Hinamatsuri
Comedic showstoppers that successfully fulfill their purpose to entertain the vast majority of their viewers are a rare breed. There are no shortages of comedy shows in modern-day anime, but not all of them manage to tickle our funny bones.
In order to entertain, it is not merely enough to make you laugh, but it must also capture the unique charm of Anime comedies, old and new. Managing to do so within a limited number of episodes is no simple feat either, so be sure not to miss such gems amidst a seemingly endless sea of titles!
Hinamatsuri, also known as “Hina Festival,” is a 12 episode TV Anime series that aired from the 6th of April until the 22nd of June in Spring 2018.
It features the genres of Comedy, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, and Supernatural, targeted at the Seinen demographic and received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older. It was produced by Media Factory, Magic Capsule, Nippon Columbia, Kadokawa Media House, and Akatsuki, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio feel.
The main staff behind it include Oikawa Kei as Director and on Storyboard, Nawa Munenori as Episode Director, Motoyama Satoshi as Sound Director, and Nakata Makoto as Episode Director.
Hinamatsuri is adapted from the source Manga, serialized in Harta. It spanned 19 volumes published from the 15th of June 2010 until the 15th of July 2020. Additionally, it was licensed via One Peace Books.
The Story revolves around a yakuza member named Yoshifumi Nitta, who was reveling in the successful clinching of a prized vase for his exquisite collection. He was then rudely and abruptly interrupted by a large peculiar capsule suddenly materializing and falling right on his head.
He opened this capsule to reveal a young, blue-haired girl who did not reveal anything about herself other than that her name was Hina and that she possessed immense prowess. To make things worse, she even lost control and unleashed an explosion, a regular occurrence if her powers remained unused.
Faced with absolutely no other choice, Nitta reluctantly became her caregiver. Nitta asked Hina to help out with a construction deal to let her use her powers freely, which seemingly went smoothly. But during this, a rival yakuza group had covertly attacked his boss, and to Nitta's disbelief, his colleagues pinned the blame on him.
Now tasked with attacking the rival group for revenge, Nitta steeled himself and arrived at their hideout, only to be unexpectedly aided by Hina, who stepped in and wiped out the entire group.
Hina thus turned into a valuable asset for Nitta himself and his yakuza business, just so long as she didn't use her powers on him first! Thus began the strange life of this highly unusual duo….
The Hinamatsuri Manga is full of awesome content, and it’s no easy task to deliver all of it in the Anime. Fortunately, this show is very aware of itself, features a variety of colorful personalities, is full of entertaining absurdity, and makes viewers wonder what this is all about.
The staff’s main objective was to entertain the audience, and they did a pretty good job. The character reactions are extremely comedic, and the main duo does this the best, considering their vastly different backgrounds. On the surface, these two are nothing alike, but as they progressively interact with each other, a strange yet sturdy bond that makes them inseparable is born.
This series also does a phenomenal job of capturing the character expressions alongside well-timed body language. Each episode leaves the audience craving for more content and a need to see what certain characters will do under specific situations.
These also feature a segment of everyday life activities made abnormal thanks to the psychic powers involved now and then. In addition, there are some interesting emotional elements thrown into the mix.
The Story has a touch of realism viewers would not expect too. For example, there is a somewhat realistic portrayal of homelessness in this seemingly haywire anime. It neatly ties together a lot of different ideas into a thematic storytelling style which may feel random initially but is overall connected in the most unexpected ways.
Every character, be it the primary or supporting cast, delivers memorable and pivotal moments. An example of this is Hina’s classmate, Hitomi, who works discreetly at a bar that only a few know about.
The show does not stagnate at one location or setting, be it the school or the bustling city. Viewers must also be prepared for significant mood changes because there are episodes that even showcase what life could be like in isolation.
Thus, this series experiments with diverse ideas shows constant evolution, and leaves viewers with something fruitful to talk about.
The Characters of Hinamatsuri play a significant part in the whole show. The series puts enough value into each of them to make the viewers care about them. On the one hand, these characters do not stand out much, but on the other hand, they are definitely worth watching for their unique roles.
The best way to know them is to simply let them do the talking, as the series does an incredible job of showcasing their personalities in the most comedic ways possible. There is a general sense of fatalism, too, because some of them are just destined to meet, and some events are just fated to unfold.
The storytelling elements can be predictable at times, but this does not hinder how the characters connect. Unfortunately, there are a few inappropriate portrayals of some characters to swallow.
There is a decent amount of fan service and some uncomfortable scenes for no apparent reason. But then again, this Anime strives to entertain its viewers through clever comedy, and this aspect can add to that.
The Art and Animation of Hinamatsuri has a decent amount of production quality that works well into its unique style. The character reactions are expertly animated with extreme style, which is a major plus.
Visually, it remains faithful to the show's overall tone and never goes off the rails. Emotional moments are impressively brought to life. The Anime is unbelievably human despite being so silly and contains a few tear-jerking episodes. The character designs are sharp and vibrant.
The Sounds and Music of Hinamatsuri may not be its greatest strengths. But it possesses a superb Voice cast! Characters like Nitta, Hina, Anzu, and Hitomi are voiced perfectly, in absolute correspondence with their personalities.
They can say certain lines with a straight face under peculiar circumstances, which can quickly get viewers laughing. Remember that this is a comedy series that stays true to its intentions.
The Opening theme is "Distance" by Rie Murakawa, and the Ending themes are "Sake to Ikura to 893 to Musume" by Yoshiki Nakajima and "Shashinchou" by Yoko Ishida, "Taisetsu na Hito" by Chisuga Haruka and "Hajimete no Kimochi" by Ozawa Ari.
These are nothing groundbreaking, but they do their jobs well. The OSTs don’t fail to make certain scenes and montages feel more meaningful either, serving their purpose despite not being memorable.
Overall, Hinamatsuri will likely make you wish for more episodes. This Anime was adapted quite well, good enough to please the Manga readers and leave an impression on you. The highlights are the character chemistry, peculiar storytelling, and each episode leaving something to talk about.
It is recommended, as it simply should not be overlooked and deserves more love. It does an excellent job of crafting comedy, something many series fail to accomplish, and is very likely to leave you entertained.
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