Hanasaku Iroha 02
Well, here we are. Even after stating that I would never again blog another slice-of-life show, Hanasaku Iroha has somehow managed to charm me completely. I’m a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and who could resist following the growth and character development of a lead like Ohana? She’s so wonderfully endearing without trying too hard to be cute; no amount of moe moe blushing or contrived clumsiness or maid outfits are needed to make her my favorite character of all the Spring shows that’ve aired so far.
Instead, she wins me over by demonstrating an attitude that’s optimistic, but not annoyingly so; cheerful without seeming fake, and filled with those familiar feelings of uncertainty about the future that are all too believable for a sixteen year old.
ξ✿❛‿❛✿ξ
After a surprisingly good first episode, I was curious as to whether the show could keep up the brilliant production values (yup, still gorgeous) and natural feel of the writing. The pacing of this week’s ep is understandably slower (it is two seasons long, after all), and you could say that not much really happens. We start out with Ohana trying everything to show her grandma that she can work and be ‘useful’. It’s a desire that also seems to be present in Minko, and there’s some more drama that only drives them further. Ohana does something even worse than getting Minko slapped; she outdoes her with her cooking, which hurts the latter’s pride even more.
I wonder when they’ll finally overcome their differences and become bffl? If I had to make some speculation for future episodes at this point, I’d say that Minko has a crush on Tohru (aka resident bishie assistant chef guy) and gets jealous when he shows interest in Ohana (or perhaps a misunderstanding since Minko’s so paranoid about Ohana one-upping her)… you heard it here first. Love-centered drama is good, but I like the family variety more. And we get plenty thanks to some flashbacks to Ohana’s mother’s marvelous parenting skills…
Pssh I didn't let my parents come to those class events because they'd embarrass the heck out of me
Nako isn’t nearly as interesting as a character to me, yet. She plays the role of the deer-in-the-headlights a little too well, although she provides an interesting contrast to Minko’s cold demeanor and Ohana’s can-do personality. (And we still haven’t met this girl yet; she definitely has my favorite character design.) In fact, I haven’t warmed up to any of the other characters yet; especially after what that pervy writer reached a whole new level of creepiness. The uncle is harmless but uninteresting, Tohru is a jerk, Minko is slightly annoying, and the same goes for Nako. And you can’t forget Ohana’s terrible mother/grandmother combo. Plenty to dislike, but plenty of room for development in the 24 episodes we have left.
Hopefully this girl will grow a backbone by the time this series ends.
The one other character I loved was Ko, and I really do hope we see him again soon. I think his relationship with Ohana is so easy and believable… that scene in the OP with them in the train is <3. And I usually hate romance in any medium, so evoking that kind of shipping fuel in, what, ten minutes of screentime? is an achievement. The stereotypical scene would be Ohana undergoing change and growth and learning the value of work and all that good stuff at the inn, then coming back home to reciprocate his confession... but I hope he comes back sooner.
Lesson learned: don't tell the person driving the vehicle to die unless you want to go down with them.
Tohru would still be on my list of characters I want to learn more about, though. My unresolved romantic tension senses are tingling.
Even if you didn’t love Ohana as much as I did, I haven’t found anyone who outright dislikes her. It’s especially hard when she reveals so many faults in this episode– yes, she’s determined, but she can also get annoyed and vent on others instead of letting people walk all over her like a doormat and slapping a complacent smile on her face. And Kanae Itou is just wonderful. I know her mostly as Amu from Shugo Chara, and she has such way with making a character sound adorable without straying towards the annoyingly high-pitched side of things. Also, the ED is gorgeous. Thank goodness there isn’t any of that horrible singing from the OP/insert song last episode, although the song itself is upbeat and catchy.
Let’s see if Hanasaku can reverse my aversion to blogging shows with no ‘plot’: maybe a story doesn’t need to be terribly original, or thought-provoking, to entertain. Maybe it can just pay attention to the details and actually try to develop characters through good writing instead of relying on the usual crowd-pleasing moe tropes. I always thought that I’d be incapable of thinking of enough to say in a post unless there’s an insane amount of stuff happening in the plot. But if shows like Fractale have taught us anything, it’s that all of your high concepts and ambition can collapse if they lack focus and heart, and hopefully Hanasaku Iroha will have both in spades.
/ 36 Commentsleave a comment /
Leave a Reply
- Space Brothers 07 13/05
- Accel World 06 13/05
- Sankarea 06 12/05
- Kore wa Zombie desu ka - Of the Dead 06 12/05
- Accel World 04 - 05 11/05
- Tsuritama 05 11/05
- Space Brothers 06 09/05
- Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom [Review] 07/05
- The Hardest Part About Blogging 05/05
- Welcome to Tourney Visitors! 05/05
-
Tofu on Accel World 06
Justin mate... I know how you feel bro :D From ep... -
Justin on Accel World 06
I wish I could be enjoying this like you have Tofu... -
Test to your hearts content Gureedo and as always,... -
Gureedo on Accel World 06
I'm not really sure why this its happening...... -
oh wow... is there a way to contact this 'pro... -
Ok, this is Bullcarp! It's my provider! He�... -
Test comment from my phone =D Please ignore) ... -
ooo~ sounds very nice, would love to give it a try... -
Vivi on Space Brothers 07
You're so evil hahaha. I've never watche... -
zleihsh on Accel World 06
Continue my last post, yes, I could love to give y...
