HISONE TO MASO-TAN

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaHisone to Maso-tan: Nao no Sora
ONA ComedyHisone to Maso-tan Digest Douga

REVIEWS

• 

  Hattori

  85/100
  A deeply heartfelt journey into the world of adulthood through the eyes of a socially inept dragon licker

  The transition from childhood to adulthood isnt always an easy one. We are expected to choose a path that will shape who we are for the rest of your lives from a very young age, when our brains and emotions havent fully developed yet to be able to understand the implications of said choice and its importance, and we are given a very small window of time that demands we understand all of this and pick wisely.
  Its no wonder that so many of us are never able to discover what that path is and come graduation we find ourselves asking "What now?", and due to peer pressure and society expectations, end up choosing a random course or career path that we never actually saw ourselves picking in the first place.

  

  Hisone Amakasu is our main character in this story, a secluded and very socially awkward girl right on the cusp of entering that period of life that leaves so many of us in a state of perpetual anxiety and dread. Amakasu is a girl of no particular talents, so with high school reaching its end and being forced to pick a role in society, Amakasu makes the choice of enlisting in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (cause why not?).
  Like high school, she hopes to go through this period of life with the least amount of hassle possible and without having to open her mouth and ruin any kind of socially acceptable relationship she can have in this job. Things dont work out how she wants however, and she finds herself placed in a position way above her head, being tasked with piloting a Organic Transformed Flyer, which so happens to be a dragon disguised as a jet.
  From here on, Amakasu has to accept the cards she has been dealt with, and she has to decide if she can take this opportunity and turn it into something worthwhile for her and for her future.

  

  This is why Hisone to Masotan is such a great show. Despite its obvious fantastical elements, its a show incredibly grounded on reality and about well known anxieties of young adulthood. Being placed on a setting and position you arent familiar with is a concern many of us have when facing the world of adulthood, and it can be daunting when you are faced with responsibilities you never had to deal with as a teenager.
  Amakasu's first moments in this new role dont work out the way she would like them to, and the people who put such high expectations into her start to raise an eyebrow at her. It doesnt help that she is surrounded by people who would gladly take that opportunity and are clearly more passionate about their jobs, like the great character Nao Kaiazaki, a resentful cadet whose role as a D-Pilot has been taken over by Amakasu.

  

  However, with time Amakasu starts to develop an appreciation for her responsibilities, and despite a few bumps on the road first, she develops a special bond with her co-workers and newly made friends. She is able to find her place in a world she never found herself belonging to and puts in the work to make that longstanding.
  The show then proceeds to expand on its themes and subject matters through its cast of characters, developing ideas about commitment to the things we are passionate about, the the weight of failure, shattered fantasies, realizing this isnt the place you had hope to be at, sacrificing personal life in detriment of our dreams, and so on.

  

  But it does so in such a charming and optimistic way, that not many stories out there are able to. We are bombarded our whole lifes with stories of success and of heroes, that sometimes it feels like we have been deceived when things dont go the way we wanted them to go, and its hard to get passed that dellusion. But Hisone to Masotan says thats fine. Giving up sometimes is fine. Not knowing what you want to do is fine. Its all gonna be fine. As long as you are able to appreciate what and who you have around you, there is no reason for you not to build something out of it, no matter the circumstances you find yourself in. The people you least expected can be there to support you, the responsibilities you took for granted can provide you with an amount of self growth you never knew it could.

  

  It's not without its flaws, and it stumbles a bit on its execution a few times, although most of those fumbles did seem to be a product of the cultural differences between Japan and the West. But the good moments far surpass the bad ones.
  Hisone to Masotan belongs to a rare breed of anime out there that targets itself to an older generation of viewers, next to shows like The Eccentric Family, Ping Pong The Animation and Welcome to the NHK.Its not a show for everybody, but if you are tired of the onslaught of high school and shounen shows out there, and if you are in your early 20s and anything I said about the show resonates with you somehow, then you owe it to yourself to watch it.
  Its a show with a great and adorable cast of characters, each with their own quirks and personality traits that greatly support the main character, all with the help of some of the best character designs I have seen in a long time in anime. The presentation of the whole show is just gorgeous, with a simple artstyle that is able to express so much, without the need for such lavished production like something out of KyoAni.
  Original shows like this need to be championed and incentivized, and im very glad i got to spend my time with it. And I hope you do too.
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• 

  brainiac1530

  98/100
  Take nothing for granted. Hisone Amakasu may fly, but she is not free.

  I've grown complacent in taking many things for granted. But when others look at those very same things, they brood on each one and stumble. Looking at Amakasu agonizing over finding her own answer, I think that there might not be even a single thing in this world that can be taken for granted.

  -- Haruto Okonogi, episode 10

  I was complacent. But when others look at those very same things ...

