“Okaerinasaimase, Goshujinsama!”

Simple words, yet it’s charming to see that greeting when you go inside a café with full of cute maids. They were dressed in black uniforms, a white aprons on the outside, and most importantly, their smile. They will escort you to your seats and will serve your meals. They serve Parfaits, Karage, Salads, and Omurice with a special message from them, written in ketchup. Customers will feel very special while you’re inside the café. When you exit the café, they will greet you again to see them next time. That’s the daily life of maid cafes and their masters. That’s why I pictured this show. A slice of life comedy anime full of cute maids and their daily lives. That’s where I’ve been mistaken.

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?

After witnessing the unexpected airing of Pairipi Koumei from Spring 2022 and its Chinese dance, PA Works is back with another of their anime originals. It’s been a long time since they made an anime original like Aquatope of the White Sand. This time, they released something different. Something less likely we’ve never seen before. I found myself getting trolled by this show because it isn’t what I’m expecting. I didn’t read the synopsis and see the trailer in the first place.

At the very beginning of the show, it seemed different. You may think that the story is not supposed to be like that. The show introduced the main character, that is yearning to experience the life of being a maid and decided to work in a maid café in Akiba. Nagomi decided to work in a café called, “Oinky Doinky Café”, where they wear a pinkish uniform, and some of them wear a headband of pig’s ears. She later experienced her first day of the job until that night. Ranko began to shoot other maids with a dual-wielding pistol in front of her and witnessed the corpses covered in their blood. I didn’t expect that to happen and made me curious about what the heck is going on. I had assumed this will be another CGDCT anime by PA Works but apparently, it’s a show where maids are considered yakuzas, and killing amongst them is a normal occurrence. I thought it was supposed to be a slice-of-life maid show but I made a mistake. The next thing that happened is I found myself enjoying this show.

The story is kind of a troll by making an idea about maids and maid cafes and turning them into some sort of bloodbath war. I’m not sure where to start, but I think all maid cafes are like running a ruthless business. Tons of slapping energy, action, and thriller slapped together into a show not just for comedy, but one-of-a-kind entertainment. I didn’t find myself bored every time I watch the ongoing episodes. What I like about the story are its uniqueness and creativity. The concept is interesting but shown in a subaverage way. Each episode has its own story when they found themselves fighting with other maid cafes for the sake of their café and lives. But when they all come in together, you’ll know that something will supposed to happen. Imagine a world where yakuza don't hang out in small offices, entertaining only people that owe them money, but instead, they run maid cafes... as cute maids. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is. That's also the plot of this show. In this world, maid cafes are part of syndicates, maids use knives, swords, and guns to kill their competition, and they do long stretch in prison. Yet somehow, they still attract and entertain otaku in their cafes. The comedy itself is very entertaining. I found myself laughing so much because of the execution of the punchline, where every maid got killed all of a sudden. The segments in this show are very witty like the boxing match, baseball match, poker match, rooftop scene, and many more. Although the story didn’t have complexity, it was engaging and most of all, full of violence.

What I like about the characters are they full of energy. Some of them were annoying but you couldn’t help but laugh. Their interactions are entertaining even sometimes also absurd. The characters are also fleshed out, and most of them are interesting. Panda can be somewhat the funniest character in the series, alongside Manager. I thought that she was just a mascot while she was a maid too. The manager is way too crazy for the situation. She is sometimes annoying because she always sells her staff to war to earn profits. Even though, she’s also an entertaining one. I like the character development of Nagomi because even though she was forced to join the war, she didn’t quit. She wanted to prove to other cafes that Oinky Doinky members are not pigs. Ranko is probably the best character in the series because she is full of violence. I thought that she was just the cold-hearted one, but she’s the one who loves Oinky Doinky the most. She values her co-workers, especially Nagomi’s determination to solve the conflicts without acts of violence.

The sounds are also good. It is well-suitable for most of the parts. Some parts sometimes look like a punchline because of the music, but they know how to put the music into some serious parts. The OP slaps hard and it sounded 90s electronic vibe. The lyrics are just the dialogue of a common maid to the customers, but the way they distorted and make it suspenseful is amazing. The dance at the end was good too and I didn’t expect that because of its nature. I didn’t listen to the ED that much but it sounded like the songs from Yakuza.

The animation and art style are also good as expected from PA Works. Although the quality isn’t that perfect, it’s pretty suited for the show. The style can be very weird but also mesh super well. The art direction is also presented and they took their sweet time to animate every scene even the violent ones. It seems that they ran out of budget when they produced Paripi Koumei. It’s not a high-caliber, but a good one.

Akiba Meido Sensou is certainly a strange show but certainly has left an impression on its viewers. I recommend it to those who want to be entertained and experience some strange violence. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s very creative. Chaotic, strange situations, insane, and stupidity in a good way, blended all in one show. Akiba Meido Sensou is definitely worth to see!

___Story: 8/10
Animation: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Entertainment factor: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10___