i realize something about myself recently. i realize that i enjoy anime most when it pays attention deeply to characterization. forget about sword and sorcery, mindless slapstick comedy and the usual harem plots that is unrealistically forgettable.
the anime that gets the most praise would be those with strong developed characters which we can all relate to. that is Maria-sama ga miteru or translate it as Maria Watches Over Us. first off, it’s a yuri anime so it’s oriented to the girl crowd. however, the story is so rich that guys should not pass it up at all.
here’s a quick guise of the show, taken from it’s wiki:
Maria-sama ga Miteru’s story revolves around the students of the Lillian Catholic school for girls, and can be considered character-driven, focusing on interactions between the characters rather than any sort of ongoing plot or goal to attain. At Lillian Girls’ School, there is a tradition known as the sœur system (sœur being French for “sister”), in which a second, or third-year student, the grande sœur (“big sister”), will give her rosary to a junior student, the petite sœur (“little sister”), and promise to look after them and guide them.
the story centers more on the relationships between members of the Yamayurikai (student council) which consist of three offices name after roses, Rose Foetida, Rose Gigantea and Rose Chinensis. the ones who holds these positions are usually senior members elected by the students. each Rose may take a junior member under their wing. basically these student council members are representatives of the school and are idolized.
watching Maria-sama ga miteru puts me in a relax, often peaceful mood. it’s like sipping a hot cup of chocolate on a rainy day, listening to the pitter-patter of rain drops outside. any worries i might have become trivialities. it sort of feels like that.
the story is sweet, subtle…perfect. there is absolutely no evil in this show. all is good. you won’t ever get angry or upset from watching this. the show flows so naturally that you’ll end up smiling more often than not. and i’m enjoying this immensely.
simply put, this anime is just very elegant, pure and beautiful.
Momo-chan, a well tanned high schooler who is constantly being mistaken as a playgirl (due to her looks) is really an indecisive, unlucky and emotionally unstable girl when it comes down to picking the right guy. but the situations she gets into makes it hard to fault her as some if not most comes pretty close to realism. it can very well happen in real life and like real life, could have easily been solved with proper communication in the first place, rather that assumptions and blame. but nothing ever works out that way, does it.
Touji, the long time crush of Momo-chan, is a pretty quiet laid-back dependent guy. everything he does, he does them with the fine intention towards Momo’s well being, even if she does not realize this at first. even at the cost of hurting her and himself. how 
Okayasu, the playful playboy, is the contrast to Touji. constantly flirting around, he’s the fun guy to hang out with. easy to fall for especially when the world is against you and he’s the only one who believes in you. well that’s how it starts anyway with Momo-chan. and then when you least expect it, he’ll touch you with his softer side, swaying you over to give him consideration for potential boyfriend material. is he dependable? that would be the question mark that Momo-chan faces with this guy.
then there is the girl best friend backstabber, Sae, who is just about as jealous, conniving, mischievous, scheming and down right bitch there ever can be to exist in a show. at times while watching, i wish i could reach out and strangle her, really. scarily enough, in reality people like these do exist and it’s pretty difficult to ignore or avoid them. Sae is pretty much the main instigator for most of the misunderstandings (although she is not the only one) and boy does she do the extra mile to get her way. she’s also the pretty and popular girl in school, and whenever Momo-chan get some boy attention, she’ll comes in and wreaks it. woe be to those who considers this one a best friend. 
