ひだまりスケッチ

HIDAMARI SKETCH

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
12
RELEASE
March 30, 2007
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

For years, Yuno has dreamed of attending Yamabuki Arts High School, but now that she's been accepted, it means the scary prospect of moving away from her home and family for the first time! Fortunately, Yuno quickly learns that if her new neighbors at the eclectic Hidamari (Sunshine) Apartments aren't technically family, at least the majority share the bond of being fellow art students. From second year students like Hiro and Sae, who try to behave like helpful older sisters (mostly successfully) to her hyperactive new neighbor, classmate and best friend Miyako (who has the scariest apartment ever) Yuno begins to build the support network she'll need for dealing with strange characters like her oddly masculine landlady, her cosplay obsessed home room teacher, her tooth-chattering principal and all of the other odd denizens who inhabit her chosen world of art.

(Source: Sentai Filmworks)

CAST

Miyako
Kaori Mizuhashi
Yuno
Kana Asumi
Sae
Ryouko Shintani
Hiro
Yuuko Gotou
Yoshinoya
Miyu Matsuki
Natsume
Misato Fukuen
Oyasan
Miyuki Sawashiro
Chika
Rie Kugimiya
Ume
Ume Aoki
The Principal
Choo
Maiko Kishi
Tomoe Hanba
Kuwahara
Naoko Suzuki
Kishi's father
Fumihiko Tachiki
Kishi's mother
Kei Mayama

EPISODES

Dubbed

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Not available on crunchyroll

RELATED TO HIDAMARI SKETCH

SPECIAL ComedyHidamari Sketch Specials

MANGA ComedyHidamari Sketch

Cover Art for Hidamari Sketch Chou Hidamatsuri Special

SPECIAL ComedyHidamari Sketch Chou Hidamatsuri Special

REVIEWS

Antimony
95/100
A very soothing episodic slice of life with great character chemistry enhanced by avant-garde visuals.
In 2004, Hidamari Sketch by Ume Aoki began its serialization in Manga Time Kirara Carat. Studio Shaft’s adaptation of Hidamari Sketch, which ran from the first season in the Winter 2007 season to the final OVA which aired in 2013, expands on an already very pleasant slice of life 4koma manga, presenting it in the strange, avant-garde format that has defined Shaft in general and director Akiyuki Shinbou in general, while adapting manga chapters out of order in a way that creates a unique, cohesive narrative and enhances the characterization of the relatively small cast.

The first two seasons of Hidamari Sketch (though this review will focus on the first season) take place over the course of a single year—the first year of high school for Yuno and Miyako (none of the main characters are given surnames), and the second year for longtime friends (or more?) Hiro and Sae. The four girls are students at Yamabuki High School, a suburban school with a particular focus on artistic pursuits, and all of them share a small apartment complex near the school known as Hidamari Apartments, allowing them to easily meet up outside of school and develop a close friendship.

The first episode of Hidamari Sketch, January 11th: A Winter’s College, offers every element that ultimately defines the anime as a whole. Like most episodes, it takes place over the course of a single day, beginning with Yuno, the protagonist, getting out of bed and getting ready to go to school, this time on the first day after winter break. The first half of the episode focuses on her solving the episode’s only real conflict, in this case the fact that she forgot to complete her homework over winter break and has to scramble to put together a collage over lunch break. After school, she spends some time playing in the snow with Miyako, before the two spend the evening with Hiro and Sae over the kotatsu, before the episode ends with one of the defining motifs of the series—Yuno taking a bath, complete with a colorful bath bomb (in this episode, green) before going to bed. By this point, Yuno and her friends have known each other for almost a year, making formal introductions unnecessary, but the simple plot and character interactions—about a third of the episode is just the four main girls talking over the kotatsu—serve wonderfully to establish their personalities and their close friendship.

Shaft and Shinbou are best known for their unique visual presentation, and the first season of Hidamari Sketch is in many ways strange even by the studio’s usual standards, though the first season was made on a shoestring budget and lacks the polish and consistency of later seasons (though in some ways this adds its own charm). The way that colors, sound effects, and visual symbols are used, much like in Bakemonogatari or Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, helps set the mood of a given scene—the glow of fireworks, the gloomy rainy season, the unique motifs of each character, like Yuno’s X hairpins or Hiro’s octopus-like hair buns, and the liberal use of real-life photographs, giving a unique and scrapbook-like feel to otherwise simple and straightforward scripts. The soundtrack is great all around, with most tracks being very calm and soothing and used in very fitting ways, and both the opening and ending themes are very enjoyable. The most visually striking and creative episode of the first season is the fifth, February 13th: Heart and Body. Throughout the episode, Yuno has a fever and drifts in and out of delirium, shining a bright red in contrast to the blues and grays of February. The episode is also structured wonderfully, as Yuno’s fever dreams take place while the other three come in at different times to take care of her. Much of the episode feels like a cold and alienating haze, but as always it ends on a warm and pleasant note.

