| abstract
| - Tsuzuki Takumi is an Ordinary High School Student who lives with his older sister Otome. He along with his childhood friend Serizawa Fumino run a patisserie called "Stray Cats". The name is apt as his sister often brings back stray cats. The story begins when one day, instead of a cat, something unexpected is brought home! Mayoi Neko Overrun! is a light novel series authored by Matsu Tomohiro, with illustrations done by Peko. For its manga adaptation, Kentaro Yabuki (Black Cat, To Love Ru) does the art. An anime adaptation aired in the spring of 2010. Due to either experimentation or problems behind the scenes, the anime is unique. Every episode is directed by a new director.
* Abuse Is Okay When Its Female On Male: No one seems to bat an eye when Fumino beats up the male characters.
* Accidental Pervert
* Adaptation Distillation - Predictably, both the anime and manga cut out a lot of idle conversation and less important events, leaving only major plot points.
* Adaptation Explanation Extrication - A reverse form takes place between the manga and light novels; Mikan claims the Stray Cats Patisserie makes good cakes, while in the light novel Takumi states that Otome only makes whatever heavy cakes won't spoil in a week before she goes crusading off again.
* A Day in the Limelight - Episode 5 focuses largely on Chise and gives her a lot of Character Development.
* All Just a Dream - Happens to Nozomi and Takumi in the DVD extras.
* An Aesop - Each of the girls get one. See Broken Bird below.
* Animation Bump - A surprising variant, found in the next episode previews.
* Armor-Piercing Slap - Fumino delivers a particularly sharp one to Takumi in episode 9.
* Asskicking Pose - Played for Laughs. Otome taught Nozomi how to do the Crane Stance to use when introducing herself (complete with a "MEOW!" in the end).
* A Twinkle in the Sky - Happens to Ieyasu courtesy of Fumino and Chise after the promotional video they shot in episode 6.
* Author Appeal - Thanks to Kentaro Yabuki illustrating the manga adaptation, Matsu Tomohiro has allowed him some degree of freedom with regards to the little details. This includes amping the fanservice Up to Eleven and being able to insert characters from To Love Ru (even though their stories have nothing in common, the ambiguity of the setting certainly helps with the cause).
* The characters also come off a whole lot curvier than Peko's original illustrations, but that can probably be attributed to Yabuki's usual drawing style.
* Balanced Harem - In the anime at least, none of the girls have a significant lead over the others with Takumi.
* Beach Episode - Episode 9.
* Because You Were Nice to Me - The reason why Chise tries so hard to be friends with Takumi's group is because Takumi was the only person who helped her up after she fell down.
* Bitch in Sheep's Clothing - Kaho is probably one of these, with the manga clearly painting her in this light.
* Blatant Lies - Fumino always (or almost always) means the opposite of what she says, due to Takumi encouraging her to do that when they were younger, and the other kids picked on her. As a result, in one episode she accidentally lets out an Anguished Declaration of Love to him, only to try and play it off as a lie in the first place, thus restoring the status quo. Not that she seemed comfortable about that lie however...
* Bleached Underpants - Peko, the illustrator for the light novels was also the character designer for, among other things, certain Girls Love H-Games.
* Boobs of Steel - If you're The Messiah in the modern world, not only do you have to be the Friend to All Living Things, but you also have to know how to kick-ass. Otome is the prime example for that.
* Breathe on the Fan - Nozomi does it in the Onsen episode.
* Brick Joke - In the beginning of first episode, Chise announces roles for Grand Braver on Summer Comicket. And then we have entire episode of Grand Braver, with such roles.
* Broken Bird - All of the chapters so far deal with the dilemmas and inner demons of each girl in Tsuzuki's Unwanted Harem:
* Nozomi thought she was being a burden to Stray Cats for being a Pretty Freeloader as well as a orphan/stray.
* Fumino thought Tsuzuki didn't need her anymore now that Nozomi is starting to be productive at Stray Cats.
