Ranked #812

Minami-ke Okaeri

Since the 2nd season of Minami-ke was a let down, this third season, Minami-ke Okaeri, was expected to bring back the enjoyment experienced from the 1st season. Good news is that it's really improved. The OP and ED is back to being good, and the show is now much more fun and interesting with the increased comedy and the cute developments. The character designs and animation has been modified again. According to some news I read before Okaeri came out, the producers tried to bring it close to the look of the 1st season and I'm glad to say that it didn't turn out badly. They also used the idea of strategically positioning the OP and ED in each episode, which is something I look for in anime, but I expect very creative and effective blending when producers try to do that, and it turns out as a so-so blending. Further going negative, the improvements were not enough to filter out all the bad things from the 2nd season. Some episodes were a bit boring, or maybe really boring but still, they have really good material in most of the episodes which greatly makes-up for it. You'll be expected to laugh here, very much on some parts, so it's a MUST WATCH specially for Minami fans. read more

Minami-ke:
Its basically a slice of life, comedy anime. Very chill.

General Plot/Story:
There is no overall plot or goal. No plot arcs. Just shows how 3 sisters live together in their apartment, go to school and have fun with their friends. Strictly episodic. In fact, each episode is kinda segmented too; dealing with a specific story. Story-wise its similar to Azumanga Diaoh. The only difference is that in Minami-ke, the minamis interact as a family whereas in AD its all about friends. Never felt the story dragged.

Slice-of-life-ness:
The slice-of-life part is done very well. Like very, very well. You know how many animes have the typical 'school opening part' --> 'kareesames (Christmas) party' --> 'sports fest' --> 'field trip' --> 'emotional part (love confession etc)'. Well minami-ke doesn't do that. It does something a bit different. To me, i felt like, instead of understanding the characters based on their reactions to events, we get to know characters by their direct interaction with each other.

The comedy:
The comedy is quite subtle mostly. There is less of the ridiculous-looking, exaggerated faces expressing emotion. Less of the screaming, silly poses. Basically its less slapstick in nature. It adds to the slice-of-life effect.

Characters:
In my opinion, they were very well performed. There were a few surprises here and there which didn't make them seem robotic. Personalities are easily distinguishable without falling into common stereotypical types. So its not like we have a dumbass, a smartass, a disgusting ass (?), the well-endowed ass, the handsome ass, the mature ass, the average ass....u get my point, right?
The variety of characters was also pleasantly surprising. The 3 minami sisters complement each other very well without developing a strict, rigid, 2D personality each.

Soundtrack:
Slow, soothing, matches anime genre. OP songs are awesome! My fav were 1st and 3rd. Note: 2nd season OP is supposed to be a parody of the serious slice-of-life types. Many ppl didn't understand tht and started hating on it.

Overall:
Very chill anime, nothing too exciting. Gives off an easy going feeling. Excellent for those who hate cliffhangers. Non-stereotypical characters. Main characters have some personality depth and are not like robots. Comedy is subtle and the not in-your-face kind.

p.s= kana is boss :P lookout for the famous, pink t-shirt xD read more