My Dear Marie Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2003-06-02 (updated 2012-10-03)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

My Dear Marie looks like yet another story about a geek with the perfect robotic girlfriend, but in the end something about this cute little series kept me watching, enjoying, and for the most part even caring about the characters. On one hand, despite the wacky premise, the characters and their predicament are handled just a bit more realistically than most series of this type--from some half-decent sci-fi excuses to Marie's mechanical nature being very out in the open. On the other, the college-age characters are slightly more mature than the average anime romantic comedy, and their personalities are both more likable and even a bit more realistic than I'd have expected. Robo-Marie, in particular, is lively, pragmatic, and fun.

Combine that with nice animation, energetic acting, and some fun, occasionally mature situation comedy, and you've got a series that's a fun diversion for those who enjoy a wacky romantic romp. The last episode is a shame, though--on top of being an extended, rather uninteresting dream sequence, it's entirely inconclusive.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2003-06-02 (updated 2012-10-03)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

Oh, no, another story about a geek with the perfect robotic girlfriend. Not only has that premise been done to death, it wasn't even very good to begin with. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much from My Dear Marie (particularly given its similarity to the spectacularly bad Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy). Thankfully, it surprised me. It's not high art, but in the end something about this cute little series kept me watching, enjoying, and for the most part even caring about the characters.

The idea is basic, but mildly amusing: A guy so shy he'd rather build a robotic copy of a girl than ask the real one out on a date. Sure. But the finished robo-Marie is most definitely not another empty-headed toy devoted to the service of her creator. No, Marie's pretty sharp, strong-willed, and she has a lot of questions for Hiroshi. More interesting still, instead of the perfect girlfriend, she becomes more of a brave younger sister, determined to get him to date the other Mari, and do a good job of it at that.

The characters are a big part of why the whole thing works, but it has more going for it: Despite the premise, the world is relatively solid (and, all things considered, believable), and the series has a bit more maturity than most of its kin.

I particularly enjoyed the way the robotics are handled. From scenes with access panels open and metal parts hanging out, to a bit of superhero-style part-time work (just because she couldn't say no), no effort is made to soften Marie's mecha-ness. Even from a science fiction standpoint, there are enough good excuses to make a lot of it work--from why the copy isn't quite like the real one, to programming her dreams (look for the Phillip K. Dick reference).

As for maturity, the characters are mostly college students, so for once I wasn't wondering where everyone's parents are, and the relationships have just a bit of a mature air that usually isn't present in series like this. Some of the humor is also more bluntly adult-oriented than average, though far from shocking.

Getting back to the characters, the robotic Marie steals the show. Despite not breaking any molds, her combination of sweet nature and direct, pragmatic way of going about things makes her a likable and pleasingly fresh character. The other characters aren't at all bad, either. Hiroshi, though amusingly shy, isn't the total loser geek I was expecting--he actually turns out to be something of a nice guy, and has a bit of realistic personality in there as well. The original Mari has a surprisingly small role, but she and the one other female character are marginally more mature than the generic anime babe (as is Hiroshi), making for a reasonably interesting cast.

The dynamic this sets up works surprisingly well; Marie (the robot), despite her appealingly sweet, born-yesterday naivete, is often more mature than her supposed master, and at times has an almost motherly concern for Hiroshi. This leaves lots of room for fun "learning about life" situations, some good situation comedy, some light romance, and even a bit of drama to round it out. There are hints at more--Marie gets along quite well with the original Mari and also may have some interest in Hiroshi herself--but the series unfortunately doesn't get around to playing up that love triangle angle.

That brings us to the series' one rather large weak point, which is summed up pretty well by Mari herself when she says "Hearing about someone else's dream is the most boring thing in the world." Perhaps the writer should've taken his own words to heart before he decided to make the final episode--meaning a full third of the series--an extended dream sequence. To its credit, this episode does have the meandering feel and unstable reality of real dreams, and it's intended to indirectly lay out some of the emotional conundrums facing the mechanical Marie, which it does effectively enough.

Unfortunately, it also provides about as inconclusive and unsatisfying an end to the series as would've been possible, and is boring compared to the other two episodes on top of it. Had the series been quite a bit longer, letting the viewer quite literally get inside Marie's head could've worked (though it would still have been too long and repetitive). But, it's a terrible way to conclude the series, and you haven't spent nearly enough time with the characters to care enough to sit through something like that. Being a dream, it also willfully throws out the solidity that is a big part of why I liked the rest of the series, making it all the more disappointing.

Visually, My Dear Marie is again surprising. The art is simple and makes heavy use of pastels, so I was expecting it to have the weak look of an inexpensive series from the early '90s. Instead, I found the character designs fun and just a bit better than average, and there are some nicely realistic touches with Marie. There's also plenty of expressive and appealing character animation--Marie's face in particular is all kinds of fun to watch. There's even a bit of robotically-enhanced brawling action in episode 2. On the down side of the production values, the music is unmemorable, and although the end theme is cute, it's also generic and badly sung by Yuko Miyamura (Marie's voice).

The acting in Japanese is all-around quite nice, although there aren't any particular standout performances. Mitsuo Iwata gives Hiroshi an unusually deep voice, and despite his skill at voicing pathetic, middle-aged losers does manage to cover the ground between excitable loser and meek but relatively realistic-sounding normal college student, and even pulls off a couple of slightly emotional scenes. The two Maries (who aren't voiced by the same actor) are fine, with the robotic version being all-around cute, fun, and funny--a very likable performance by Yuko Miyamura to go with a likable character.

When you put it all together, My Dear Marie is not a particularly original series, but it has enough substance, creativity, humor, and likable characters to make it quite enjoyable for what it is. Add a more-solid-than-average handling of the premise, and you've got enough meat for just a bit of romance and drama that works. Just be warned that it has no conclusion at all, and the last episode is sort of a waste, so it doesn't get the chance to follow through on its potential. On the whole, the series is a worthwhile little romp that could have been more.

Have something to say about this anime? Join our newly-resurrected forums and speak your mind.

Related Recommendations

Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy is a sort-of reverse of the same concept, with a geeky genius fixating on a human and basically trying to enslave her. It's also really awful, and not worth looking for. Saber Marionette J and its sequels, though more of a standard wild anime comedy with a much larger-scale sci-fi plot, are along the same lines--cute robots adopt a cute guy and cause destruction. In a very different vein, Metropolis has some of the Pinocchio themes in a much more serious story, and if you like the college-age romance, you might check out Sakura Diaries; it has a much more mature theme and a realistic setting, but it's got a similar look and some flavor in common. I'll also mention Birdy The Mighty, which has almost nothing to do with this series but for some reason comes to mind anyway.