Gureedo
Noblesse
Suu
Tofu
Wooooooooooo episode 2! So good I like that she Ohana is trying to make friends with everyone, or at least trying to? And grandma doesn't seem so bad this time around however I don't think that will last to long. Can't wait to see how things go next time, that ending was like OH GOD RUN!! Hahahaha
That cliffhanger was cheap!! Haha, I liked how Ohana eventually had enough of trying and failing to befriend the other girls at the inn. And I'm surprised that grandma didn't resort to physical abuse too. Maybe she'll kick the pervy writer guy out showing that she might care for Ohana at least a little bit. (x
What is this? I'm reading a post in the future? (HOHOHOHO STEINS;GATE)
Ohana is adorable. You're right about how she actually shows and accepts her faults instead of being obsessed her own insecurities that she spends more time groaning about it than doing anything to change it (*coughAmucough*)
Kou is cuuute. I'm hoping that there would be like some long distance relationship involved later (hopefully)
My favourite scene in this episode has got to be Ohana and her brocolli omelette rice. :3 So cute yet so deep at the same time.
Also, HanaIro's gonna be 24 episodes! Awesome :)
My recent post Hanasaku Iroha 01 – First Impressions
Lol I haven't watched Steins;Gate yet. It looks like the type of show that'll give me a headache xP
I'm actually starting to see a lot of similarities between her and Amu, although that may just be Kanae Itou's influence xD Kou needs to send Ohana a text or something! Don't go all 5 cm/second on me. ;-;
Haha, I loved that scene. A little harsh for someone so young, and I'm surprised that it hasn't turned her into a bitter young adult ;P
Ohana is one my favorite girls (in just two episodes). Spunky and sweet. She's great. I really want to see that other girl with the big hair though. :D
I like her with Ko–I'm a sucker for the best friends thing. I'm not too fond of the other characters yet, but neither is Ohana, so I'm guessing the show is doing what it wants to do.
Apparently that girl is the daughter of the head of the rival inn… that should provide some nice drama (; I'm surprised at how much I've warmed up to the show in general, even though it doesn't feel rushed at all.
I'm not used to seeing the best friend character get the girl, so I hope things turn out well between them! And good point. You can get a really a nice feel for Ohana's emotions from the way things have been going for her.
hmm…this looks pretty good…still wondering if i should pick it up….
My recent post Aprils Fools Gone Too Far
You should definitely give at least the first episode a try– if drama/slice-of-life isn't your thing, the visuals are still incredibly gorgeous ^^
slice of life is definitely my type of genre :)
just that i like to marathon anime, so i always wait or anime to finish before o dl it :D
but if its REALLY good and it KILLS me to have to wait, then i follow it
My recent post Aprils Fools Gone Too Far
I hope that Ano Hana turns out well, too, then! It's the other slice-of-life/drama that looks very promising. I'm really surprised at how much I loved Hanasaku, so expectations are even higher ;D
It's hard waiting for the next episode to come out when you really love a show. I'm definitely a marathoner, too x D
Nailed Ohana's character pretty nicely in the second paragraph.
My recent post Weekly Inbou Digest 04-09
awww yeah =P
I hope we get to see other sides to her personality later on, too.
Ohana reminds me a lot of Emily from Kaze no Shoujo Emily, she just doesn't sit back and let shit happen and she is not averse to getting physical, hopefully Minko will calm down a bit because she did my head in in such a short amount of time and what is that nervous wrecks problem? she did my head in as well. If this show has rape or any form of overly groping in it with Ohana as the victim i will shun this series as fast as..well something really fast, if it keeps up with the Cinderella style drama i will be happy. The next episode preview does make it seem likes things are fine but you never know.
My recent post Photo
I'll have to look that show up; an mc like Ohana sounds awesome to me. (; One thing I absolutely love about the show is the lack of fanservice-y moments and other squicky things, so I hope it keeps up with the literary-like story too. It does seem a lot like Cinderella (:
Still wondering how they'll handle that awkward moment (episode 3 now!!) so we can go on with the character development and misc. dramatic moments~
I got goosebumps when that author started walking towards her with that rape face.>.> What a creeper….
