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Ladies versus Butlers' first episode pretty much copied its plot wholesale from Love Hina. The unlucky young male protagonist, Hino Akiharu, is in the process of transferring to a service school, where young ladies and gentlemen are trained to become maids and butlers. On his first day, he winds up (through no fault of his own) accidentally groping the tsundere female protagonist, Cernia Flameheart. Cue a prolonged chase scene in which Cernia attempt to capture Hino, allegedly to turn him over to the police. Along the way, our hapless hero winds up accidentally molesting, groping or otherwise violating practically every girl in the school. He even unintentionally performs cunnilingus on one unlucky young maid. At the end of the day, his secretly evil childhood friend Saikyou Tomomi saves him, but Cernia continues to plot her revenge. "I'll never forgive him!" she declares vehemently.

Essentially, this series is rehashing the same romantic comedy tropes Ken Akamatsu established a decade ago. Like any new series, though, it stays fresh by bringing new elements to an old genre. One example is the hilarious visual gags, such as Cernia's 'drill hair.' When she becomes enraged, her fearsome follicles literally begin spinning like a pair of giant deadly tsundere drills, much to Hino's chagrin. Another example is the extreme fanservice; this show is far, far more risque than any of Akamatsu's (non-hentai) work. Aside from the oral sex scene I mentioned earlier, we're also treated to lots of giant bouncing boobs and upturned nipples showing through clothing. If that wasn't enough for you, there's also a shower montage at the end of the episode containing full frontal nudity (although it was censored in some broadcasts). Basically, this show is Love Hina with the fanservice turned up to eleven. Is that such a bad thing?

As for the story, there wasn't enough of it to make any sort of value judgment about its quality. The first episode was basically devoted to introducing all the main characters, so there's no telling if their personalities will turn out to be as interesting as their bodies. For the time being, Ladies versus Butlers is just a big, dumb fanservice show, rife with plenty of moeblobs and double entendres. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check it out... you won't be disappointed.

What I liked:

• PIERCE THE HEAVENS WITH YOUR DRILL HAIR!
• Unabashedly fanservice-oriented
• Hino seems a lot less wussy than your typical romantic comedy protagonist

What I didn't like:

• Barely any story thus far.
• A few instances of K-On! style art fail, especially with hands.
• Even though it's at a time like this, Jon-san will forcefully say that he hates fansubs. (Translator's Note: "Jon" is a shortened form of "Jonathan", a Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh has given" or "gift from God.")