Hidamari Sketch stands out within its own genre as well as in Shaft’s catalogue of anime adaptations as a strong and memorable title. Not only is it very cute and endearing thanks to its charming character designs (including the famous WIDE faces) and sublime chemistry in its character interactions, but the adaptation’s unique visuals aid in its storytelling, helping to embellish the peaceful daily lives of the four residents of Hidamari Apartments. A must-watch for any fan of slice of life and iyashikei anime or of Shaft as a studio, I suggest watching one or two episodes a night before bedtime.

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Ezekiel01
70/100
An experimental take on the slice of life genre that manages to create an artistically relaxing piece of art.

Hidamari Sketch is a simple slice of life anime circling around the highschool lives of Yamabuki Arts High School freshmen, Yuno and Miyako. As they adjust to the new life as living independently in the Hidamari Apartment, they are guided by their 2 seniors Hiro and Sae which also living in the Hidamari Apartment and attends the same school.

Taking back to its root origin of the Cute Girls Doing Cute Girls Subgenre

From the get got Hidamari Sketch story at its core is “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” set in high school type of narrative which is now becoming a typical staple nowadays. But Hidamari Sketch was very unique and innovative for the time it was released in 2007. Back then the number of anime about "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” is very limited. Most of the time the story follows the same pattern as Azumanga Daioh formula its predecessor in the anime medium.

What is unique about Hidamari is the way it executes its themes and concept. It created an identity for itself, more specifically on the visual art direction. The Art style visuals are a combination of cute hand-drawn animation with a mix of real-world photos of objects. Its seems kind of weird there is two contrasting art style but it doesn’t feel out sync with the 2D visuals. On the contrary, the two styles blend well with each other. It looks natural in the sense.

A Visual Montage of Handrawn Animation and Surreal Photographic Objects

It also has a very inventive way of illustrating certain scenarios that work with the show's overall artistic theme. It uses colors and symbolism to demonstrate that a person is deeply sick but on small occasions, it also features also dementia-like visuals.

Sometimes I forget I am actually watching a slice of life comedy and not a queer psychological anime.

Hidamari Sketch uses warm and calming colors heavily on its visual design. This range to pink, blue, orange, grey, green, yellow for a comforting and cozy atmosphere. And with a combination of white and light color for a sense of purity, cleanliness, and peacefulness. It uses these color combinations to express the show's good nature of being laid back and easy going.

Nice Set of Color Palletes

As for character dynamics, Himdari Sketch has a lovable set of main characters. Their interactions and everyday conversation are quite entertaining to watch while side characters have compelling supporting character's roles. The short second gags are very funny on many occasions. You will also learn some Japanese culture along the way because some gag is based around it and might be harder to comprehend. Miyako is my favorite girl in the series for being energetic, outgoing, playful and purely care about her friends though she is a bit clumsy at times. Nonetheless a good comedy anime for its genre.

Comedy Gold Artistic Presentation

Final Thoughts

Hidamari Sketch lacks a linear plot on its episodes and some might find it boring. The show is pretty episodic in a format where its first episode starts in January last days then skip to August then revert back in June in the same year. You can actually watch in any order you want except for Ep 1 and Ep 12 which the intro and the finale of the first season. But even it lacks and plot or direction it manages to deliver its message around. Hidamari Sketch is primarily an anime you watch to sit down and relax on a hard day of work. The characters did well in reminding the audience about simple but good things in life.

Hidamari Sketch reminds me of "Azumanga Daioh" highschool comedy while at the same time the relaxing slice of life aspect makes of Aria the Animation Series.

If you are feeling like a "Yawning Metapod" and just want to watch plain and simple. I highly recommend Hidamari Sketch's warm and comforting aesthetic display and elegant audio tone.

Chill Out and Relax, We All Need to Relax from Time to Time
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