I Want More Anime like O Maidens in Your Savage Season!

2019 has seen no shortage of amazing anime. There’s been an abundance of big-money sequels, like Mob Psycho Season 2, Attack on Titan Season 3, and My Hero Academia Season 4, and even an incredible lineup of standalone shows, like Dororo, Demon Slayer, and The Promised Neverland. But, even though I’m a sucker for mainstream shounen shows like these, my favourite of all this year’s shows so far has to be O Maidens in Your Savage Season. Though Maidens will never achieve mainstream popularity, I think that it has just as much, if not more, to offer than all of the above shows. As such, I can’t help but wish for more shows just like it, as opposed to the third or fourth entry into an already sizable series… 

O Maidens in Your Savage Season follows a group of young, high school girls. These girls all belong to their school’s literature club and so are regularly exposed to sex through the books that they read. During a discussion on one of their raunchier reads, one of their members, Niina, confesses that she wants to have sex at least once before she dies. Though Niina isn’t actually dying and is just being melodramatic (go figure), it does get the group to seriously consider their stance on sex – are they ready for it? Does it matter whether it’s with somebody they love? Is it really the be-all and end-all when it comes to relationships? These are just some of the themes that this show explores throughout its 12 episodes. 

O Maidens in Your Savage Season also touches (pun intended) on masturbation, jealousy, teen pregnancy, sexuality, and taboo relationships. This is the first of several reasons why I want more anime like this one. How many shows have you seen that explore these issues? I’ve watched literally hundreds of anime, but could still count on one hand the number of shows that delve into even a couple of these things. This strikes me as a crying shame when these are issues that affect teens worldwide. Sure, there are movies and YA fiction that explore these things, but dorky, teenage Ty would have absolutely ADORED an anime that did that growing up! Anime resonates with me far more strongly than any other medium, so watching a show like Maidens growing up would have made me feel like: “Hey, maybe I’m not the only one confused by crotchless panties!” It would have made me feel less alone. There’s misery in company, as they say, and there’s much misery to be had while in the throes of puberty! 

Not only does O Maidens in Your Savage Season explore sex and a multitude of issues surrounding it, but it explores them well. This anime distinguishes itself by taking a frank and honest look at the adolescent sex drive. Many of the scenes that took place in Maidens (I won’t say which) could have been lifted straight from my own teen years. In other words, the events depicted in the show weren’t outlandish or ridiculous, but realistic and believable. What’s more, is that it was so refreshing to be offered up a female perspective on sex. In my experience, whenever an anime has taken a look at the adolescent sex drive it has usually been from a male perspective. Regrettably, this perspective is almost always accompanied by crude humour (think panty raids, voyeurism, and the absolute classic that is the accidental boob grab). Maidens, meanwhile, approached sex delicately, almost reverently. Its characters weren’t preoccupied solely with the act of it, but the effect that it would have on their identities and relationships. I remember, as a teen, sex being a pretty big deal, and while I know that that’s not everybody’s experience, I still enjoyed watching a show that reflected that viewpoint. Not to mention that Maidens serves as an all-important reminder that, yes, girls think about sex too! 

As I mentioned above, there’s something to be had in watching an anime like O Maidens in Your Savage Season as a teen. Not only can you share in the misfortune of its characters, who are going through similar things as you, you can also learn what to do or (more likely) what not to do in certain circumstances. Some episodes of this show ought to have come with an advisory warning… Whatever you do, kids, don’t try to blackmail your teacher into sleeping with you. That being said, there’s also something to be had in watching an anime like Maidens as a considerably wiser and more experienced adult. Watching this show, with its many relatable situations, immediately transported me back to my own awkward teen years. While that may not sound like all that pleasant an experience, as soon as I’d finished inwardly cringing, I was able to laugh at how much of an idiot I was back then. In other words, Maidens took me back to a very silly time in my life and left me feeling like, hey, maybe I have matured since then after all! 

Regrettably, whilst I thoroughly enjoyed O Maidens in Your Savage Season, I doubt that I’ll be able to recreate my experience with it any time soon. Anime like this, in spite of all that they have to offer, are, sadly, few and far between. It’s understandable – it’s difficult to turn a profit in the anime industry and shows like Maidens have such a limited appeal, at least when compared to franchises like Attack on Titan or My Hero Academia. All the same, I can’t help but wish that, someday, we’ll get another anime just as special as this one…