English Dub Review: Akiba Maid War: “A Blood-soaked Ballgame: The Kyun of Victory Shines On You”

Overview: Nagomi (Alyssa Marek) rallies the girls to play a fair and sporting game of baseball against the Axolotl maids, hoping to build a genuine connection. 

Our Take: There is no better way to resolve a bloody conflict than with America’s favorite pastime. The premise of baseball building a bridge between Oinky Doink and Maidalien, now rebranded as the Axolotl maids, sets up a glorious recipe for disaster. For the most part, it is, but it also finds a way to be something more. 

From tongue-in-cheek sports anime shots to throwing wacky Venezuelan dudes into the mix, there is abundant humor to laugh at. It only becomes more fun and crazy the more backhanded and violent both teams become. Nagomi’s genuine attempt to be congenial towards their enemy is a constant delight, especially with the other maids’ chagrin. 

Nagomi’s consistent kindness is an infectious energy that rubs off on everyone, including her much peeved opponents. It is nice to see how changing hearts and minds is the way she’s beating her foes, differing from bloodshed. Of course, things don’t go completely according to plan in Ginko dying from Miyabi, one of Minami’s supporters. 

Both teams feigning ignorance of the maids’ death in support of Nagomi is, by far, one of the wackiest yet most loving moments. The girls’ front drives home the ideas of camaraderie and friendship previously presented through Nagomi, Nerula and other girls of Oinky Doink.

Uzuko is Ranko’s sworn sister, which nicely follows up the teases made in her backstory sequences. It will be interesting to see their complicated, fractured chemistry years after the fallout of Ranko’s inaction.