HINAMATSURI

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ComedyHinamatsuri

REVIEWS

• 

  Yas

  95/100
  An excellent comedy that can stand up to the legends on it's own

  Back when I first started Hinamatsuri in the midst of other shows for the Spring season Hinamatsuri felt different. Compared to the others, it pulled me in and in a different way too. In the first five minutes I was slightly taken aback by the artstyle but when I continued watching it, it hit me with it's wonder. Hinamatsuri is exactly that kind of anime, and it continued to be so till it's end, it calms you down, then immediately rushes out with the comedy and before you know it, you're laughing out loud. Oh and there are tons of heartfelt moments too, what more could you ask for such an innovative and hilarious anime? Original Review published June 22, 2018 on AniList

  For starters, Hinamatsuri is a fresh take among the many comedy anime we see nowadays. It's not a school romance comedy and thanks to that it pushes out a huge cliche (there are exceptions) right out of the window, add to that it's supernatural nature mixed with clever comedy and you've got a fresh anime that people not only laugh with, but cherish for the coming seasons because you won't see such an anime so common, not every season, not every year either. Hinamatsuri uses tons of elements and jokes in it's run and it was very hard for me to find recycled jokes among them, it was all new and innovative and that says a lot about it's quality as a comedy anime. Oh and by saying it's supernatural you might think it relies too much on supernatural stupidity to tickle your funny bone? No, the best part is that Hinamatsuri can stand even on normal comedy and make everyday situations so hilarious despite having a huge arsenal of supernatural jokes at its disposal but Hinamatsuri uses both of them very wisely with the end result being us viewers holding down our stomachs while we laugh.

  

  A huge reason why Hinamatsuri is so incredibly amazing is because it's got various approaches to the comedy, and it almost always nailed them, first off it has a buildup of jokes, the situation starts getting crazier and crazier and you're left laughing at every second. This is common in comedy anime since you can put up over the top situations and make people laugh as well, but Hinamatsuri unlike many others not only looks at that but it also looks at the premise where it's using it in, something surprisingly uncommon in other anime. What am I talking about? Many times we see anime attempt at comedy but use the wrong approach at the wrong time, thus even though the joke was actually funny, the wrong approach didn't give the writers the result they wanted and this anime thankfully crosses that hurdle.

  Another approach it has to it's comedy is somewhat of the opposite, it sets your expectations low on purpose before hitting you with the punchline, this also has a largely positive effect since if the joke is successful, it can almost equal the hilarity of the previous take and on the other hand serve as an element of surprise to its viewers which as well plays a huge part in making it so funny since Hinamatsuri rarely failed at this as well. Yet another approach Hinamatsuri took was to use the “straight man” principle to effectively. What is the straight man principle you may ask? It's when the characters do something stupid and another character takes the “straight man” role and points out the stupidity in shock and while on paper this may seem unfunny, in reality it's very successful if implemented properly, two of the best and most famous examples of characters using the straight man principle excellently in anime are namely Saiki Kusuo (Saiki Kusuo no PSI Nan) and Shimura Shinpachi (Gintama). Instead of attributing this principle to only one character, Hinamatsuri gives the role to multiple characters depending on the situation and thankfully does it well.

  

  Why did I list these and explain the different approaches to comedy? It's because few anime use so many approaches and few of them are successful in doing so as well, and the good news is that Hinamatsuri can use those very well, reason being it keeps them fresh with the comedy and helps keep things varied.

  Note: The following is a comparison of Hinamatsuri, Saiki and Gintama, if you haven't watched the latter two completely, please skip the next paragraph as you may not understand the references talked about.

  COMPARISON BEGIN: Since comedy shows get compared a lot, why not compare Hinamatsuri with an anime it shares a lot in common with arguably the giant of comedy anime, Gintama along with a relatively recent anime that's also been doing fabulous, Saiki Kusuo, note that I used these both as examples as well above for the straight man principle. First off with Gintama, Hinamatsuri shares the nature of smile+tears, meaning that both anime make you laugh with it's jokes, but it also has it's sad arcs that give you the feels and usually make many cry. Apart from this, both are supernatural anime (along with Saiki of course) that use their premise very smartly and have varied approaches to comedy, not just one. For Saiki, both feature modern-day Earth but retain the supernatural nature along with the occasional school comedy (but good) thrown in. COMPARISON END

  

  All three feature this element and excellently use their numerous weapons at their disposal wisely along with using one of the best comedy methods as well, unpredictability. You never know what comes next and when it does, you're left laughing your ass out. What does this entail? This entails that Hinamatsuri is an anime comparable to such greats and can stand on its own as well without having to mooch off anything else. Hinamatsuri also at times jumped straight to the comedy itself without any caution (although this wasn't used much) and served as possibly the best form of surprise it could muster. What sets Hinamatsuri apart from other comedy shows is that Hinamatsuri uses an outsmarting “lazy approach”, such that when you're watching Hinamatsuri, much like Hina, it looks sluggish and slow and lazy as well but the moment you think that this is how the whole episode will be, it lands in a sudden joke and you're left flabbergasted in laughter (can people be flabbergasted in laughter? Maybe :P) so you'd be dumb to write Hinamatsuri off if you think it's a bit slow at first because there's a huge punch coming really soon as well.

