Video:

Virtually no pixelation in this entire set. Definetely one of the best made so far. the animation itself is also very well drawn.

Audio:

The audio kept an even tone throughout the series, meaning it didnt raise or lower depending on what scene is on, unlike alot of HK vids. I only watched this in the english track, and while some parts of the dialog is corny, all in all its pretty good. Quite a few well-known voice actors are in this series, which adds even more to it. I'm sure the japanese track is just as good.

Subtitle:

From what I saw, it was easy to read, but I dont watch much anime with subtitles if there is a half-way decent english track.

Comment:

Hand Maid May was a fun, relaxed anime. It didn't really have any nail-biting parts that leave you concerned for the characters. There was a bit of drama, but not too much that it was excessive. I liked most of the characters, especially Kasumi Tani, but Nanbara has got to be one of the most flamoyantly annoying characters I have seen in an anime. He screams, he dances, he annoys the hell out of you with every word that comes from his mouth, its NANBARA! Only being 11 episodes long, I don't think it was as long as it could be. By the end, nothing is resolved. Refreshingly, Kazuya is not the typical weakling that has a horde of hot females chasing him. Granted, he does have a bunch of hot females chasing him (well, most are robots), but hes not a complete idiot/weakling. Hes not a big bad-ass either. He's just a normal nice guy who happens to be a bit oblivious to some of his surroundings, especially where Nanbara is concerned. He's also not oblivious to the fact that so many girls want him. Very fun anime, but leaves you feeling like you missed something by the end of it.

Video:

The video was extremely sharp for an R1 release and much better than the recent FX releases, such has Noir and X...During high action scenes I didn't really notice any pixelation at all..Perhaps FX will take some notes when releasing their future sets and hopefully make some rips of the MAC sets :)..The only HK set that is clear as this release that I can recall were the Jo Jo dvds that were released about 2 years ago and the Spirited Away release which were R2 rips.

Audio:

I gave it a 5 because I didn't have to raise my television up about 10 bars or so just so I can get some decent audio in. Since this is an R1 rip the English sounds slightly higher than the Japanese audio as expected but the difference isn't as large like some of the other R1 releases such as Kensin and Magic Knight Rayearths..Also, the traditional hissing and growling was nowhere to be found in this set which is a good thing. I did try to listen to the English audio and to me the voices were alright..The voice actors actually did an alright job in my opinion, so the dub option is an option for the anime fans out there that multitask while watching anime.

Subtitle:

For 90% of the show the subs are on the money, but later on in the show around episode 10 the subtitles include Japanese romanji in them...But they are really simple stuff like Domo = thanks/thank you..Nothing major..No missing subs like in the older MAC sets.

Comment:

This show is really cool...It's definitely a change of pace and will definitely leave you wanting some more...As with all romance animes you can expect your usual sappy moments in the show..Some of the characters remind me alot of Love Hina...The main character reallly really really reminds me of Keitaro..Both shows came out the same year but I can't recall which show came out first =(..I've never seen Mahoramatic so I can't comment if they are rip offs of one another...Chobits is the other show that comes to mind when it comes to robot maids but this show came out in 2002 so I'm sure some elements of Hand Maid May probably are included..If you are a fan of Love Hina then this set is probably a safe purchase for you since most of the jokes are Ecchi based and there are a few bits of parody just like Love Hina in which they make fun of the action robot shows...The set also includes the Tv Special and on the R1s they have it listed as 11/10...Why 11/10? Because there are 10 Episodes in the regular TV series and 1 Episode which is considered to be a TV Special...The animation is pretty and even pokes fun at the magical girl shows like Sailor Moon and Magic Knights (I took slight offense since I'm a Sailor Moon fan)..May, the girl on the cover even does the hand gestures and everything that you expect from a magical girl show..Just give it a chance and I'm sure the show will grow on you too.

Video:

The video quality was wonderful from the opening to the close.........one of the best i have seen

Audio:

The sound on some episodes (at least on my copy) dropped off on a few episodes during the first disk however the second disk was fine.