  -- Haruto Okonogi, episode 12

  Repetition is one key to memory. Advertisers use it to make you remember their product. My teachers in school would frequently repeat themselves when saying something important that was likely to appear on the exam. So when a character in a show like this, which smacks of very deliberate construction in every area, repeats himself nearly verbatim in a span of three episodes, it must be important. Surely it must speak to something with thematic weight.

  What had I taken for granted as the viewer? Looking back on it now, there were clearly some things. I'd like to think that now I have the benefit of the full picture for context, but I can think of a few things in particular that I actually took for granted. Firstly, Hisone Amakasu is a woman. This is a pretty minor thing to overlook, because it usually isn't very relevant. It does turn out to be so in this case, though.

  In fact, all the D-pilots are female. This is something anime has trained us to take for granted. All-female casts are present in hundreds of anime, and usually this doesn't have any meaning in the context of the story. This isn't an all-female cast, though. There are many male supporting characters, and one I'd even consider a lead even though he doesn't appear so at first. In fact, the interactions between man and woman is a major thematic element in this story.

  Romance appears in many anime and this is no exception. It's familiar and thus we can take its presence for granted. However, the interplay of the sexes does a lot more here. It wasn't until I was writing this review that I realized the general level of power disparity between the men and the women in the show. Very few of the men are subordinate to any of the women, and this is pretty clear to see because of the military setting and its clear delineation of hierarchy. I don't remember the show doing anything specific to highlight this aspect. It could be this is one thing we are meant to take for granted.

  One thing we'll never entirely overlook, hopefully, is sexual harassment. The level of it in this show is pretty tame, relatively. Surely there's nothing here that would be considered a firing offense in the real world, but its presence was strange and slightly off-putting. The scenes with the tailor, if you can call him that, followed the usual beats for this kind of thing in anime. It's played for laughs, and he comes across as pretty harmless in the end. This isn't the only place where this kind of thing appears, though. In another instance, it gets called out as sexual harassment on the spot, and it doesn't come across as funny at all. Given the context in which it occurs, it can simply be read as yet another thing making Hisone uncomfortable about her new position as D-pilot, and that's all it seemed for the moment.

  However, these kinds of things continue to pile up to where they can't be ignored anymore. In retrospect, I have to respect Mari Okada for weaving this subject in so well. It's a slippery topic and she slips it in right under our noses. For me, the breaking point was when they explicitly stated that the D-pilots aren't allowed to fall in love. I knew this was wrong. This was not a thing that made sense, however justified the person saying it believed himself to be. In retrospect, I can see that this was done just right. If it had come any later, the Shinto elements would have been known and we could have easily written this off. It's normal in mythology for the gods to make unreasonable demands of men. But since these things hadn't been introduced yet, this comes across as a man making unreasonable demands of a woman. It has just enough time to settle in and make us a little uncomfortable.

  Thankfully, this is far from my first anime rodeo, and I have a little outside-context knowledge of the topic being addressed here. Otherwise, I'd be unlikely to know the very specific "thing which was taken for granted" that the plot eventually addresses. (I've reached my threshold for how much of the plot I'm willing to directly reveal.) That is, married women don't work, at least not in Japan. I can remember instances in anime where women explained why they were quitting their job simply as, "I'm getting married." Not, "I'm getting married, my fiance already has a high-paying job, and I want to have children," but merely "I'm getting married." It doesn't require explanation, because it's taken for granted that married women don't have careers. They may have part-time jobs or do volunteer work or what have you, but having a career and supporting a family is for the man.

  That's what "Hisone and Maso-tan" is about, to me. It's about the plight of the working woman. (I'm a true believer in the "death of the author" approach to literary interpretation, so if it meant something else to you, then that's fine.) It has elements that speak to Japanese culture specifically, but this isn't an anime made entirely for Japan. Continuing a recent trend of such shows, it will also be airing on Netflix.

  Taking the theme of defying what was taken for granted into the metafictional realm, much of this show is designed from first principles, disregarding the anime status quo. The first you'll probably notice is the character design. Stock anime character designs simply don't lend themselves well to animation, so this production team abandoned them. What we get is something memorable and unique, and the animation team takes full advantage of the streamlined designs to make them much more expressive in practice. (See also: every Yuasa anime ever.)

  This extends to the background art as well. We get something rather unique here, too. It looks something like watercolor. There's been a trend toward very digital, shiny, saturated backgrounds lately, and some of these are even quite good in their own right. This has something hazier, with more of a hand-drawn look. It fits very well with the character art and it just feels very good. To me, background art is a strong contributor to the feel of an anime. Many of my favorites have particularly good art design and it makes them a joy to watch.

  Another element that tends to appeal directly on an emotional level is music. This has what's probably the best soundtrack of the season. Again, there's no regard for what's considered typical of anime. There is no J-Pop to be seen here. Even when they have the cast sing in character for the ED, it's an old French song that they sing. I wasn't expecting it to be relevant, but it is a song about taking a holiday in France. There is a moment where something like that comes up in context, so keep your eyes open for it.

