Lady Trouble: 'Maria-Holic' Anime Comedy Coming Soon

Kanako has a bit of a problem. She claims to have an allergy to men, in more ways than one, and in spite of this shortcoming is resolved to find true love, regardless of gender. In the anime series Maria-Holic, a wonderfully imperfect high school girl named Kanako Miyamae attempts to solve her socio-romantic woes by transferring to an all girl's school, a switch that sets in motion a host of strange, suggestive, and comical interactions between she and her schoolmates chock full of snappy humor and plenty of ill-timed nosebleeds.

To begin, Kanako's problems started long before she transferred schools. However, as is often the case with slapstick romantic comedy: once an obsessive girl, always an obsessive girl. Prone to an uncontrollable imagination, substantial nose bleeding, and several other flights of whimsy, Kanako's fascination with the female form goes into overdrive when she transfers to an all girls' school -- providing her with quite the opposite of her previous experience.

Now, instead of getting hives from all of the men around her, she's finding herself drowning in a sea of estrogen, indeed, the predicament of the unlimited choice.

As Maria-Holic continues, things get complicated for the day-dreaming Kanako.... her roommate, a cute blonde-haired girl named Mariya Shidou, is actually a cross-dressing boy. All the more, Mariya's preference for an off-hand, inapt style of suggestive humor doesn't help a frustrated Kanako. Additionally, it appears Kanako has caught the eye of a popular girl, which naturally earns the newcomer all sorts of retaliation from other, quasi-romanticists in the all-girls' school. Maria-Holic, an odd school-yard comedy, is an interesting new release this season for its fast-paced humor and, doubtlessly, its fanservice.

Section23 Films is the distributor of Maria-Holic, currently scheduling the DVD Set release of the anime -- twelve episodes -- for late February 2010 (23rd; $39.98).

DVD extras on the home video release include interview with production staff and original Japanese promotional spots.

An anime about a girl-obsessed girl, at an all-girls' high school, who just so happens to be roomed with a boy dressing as a girl, Maria-Holic fancies itself as a bit of an absurd romantic comedy, all the while tossing an assortment of similarly peculiar character personalities that would be out-of-place anywhere else but at this one particular school. The anime frequently changes its visual style to match the frenetic and outlandish mood swings of its main characters, hoping to familiarize viewers with a recurrent sense of panic and frustration poor Kanako feels day-in and day-out.

on Section23 Films: Section23 Films (Blue Drop, Hidamari Sketch) provides home video marketing and distribution services for a variety of companies, including Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, and AEsir Holdings. With its special focus on genre entertainment, Section23 Films distributes some of the very best anime, martial arts, and horror titles on the market today.

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