A Day Without Me: Well, now that that is out of the way, I did enjoy the first episode, because it was totally lulz-worthy – thank god this thing doesn’t look like it plans on taking itself seriously. …Anyway, Maria†Holic is nothing great, or, honestly, good – its funny, but not outrageously so, and the heavy-handed fake-ish yuri bent might get old pretty fast.
tsui: To sum it all up, trap anime is win. Shaft might make another gem with this one but at the same time, I wouldn’t keep my hopes up high. Definitely worth checking out this season though.
Impz: It might be annoying at times, but Kanako’s nonsenscial ranting is important to bring out the charm of Mariya. The story is definitely more focused on comedy and it does it well with obvious and more blatant fanservice pandering.
lelangir: The anime, replete with Kanako-colored lenses, establishes a sort of Unlimited Poetic Justice Works: since all of Kanako’s yuri actions are laced with guilt, it’s only natural that we expect Maria to backlash with hypocritical masochism (HUH?). Anyway, this show is really hilarious! Its comedy does not downplay at all the yuri, and even if you DO NOT WANT trap, you’re basically forced to temporarily forget about it because we’re observing Maria via Kanako. Kanako the flaming lesbian.
sunggy: The premise of the show isn’t exactly complex, sophisticated or well rounded, but I don’t think it’s SUPPOSED to be. … I will say the premise of the story isn’t contrived like most anime around, and in the hands of SHAFT, the atmosphere and overall feeling from the show is a breath of fresh air. …The characters are all unique and break out of most conventional archetypes, and the interaction between our main cast is full of charm and chemistry.
lolikitsune: We have the same dichotomy between the refined person who’s familiar with the school (Maria/Sachiko/Shizuma) and the newb (Kanako/Yumi/Nagisa). The only real difference is that Maria is more male and less insane than her counterparts in the other two shows mentioned.
Updates (1/01/09):
Stephon Wrighton: …I’ve got to admit that I’m truly underwhelmed. …Frankly, I find the entire setup to be less than thought out. It’s one thing to do this scenario if the students in question were junior high kids, but senior? That’s pushing my suspension of disbelief just a bit too far.
Setsuna: However delicious the premise of this anime might be i have to admit that it was the hilarious comedy that played out between the characters and Kanako’s over the top reactions that cemented its position in my current anime hierarchy.