  All in all, this really seems like it could be an enduring classic. There have been numerous contenders lately. Megalo Box plays it too safe, never escaping its status as a tribute to a classic when it could have been one in its own right. Devilman: Crybaby had production quality issues which this lacks. (Though the dub hasn't been made yet, so that could still become an issue like it was for Devilman.) Koe no Katachi pulled its punches a little, and waters down its message by dragging on too long and including some unnecessary elements. This may fly a little under the radar, but it delivers its strike with laser-guided precision. I need to seriously reconsider my previous stance on Mari Okada if this is what she's really capable of when she takes the gloves off.

  P.S.: When I say this anime made me uncomfortable, know that I don't consider that to be a bad thing. In fact, I consider it to be a rare and valuable thing. Youtuber MrBtongue made a video on this you should see if you haven't already.

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• 

  CodeBlazeFate

  69/100
  While it never rose to the heights of its early episodes, it does still offer a worthwhile viewing experience

  Flash back to your childhood: a time where planes were sick, robots were epic, and dragons were the coolest thing in the fucking universe! The paper and the costumes were what let the imagination soar! Games were your blood, pop-culture was your life! Candy was a delicacy rivaled only by pizza! Saturday morning was your weekly holiday! Wasn't all that fun? Wasn't that cool?! Don't you wanna relive some of that childhood wonder?!

  In the cold hard world where nostalgia is ruled by cashgrabs and rewatches, finding an experience that earnestly harkens back to your glory days is in somewhat short supply. Thankfully, Hisone to Maso-tan seeks a new path to fulfill your childlike desires: combining planes, dragons, and giant robots to create a charming experience unparalleled in the industry!...at least at first.

  Let's start with our protagonist, Hisone Amakasu. She is one of the most adorkable, relatable, and endearing protagonists I’ve seen to date. Seeing this beleaguered dolt in a constant edge of having everything thrust upon her so fast as she tries to wriggle her way out of overbearing situations as no one listens to her is an absolute joy. Watching her try not to let her blunt brain do the talking for her, only for that to fail, is some of the most fun I have with the show. Seeing her and Nao snap is a riot given the chemistry they and other characters have -all this regardless of the crass humor that bad LN shows often tend to pull-. Their parallels with certain characters early on are also wonderous to display, due to this show’s marvelous presentation that is akin to an adult recapturing the whimsey and magic of an astounded child. This presentation also makes it easier to overlook the plethora of sci-fi jargon and how absurd the premise truly is, with dragons requiring airplane parts in order to somehow transform and blend in, and whatnot. However, it doesn’t let me dismiss inconsistencies, occasionally clumsy dialogue, or any aggravating twists and set-ups. Having a bunch of characters with hit and miss traits and quirks won’t change that, no matter how funny the good ones can be.

  It does lose that sense of wonder, much like children do. Soon after the rest of the main cast is introduced, Hisone to Maso-tan focuses more on its growing cast of characters and their problems. It does a decent job with that, but not one substantial enough to truly make up for that loss, especially with a few admittedly small errors in the script. Unfortunately, the concept is still too silly to work perfectly, and the humor’s highlights aren’t as high as they were before. The show also transforms into a calculated love map with some out-there twists, so take that as you will.

  Studio Bones is famous for their slick visuals, only adding this to their monumental catalog. Frequent bad plane & pilot CGI aside, the flying sequences are an absolute joy to witness, feeling extremely lifelike and kinetic with all sorts of turns, loops, and fast movements done by the OTFs. Speaking of which, the OTF designs are wonderful, most especially Masotan’s. The rest of the character designs are well-done and immensely varied, with a wonderful, almost child drawing-esque aesthetic that is tailor-made for bouncy character animation and uproarious facial expressions. It all culminates into a unique visual style that makes this show even more of a joy to watch, even when it transitions past its initial phase.

  While the music is less commendable, it holds up well enough. The background music is rather nice, fitting with the scenes and sometimes being an emotional listen in their own right. Nothing absurdly memorable stands out but it works well on the whole. The opening, "Soujo wa Ano Sora wo Wataru" by Riko Fukumoto, has multiple versions, with only the final one being one I enjoy. The ending, "Le temps de la rentrée", has multiple versions, sung by different people as well as an instrumental version. The song has grown more on me overall, to the point where not only is nearly every version enjoyable, but that it's preferable to the opening.

  Such a shame the show lost what made is so captivating. However, while it never rose to the heights of its early episodes, it does still offer a worthwhile viewing experience, even if that one is more awkward. It even loses some of the bad humor presented early on, even though it lost the better humor on top of that. Spring-boarding off such a wonderful start into something grander is difficult, even with a likable main cast and superb main lead. The show grew to what felt like a teenage -perhaps even adult phase, for better or worse. It grows more contemporary, less spectacular, and while it that's a pity, it didn’t lose heart or soul. It simply lost its whimsey, much like we all do. Alas, it’s time to return.

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