* Chise bought all the pastries in Stray Cats (and presumably threw them away) so that Tsuzuki would have more free time to have fun with her since her parents are never around.
* Butt Monkey - Chise for most part. Early on she often tries to gather the group together to do something, but they always bail out on her. In one episode, she appears by Takumi's classroom, only to have the door shut in her face by Ieyasu.
* Ieyasu at other times, especially to Fumino.
* The Cameo - To Love Ru cameos: Mikan and Celine appear as regular customers of the Stray Cats. Magical Girl Kyouko appears on TV. One of Run's idol poster is seen and that old teacher appears as a customer too. Saki and her posse also attend a formal gathering in Chise's mansion. Mikan also returns with her friends as a plot point when Chise starts buying all of Stray Cat's pastries. Kotegawa Yui has appeared in chapter 4, while the gang were looking for the owner of the black cat, who happen to be Mikan's teacher. Oshizu and Haruna also appear to be customers of Stray Cats as of chapter 6. And in chapter 7, Golden Darkness is bathing at the public bath they visit.
* Haruna!? Here we go again.
* The Fool, Iggy's Stand also appears as a sand sculpture in chapter 5 of the manga.
* In episode 3, Takumi throws a Melon Soda Akikan into the trash bin.
* Page 27 of Chapter 8 includes Lala, and a child who appears to be "kid Train."
* Earlier on one of the videogames being played had the Maro, big sumo gravity taoist, in it fighting against Kyoko, both from Black Cat.
* In the second chapter, you can see a poster for Run's new single.
* Cannot Spit It Out - Both averted AND inverted. Fumino, being the resident Tsundere, always says the opposite of what she means in front of Takumi. She actually thinks about it before finally saying, "I HATE YOU!!!"
* And this happens as early as the 2nd chapter of the manga, making this the ultimate Averted Trope. When confronted by Takumi the following day, she makes it absolutely clear by saying, "Of course, it was a lie."
* As an added subversion, Takumi knows that Fumino lies about everything and concludes that 1) she loves him, 2) it wasn't a lie and 3) she basically confessed to him.
* Further, in Chapter 7, Fumino thinks that she's confessed to Takumi "so often," but, she feels, he only looks like he understands.
* The first episode of the anime shows Chise playing this trope straight, as her two maids, Satou and Suzuki, reveal how Chise waited outside Stray Cats for an opportunity to get a chance to help Takumi.
* Fumino confesses to Takumi in episode 3 while they're looking for Nozomi, although nothing really seems to come of it.
* Catgirl - Nozomi. She is even mistaken for being a really big cat in the first episode of the anime, until Otome picks her up and brings her home. It does not help that parts of her hair resemble a pair of cat's ears... and shares the same seiyuu as a certain guitarist associated with cats.
* Cat Smile - Chise displays one during episode 5.
* Catch Phrase - Fumino's trademark "Die twice already!" and an occasional variation of "Die ten thousand times already!" Apparently inspired by an unwitting Takumi from when they were kids.
* Chise has one as well. She frequently says "Tsuzuki, hand!" to Takumi whenever she wants to hold his hand.
* Cherry Blossoms: Seen during Chise's flashback in episode 5, when she first entered middle school and met Takumi.
* Clingy Jealous Girl: Fumino, and how.
* A hilarious incident happens in episode 9 on the beach. Takumi falls down near Nozomi while evading Chise's attempts to hit him during the Smashing Watermelons event. He gets up, and Nozomi suddenly grabs him. Both Fumino and Chise scream and in the very next scene, his sister wonders how he got two black eyes.
* The Comically Serious - Nozomi and her Bloots
* Cool Plane - Chise's round-the-world travel plane is a Northrop Grumman B-2 "Spirit" Stealth Bomber.
* Cosplay: Occurs constantly during the Jenga game.
* CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable - Happens in chapter 5 of the manga when Takumi almost drowned. Doubles as Kaho's First Kiss.
