When the duke was a young boy, a witch made it so that any living thing he touched died. Unable to cope with such a cursed child, his family sent him away to live in an old mansion. Now a young man, his only companions are an elderly butler and his childhood friend, a buxom, blonde maid named Alice. Despite the fact that touching the duke means instant death, Alice is constantly teasing him, getting close and flirting mercilessly. But even though Alice loves to make the duke blush, her affection for him is the real deal. Can the two figure out a way to break the witch’s spell?
Need I say more?
(I will, but still, cmon)
I’ll admit that I was prepared to fucking HATE the adaptation of one of my favorite series into… a 3D animated anime. My prejudice did not win out. This bitch a winner.
“But M,” says a silent observer I made up, “I notice that there’s the distinct highlight you hate on Alice’s boobs.” My friend. My colleague. The ecchi… has heart. I’m sorry, but it’s cute. It’s fucking cute. It’s fucking adorable.
I’ve always loved the series becuase it has a great balance between the silly, the serious, and the heart-twisting bittersweet tenderness of a good romance. Season 1 really sets up the scene for the rest of the series and it keeps the pacing of the manga pretty accurately, letting us take the small steps and get to know the characters a bit at a time instead of speeding into the future to break the curse.
I’m watching with Karen and watching her fall in love with the show is a real treat because I love these characters so much already.
The first season is a lot of feel-good items. It hits cozy romance, even, despite the glaring difficulty of not being able to touch. These two are closer than most anime lovers are allowed to be and I think it brings something special to the series. It’s just so terrifically heartfelt.
