Gin no Saji

Yuugo Hachiken is studious, hard-working, and tired of trying to live up to expectations he just cannot meet. With the ushering in of a brand new school year, he decides to enroll in Ooezo Agricultural High School, a boarding school located in the Hokkaido countryside, as a means to escape from the stress brought upon by his parents.

Initially convinced that he would do well at this institution, Hachiken is quickly proven wrong by his talented classmates, individuals who have been living on farms their entire lives and know just about everything when it comes to food, vegetables, and even the physiology of livestock! Whether it be waking up at five in the morning for strenuous labor or to take care of farm animals, Hachiken is a complete amateur when it comes to the harsh agricultural life.

Gin no Saji follows the comedic story of a young student as he tries to fit into a completely new environment, meeting many unique people along the way. As he struggles to appreciate his surroundings, Hachiken hopes to discover his dreams, so that he may lead a fulfilling life on his own terms.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hachiken, Yuugo Main

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Mikage, Aki Main

Miyake, Marie Japanese

Komaba, Ichirou Supporting

Sakurai, Tooru Japanese

Inada, Tamako Supporting

Takagaki, Ayahi Japanese

Yoshino, Mayumi Supporting

Izawa, Shiori Japanese

Nakajima, Yoshiyuki Supporting

Masutani, Yasunori Japanese

Principal Supporting

Mitsuya, Yuuji Japanese

Tokiwa, Keiji Supporting

Shouji, Masayuki Japanese

Hachiken, Shingo Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Fuji, Ichiko Supporting

Yuuya, Atsuko Japanese

Saitou, Shunsuke Producer

Mori, Akitoshi Producer

Odagiri, Narumi Assistant Producer

Itou, Tomohiko Director, Sound Director

Reviews

Oct 30, 2013

Darkluigi

Recommended

At the start of watching Gin no Saji, I was unsure of what to think about it. I thought it would be just a fun little slice of life anime, but what I got far exceeded my expectations.

Gin no Saji is the perfect example that we each have the ability to set our own path and believe what we want to believe. And even if we face adversity we still stand by our beliefs.

Personally I have never seen an anime in which a city boy was placed in a farming school, so kudos to the maker of the manga for doing it well. The anime ... misses no opportunities to put the main character, Hachiken, into situations far outside of his comfort zone, thus leading to hilarious developments. But don't let the comedy fool you, because there are moments in this anime where they ask the tough questions, and you may see things in a different light by the end. Another plus is that there's never too much focus on one side character at a time, and instead they all develop together through their interactions with Hachiken. The story progresses at a steady pace, which allows viewers to get to know the characters, but also prevents boredom by giving you a nice change of scenery every episode or two. If the beginning was a little less slow it would be perfect.

Now the art is very well done, and for some of the farm equipment and the more movement oriented scenes it is incredibly detailed and flows almost seamlessly. But, I have to take off some points for the lack of movement during a good portion of the dialogue oriented scenes.

The soundtrack wasn't much to write home about, but I did enjoy the opening and none of the tracks felt out of place. On another note, the Japanese voice acting was well done, and I felt that most of them fit there characters perfectly. Even better than that though, is that I found none of their voices to be annoying and normally there is at least one.

What really sets this anime apart for me is the characters. Not because they are necessarily original character concepts, but because they each add something to the story, whether it's laughs, insight, or even their worries about the future.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this anime and would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about watching it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 3, 2013

pakoko

Recommended

“Because of the life they were born into, they are immediately stuck as an existence that can’t even choose their own life and death.”

Such is the life of livestock. Chickens are killed to be eaten if they don’t lay enough eggs; horses are immediately retired or put to rest if they don’t win any competitions or get injured; and pigs and cows are sold at a really cheap price if they do not eat enough. Behind the scenes of our farms and their livestock, the idea of the “survival of the fittest” is more clear-cut and harsh than it is in human society. However, humans ... are judged equally as harsh by the results they produce. In a generation that values the credentials of people more than the people themselves, people who fall behind even a little bit are often shunned or overlooked, just as if they are worthless livestock. Therefore, people of all ages, especially those that are younger, are put under a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed and sometimes forced to take on undesired paths for life. And sadly enough, running away never seems to be an option…

Or does it?

Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon) tells the story of Hachiken Yugo, a boy that decides to go to an agricultural boarding school far away from home after getting rejected from the high school he was aiming for. Hachiken’s tunnel vision to get into the high school causes him to lose sight of what he really wants to do, and so he chooses the agricultural school to get away from being considered a failure. All of us, especially in our teenage and early adult years, can relate to this experience one way or another: the fact that you work diligently towards a goal and realize soon after that the goal can never be reached is a daunting and depressing thing. To make matters worse, you are forced to see your peers achieve that same goal and become afraid of them lest they judge you for failing. You want to escape, but sometimes the pressure from society, from your family and your friends, all chain you down to sometimes lead the life that you don’t necessarily want.

So for all those that are troubled like Hachiken, I recommend this slice-of-life anime series. One of the core things that Gin no Saji teaches the viewers is to take a break from all that unhealthy pressure for once and reflect upon what is most important FOR YOU in life. Luckily for Hachiken, he is surrounded by classmates that are all passionate about what they want to do in life. For someone without a goal, seeing determined people who constantly pursue their goal may be discouraging but motivating at the same time. This indirect pressure encourages Hachiken to think earnestly about what he wants to do in life. The new experiences and fun memories made at this new school start to bring out a new side of Hachiken that surprises those that have known him in the past.

