Mai-Otome 0~S.ifr~ - Episode 3 (Completed)

Once again, discussing an episode of Mai-Otome 0~S.ifr~ becomes difficult simply on account of the tremendously long gaps between episodes of this OVA, but as per last time around I've done my best to dredge up some memories of what happened in the last instalment ready to take in this closing episode.

Thankfully, there isn't really all that much to remember after an unspectacular second part, with Sifr kidnapped so that her powers can be used to unleash a giant laser from space (a plan which even Dr. Evil would be proud of). Can this dastardly plan be stopped?


Of course it can - Mai Otome isn't the kind of franchise that lets the bad guys win. In all honesty, this episode is really all about Rena Sayers, who is reactivated as an Otome by Bruce and then spends the rest of the episode kicking ass - On the ground, in space, and with a breast hanging out (you can't have an OVA without fan service, apparently). To be fair, some of these action sequences do have a certain element of coolness to them, ignoring the often generic details of much of the episode around it ("Our plan has failed, let's set our space station to self-destruct!" being the most obvious), enough so to make the episode as a whole reasonably watchable in its own way.

I don't think it's too unfair to say that Mai-HiME has always been the bright star of this particular franchise, and that everything that came after felt like little more than said franchise burning out, perhaps before its time. Still, if you are a fan of the franchise as a whole and didn't mind Mai-Otome too much, then this is really just more of the same (with added fan service), and although it feels a little rushed compared to a full-on series it might just do enough to sate your appetite.