* It was Takumi's First Kiss also, if his reaction at the end of the chapter was any indication.
* Cry Cute - Pretty much all of the girls, but especially Chise in episode 5 after Takumi says that she's his friend.
* Cute Little Fangs - Fumino has one, and it only serves to amplify her cuteness.
* Nozomi does too, and it's even cuter than Fumino's.
* The Danza - Rina Sato voicing Sato. Yeah.
* Double Subversion - The ping-pong sequence in episode four. Chise and Fumino take up their positions, dramatic music booms, and it looks like we're going to get a full helping of What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome? epic ping-pong. They then proceed to... start lightly tapping the ball back and forth in the most dull, expressionless, robotic way imaginable. For over a minute. Then it starts to get faster, and faster, and then it flips into bullet time and the elaborate diving saves start...
* Emotionless Girl - Nozomi, whose default mood happens to be this. She rarely shows emotion on her face, and is generally quiet for most part. However, when Takumi tells her she could treat him as she did an important family member, she is touched by his words and cries.
* Hair Decorations
* Expressive Hair - While the "ears" on top of Nozomi's head are nothing more than hair, they still move around like they were cat ears.
* Fan Service - Much more so in the manga than its other iterations. (In particular, Chapter 7 is a nipple bonanza.)
* The preview for episode 10 is exclusively shots of Suzuki and Sato's tanned, barely-clothed bodies.
* Funny Background Event - In episode 6, Takumi first sees a half fishman in the Amazon jungle. He tries to tell Fumino about it, but she just kicks him instead. Later in South America he sees a UFO flying around in the sky, and once again tries to get Fumino's attention, and gets kicked again. When they're in the Himalayas, he sees a sasquatch, but either due to being Genre Savvy, or being extremely sleep deprived, he just looks at it and casually mentions that seeing that isn't unusual at all.
* Gaming and Sports Anime And Manga - For one episode. The game played is a cross between Jenga and Truth or Dare, with Kanae serving as Combat Commentator.
* It is a very obvious pastiche of Saki, down to the lightning eyes and the shuffling machine animation.
* Genki Girl - Otome and Kanae
* Genre Savvy - When seeing Takumi comes in with a badly bruised face, Ieyasu correctly concludes that Takumi got beat up for falling into someone's boobs, though he doesn't really believe it.
* Getting Crap Past the Radar - This is an usual (NSFW) thing for Yabuki.
* Girlish Pigtails: Suzuki wears her hair in twin braids.
* Godiva Hair
* Hey, It's That Voice!: A few To Aru Majutsu no Index and Railgun seiyuus are back in this anime: Takumi is a less psychotic and way nicer Accelerator, Fumino is a Tsundere Saten, Chise is Index sans her powers, and Satou and Suzuki are Mikoto and Kuroko at Chise's service. Just to drive the point home, there's even a cameo from the two leads of the series. Additionally, Miho is Kaho.
* Also from K-On!: Nozomi is, fittingly enough, Azu-nyan. It helps that both shows air on the same day. And while we're at it, Otome is Ritsu, and a younger Takumi is Mugi.
* Fumino is also Nana, which is a riot considering how many people who know Nana keep dropping by the shop in the manga version.
* Also, there are some seiyuu references in the manga, like Satou wearing loose socks and Chise biting Ieyasu's head à la mode d'Index.
* Also, some voices hail from Toradora!: Kanae might as well be mistaken for a longer-haired, *openly* lesbian Minori Kushieda, and Ryuuji and Kouji are now Daigorou and Ieyasu, respectively.
* Well, Ieyasu is also Saruyama.
* Hot Springs Episode
* Hyperspace Arsenal - Chise's maids. No, they don't have one... they are one.
* Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each light novels' title mentions adoption, and uses the cover character's form of speech.
* Idiot Hair: Otome.