Subtitle:

This was an R1 rip down to every sentence.

Comment:

I waited a long time to get this title and it was worth every min.

Video:

Had no issues with the video at all, everything was pretty clear.

Audio:

Audio was great, I only watch anime's with Jap language on with subtitles as I find it is more enjoyable.

Subtitle:

No issues with subs either - perhaps a couple times the subs flashed by so quickly you don't even have time to read it..

Comment:

Overall I found this a very hilarious show, even my boyfriend totally enjoyed it (I wonder why). The show definitely dwelves into a male's fantasy to have someone looking after them who is perfect with no additional baggage. This is a really enjoyable romantic comedy with a good storyline. A must have in anyone's collection!!

Video:

Great quility. Noticed no pixelation what so ever. Definetely a R1 ripp. I have notice that most shows ripped from r1 pioneer company dvds turn out better than other hk sets.

Audio:

perfectly clear. no flaws whatsoever.

Subtitle:

only watched it subbed for a bit and notice no mess ups. probaly r1 subs as well.

Comment:

R1 perfect. this show was pretty funny and charming but i've seen alot better. Its worth the price of admission and has its fair share of humor.

Video:

Very sharp and clear. Way better than some other imports I had.

Audio:

Very clear. Japanese and english sound very good. Every little squeak 6" May makes when moving to Nanbara's absurd yelling comes out loud and clear

Subtitle:

Also one of the best. Definite R1 subs. One flaw I notice was in episode one towards the end ("But the way Kazuya" instead of "By the way Kazuya") but then Pioneer didn't exactly have accurate spelling in some other works ("Amazing Nurse Nanako" Official release Disc 1 episode 2). Otherwise, it works, though it seems the translations are based more of emotional context rather than literal translation, and more slang and cuss words were added. No engrish, e-mail addresses, or other unessential text.

Comment:

A nice romantic comedy with lots and lots of fanservice (pantyshots and bouncing clevage), it has the typical "nerd somehow attracts attractive woman, rival notices and tries to ruin chance for him". Kazuya recieves a package with a 6" "Cyberdoll" named may after an incident involving a disc given to him by his "his oldest friend and rival", Nanbara. Now he has to deal with a life with may, the other CBD that come by and his neighbor and daughter of the landlord , Kasumi The menu is full of extras in comparison to other import DVDs that I own. They include a clean op/end, picture gallery, tv promos, profiles of each cyberdoll as well as a quick profile of Kasumi (the landlady's daughter and Kazuya's neighbor/one of the women interested in him) and the Kasumi Inn. If you like romantic comedies and/or ecchi/fanservice loaded anime, than this is an execellent choice, and at a cheaper and space saving (two disc in one box vs one disc in four boxes at $19 -$29 a piece) then this is an excellent value.

Video:

The video is great. Every thing is sharp, nice and bright but I did notice a couple of times during the 2nd DVD where there was some pixelation, it only happens a couple of times and it is very brief. I got some screenshots of those scenes.

Audio:

Has and English 2.0 and a Japanese 2.0 audio track. I listened to the Japanese one and couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Subtitle:

Perfect, R1 rip and not one missing lines. Subtitles were white with a black outline.

Comment:

1st DVD had 7 episodes and was on a DVD-9 average bitrate: 5.2 Mb/sec 2nd DVD had 4 episodes and was on a DVD-5 average bitrate: 3.84 Mb/sec Both DVDs had extras but they were exactly the same for each one.

Video:

Super. R1 ripped.

Audio:

Good. I like the 'click' 'click' sound of 6" May movement. There is also a Eng dub.

Subtitle:

Good. Watched the entire 11 eps in Jap dub. On time and concise.

Comment:

The story is sweet and warm. Personally think it is superior than "Love Hina" in every way. This set comes with many extra:- textless opening, textless closings, CBD bio, Kazumi's profile, a gallery of 33 pixs, and funny vocal tunes. I am not an ecchi or harem fan but I dig "Hand Maid May". Eager to watch the 2nd season if there is ;-)