotechnology, acting as protectors and military deterrents. The Otome are admired as the pinnacle of grace and beauty, to the point where every little girl wishes to be one when they grow up.

Only one place in the world possesses the Lost Technology needed to create Otome: Garderobe Academy, an elite private school in the city-state of Windbloom. Arriving at this place is fourteen-year-old Arika Yumemiya, an energetic young girl determined to follow in the footsteps of the mother she never knew and become an Otome. Armed with a mysterious amulet and no shortage of bull-headed enthusiasm, Arika wins her way into Garderobe only to discover that the road to becoming an Otome is much harder than she ever dreamed.

As Arika trains to become an Otome, a conspiracy to seize control of Garderobe's Lost Technology begins to emerge, linked to a cult known only as "Schwartz". The realities of Arika's idealist dream — and what it means to be an Otome — slowly come to light as the world ticks towards all-out war, with the ambitious Grand Duke Nagi di Artai seeking to Take Over the World, and the deadly powers of the Otome are called into service.

The series is notable for recycling virtually the entire cast from My-HiME, with lots of in-jokes based on the differences a character might have between the two series: for example, a Yandere character in My-HiME is in a happy and content relationship with the girl she lusted after in the original series. The last few episodes imply that the series exists in the same universe as My-HiME.

Followed in 2006-2007 with My-Otome Zwei, a four-episode OVA. A three-episode prequel, named My-Otome 0~S.ifr~, has also been released, featuring Arika's mother, a young Miss Maria, and two canon immigrants from the Alternate Universe novel series Mai-HiME Destiny.

Has an attendant manga, which actually started first and was produced at the same time. Opinion over that one remains divided. Keep in mind that it was never meant to be a direct adaptation, and they were just given the same concept.

Originally released in North America by Bandai Entertainment, but was later rescued by Funimation who released it in a BD+DVD combo pack.