So far I really love Ohana- she's already becoming one of my favorite characters and it's only been 2 episodes. And I don't know, I kind of thought Tohru was pretty awesome, and I'd love to see more of him (pissed off Minko is nice too….I'm such a hater =3= )
I laughed pretty hard at the broccoli omelet thing. XD What a horrible mother…
My recent post Star Driver 24
I know, it's like you can't even avoid creepers in rl anymore since now they pop up in your soothing slice-of-life anime >.< Plus he caused more trouble for her by being such a weird sort of slob. If they can make him more sympathetic or even likeable, it'd be an achievement, but I'd rather that he fades into the background or leaves =P
I think Tohru is the most likeable guy at the moment (since Ko is still gone), and LOL at the cruel and unusual form of revenge served up this ep. At least she ate it xD
I agree that the cast isn’t fully fleshed out yet, but that’s definitely seems to be a destination and it’s nice to learn more about everyone than we did at first. I also get the feeling that we’re supposed to be a bit annoyed by Minko and Nako at this stage, seeing as Ohana told them both off for the reasons that I would have in that situation. That aside, Ohana is a strong enough character to carry the show to that point because she has more depth than most leads in this kind of series – she’s nice and eager to please, but I was surprised by how open she was with her opinions and how spiteful she could be. Her hate omelet was pretty much the best part of the episode, and I lulled at her trying to befriend the two girls by making them eat the worst things they’ve ever eaten.
Overall I’ve got high hopes for this show because it looks like there’s some genuine dramatic substance that I wasn’t really expecting when I started watching. I just hope things don’t get too much worse for Ohana this early, that ending was… unpleasant.
I had this small feeling of dread as soon as Ohana started cleaning the room/cooked breakfast for everyone/generally tried to fix things, because you just knew that it would backfire on her. She just can't catch a break. The other girls aren't exactly making things easier for her, but I can see why finding them initially unlikeable makes the journey worth it (: It looks like the type of show where the destination will make me sad that it has to end. Which is the best kind, I guess =P
I hope she follows through next week with making the girls eat their least favorite foods. That would be very entertaining to watch (;
Everyone seems to know about Minko's little crush. How long before action is taken to seduce Tooru?!
Aside from not straying into the high-pitched side of things, I also like how sometimes Ohana acts like an old person. When she was chopping that grass, she looked like some granny doing tai chi.
My recent post Dog Days 02
Haha, true. I love it when characters let their inner elderly selves shine through :P
Mint.. your writing skills are magnificent. To be able to write so much and elaborate so deeply. I truly look up to you senpai!! ^^
Keep blogging Hanasaku Iroha please~! xD
BTW: I really like minko’s character design and nako is an awesome shy girl. I’m sorry, she is to me because she’d voiced by the same voice actor as Yui from K-On!!!! <3
Aww thanks Tofu XD My ego has been satisfied for the next few days :") I think we'll be alternating with who's covering this show since it's so long! Well, not as long as Gintama or anything, but two seasons.
Wow, I couldn't tell that they had the same voice actress at all. And Minko's design makes her seem like such a lovely ojou-sama ;P
Toyosaki Aki is a very talented voice actor! Even I didn't realized until I searched it up. She won like… 3 awards last year.
My recent post Star Driver 24
I'm not the only one who is sceptical of this one am I? From the moment it started, HI has yet to showcase much originality. From the characters to the way they're voiced to their designs to the general plot outline (Ugh), I find it a derivative and a little uninspired. It certainly doesn't reek of bad like say K-On or Kampfer, but I just don't see how it separates itself from the cornucopia of melodramatic, purportedly introspective slice-of-life anime out there.
I'll agree about the cinematography and art direction though. Top notch stuff.
Life has made your view on the world grim, young padawan.
My recent post Weekly Art – FKMT Nose Best!
I second what Bass said! Ever more so, K-On does not reek or anything! ><"
My recent post Star Driver 24
I'm not that worried about originality in a show like this, mostly just because the execution is above average from what we all expected– cute girls doing cute things at a hot springs inn. (Or something similar xD) Most of my favorite slice-of-life shows didn't do much to make themselves stand out or seem different, but they were enjoyable nonetheless. Although hopefully HanaIro will do something during its run to raise it from only above average to truly memorable =D
Wooooo Ohana making friends!? Well forcing them to! And guess we see grandma isn't so bad huh? However I bet that wont last to long. I am still amazed at the high animation! So nice! Also it's bad to tell the driver to die when they are driving! LOL
Kind of wish they didn't have a preview thou, kills the mood for anything dramatic.
You shouldn’t watch the previews then :P I don’t.
Bwahaha Fosh I can't tell if you were replying to your earlier comment or if you forgot that you already wrote one! Thanks for reading either way (: And yeah, the preview kind of killed the cliffhanger. But no rape scenes, thank god. XD
Nice way to cover all fronts. :D I don't think Minko has a crush, rather she's that insecure and struggling with the fact that she's not doing as well as she'd like. I guess we'll find out.
My recent post Blogging Break Upcoming
Thanks! Although I think my attempt to include everything I want to say turns into a bit of a ramble, haha XD It's a little harder for me to understand the reasons behind some of Minko's actions, so I can't wait to get more backstory…
I like Ohana the first time I met her. Now that I have seen more of her personality, I don't like her that much anymore
My recent post 7 Years of Love