Meido: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

In anime, the housekeeper is a young, attractive woman with a ribbon or bow in her hair, and wears a maid outfit of variable taste. Usually this runs more towards the "cute" end of the spectrum; in [[Seinen]], the main difference is how much [[Costume Inertia|shorter and more outlandish]] the skirt will be.

In general this type of character is used as a form of [[Fan Service]], but usually not in the "sexy" sense as [[French Maid]] is. Rather this character tends to appeal to "[[Moe]]", and is connected to the fantasy of a submissive young woman who obediently cleans your room, cooks your meals, and tends to your every need; because of this, it can appeal to young girls as well as men.

 

 

Sometimes a female character will inexplicably wear an outfit which vaguely resembles a maid outfit. The chance of this increases dramatically if she is shown doing any housework. Also, more and more often, the maid is also a [[Robot Girl]]. (See [[Robot Maid]])

 

Compare to [[French Maid]], the [[Hotter and Sexier]] origin of this trope. See also [[Maid RPG]], which is a game built around this type of Maid. Guaranteed to occur in a [[Maid Cafe]].

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Elenore Baker from ''[[Madlax]]'' is a prime example of this. As well being Margaret's maid she acts as her personal assistant, body guard and all around companion. Her professionalism tends to lead people that she is "cold" or "mechanical or a robot" when the oppossite is true. It is also because of that professionalism that she can't truely express how she feels for her master Margaret, so she does so in her work.

* Subverted in ''[[Full Moon wo Sagashite]]''. The Kouyama's house maid dresses modestly more like your typical maid, is quite round and plain-looking. She looks and sounds about... middle-aged?

* Speaking of creepy lesbian maids, ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'''s resident maid had a crush on Chikane.

* ''[[Pani Poni Dash!]]'s'' Media is a prime example of this, seen wearing an maid outfit in just about every one of her appearances during the series.

* One of the ''[[Happy Lesson]]'' teachers usually wears a maid-like outfit at home, and naturally does much of the domestic chores.

* The lead girls in ''[[Magikano]]'' and ''[[FLCL]]'' posing as maids clearly have no experience doing; it's an excuse for [[Pretty Freeloaders|free room and board]].

** The more straight version of this trope, Fubiki, who only subverts this in two ways: first, she has a tendency to beat Kogarashi with a giant spiked club when he misbehaves; second, she sometimes goes overboard with her maid duties, even becoming embarrassed when the other cast members catch her ''in normal clothes.''

* After a (relatively) humorous breakdown, Motoko in ''[[Love Hina]]'' tries her hand at being domestic, including full maid regalia. Considering her [[Huge Schoolgirl|unusual size]], it's a bit confusing where she got the outfit.

* ''[[Victorian Romance Emma]]'' is a rather straight take on the idea, down to Emma's mundane outfit (for Victorian England, anyway).

** So is Kaoru Mori's other manga about English maids, 'Shirley' (and its continuation 'Shirley Madison').

* Very nearly the ''entire cast'' of ''[[Hanaukyo Maid Tai]]'' are maids.

* ''[[Hand Maid May]]'' is a [[Robot Girl]] maid called a Cyberdoll.

* There's an entire ''army'' of Catgirl maids in ''[[UFO Princess Valkyrie]]''

* ''[[Chobits]]'' has a character who also has a cadre of [[Robot Girl]] Persocom maids.

* ''[[Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora]]'' deconstructs this. Setsuna is essentially Kyoshiro's maid, taking care of everything he needs, but while he's simply using her status as an Absolute Angel to destroy the others and then her, Setsuna is hopelessly in love with him, trying her hardest to make everything nice for him in the hopes that ''maybe'' he'll show her some affection. Yet when he falls for Kuu instead {{spoiler|(despite her being an Absolute Angel as well), she vows to [[I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy|continue helping him find her, even if she won't be repaid for it.]] }}

** Fabiola Iglesias is an actual housemaid working for the same family, serving directly under Roberta. A younger, more comic-relief character, she is still very good with blades and martial arts, although she admits her gun skills need work. While Fabiola also mentions that she is the only one of the Lovelace maids being trained by Roberta for combat, Revy still wonders if the entire Lovelace Plantation was a [[Badass]] [[Ninja Maid|maid force]] that could storm the Iranian embassy if they wanted to. (All portents point to "Yes.")

* Minto in ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' has her own squad of more traditional maids.

* Mia Clementis in ''[[Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na]]''.

* Kasumi from ''[[Ranma ½]]'' wears a maid-like apron at all times, and is generally sweet, domestic, and clueless.

** Akane once disguised herself as a French maid (with bonnet and everything) to infiltrate the house of Picolet Chardin, who had taken female Ranma to make her his bride. Then [[Nightmare Fuel|Soun disguised himself the same way]].

* The Lamperouge household's maid Sayoko from ''[[Code Geass]]'' does housework, looks after the [[Ill Girl]] and occasionally [[Ninja Maid|battles cyborg assassins with ninja martial arts]]. She's got her [[Fan Nickname]] of "the Sayocopter" for a reason.

* Sent up in ''[[Lucky Star]]'', where [[Occidental Otaku|Patty]] wishes she had a Meido to do her chores so she could spend more time watching anime...that's specifically a Meido, not a housekeeper. There's a difference!

* The whole point of ''[[He Is My Master]]'' is to put two teenage girls (and later three) into [[media:1141794515973.jpg|fetish maid outfits]]. At first reluctant, they end up warming to the idea, and by the end of the series actually enjoy it.