* I Just Want to Have Friends: Chise tries really hard at this...with mixed results until at least episode 5.
* Imagine Spotting: As Takumi reflects on his naked cabin adventures with Kaho, Ieyasu is able to see the bubble, making this an example of Medium Awareness as well.
* I'm Taking Her Home with Me: Otome loves doing this, justifies she seems to have a good reason for it.
* Innocent Fanservice Girl: Nozomi and Kaho.
* Otome is one as well.
* Instant Expert: Nozomi is able to make a strawberry shortcake perfectly the first time, despite watching Otome's horrible attempt at it at first in episode 2.
* The Jimmy Hart Version: Of Louis Armstrong's famous cover of It's a Wonderful World.
* It only adds to the awesomeness of the Ping-Pong game.
* Keigo: Kaho always speaks this way.
* Kung Shui: being Played for Laughs, Fumino and Chise punch Ieyasu through a window when the Stray Cats commercial he was shooting was focusing on ... certain areas of the girls rather than the scenery they took the trouble to create for it.
* Lap Pillow: Episode 4.
* Leaning on the Fourth Wall: A text shows up revealing that Takumi has failed half of his tests before Takumi even knows the results, Takumi is shocked to see it...
* Takumi has another of his Accidental Pervert moments with Fumino, and says this is a bit like To Love Ru ... considering all the TLR characters showing up, including a minor one in the room with them at that very moment....
* Les Yay - Class Rep Kanae's enthusiastic reaction to walking in on Fumino, Otome, Nozomi, and Chise all in their underwear or less.
* Chise's two maids don P.E. uniforms in Chapter 6 - and, well.... Both subtle (they appear to be holding hands) and unsubtle (Suzuki's other forearm is completely up under Sato's T-shirt, with the hand apparently between her breasts). They've still each got an arm around the other's waist on the next page.
* The Class Rep again: one of the credits pages of Chapter 10 has a shot of her very deliberately (and with a big grin) grabbing Fumino's butt with both hands.
* Lightning Glare - You can practically feel the static in the air when Fumino and Chise do this to each other in episode 8.
* Likes Older Women - Both of Those Two Guys. Ieyasu once proclaimed he liked older girls. Both has shown some infatuation with Otome. Daigorou later engaged with Tamao.
* Luminescent Blush
* Male Gaze - Aside from various uses of the Super Sentai Stance, this is what Ieyasu put in the group's PV. They didn't find out until the video was done.
* Used quite often throughout the series, such as the focus on Fumino's legs in the first episode.
* Marshmallow Hell - Otome likes to do this to Takumi.
* Megane: Ieyasu.
* Megaton Punch: Ieyasu suffers these a lot.
* Meido - Satou and Suzuki, Chise's two female servants. According to The Other Wiki, they're teenagers, both attending the same school as the main characters.
* Moe
* Moment Killer -- At the end of Episode 9, when Chise shines that godawfully bright searchlight on Fumino and Takumi just as things were getting interesting.
* Motor Mouth: Chise
* Ms Fix It. - Nozomi fixes a disaster strawberry cake AND AN LCD TV.
* Mundane Utility: Stray Cats Appreciation Society's promotional video costs one building destroyed, a whole jungle painted, and the Nazca Lines defaced beyond repair... all for three meaningless minutes of Panty Shots, but hey, at least it got a million views!
* Noblewoman's Laugh: Chise does this often.
* "Nyaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
* Nosebleed: Ieyasu gets a modest one, complete with a Luminescent Blush and Wingding Eyes, when he sees Otome in her bikini.
* Also Takumi in the anime opening.
* Not Blood Siblings: Takumi was adopted by Otome when he was younger.
* Not So Stoic: Nozomi at the end of the first arc/chapter/novel, replete with Cooldown Hug and Cry Cute.
* Not What It Looks Like: Takumi was mixing up something, probably cake frosting, when Chise and Fumino collided with him. Daigoro and Ieyasu walk in to find the three huddled together on the floor, with smears of white semi-liquid all over the girls' clothing and faces...