  Now let's step aside from the comedy for a bit since that's not exactly everything Hinamatsuri offers, we also have the occasional sad arcs. These were usually of Anzu (primarily) and at times a few other characters realising the importance of friendship or a life lesson as well. The reason why people loved Anzu to the point that people very soon ranked her higher than Hina for the best girl of the anime was because her arcs were so damn powerful. Poverty, learning to live as a homeless person, the community you make with them, and many other things beyond that I can't cover since they're spoilers, her arcs have a lot of thought and emotion into them and no person with a heart could not at least get a lump in their throat when they see the way she works hard to do her best for her friends who she treats like family as the feeling is mutual, this is really what should make us smile and laugh, the happiness of a human being doesn't come from being rich, but from enjoying what's next to us, what we have, not what we want, and this serious message was shown through her in these arcs. Getting why the anime is so amazing?

  

  On the other side of the spectrum we have the duo who we started with, Nitta and Hina, these two are like father and daughter, despite one being a Yakuza and the other having dangerous superpowers, they went like bread and butter, and for the opposite reasons. If you took them individually, Hina wouldn't be as funny by herself and Nitta could only be used as a straight man if he's not with Hina. The anime is such that not only can Hina and Nitta not live without each other, but their comedy as well can't live without each other, and this is a testament to the genius mangaka behind this. As such, this erases most doubts about people possibly thinking of possibly axing one of the two, but much like Nana and Popo in the Ice Climbers (I s'pose no one will get that NES reference), they both need each other not only to live, but to make us laugh. Needless to say, Hina and Nitta’s sketches leave their mark clearly.

  

  Let's move to arguably the most powerful character of the show, Hitomi. Why did I call her so? It's because she highly influences both Hina and Anzu. Anyway, Hitomi is fantastic as a character since she's very relatable thanks to her being given the straight man (or woman if you may) role by handling the BS that her daily life gives her and her arcs as well were hilarious as well as cute. She suddenly gets forced to work as a bartender and surprisingly becomes adept at her job and this is used as a baseline for many of the jokes at her. She also as mentioned played the straight woman for the crap that she has to deal with Hina and sometimes Anzu and her work. The best part is that she's amazing since she's so ordinary in the midst of idiots around her that it's hilarious in its own right and I seriously can't complain when even this is used well for it's jokes. Pretty reflective of the anime itself.

  

  The thing is that Hinamatsuri has its own share of flaws as well. Even though it's comedy is almost always on point, if the jokes DO fail, the episode can fall apart pretty quick if nothing is done, and although this did happen once or twice, it pretty much saved itself in the next joke and went on, but this issue does exist and could be done better. And one issue that many point out is that since the anime is named Hinamatsuri, it still doesn't focus much on Hina in the first place. Although Hinamatsuri's purpose is to follow and balance screen time for all characters, many times Hina felt off the mark either because she wasn't given too many lines or she wasn't the person making the joke at that time. This is also a problem since based on Hina’s character, it's hard to bring in new stuff for a lazy brat since a lazy brat doesn't do much in the first place. This shows that you can't do much with the character as you would with others so Hinamatsuri's comedy gets held back at times when Hina doesn't do much.

  Overall, Hinamatsuri is an anime that does a lot, and a lot of that is different from the usual. Apart from being able to stand on its own legs for support, it is comparable to the legends in its genre and can hold its own to a respectable level. It's truly an all round comedy in part because it makes you cry then laugh in just a span of a minute. Why is that you may ask? It's because comedy isn't just laughing at stupidity, comedy is also trying to find the funny in tragedy and the sad times, that's what Hinamatsuri is all about. And that's what comedy should be all about isn't it?

  P.S: This season has a multitude of amazing last episodes demonstrating the best of the show’s offerings overall and Hinamatsuri was no exception. The last episode excellently showed us everything that made the show so amazing. A combination of feels, slapstick comedy and recent nostalgia made for an epic end to an epic anime (despite that minor cliffhanger?), and as a fan, I couldn't ask for anything more. It's a fan’s dream come true. Here's hoping we see a season 2 anytime soon!

  

  Story: 9
  Animation: 10
  Sound: 9.5
  Character: 9
  Enjoyment: 10

  Overall: 9.5

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• 

  Stoffe

  50/100
  A respectable effort that unfortunately falls flat

  Hinamatsuri is a somewhat enjoyable show that I feel should have been better than it is. When looking for shows to follow for the spring season it stood out to me, and from asking around I heard that the manga it was based on was well liked. Being a fan of comedies, I decided to check it out. The first episode was a rocky start that didn't manage to draw me in all that much, but I persisted, and found that it got better over time, but that it didn't ever manage to become anything out of the ordinary.

  One part of the show that really manages to stand out is the production. The animation ranges from competent to great, and I never felt that it was lacking. The art style itself is good and works well for comedic purposes, with strong facial expressions often being used to enhance the humor. While I didn't pay much attention to the editing or music of the show, it never stood out as poor to me. Content aside, the show is clearly well crafted, with a lot of effort put into it.

