Ask John: Why is My Hime So Popular?

Question:
What makes Mai Hime so popular in Japan since there are so many artbooks about the series?

Answer:
With a cursory glance, it may be difficult to understand precisely why the My Hime franchise has been so successful and popular among Japanese otaku. After all, the franchise isn’t without its weaknesses, so it doesn’t stand out as an exceptional work. And the series consists of two drastically different time lines that may seem to obstruct the development of consistent interest in the show. However, an examination of the My Hime franchise’s characteristics and relation to other anime reveals some interesting and explanatory revelations.

The secret to the success of the My Hime franchise, including My Hime, My Otome, and the My Otome OVAs, lies in the franchise’s perfect balance of serious and playful tones, and its large, diverse cast of attractive girls. The My Hime franchise may be perceived as a descendant of popular anime series from the 1980s including Bubblegum Crisis and Gall Force. Furthermore, the My Hime franchise has striking thematic similarities to other popular contemporary series such as Fate/stay night, Shakugan no Shana, and Ikkitousen. All of these series reveal a consistent Japanese interest in anime featuring attractive girls that are gratuitous but also dramatically satisfying.

The casts of My Hime and My Otome are attractive, sexy girls that look good in swimsuits and serve as good models for collectable figures. The large cast, and the varying personalities of the girls allow a wide variety of viewers to relate to the girls and pick favorite cast members. To put it simply, the girls of My Hime are attractive and fun. However, they also have a serious side. The My Hime franchise includes intense, exciting action sequences in which the girls really exert their physical and emotional strength, and put their principles and lives on the line. Bubblegum Crisis and Gall Force did this in the 80s and were rewarded with devoted cult followings and relatively sustained anime series. Bubblegum Crisis had two OVA series and a television series, not to mention its AD Police spin-offs. Gall Force had four OVA series.

The contemporary descendants of series like Bubblegum Crisis and Gall Force are titles like Fate/stay night, Shakugan no Shana, and My Hime. Fate/stay night originated as a PC game, so its sequels and most of its success has remained rooted in games and manga. Shakugan no Shana – another series with a variety of attractive girls and an even balance between lighthearted, sexy fun and serious, dark action – originated in the light novel field, so it’s been successful in anime as well as print. My Hime was specifically created as an original anime property, which may explain why its biggest success has been in the realm of anime.

There have been other anime series featuring a cast of sexy girls and plenty of serious action like Kaibutsu Oujo, Geneshaft, Bakuretsu Tenshi, and Solty Rei, just to name a few. But the difference between these series and franchises like My Hime/Otome lies in the precise combination of their ingredients. The girls of Geneshaft and Solty Rei, for example, didn’t have enough fun sex appeal. Kaibutsu Oujo and BakuTen never felt serious and dangerous enough to be engrossing. The My Hime franchise is simply one of the series that gets its combination of ingredients just right to make a dish that’s tasty to the palate of Japanese otaku.