** The first enjoys wearing it, the second hates wearing it, and the third [[Les Yay|enjoys the second one wearing it]].

** The [http://www.watchanimeon.com/hayate-no-gotoku-s2-episode-20/ Maid Episode.]

** Saki also fills this quotient for Wataru (though without the respectful title). {{spoiler|Chiharu}} is a secret maid.

** Izumi dresses as one (short skirt variation) {{spoiler|as punishment by her father}}. All the other maids (and pseudo-maids) use the long skirt variation.

* Amu Hinamori (''[[Shugo Chara]]'') has a maid, Amulet Clover, as one of her three primary [[Transformation Sequence|charanari]].

* In ''[[Pokémon Special]]'', Latias disguises herself as a maid to help out Emerald in the Battle Pyramid. Later on she disguises herself as a news reporter, then a nurse.

* {{spoiler|Miyu}} of ''[[Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya]]'' was revealed to be one. Much to her horror (or perhaps... [[Schoolgirl Lesbians|delight?]]), Ilya turned out to have an uncontrollably massive Maid fetish.

* In ''[[Kaichou wa Maid-sama]]'', the eponymous [[Student Council President]] Misaki works at a [[Maid Cafe]] to help support her single mother and younger sister. The job makes her a bit uncomfortable, between her [[Does Not Like Men|dislike of men]] and her fears that her schoolmates will not take her seriously as president if they find out, but she stays on because the pay is good and her manager is very understanding and willing to accommodate her.

* In ''[[Macademi Wasshoi]]'', we have Eneus, the [[Petting Zoo People|Dog Girl]] [[Ninja Maid]] complete with [[Blade on a Stick]]. Eitarou, her master. makes [[Humongous Mecha]] [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|versions]] of her.

* [[Ladies vs. Butlers]] is full of them.

* ''[[Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru]]'', the most half-assed [[Maid Cafe]] in anime history.

* In ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]'', Yoshinoya-sensei dresses in a maid outfit for cleaning day. ''She doesn't clean in it, nor would she ever.'' It would get dirty, after all.

{{quote|Tsuda: "They really exist?"}}

* Marika Kato and her best friend in ''[[Bodacious Space Pirates]]'' work at a [[Maid Cafe]].

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Maid RPG]]''. 'nuff said.

* [[Tanto Cuore]], a Dominion style card game themed around recruiting maids.

 

== Video Games ==

* Daniella in ''[[Haunting Ground]]'' is an [[Ax Crazy]] homonculus maid.

* [[Ninja Maid|Iroha]] from ''[[Samurai Shodown]]''.

* A sidequest in ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'' has Colette acting as a maid at Meltokio Castle, complete with the archetypal outfit.

** Maid outfits are often used as an alternate costume in the [[Tales (series)]]. [[Tales of the Abyss|Tear]] and [[Tales of Vesperia|Judith]] get maid costumes to use. The latter woman can ''[[Lethal Joke Item|sweep the enemy to death]]'' if she has this costume and equips the reccurring [[Joke Item]] Deck Brush

* This is an outfit in ''[[Animal Crossing]] City Folk''.

* Fiona from ''[[Arcana Heart]]'' goes into battle wearing a maid costume.

** Speaking of which, [http://www.pso-world.com/images/classes/racasceal.jpg some of the body types for RAcaseals] in [[Phantasy Star Online]] made them look a bit like maids.

* ''[[Boktai|Lunar Knights]]'' gives us [[Robot Girl|Carmilla]]. Frilly headpiece and everything.

* There is, of course, [[Eroge|Custom Maid 3D]] which lets you, of course, [[Shaped Like Itself|create your own 3D maid]].

* ''[[Dragon Quest IX]]'' features a complete maid's outfit as one of the costume pieces. Oddly enough, it's one of the few costume pieces [[Video Game Perversity Potential|without gender restrictions]].

 

== Visual Novels ==

** Jean Armstrong's cafe has the waitresses wear maid outfits. Maggey spends her entire jail term in hers and during her very brief stint as a waitress Maya wears one. Unfortunately her smaller...assets are not enough to move waitress fetishist Victor Kudo enough to make him testify. {{spoiler|Mia is very annoyed to find she's only been channeled to give Maya a larger bust.}}

* Pictured above is Hisui of ''[[Tsukihime]]'' {{spoiler|has a crush on Shiki, more or less obvious depending on what path is chosen. She is also hugely dedicated and caring towards him.}} There's also Kohaku, who is {{spoiler|seemingly}} very devoted to her job, and {{spoiler|has a scary obsession with...guess who...Shiki!}}

*** In keeping with this trope, in the goofier parts of the game Kohaku has built multiple [[Robot Girl]] versions of Hisui. Mech-Hisui also makes an appearance in ''[[Battle Moon Wars]]'', a fan-made [[Nasuverse]] crossover game.

 

* Volume 1 of ''[[Van Von Hunter]]'' features a psychopathic Cockney maid named Miriam who cleans floors ''with a knife''.

* Yuki Sonada, in ''[[Megatokyo]]'', dresses up as this to follow Piro into a [[Maid Cafe]], disguising herself as one of the staff.

* [[Spinnerette]]. [[Robot Maid|Mecha]] [[Ninja Maid|Maid]]. [[Don't Explain the Joke|Technically, it's an exoskeleton, and she does aikido]]... Never mind. That is all.

 

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Japanese Media Tropes]]

[[Category:Always Female]]

[[Category:Cleanliness Tropes]]

[[Category:Costume Tropes]]