  The story takes place in Tokyo, where the yakuza member Nitta suddenly has a young telepathic girl, Hina, appear in his apartment without warning. After a bit of tomfoolery, he ends up taking her in as his adoptive daughter, as she has nowhere else to go. Later on, a girl named Anzu arrives with the mission of taking Hina back home, but ends up failing, leaving her stranded in Tokyo without a home.

  As the show goes on a few more recurring characters are introduced, consisting mainly of Hina's new classmates, Nitta's associates, and a group of homeless people that Anzu ends up staying with. Most of the cast is forgettable, with the exception of Nitta and Hina, who work very well together, and the majority of the laughs that I got out of the shows came from either Nitta or from Hina played off of Nitta. Nitta's city-slicker style and yakuza attitude put against Hina's very simple-minded view on life lays a foundation for some great moments. The show however decides to spend a lot of its time on other characters without any real entertainment value to them.

  A surprisingly large portion of the show is spent on Anzu's life as a vagrant and Hina's school life, neither of which are very giving. For Anzu, the show does its best to try to make you feel bad for how lousy her life is in a very limp effort, with a bigger focus on her tragedy than on any comedy. Parts of her story brought a smile to my face, but a lot of it just felt quite dull. I don't have anything against dramatic or sad shows, but when it's as tiresome and unrelatable as it is here it just became a drag. As for Hina's school life, most of the focus is put on her classmates, with Hina just occasionally butting in to mention that she likes food. To the shows detriment, most of her classmates are nothing more than cardboard, with the exception of Hitomi. Hitomi ends up accidentally working as a bartender in an early episode, and the only real humor she has from that point on is that she's a child doing things that adults are supposed to do, which sometimes works well and sometimes doesn't.

  While a lot of the show is spent on either lifeless tragedy or lackluster humor, that's not to say that it doesn't occasionally shine. Nitta is the comedic highlight of the show, and there are some very funny moments involving him. There is also a very heartwarming sequence near the end of the series about Anzu, which again involves Nitta. With the parts involving him being so strong, it's a great shame that they're not really the main focus, with much of the show only having him as a side character. The emotional core the show is trying to have could have been greatly improved by showing him bond more with Hina, but the show just doesn't spend enough time on it and suffers from how much Nitta is absent.

  The show was, in my opinion, decent enough for concurrent seasonal watching, but I would not recommend anyone to go out of their way to watch it now that the season is over.

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• 

  lecarres

  90/100
  A fresh faced, feel good comedy with an endlessly entertaining cast

  I get so genuinely excited when I see an anime try something new. When it comes to anime comedies, so many these days are set in high school and use the same set of jokes that every show's been telling for the last decade, and it is assumed that if they just tell the joke loudly enough and have the rest of the cast act disproportionally shocked then that makes it high comedy. By comparison, Hinamatsuri's understated humour and sense of genuine comedic timing are a breath of fresh air. Right from the first episode the show demonstrates snappy joke set up and execution, and lets each gag breathe organically rather than constantly having to point out to the viewer how hilarious the jokes are. The consistently above average animation quality and well drawn character expressions only add to the visual comedy.

  

  One of the things I love most is the cast. The characters play off each other so well, and the series demonstrates that no matter which combination you throw together they'll get into some ridiculous situations. Some of my favourite segments centre around Hitomi, one of the most straight-laced and "ordinary" characters in the series, who nonetheless has some of the best plot lines in the show. Even though most of the characters are arseholes in their own way, they're still loveable and endlessly enjoyable to watch.

  Even though it's a comedy first and foremost, Hinamatsuri is also able to deliver some genuinely heart-warming stories. These vignettes are often focused on Anzu, another girl with supernatural powers who didn't have the good fortune of being taken in by a surprisingly fatherly (as much as he doesn't want to admit it) yakuza. Although these scenes often still demonstrate some great comedy, they also help to build an emotional core that helps to bind the characters together, whether it's bonding the younger cast members as friends or lending some humanity and introspection to the adults. Rather than creating a tonal whiplash, these moments help to establish and develop the cast and make the audience care.

  Despite having an obvious supernatural element, I was pleased to see that the series didn't dwell too much on that side of the story. Although the girls do sometimes use their powers, these instances wane as the show progresses and I appreciated that because it thrives the most when focusing on the mundane, every day situations rather than these girls and their powers. We only get a few hints regarding what their lives were like before they crashed down in Tokyo, and that's enough for me because to dwell too much on their previous lives, where they seemed to be working for some kind of military organisation, wouldn't exactly have been a barrel of laughs.

  

  Honestly, my only real problem with Hinamatsuri is that there wasn't more of it. I'm going to miss seeing Hina, Nitta and the gang on my screen every Friday, and I can only hope that the popularity of the anime will help to get an official localisation of the manga into Western stores. If you like unconventional comedies with a strong ensemble cast, or if you've played too many of the Yakuza games and can now only consume media that is tangentially related, then you should definitely give this one a try.

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