Shonen Maid is a show I was honestly afraid to watch. A little boy and a maid outfit is more than enough to attract a very seedy subsection of viewers, and shotacon fetish material isn’t something I’m super interested in exploring. (There’s a reason I refuse to write up Super Lovers , aka Child Grooming The Anime .) So I was on hyper-alert during episode 1 of Shonen Maid . In every scene, I asked myself: is this innocent or is this fanservice? Is this thinly-disguised fetish bait? Is this child being sexualized? Is an adult being predatory or creepy in this scene?

Ultimately, Shonen Maid is catering lightly to the shotacon crowd by simple virtue of its “little boy in a maid outfit” visuals. But that’s it. The visuals (which remind me of a rounder, softer Fruits Basket ) aren’t unseemly or exploitative, and Shonen Maid appears to be earnestly interested in preserving not only its main character’s innocence but the sincerity of the adults around him. To my great relief, there’s a surprisingly touching story about grief and loss and family hiding in episode 1 of Shonen Maid .

Shonen Maid starts with the death of its main character’s mother. Young Chihiro is a big worrywart, and the letter his mother left him upon her death doesn’t exactly soothe his nervous nature. “Those who don’t work don’t eat,” she writes. But for all that the message seems stern, Chihiro’s mother appears to have been a free spirit and a loving person who eked out a loving life with her son. Chihiro is devastated by the loss.

His wealthy uncle Madoka takes Chihiro in, but Chihiro rejects this grand new home, which is so unlike the humble apartment he and his mother used to live in. Madoka is a childlike bachelor who scarcely seems capable of taking care of himself, but he’s sweet and kind and clearly sees his beloved big sister when he looks at the child she left behind.

There are two points where Madoka’s kindness is critical to elevating the episode past forgettable C-level fare. The first is in the bargain he makes to get Chihiro to stay in the mansion. By “employing” Chihiro as a maid, Madoka helps Chihiro retain a sense of control and purpose in a new life that clearly overwhelms him. Madoka could only make such a bargain if he had made the effort to understand Chihiro’s perspective in the first place, so the offer is clearly kindly thought and speaks highly of Madoka’s empathy and care.

The second point is after Chihiro has spent the entire night and most of the day cleaning. His cleaning is both a coping mechanism and a task Chihiro enjoys, but he refuses to sleep, which troubles both Madoka and his live-in secretary. After Chihiro is coaxed into taking a nap on the couch, the secretary and Madoka work together to clean out an entire room for him. After all, Madoka asks, how can Chihiro relax without a nest -- a clean room that’s all his own? It’s a great thing to realize, and the fact that Madoka immediately sets about answering this need is so important.

These points of kindness are what convinced me that Shonen Maid had more to offer than empty fetish bait. Chihiro’s grief is very clearly communicated through his ceaseless energy and restless activity as well as his initial rejection of his uncle, and Madoka needed to answer it somehow. I don’t know if this nuanced exploration of grief is something the show plans to keep up, but I thought it was subtle and sweet, especially when met with Madoka’s kindness, which Chihiro so needed. As for Madoka, he’s clearly something of a lonely eccentric who could stand to be more responsible, look at the world around him more and take better care of himself, something Chihiro can inspire him to do.

While Madoka’s airheaded personality is played for laughs, Shonen Maid also takes pains to show him behaving like an adult: working as a professional costume designer, reassuring Chihiro, doing things unselfishly for his nephew’s good. Those moments are both pleasant and needful, grounding Madoka’s character and giving it necessary depth.

As for the maid outfits? It turns out that Madoka is a professional costume designer, so when he sticks Chihiro in a maid outfit it’s just because he thinks it’s cute. He makes Chihiro a pair of cat pajamas under the same principle. I guess the bait is there if you take it, but again, it’s not presented in an unseemly or worrying fashion.

Should you watch Shonen Maid?

I’m still hesitant to fully endorse Shonen Maid in case it veers into wild fujoshi bait territory in later episodes. But episode 1 of Shonen Maid surprised me in a positive way. I’m willing to watch more and hopeful that it keeps surpassing my expectations.

Shonen Maid airs on Funimation here every Friday at 8:30 PM EST.