* The Ojou - Chise. Overlaps with Bratty Half-Pint.
* Kaho Chikumaen qualifies as this as well, if those Security Personnel behind her in the anime version are anything to go by.
* Omake - The DVDs include Mayoi Neko Neko Douga, which are ~3 minute shorts that include dancing, short sketches, Fan Service, and Rock Paper Scissors matches that end badly for the loser. It's close to Shaft without actually being so.
* Otaku - Ieyasu, to the point of being Genre Savvy. Chise also stays awake to watch Dragon Ball Kai.
* Out-of-Genre Experience - Basically, the later half of the episodes are this.
* Pacing Problems - Evident in the anime. Speech seems to be sugar rush fast in comparison to other anime shows. Episode four makes this trope, as the first 11 minutes of the episode are loaded with fast speech and are then followed by a minute and a half long ping pong sequence that hardly has any action besides arm movement and a ball. No dialogue, no real relevancy to the plot...
* The ping pong sequence doubles as a Crowning Moment of Funny for the episode, though Your Mileage May Vary.
* Then Kaho overuses formal speech when talking with Takumi to the point where you can't help but laugh.
* It's arguably just the style of the anime. And the fast paced speech gives way to slowed down Fanservice.
* Panty Shot - Fumino accidentally gives Takumi a full view of her underwear whilst trying to get him to wake up, early on in the first episode. Surprisingly, that's the only time we get to see it for the entirety of the episode.
* Also at episode 4 complete with epic ping pong.
* At the end of Episode 6 when the rest of the Stray Cats Appreciation Society get a gander at the PV Ieyasu made after the worldwide Filming Project From Hell, many of these are shown. Cue Ieyasu making a speedy ascent into Low Earth Orbit.
* Playboy Bunny: Fumino cosplayed as this during the Jenga game, from the command on her block piece.
* Rapunzel Hair: Fumino, Nozomi, Chise, Otome.
* Recap Episode: The bonus metafictional episode 13, which has Fumino, Chise and Nozomi give in-character commentary on the show, including the opening and ending sequences. Highlights include Fumino wondering why her Panty Shot is the first thing after the opening, and Chise singing along with the Grand Braver theme.
* As well as Chise reciting one of Index's lines out of the blue.
* Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted with Nozomi and Otome.
* Refuge in Audacity: Episode 4. An Onsen episode cranked Up to Eleven. The male characters spend 90% of their screen time naked, to begin with.
* Rule of Funny - Apparently, typhoons can blow away THE MOON.
* Running Gag: Otome's bra.
* School Swimsuit: Chise wears one for the swimsuit competition, despite her irritation to do so (it was sent to her from Kaho). Also seen being worn by Nozomi in one of Chise's travel scenarios in her head. Fumino wore one due to one of the command blocks she chose from the Jenga game.
* Serious Business: The bloomers vs. spats/bike shorts war that the school erupts into. They even have their own anthems.
* Also, when the group is filming a video for their club. Ieayasu takes his filming very seriously, going to various locales around the world.
* Shipper on Deck: Not present with the actual characters, but the anime's opening and episode 9 really seem to favor Fumino.
* Shout-Out: Hasta La Vista, Ieyasu. Also counts as a Crowning Moment of Funny.
* Episode 11: Fumino's spirit combined with Geass!
* All hail Bloomeria!
* Episode 12: One Piece cosplay race!
* Chapter 4 deals with the question of a name for the club Chise's decided to form. Several rejected suggestions are shown on a whiteboard in one panel; they're all the names of clubs from other manga or anime, starting with "SOS Brigade".
* Episode 8 starts out like something from a certain Mahjong anime.
* Episode 13: A Shout-Out to A Certain anime.
* Your right hand is probably erasing the power of good luck.
* One page of Chapter 7 has Chise biting Ieyasu in response to his insult towards her, much like what Index does to Touma.
