Graphic Novel 1
Remember Yukikaze? It's about a secret war fought against aliens that nobody seemed to know about.
In this world the same thing happened, only the aliens had either the foresight, or the lack of technology, to not attack via portals linking their world to Earth... mostly because once they got their butts kicked they didn't get followed back home by legions of vengeful humans who set up shop on their homeworld to continue the war.
But unlike Yukikaze their war was fought with combat androids, one of which is Mahoro, she who was one of the heroines of the war who did the most to turn the tide against the invaders.
However her success came at a high cost. If she remained a combat android she would have had only scant days to live, but disarmed of her major weapons (yet still capable of handling herself quite well as you'll see) she has over a year's life.
So, then, how will she spend that year?
She comes to the residence of one recently orphaned teenager named Suguru.
At first he's reluctant, after all his first meeting with her was under rather extreme circumstances... she was on the bus he was on when it was hijacked by perverted hijackers who forced all the young womanfolk to strip naked and be human shields, and... well, the rest you can read yourself.
Somehow, someway, he finds that he wants her to take care of the house because she is just like him, alone in the world... but that's at first. Later I see love blooming between them.
Which is most tragic because as the days pass Mahoro's time grows shorter and shorter.
Will Suguru find feelings for his beautiful maid slash former combat android only to lose her to the relentless march of time?
It's series like this that you just can't think about stuff like that.
Enjoy each book, right up to the end.
Oh, yeah, and things get wacky when Suguru's class finds out about her! Talk about jealous!!
Then there's Suguru's homeroom teacher who is appalled by the thought of Suguru being alone with this "girl" as his maid! It's wrong, dammit, wrong! He should be seducing her ala School Zone style antics and... what's School Zone? ...ah... (cough cough) ... if you have to ask you probably shouldn't know.
Back to the here and now. Lots of antics, lots of potential, and overall just a great title that just grabs you tight from the start to the end. And with more to come? I can only see more positive reviews from me where this title is concerned!
And this is just the simple rundown. There's quite a bit going on in this book that I haven't even touched on, but then again that I leave for you to find! Let's break this down!

Mahoromatic Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot? - I heard of this title before and the praises it's gotten, and for a good reason... it's a good read. Mind the age limitations, of course. This is an Older Teen title (16+), and for a more general audience story with a good maid in the cast I recommend To Heart (ADVManga) but this is good for those of us who are older. Great read, solid artwork, and overall a really touching and fun book!
What's Not? - What makes it good is also a bit of a downer for me. That Mahoro only has a limited time to be with Suguru, and the reasons why she wants to be with Suguru (not explained in full but I think I got the gist of her reasoning from this book) just tug on the heart. I think it's safe to say that there will probably be no 11th hour miracle that keeps Mahoro alive past the end of the series, and she is most likely doomed to die... but I don't care. I want to see it all, from beginning to end, and maybe just hold out a LITTLE bit of futile hope that I'm wrong and it ends differently from what I think.
Only way to find out is to read it to the end, which I plan to do and which I recommend you do as well.
Moments to Remember? - Quite a bit. Mahoromatic is quite memorable all around and is quite the page turner. Can't put it down once you start reading it, and why should you want to put it down? I can't think of a reason short of the need for sleep, food or something else.
What to Ignore? - Me. If I start getting all Sakura/Tomoyo speech wise and go off on some tangent like I did with that topic? You can ignore me. I get all emotional sometimes.
Overall? It's a promise of a heartfelt, beautiful, funny, exciting, memorable romp that might end bittersweetly, and yet has the faintest hope that somehow it might yet turn out for the best in the end.
A title I can recommend wholeheartedly, and praise as being one of the Essentials of the year which I think deserves your time and attention in reading. Pick it up, and give it a shot. Highly recommended from me to you.