Hello everyone,
Here we are for another review, this time we'll review again another of the old reviewed series of this blog (the twitter length one) with more focus and the actual style.
This time we'll be talking about Mayoi Neko Overrun, a light novel/manga series that got a rather peculiar anime adaptation. (at least from a director standpoint)
Let's start with a synopsis :
The story revolves around Takumi Tsuzuki, a boy who lives with his older "sister" Otome, although the two have no blood ties between them. Otome manages a run-down confectionary store called Stray Cats. One day, Otome picks up a mysterious beautiful "girl" off the streets.
Well, the story is one of the most classic around the anime world. An orphan boy that get adopted by a girl (beautiful of course), this girl is almost never home and other tons of girls come around him and fall in love desperately with him.
Yes, the classic harem pattern and this series does not do anything to hide it. The series focus is on the girls, the confectionary shop, the funny moments and the backstory around them.
The anime instead after an normal initial part goes ahead with some (very funny) experimental episodes with no link whatsoever with the real story that turned off most of the viewer base.
To be honest, I quite liked them as I picked up this series from the "it's just to get some fun" standpoint and I was not much annoyed by their presence. (Loved the super sentai episode with all the video shooting and stuff to get that idiotic ending. 
)
I am still waiting for the third volume of the manga (loved the stickers included in the second one) hoping for some more funny moment. (especially I'm looking forward to deepen the relationships between the characters as the light novel has done)
The characters are few, likable, and most of them well defined with a solid backstory and reasonable reasons to be following Takumi. (I especially liked the Takumi and Fumino's backstory...)
There is not much growth in the characters in the anime series (except maybe Nozomi), but I heard there is much more going on the light novel so I can hope for a future adaptation.
My favourite character in this series is disputed between Umenomori Chise with her little body, bossy attitude and "not honest with herself" personality that she shows everytime and Fumino Serizawa with her tsundere personality and complex backstory.
Fumino is also most likely the most beautiful character in this series for me. (I don't really like Otome to be honest)
The graphical quality is, as you can see, top notch with great details given to the girls of the series. (Loved their design in both anime and manga) The animation was mostly ok, even thought there has been some consistency problem during the series.
The sound quality is very good with some rather famous seiyuu working on this project like Kanae Itou in Fumino Serizawa's role, Ayana Taketatsu in Nozomi Kiriya's role. Also very catchy is the opening song "Happy new Nyaa" sung by the three main girls. (I still listen to it sometimes, especially when playing with AudioSurf)
Concluding, this is a very good series, but I do suggest it only to people who loves comedy and harem series as the "peculiar" direction and the many filler no-brainer episodes may turn you off after a while.
See you soon,
feal87
P.S. I really hope for a second season of it to be honest...