* Episode 7 is a love-letter to the Super Robot anime genre, or more specifically the Yuusha meta series, complete with JAM Project-esque intro by Yoshiki Fukuyama
* Shower Scene - Which is, more often than not...
* Shower of Angst - Where most of the Fan Service comes from. The shots are gratuitously uncensored in the manga (not even a hint of Censor Steam).
* Show Within a Show -- Maid Ninja Kouga-chan. Ieyasu even mentions the practice of Censor Steam, giving a hint as to what sort of anime it is.
* Also the Grand Braver episode.
* And in keeping with the manga's To Love Ru cameos, 'Magical Girl Flame Kyouko'. Solving all sorts of problems by burning them!
* Shrouded in Myth - Outrageous tales about Otome's feats of heroism. From rescuing a burning village with only a bucket of water to smuggling an entire family away from greedy loan sharks.
* Then there's rescuing stray children from the streets... * sob*
* Something Completely Different - Episode 7 takes the Combining Mecha Super Robot Show Within a Show Yuusha Choujin Grand Braver and shows the entirety of its equally fictional 26th episode. The cast matches up perfectly with the main show's.
* Skinship Grope - Kanae does this to Fumino in the second episode.
* Then in episode four Nozumi does this to both Fumino and Chise.
* Super Drowning Skills - Ieyasu. Takumi surprisingly subverts this trope for a harem lead.
* Super Robot: The Yuusha Choujin Grand Braver episode, complete with Humongous Mecha, Combining Mecha, and Calling Your Attacks.
* Super Sentai Stance - During the Stray Cats' worldwide filming expedition, this was the only thing filmed. In their school uniforms. In the freezing cold. They even had the colored smoke.
* Take a Third Option: Nozomi refuses to take a side in the bloomers vs. spats war as that would mean being forced to choose between her two best friends, so she invents bloots and becomes a one-woman team.
* Take That: Episode 6
* Team Mom - Otome when she's around, otherwise taken up by Fumino.
* Thirteen Episode Anime
* Those Two Guys: Ieyasu and Daigorou, and, to a lesser extent, Satou and Suzuki, Chise's maids.
* Tsundere - Fumino; Takumi is Genre Savvy enough to know what she actually means from what she says. Further lampshaded by Ieyasu in the second episode.
* Takumi even knows how to push Fumino's buttons. For example, business is failing and they want to garner PR by having Otome enter a swimsuit competition, but she can't because there aren't any swimsuits in her size, so Takumi asks Nozomi to enter for them, saying that Fumino doesn't like this kind of thing. Sure enough, Fumino gets flustered about it and joins.
* Unlucky Everydude - Tsuzuki Takumi initially comes off as this, but he proves to be more insightful and understanding than most of the other characters, being able to relate to Nozomi's situation and knowing Fumino's true feelings towards him (not to mention pacifying Chise when she drops her guard). This effectively makes him The Everyman.
* Unwanted Harem - Poor Takumi.
* Verbal Tic - Nozomi frequently uses "Nya" in her speech, which usually is translated as "Meow".
* What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?? - Episode 4. The ping pong sequence. Most epic game of ping pong ever.
* 'Ping Pongs'? Is that what they're calling them nowadays?
* Episode eight brings us awesome Jenga, borrowing many of the visual cues from Saki, which the director of this episode also directed.
* Woman in White: Otome. Also, during filming of the Stray Cats commercial Takumi imagines Fumino, Nozomi,and Chise in white dresses in an autumn setting.
* Yamato Nadeshiko - Kaho, although she seems to have ulterior motives, having shown a manipulative side to her.
* You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Otome's hair is blue, Nozomi's is a pale violet, and Naruko has reddish-pink.
* Zettai Ryouiki - Fumino has this at a Grade A, if only because she lacks the twintails.
* Grade A seems to be part of the Stray Cats' female uniforms as well.
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