The premise is as the title of this review suggests - a cross between LUPIN III's high-tech 007esque "gentleman thief" and TENCHI MUYO's "easily-embarrassed young man with an adoring harem of pretty ladies." In and of itself, fine - even making the gentleman thief a *bishounen* ("beautiful boy") could work within the context of the series, provided the characters are engaging, and the robberies light-hearted and cleverly done. MOUSE has none of this - the capers are either ludicrous or incoherent, while the central characters are indifferent knockoffs of their far superior predecessors when they're not exhibiting some downright Gorean attitudes about women.
Don't get me wrong - I'm fine with BDSM themes in adult-based entertainment. But here, on a series that would otherwise earn a 12+ Rating (Mouse's secret identity is of a junior art teacher at an all-grades girls' school, and his harem are all fellow instructors who outrank him), the explicit sex scenes and the constant references as to why the women are totally devoted to "Master" are a bit creepy, IMO.
In the end, this feels like the writer was more interested in showing us his sex fantasies of being a Nice Guy Dominant Master than of writing a decent caper show. Pick up Hayao Miyazaki's Lupin III adventure CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO instead....
Don't get me wrong - I'm fine with BDSM themes in adult-based entertainment. But here, on a series that would otherwise earn a 12+ Rating (Mouse's secret identity is of a junior art teacher at an all-grades girls' school, and his harem are all fellow instructors who outrank him), the explicit sex scenes and the constant references as to why the women are totally devoted to "Master" are a bit creepy, IMO.
In the end, this feels like the writer was more interested in showing us his sex fantasies of being a Nice Guy Dominant Master than of writing a decent caper show. Pick up Hayao Miyazaki's Lupin III adventure CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO instead....