Maken-ki! and Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!

Number of episodes: 12 each

What Wikipedia says: "Maken-ki! is a Japanese manga series by Hiromitsu Takeda. An anime adaptation was recently completed. Takeru Ohyama, a young, normal, perverted minded guy, got accepted and goes to a school that, unknown to him, is where combat and magic is used and taught. Arriving at the school (which was once only for girls), he meets Haruko Amaya, his childhood friend, after three years, Inaho Kushiya, a girl who says she's his fiancée, and Kodama Himegami, a blonde who wants to kill him. Finding out that there are many girls there that just don't like him, he is told that everyone there uses a special magic ability while using an item or weapon called a Maken. Later, he finds that no Maken is acceptable for him and doesn't know what to do, since in this school the students get into duels that showcase their magic and combat power, of which he seemingly has none."

"Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (lit. Do Love Me Seriously!) is a Japanese adult visual novel.  Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime series. Kawakami City is famous for its strong dedication to its samurai ancestors. A healthy fighting spirit is always valued and it is even an important factor for success at school. Yamato, a second year student from Kawakami High School is always with his close friends (four boys and three girls). They have all known each other since they were young and have done many things together. While they have many other friends, this group of seven is a close-knit, inseparable group. They even have a secret base where they meet. With the new semester, they welcome two girls into their group and shortly after things begin to change." 

What tTPO says: Both of these series share several similar traits - both are set in schools, both are harem series, both have fighting in abundance, neither is spectacularly good or bad, and both have very ample amounts of less than subtle fan service. Despite these similarities there are some important differences though. 

Maken-ki! is all about the school, the students and the rather complex system of elemental power that the students use for fighting. The cast is large for a 12-episode series, and while their relationshop are interesting, the sheer weight of numbers of characters limits the possible development of them, leading to less empathy for many. The plot though leans heavily (as does the script) at times on the devlopment of elemental /weapon powers, and I cannot say, hand on heart, I always fully understood the nature of this. It was a bit like listening to Star Trek techno-babble. In Star Trek it was a poor substitute for an overall plot, and in Maken-ki! it is no different, and it ends up meandering and lacking in clear direction. Maybe you just need to be under 15 years old to get this completely? Having said that, some of the powers are quite imaginative.

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! takes a different path. While still having some character development of the main characters, it takes many opportunities to poke fun at itself, often deconstructing the harem genre (and others where time permitted). This leads to some genuine LOL moments. It also takes a more serious look at the nature of modern Japanese nationalism and politics, and that is something I did not expect to be saying about a harem fighting series. Ever. And in there somewhere it manages to hold together some semblance of a plot.

How about the music?: Maken-ki!: The OP is a nice bit of J-pop and quite possibly the best bit about the series. The same canot be said for the ED which is a bit annoying. 

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!: The OP is some frenetic J-rock and is kinda cool without being brilliant. The ED is just a bit of bland J-pop.

So how does it end? (Spoiler Free): Harem show endings are trickier than some genres to get right because if there is a failure of commitment by the main character, it tend to trivialise any emotional weight the series may have had. With this in mind, both series have conclusions of sorts. However. Maken Ki's ending manages to feel contrived, and suffers (again) from Maken-babble. Some of the character arcs just faded away, along with any emotional impact they may have had. 

In contrast, the ending of Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!, while at least roughly tying up most loose plot points, still manages one last brilliant harem genre deconstruction.

Overall Grade: Maken-ki! set the bar low, and much of the time failed to make it. I was thinking about giving this a C but that would be an injustice to other mediocre shows. Grade D.

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! shows that within the same genre restrictions, you can have a much smarter and more involving series. Having said that, don't mistake this for an A grade show. Grade B- (and only just).