My-Z-HiME

2005-2006

published in Empire No.76, Sydney
Volume 1

2008

Just when I think anime reaches the peak of its self-generating clichés, it manages to generate a title that is both hyper-clichéd and astoundingly fresh. My-Z-Hime builds upon a long line of ‘princess anime’ – this one base around the dispossessed Arika, true heir to a royal throne in a retro-futro world. In Volume 1 she succeeds in enrolling in the Gualderrobe Academy, where she undertakes dance battles while transformed by a nano-suit. Frankly, it’s mind-boggling, especially when one considers the undercurrents of how this series symbolises the terrors and delights of the Japanese school system for young girls.