My-Otome provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Airplane Arms: Arika, in the last moments of the final episode and in the closing credits.
  • Alpha Bitch: Shiho doesn't like the idea of Arika coming to the academy without much money or any backing from a country.
  • Badass Longcoat: Natsuki subverts this; while she is badass (kind of), her longcoat is perfectly ordinary. Mysterious Protector Miyu has a spiffy black longcoat, and a nice hat to match.
  • Beach Episode: Lightly subverted: The beach turns out to be the starting point of a grueling survival test. Everyone besides the students (and Shiho, who loses a straw draw and has to hold down the fort), however, is enjoying themselves until the time comes to evaluate the students' meals.
  • Beam-O-War: Subverted; the beams from Natsuki's BFG and Schwarz's Wave-Motion Gun collide, but one of them is knocked off course and disables the Fumi system a second time.
  • Catchphrase: Shiho's "Maki maki!", part of her Running Gag. Other characters (mostly Chie) conk her over the head later for doing it during "serious" events. During the great battle, she actually weaponizes this!!
  • Character Development: Used well with Mashiro, who starts as a bratty and reckless princess, and emerges from the story's central conflict as a confident leader and much less of a jerk.
  • Close-Call Haircut: Shizuru takes a bullet through her hair in EP 13 when she has a Slave Lord cornered.
  • Cool Ship: Ultimate Desert Dreadnaught Suzushiro. Essentially a submersible battleship that floats on/dives into sand. Haruka enjoys being The Captain a little too vocally. Unfortunately does not get to see much screen time...
  • Dark Is Not Evil: The Aswad dress in all black and are capable of summoning Slaves, but their leader is actually benevolent, if somewhat confrontational.
  • Dark Magical Girl: Nina and the Valkyries, Nagi’s new enforcers.
  • Demoted to Extra: Mai, aside from a few flashbacks and pictures in early episodes. Her brother Takumi is reduced to a two-episode cameo.
  • Deus Sex Machina: Inverted; Nina wants to sleep with her father precisely because she would lose her powers in the process. It doesn't happen, even though it'd solve at least a part of the problem.
  • Diabolical Mastermind: Nagi, but he sorta loses it when things start turning against him.
  • Even the Girls Want Her: Between Arika's fangirling, Tomoe's undeniable infatuation, and Natsuki's "closeness", it's safe to say that Shizuru has this trope covered easily.
  • Every Episode Ending: The closing theme song fading in. There are a few different versions of the fade-in, depending on the mood at the end of the episode.
  • Face–Heel Turn: Nina makes one for the sake of her father, becoming Nagi’s Otome.
  • Facial Markings: Mahya, Anh Lu, and a few others.
  • Fake Defector: Chie joins the Valkyries to keep an eye on Tomoe, but finds out that they have a system in place that prevents her from disobeying orders.
  • Fanservice: Both sexual and non-sexual, with a side order of Yuri Fan Shipping fuel.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture:
    • Airies is America.
    • Zhipang is Japan.
    • Annan is Vietnam.
    • Florence is France (even though it's a real world Italian city)
    • Artai is a combination of Russia and China.
    • Lutetia is Italy/Rome.
  • First-Name Basis: Much more common in this series than in My-HiME, as characters who would otherwise use last names tend to use first names, or titles in more formal situations.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Nina, Mikoto, and Mai, in her first real appearance.
  • God Save Us from the Queen!: Prior to Mashiro’s character development, while not a villainous example, her growing up a spoiled princess has led to doing little more than abuse her power. The fact that she was hated by everyone but her maid Aoi and her incompetent reign allowed Nagi to pull off his plan (which led to her people hating her even more) leads to her getting out of this.
  • Gondor Calls for Aid: Natsuki tries to get the other nations to help her take back Windbloom. They may have all gone to school together, but it isn't easy getting them to work together without violating international laws.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Almost all of the enemy Otomes in Episodes 24 and 25.
  • Hellish Pupils: The Lords of the Slaves, after their blood-contract is activated.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Erstin's attempt to stop Arika and Nina from fighting ends in her death.
  • Hitchhiker's Leg: Deconstructed. In an attempt to hitch a ride with a passing van, Nao slices off Natsuki's pants. The soldiers in the van promptly arrest them for indecent exposure.
  • Holding in Laughter: Natsuki and Nao are trying to get to the capitol of, Aires, an allied nation, to ask for aid, and they're having to hitchhike. Nao, deciding to "help", uses her knives to slash off Natsuki's pants and panties, exposing her as a vehicle approaches. Unfortunately, the vehicle was military police, and they're arrested for indecent exposure. When Haruka Armitage, the Otome for Aires and a former classmate of Natsuki's, hears about the incident she bursts out laughing, while President Yukino Chrysant is more discreet about hiding her amusement with the situation.
  • Honorifics: Arika and Mai address the queen as "Mashiro-chan".
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty:
    • Lesbian variant, with Tomoe taking advantage of an imprisoned Shizuru.
    • Depending on your interpretation, this could be inverted, with Shizuru taking advantage of Tomoe's feelings and playing her for all she's worth.
  • In the Name of the Moon: Subverted by Haruka: She shouts a dramatic "kick-your-ass" speech and leaps into battle before Yukino gives her permission to use her Robe.
  • Intimate Healing: Arika on Erstin, then Sergey on Arika, and Akira on Takumi, all within the span of two episodes.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: Maria used to be hot back in her days as an Otome, as evidenced by her appearance in Sifr.
  • Law of Chromatic Superiority: Averted, at least in theory. The first years wear a red dress, second years get dark grey, Meisters wear a wide variety and the said-to-be-strongest Lena wears blue.
  • Lying on a Hillside: Arika, Nina and Erstin in Episode 16. And right after that...WHAM!
  • Love Interest vs. Lust Interest: Shizuru Viola has two love interests, Natsuki Kruger and Tomoe Marguerite. Natsuki is genuinely in love with Shizuru, enjoying such things as a quiet afternoon with her where she simply listens to Shizuru playing the piano while sipping her tea. Tomoe, on the other hand, lusts after Shizuru, going so far as she aids Nagi and John Smith in taking over the school to claim that Natsuki was captured, but will be treated well if Shizuru cooperates. Shizuru actually knows Natsuki is safe, but plays along in order to pull the rug from under Tomoe later.
  • Missing Mom: Arika's motivation for her quest. She eventually finds her...dead.
