Akiba meido sensô

'Akiba Maid War' tells the story of the innocent seventeen year old Nagomi, who wants to be a maid in a maid café. Unfortunately for her, the many maid cafés are heavily involved in organised crime.

What sounds like a fun premise for a lighthearted action show ends up fairly bland. The characters are uninteresting and inconsistent, acting as the plot demands it. Actions have zero consequences to a point of absurdity. If there is an overarching plot, I sure didn't see it within the first five episodes (after which I dropped the show).

The main attraction of 'Akiba Maid War' is supposed to be the contrast between the overdone violence and the cutesy maid theme, using the violence for its shock factor. However, in times where series like 'The Boys' have desensitised us to even realistic-looking violence, the little bit of animated gunplay of 'Akiba Maid War' fails in that regard.

On the positive side, the animations are good, the characters are designed well, and the general production value is fairly high. I'd even go so far and say that 'Akiba Maid War' is an excellent show for its niche. It's just that this niche is fairly narrow. A more compelling narrative certainly would've managed to interest a wider audience.