Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie Review

Hand Maid May is an entertaining and charming comedy anime. Based on the concept by Juzo Mutsuki and Jyuzo Mutsuki, Hand Maid May is produced by Akio Matsuda (Unlimited Psychic Squad, Ergo Proxy). Featuring theme song performances by Mika Kobayashi (opening) and Mikako Takahashi (ending). Hand Maid May is an entertaining comedy classic for anime fans – with comedy in small packages.

Kazuya Saotome (Takayuki Yamaguchi) is a bit of a genius even as a student. Kazuya is obsessed with technology and with doing his best in school. With a lot of time on his hands, Kazuya tries his best mastering skills as a robot-building student developing tech with artificial intelligence.

Jealous best friend Kotaro Nanbara (Yūji Ueda) is a bit of a mortal enemy to Kazuya and tries his best to get in the way of Kazuya. Determined to get some kind of revenge for his best friend always outdoing him, Kotaro decides to threaten a dangerous virus against Kazuya. Kazuya is always distracted by his big projects – what would a virus do to his advancements with artificial intelligence?

Enter Cyberdoll May (Maria Yamamoto). The mini 1 foot cyberdoll sweetie is a woman robot ready to serve. The minature robot arrives to serve the whims of Kazuya. Is Cyberdoll May the worst virus, ever?

Kazuya has no skills with women and is always too obsessed with his own tech skills to spend time with the ladies. Now Cyberdoll May is makes up for lost time with one odd situation after another – all while being a miniature woman robot coming with a bill of approximately $1,450,000. That’s quite the bill!

Making matters more complex, the bill still hasn’t been paid. Can the bill be afforded before it is too late? What happens when more cyberdolls enter the big picture?

The characters are charming and a huge part of the fun. The main cast members add a lot to the production. The series is more entertaining because of Kazuya and the tiny maid Cyberdoll May. Everything is more entertaining as a result.

The character designs by Katsuzō Hirata (Cosplay Complex, God Eater Resonantoka Gekijō) are well done. The designs add a lot to the production. The character art feels perfect for the cast of main characters.

The animation is one of the highlights of the series. The animation style is beautiful. Hand Maid May features art direction by Goichi Katanosaka (Angel's Feather, Guardian Hearts). The result is quite beautiful. The art style is fantastic and helps the animation look its absolute best.

The cinematography by Yoshitaka Nagaoka (Looking for the Full Moon) is another wonderful highlight of the production. The cinematography makes quite the impression. The visual cinematographic style adds much to Hand Maid May.

The score composed by Toshio Masuda (Naruto, Excel Saga) is charming fun. The score a great highlight of the series. A wonderful effort by composer Masuda.

Written by Kazuki Matsui (L/R: Licensed by Royalty), the chief writer, Hand Maid May is fun. The script is entertaining. The characters and comedic interactions make the series a lot more fun. It is a funny series for genre fans.

Directed by Shinichiro Kimura (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Juden Chan), Hand Maid May is a good series and one with plenty of charm. Kimura is a good director. The directing is fun and has a charming sensibility. The series is all the better for the charm it provides. Hand Maid May is well worthwhile for comedy fans who want a fun series to enjoy.

Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Hand Maid May is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The Hand Maid May anime series has received an up conversion from standard definition to high- definition. The presentation is good. A pleasing looking upconversion from the standard-definition elements. The high-definition upscale provides a somewhat more pleasing image and the encoding quality is well-done by Discotek.

Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English uncompressed PCM 2.0 and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release preserves the sound direction by Kazuya Tanaka (Galaxy Angel, Ninja Girl & Samurai Master). The lossless audio quality sounds crisp and is pleasing. The presentation soundstage is well-done on the release and there is much to enjoy for enthusiasts. A nice encode by Discotek Media.

Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the Hand Maid May release includes a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key art different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. The dual cover art is wonderful and the effect adds to the cool collectability.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening (SD, 3:01)

Clean Endings (SD, 3:56)

TV Promos (SD, 3:35)

Kasumi Files (SD, 1:06)

CBD Clips (SD, 7:44)

Nanbara's Room (SD, 3:30)

Hand Maid May Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hand Maid May is an entertaining comedy classic. Fans of kawaii anime series will enjoy something with Hand Maid May. The production has good animation and characters. The Blu-ray release provides good high-definition upscaled video (from standard definition) and lossless audio encoding. The release also includes a nice o-card slipcover on the first print run. Recommended.