  • Moment Killer: Kazu and Akane are interrupted in a motel about to commence an evening of love when Cardair/Chaldea's royal guards barge in to carry the former off to his new life as king. Mahya Blythe later appears to apprehend Akane for her "misdemeanour". My-Otome Zwei continues in a similar vein with Mahya making moment killing something of a speciality.
  • Mood Whiplash: To be fair it's foreshadowed, but when it happens it hits hard.
  • Mundane Utility: Mai Tokiha uses her ability to create flaming rings to... cook. Meanwhile, the robot warrior Miyu doubles as a spiffy stirrer.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: Expected of Otome, who exist to be weapons used in the wars of the various nations. Arika, however, defies this and works to change the system, and her relationship with Mashiro is more one of friends and equals than slave and mistress.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The girls pour some salt in order to kill the monster in the pool in Episode 6... but it turns out that they used sugar instead, and it instead turns into a massive monster. Everyone assumes Arika got the wrong bag, but Tomoe had switched the labels.
  • Omake: Extras like an interview with Brigadier General Haruka Armitage in the wake of the events of an early episode.
  • Onee-sama: Several characters, but exemplified most by Akane and Shizuru. It's something of a replacement for sempai at Garderobe.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted, seeing as there are two characters named Mikoto: one is a cat, the other is a goddess.
  • Two-Teacher School: While there are a few other adults in Guarderobe, Yukariko is apparently the only teacher, and she teaches all subjects, from PE to embroidery to chemistry.
  • Parental Abandonment: Most of the cast, notably, Arika, Nina and Mashiro, have lost their parents. The few characters that have their parents alive (such as Akane) only have them mentioned off-screen.
  • Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Death: The clouds cover the sun just as Erstin dies.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: Shizuru screwing with Tomoe's head, then tossing her the first chance she got, would have been a major Kick the Dog if Tomoe hadn't done literally everything in her power to make sure she had it coming.
    • Nao deals with the thugs who tried to rape Arika by tying them to the back of a boat and dragging them through Windbloom's canals.
  • Phlebotinum Overload: The Robes are susceptible to breaking down if they sustain too much damage during a battle.
    • Also possible if the Otome draws too much power for the Gem to handle, as shown in episode 4 and My-Otome 0~S.ifr~.
  • Pixellation: One girl's lascivious imaginings of what an upperclassman might order Arika to do for/to her.
  • Post-Episode Trailer: And in them, all the characters are aware of their roles in My-HiME - to the point of jealousy of another character getting to use her CHILD. A lot of the Mythology Gags are in these, such as an almost word-for-word re-enactment of the MyHiME trailer in which Yukariko takes Midori's claim to be 17 at face value.
  • Power Crystal: The Gems, which are worn as earrings and are touch-activated (usually by a kiss from the Otome's Master).
  • Precocious Crush: Tomoe's desire for Shizuru begins when the former is a child, but it doesn't get squicky until Tomoe's about 15, when she starts doing actual harm to people she thinks are stealing attention from Shizuru. It culminates in her sexually manipulating Shizuru and forcing herself on her.
  • Previously on…: Without an announcer's voice over.
  • Put on a Bus to Hell: Miya disappears from the series for good after Episode 15, having been kicked out of school.
  • Refreshingly Normal Life-Choice: Due to the way the loops work, loopers will sometimes find themselves living far more mundane lives than they are used too. While some find them boring, others (often ones who deal with Crapsack World Baselines) happily enjoy them, finding the relative peace to be something of a vacation.
  • Regal Ringlets: Rosalie, the king of Florince's Otome, sports them.
  • The Rest Shall Pass: Several times in episode 26 as Arika makes her way to Nina and the Harmonium.
  • Right Behind Me: Nao complains about not wanting to join "The Old Ladies' Military Club". Maria, one of the "Old Ladies" is of course walking up as she does so.
  • Right in Front of Me: Takumi criticizes Mashiro's decisions as queen without realizing that he's speaking to her. He later apologizes for being overly harsh, but his words hit close to home.
  • Ring of Fire: Mai's, erm..."explosive" ultimate attack.
  • Scarpia Ultimatum: Tomoe tells Shizuru that Natsuki is a prisoner, but she can see that she's well treated if Shizuru will "cooperate". Shizuru knew Natsuki was safe, and played along to turn the tables on Tomoe later.
  • Spoiler Opening: Both of them, especially the one from episode 16 on (though that one jumps the gun because the big twist is revealed in that same episode. Oops.)
  • Super-Soldier: Despite all pretenses, this is what Otome are if not government sponsored Persons of Mass Destruction. Leads to much angsting since many Otome are aware that they may have to one day fight and kill their fellow classmates. Or have already done so...
  • Supporting Leader: Natsuki and Shizuru share this role.
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Shizuru is helping Arika study in episode 8, she casually asks Arika if she heard the loud noise throughout the city the other day. Arika claims she didn't, then also says she didn't hear an organ playing either.
  • Sweet Polly Oliver: Akira, but Shizuru eventually finds her out.
  • Team Kids: Natsuki is the Headmaster, and Shizuru is the Team Mom, leaving Arika, Nina, Nao, Chie, Erstine, Tomoe, and other minor Otome as the Team Kids, complete with getting into mischief. Nao is a Cool Big Sis in the group, as is Chie, both wise to Tomoe's duplicity. Tragically, Erstine is The Mole, and dies as her betrayal is brought to light. And Nina goes through a Heel–Face Revolving Door.
  • Teen Genius: Irina, who's already studying advanced information and biological engineering in high school (she borrowed the book from Erstin, but still...)
  • Theme Naming: The Aswad, sans Midori, are named after units of measurement.
  • Tragic Keepsake: After Erstin is killed when she tries to stop Nina and Arika from fighting, Arika holds on to her ribbon.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Tomoe flies into a berserker rage close to the end of Episode 25 when she realizes she's lost all of her "support".
  • World of Technicolor Hair: Tomoe with green hair and Nina with dark blue, while some background characters sport silver and purple. Any characters returning from the previous series keep their original (occasionally weird) color.
  • Wrecked Weapon: Used against a villain when Miyu breaks Tomoe's Valkyrie spear with one slash.
  • You Are the Translated Foreign Word: Translated subs refer to the word otome as otome, despite it being meaningless in English. The word actually translates as "Maiden."

Alternative Title(s): Mai Otome

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