Maid Sama! is a shojo comedy/romance with a theme centered around maids and maid cafes. Misaki Ayuzawa becomes the Student Council President for Seika High School which had previously been an all-male school. However, at night she works at a local maid café. Misaki’s strength and determination have won her the praise of both males and females alike as she seeks to help all the students integrate, especially Takumi Usui. However, not everyone is happy with her efforts nor does she realize that not everyone is as skilled as she is and even she has her own difficulties; volume 3 begins to show some of these.

Highlights:
When I looked at the back cover and read the character bios in the front of the manga I wasn’t sure what kind of manga to expect considering this is a shojo manga about the  subject of maids and maid cafes,  a genre I typically associate with a more male fandom. As I started to read Maid Sama!, I began to get a better appreciation for the perspective from a female point-of-view. As her first serialized work, Hiro Fujiwara has chosen a rather unique topic, even by Japanese standards, let alone English, to use for her basis. While maid cafes are more mainstream in Japan, they are still seen as an aspect of otaku culture; in the United States, the few that exist are more so.  In the rest of the English-speaking world they don't really exist. The translation of maid-themed titles like Maid Sama! and Maid War Chronicles might be indicating the more mainstream acceptance of this fetish among the fandom. Who knows, once the economic crisis ends there might be a maid café nearby if there isn’t already. 

Overview:

I am thankful that Fujiwara included a one-page recap of the first 2 volumes as I hadn’t read them Maid Sama!volume 3 continues to involve short one- or two-chapter stories where Misaki helps out various individuals while she tries to keep her job as a maid at a local maid café a secret from Sekai High School. Meanwhile, Misaki must learn to come to terms with the otaku subculture in Japan as the maid café hosts a “younger sister day” special. Near the end of the manga there begins to become a hint of a more involved storyline as the first character who actually seems to pose any kind of serious threat by using hypnosis emerges.

Fujiwara uses a lot of omake sections and side-panels. Every chapter, without exception, in volume 3 begins with a panel gag at the bottom involving the “idiot trio” (three males who initially dislike Misaki, but eventually become the biggest fans and regulars at the maid café). Most of the chapters also have a one-page omake story following the main chapter. Finally, Fujiwara uses most chapters to introduce the characters, in this volumes various maids. Here it is notable that the manga clearly shows its shojo roots more clearly than other areas. While the information for the females lists some of the biographical data, it does not list their bust, waist and hip sizes which it would have done in shonen manga (unless the gag for the character was to have it remain hidden). While other elements also hint toward the manga’s intended audiance, this one is one of the easiest tell-tale signs.

Fujiwara’s art style for Maid Sama! is well done. It is clear and  the female characters are attractive, especially in their maid outfits. She even does a good job with the cross-dressing scenes,  making the males look more feminine and Misaki look like an ordinary male adolescent. Maid Sama!’s artwork has a darker line quality compared to the more airy feeling of manga like kimi ni todoke: From Me to You or Boys over Flowers. The overall darker contrast,  along with the maid theme, could make the manga easier to accept as a gender-crossing title than some others.

Maid Sama! volume 3 is a great book that highlights aspects of the otaku culture from a female perspective. While the manga is clearly geared toward a feminine teenage/ young adult reader, the series has enough cute girls in maid outfits and a drawing style that could appeal to males as well.

ComicsOnline gives Maid Sama! volume 3 4 out of 5 cute cross-dressing maids.