Yeah, some sort of magical MPD was one of my theories, too; alternatively, I thought they might be predecessor-mages hanging around to advise Female Magician the way Obi-wan Kenobi did Luke Skywalker, or King Carus with Garric.
I agree poor GPFD got the short end of the stick appearance-wise in the anime. And Head Maid looks better in the Ishida manga than in any of the other portrayals -- a beauty in her own right. I have to say, though, the power the anime gives her of calling up "ghost" maids to help her with housework is awesome. My favorite example of this is a scene where Demon Queen laments Hero's absence, Head Maid is standing back ... and one of her summoned spirits reaches down to stroke Demon Queen's hair comfortingly.
The "no proper names" may also reflect ancient Japanese literary traditions. In The Tale of Genji, for instance, to quote a translator's introduction,
Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.
I agree poor GPFD got the short end of the stick appearance-wise in the anime. And Head Maid looks better in the Ishida manga than in any of the other portrayals -- a beauty in her own right. I have to say, though, the power the anime gives her of calling up "ghost" maids to help her with housework is awesome. My favorite example of this is a scene where Demon Queen laments Hero's absence, Head Maid is standing back ... and one of her summoned spirits reaches down to stroke Demon Queen's hair comfortingly.
The "no proper names" may also reflect ancient Japanese literary traditions. In The Tale of Genji, for instance, to quote a translator's introduction,
Quote:In the original only underlings, such as Genji's factotum Koremitsu, have names. The major characters are known by a series of shifting sobriquets or designations having to do with their station in life or with some incident or some brief passage in the narrative.-----
Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.