Lilith and Yuuri plan a Christmas party for Natsume, Fujisaki, and Tsukasa.
Episode 10 – “For Whom Do the Stars Fall”
Hmm.
The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious confused me this week. How? Because the episode title is mysterious! Anime adaptations of manga usually choose one of the manga chapter’s titles when they turn three chapters into one episode. What if the anime cut out a line of dialogue or a scene that referred to the manga chapter title? Did that happen here? Because there were no references to wishes, destiny, or shooting stars.
I asked J-List Senpai Peter Payne if there was a Japanese idiom or aphorism that fit The Mysterious Maid episode title. He suggested it was a literary reference to Ernest Hemingway’s book For Whom the Bell Tolls. The episode title in Japanese is “誰がために星は流れる (dare ga tame ni hoshi wa nagareru – For Whom the Stars Flow).” Hemingway’s book translates to “誰がために鐘は鳴る (dare ga tame ni kane wa naru – For Whom the Bell Tolls).“ Peter-senpai added, “For the life of me, I will never understand how Hemingway titles sound so good in Japanese.” I agree!
Hemingway’s book title is itself a literary reference. 17th Century poet John Donne wrote in his “Meditation 17” from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions:
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
Donne contemplates how everyone is connected, even how a stranger’s death affects him. Could The Mysterious Maid be referencing a poem from 1624? To illustrate how Yuuri asked for help to throw a Christmas party? No man is an island, especially a young boy in love with a busty dark-skinned maid.
Heh.
It’s Christmastime already in The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious. Ah. It’s the Christmas episode! Tsukasa is so nosy. She wants the details between Yuuri and Lilith! Yuuri is still in limbo. He told Lilith he loves her, but the suspicious maid hasn’t replied with her feelings yet. Instead of telling Tsukasa about that, Yuuri explains how Natsume is a “new family member.” Har. Tsukasa knows love triangles! Natsume is Yuuri’s love rival for Lilith’s affection.
Oh, fun. Natsume came to walk Yuuri home. Ohoho! Tsukasa is the secret girlfriend who now needs to be crushed in The Mysterious Maid. Tsukasa is here for it! Fujisaki denies the poor girl a front-row seat for love rival drama. Ooh. Look at the recognition Fujisaki cooly shot at Natsume. The shark-toothed twin-tail tsundere remembers Fujisaki from school. I’m curious if they ever had a run-in. Whoops. Yuuri is about to have one now! His straightforward attitude won’t have a funny reaction from these older boys. Natsume knows how to handle toughs. Yuuri’s honest talk works as compliments on young maids, though.
Uh oh. Pouty Lilith didn’t like how Natsume took her time away from Yuuri. Hahaha! Yuuri and Natsume fight about what makes Lilith the best! Lilith’s innocence is her charm point! Natsume disagrees, claiming Lilith’s mature flirting is the winner! The Mysterious Maid has repeatedly shown that Lilith only plays an adult. But she does look sexy in adult-themed attire. There’s the immature blushing we know. Lilith can’t handle the loud compliments coming from Natsume and Yuuri.
Ah. Natsume wants Yuuri’s help in throwing a surprise Christmas party for Lilith. Ooh, plotting! Yuuri will tell Lilith he’s going to Tsukasa’s house for a Christmas party while Natsume takes Lilith on a date. Everybody wins in The Mysterious Maid when Lilith comes back with Natsume! Aw. Yuuri can’t lie to Lilith for long. Tsukasa is enthusiastically on board with Yuuri’s Christmas plot. But Tsukasa’s idea of a Christmas Eve date reads like an updated version of Pretty Woman. That champagne, Christmas cake, and rose petals in a hot tub are age-restricted for everyone involved. But putting together a Christmas party is a-ok.
Har. Tsukasa thinks throwing a surprise party means dressing for skulduggery. Fujisaki will handle the organization. No food preparation for Tsukasa. Sit quietly in the library and make paper decorations! That means Yuuri can flirt with Fujisaki in the kitchen with his honest attitude. Aw, Tsukasa wants to join in the flirty fun of The Mysterious Maid too.
Poor Natsume. Natsume still doesn’t know what to talk about with her. Even after bothering Lilith in school and at their workplace. Ack. Natsume plays the clumsy maid in casual clothes! The twin-tailed tsundere can’t share her honest feelings with Lilith. Lilith’s fake-adult flirting hits differently when she aims it at a girl! Neat. Natsume and Lilith exchanged Christmas presents. Oh. Natsume wanted to use her date with Lilith to say goodbye because Natsume will return to her mansion soon. Promise extracted: write letters back!
Ooh. Christmas lights! Lilith disappeared in a flash. Aha! The surprise party for Lilith turned into one for Natsume! Yuuri didn’t want to keep secrets from Lilith, so they hatched a different plot. Natsume can’t deal with Yuuri’s unfiltered regard. I wonder if Fujisaki remembers Natsume. The Mysterious Maid didn’t make that clear. Christmas party scenes montage! Over too soon. Boo! I wanted to see Fujisaki in a mini-skirt Santa outfit! Fan artists, do your thing!
Cute! Yuuri and Lilith became knitting buddies. This boy will be a lady killer when he grows up. He’s killing them now! With public kindness and knitting skills! Merry Christmas, Natsume.
Next time, will we learn more about Lilith’s mysterious past?
The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious (Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii) streams on Crunchyroll and VRV in English subtitles and dubbed in multiple languages.
