Mahoraba has a lot of different elements in its story. This is a good thing since watching another Maison Ikkoku would not really be that interesting, now would it? There's humor, drama- a bit of everything. And guess what? They all work. I've laughed so hard my stomach hurt, cried like a baby, thinked hard about certain situations. While Mahoraba is no complex series, it has a deeper meaning there too and leaves the viewer to choose how to see the current situation.
Mahoraba is easy to view, simple enough to show to your friends who are new to anime- but at the same time it's refreshing in it's own special way and offers new stuff to the otakus as well. The episodes follow a certain path but there's still enough room for altering the story to keep it interesting.