Apparel inspired by the characters of theshojo anime and mangaseriesMaid Sama!is being released for sale for the first time in North America - officially, at least. The clothing line is being made by a collaboration between Sentai Filmworks and the punk designer Little River Co. It will only be the first anime-inspired line that the brand plans to release.
Maid Sama!gained popularity through its manga run originally. It debuted in 2006, and ran all the way until 2013. In 2010, a 26-episode anime was also released under the same name by Sentai Filmworks. The anime was popular enough that it had an official DVD release in North America, in addition to an official English translation of the manga series.
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Maid Sama!is the story ofstudent council presidentMisaki, a high school girl known for her aloof, cold, and confident attitude and strong leadership abilities. A popular boy named Usui tries - and fails - to flirt with her endlessly. Then he discovers her secret. She also works part-time at a maid café to earn money for her family, a job that is completely the opposite of her normal character. Misaki has to convince Usui to keep her secret from the rest of the school, allowing him to become a regular at the cafe in return.
Maid Sama!’s slow burning and funnylove storycaptured the hearts of people around the world, and many of those fans have not forgotten about Misaki and Usui. This official clothing release will be good news for fans who have been waiting a long time forMaid Sama!merchandise, which is rare even in Japan, let alone in Western countries.
This clothing release will include graphic t-shirts featuring the characters and the Japanese name of the anime (会長はメイド様, orThe Class President is a Maid), along with sweatshirts and hoodies with more subtle graphics. Interesting, a wool rug of Usui’s face and plushies are also part of the release, so fans can alsodecorate their homeswith Misaki and Usui along with showing their love to the rest of the world by wearing the clothing.
Little River Co. has announced that this collaboration is only the beginning, and they will be continuing to make more anime clothing with gothic or streetwear vibes in the future.Maid Sama!is an interesting first choice to make, considering the age of the anime, but it was undeniably popular when it released. If they continue to make clothing based on rarer,harder-to-findanime, they might just fill a good niche in the otaku market!
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You can buy the officialMaid Sama!clothing from Little River Co.‘swebsitestarting on September 17.
