First off, if you haven't seen any of the other Otome/Hime series then stop reading now and come back when you have finished before mentioned series.

Okay, as in the summary this does take place before the Otome series and it does come out running from the start. The action is top notch with beautiful artwork and stays on par (if not better) with the Otome/Hime series with showing the minute details of battle. The music was good. I can't say there was anything that made headlines for me but it went along with the rest of the series and I can't think of anything that wouldv'e made it better. Story-wise, there's not a whole lot that's different from any of the other series except there's a new head villian and lots of guesswork after you finish watching this but seeing where the later heroines got their personalities from made this worthwhile at times. While not on par with the comedy as say Otome, it had few moments but enough to crack a smile or two. This was generally entertaining from start to finish but falls short at leaving more questions than answers and unless (I'm guessing here) you read the manga then you might just be stuck wondering forever. Overall, a must-see for all Mai-Hime/Otome fans. (show less)