The magic of the character of Hachiken is that he came in knowing absolutely nothing about the agricultural high school. At least for me, I could personally relate to Hachiken, only because I had to face the same amount of pressure to do well in school. But not only that, just as Hachiken felt bad for the farm animals being killed off out of obligation, I did too; just as Hachiken had to wake up every morning around five to do work, I could relate to how painful that would be; and just as Hachiken felt indirectly pressured by his passion-driven friends, I did too. That’s why this character is really dear to me, and his development as a person is all the more exciting as this series goes on.

But if the story of Hachiken Yugo and his friends don’t appeal to you, Gin no Saji has high educational value. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the agricultural businesses and farms, then this anime gives you a glimpse of what it’s like. And in addition to the fun facts about farm animals, equipment, and techniques, the anime takes on philosophical views on what the animals teach humans, and how the animals should be treated. For one thing, everyone in this anime has deep rooted respect for livestock. There are owners that hold extravagant funerals for horses to honor them; there are people who appreciate the animals for providing them a new insight or viewpoint in life; and there are people who make the necessary killing of farm animals as quick and painless as possible. Finally, this anime touches upon not only the future of the agricultural and farming businesses, but also sensitive topics such as animal cruelty and cloning. I value this anime highly because of what it teaches me, each and every episode.

Since Gin no Saji was in an entirely different setting, background, and pacing from Fullmetal Alchemist, I laid off the manga after two chapters or so. But the anime brought me back to the manga, and what a delight it’s been. As a fan of the slice-of-life genre, Gin no Saji is without a doubt a fresh addition to my list. I look forward to more heartfelt and warm moments awaiting Hachiken and his friends at Oezo Agricultural High School!

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Review by MAL criteria

Story: The synopsis is available in the MAL page as well as in the second big paragraph of this review. What gives the story an overall 10 is the number of characters that have very relatable and realistic problems and backgrounds. In addition, as mentioned before, the anime has educational value, as it teaches the viewers about farm animals, equipment, techniques, and the logistics of agricultural and farming businesses. Rarely do we consider a slice-of-life anime with educational value anything from interesting, but Hiromu Arakawa manages to pull it off.

Music: The opening song “Kiss you” by Miwa is a sweet and carefree song, but nothing too memorable. The ending song “Hello Especially” is sung by Sukima Switch, who also sang “Golden Time Lovers” from the third opening of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I mention this because Sukima Switch chose to sing a country song for this anime (rather than rock), and no doubt, the song is catchy and fits perfectly to the anime. Besides that, the soundtracks introduced thus far are nothing too special, but they often give you a very warm countryside feeling when you hear them playing at certain parts. (8/10)

Art: As the anime is in an agricultural setting, the scenery is pastoral and soothing. Not to mention the use of warm and bright colors to emphasize the warmth and homeliness of the environment.

As it is a Hiromu Arakawa work, you will see similarities between Gin no Saji characters and Fullmetal Alchemist characters. The depiction of the characters stays true to the manga, and you’ll notice the similar reactions that Hiromu Arakawa likes to use. There is great detail and personification of animals so it is entertaining to see various expressions from these animals.

Animation of this anime seems to be the most lacking of all the categories because it can get choppy and awkward at times. The animation is especially important because it is tied into delivering punchlines or depicting hilarious scenes, so the humor is not always delivered appropriately or properly conveyed due to the occasionally choppy animations. (8/10)

Character: Season 1 of Gin no Saji is focused mostly on Hachiken's development from being a gloomy and uptight guy to a more confident and relaxed one. Viewers are introduced to other characters and their backgrounds, but the anime has yet to develop any of them. I rate this section highly, however, because of how well Hachiken's development is done. Viewers see Hachiken learning something different about himself, his friends, and his environment every episode, and in turn his friends learn something different about Hachiken each episode. I can’t wait to see him develop more and more, until the moment he figures out what he wants to do in life. (8/10)

Enjoyment: On behalf of those who love this anime already, let me say to those reading this review that you’re missing out!! I can’t guarantee everyone will enjoy it, but I hope you do!

8.8/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 11, 2015

Zaku88

Mixed Feelings

Ever wanted a taste of parenting? Try Usagi Drop. Curious about farming? Silver Spoon's got you covered. This latest noitaminA feature contains yet another interesting and unique perspective that actually provides meaningful lessons beyond how to immediately get dumped by girls. As with Usagi Drop, the show manages to take a potentially dull and boring topic and turn it into something intriguing and entertaining. While this isn't as emotionally touching as Usagi Drop, it is still a fun watch for anyone even a bit curious about farming or how a city boy will deal with the culture shock of agricultural life.

Animation:
The animation studio took a ... more conventional approach than that in Usagi Drop. For the most part, it looks like any other rural-based anime. The only major differences are the agriculture-specific tools and facilities and a bunch of farm animals. The show uses a fairly saturated palette that gives the series a bit of a lighter mood. Color shading and background details are average overall and character styling is also a bit on the simplistic side. You also have an instructor who humorously resembles Buddha.

Don't expect much here in terms of either action or fan service. There is a tiny amount of blood once and a while but nothing really significant by action standards.

Sound:
The show has a fitting guitar-based OP and ED. I'm not a fan of slow, country-ish songs of this sort though so I skipped out on them for the most part. The BGM is minimal and for the most part not really worth mentioning.

This is in part a documentary and in part a comedy so it is dialogue driven in many parts, but it wasn't very demanding character emotion-wise and no one ended up really standing out for me.

Story:
Hachiken has lived his life in his brother's shadows, so much so that his entire dreamless life consists of studying. Having no real drive or future plans, his teacher sends him to a live-in agrarian high school. To his amazement, Hachiken finds himself surrounded by people with strong goals and dreams. Will Hachiken be able to cope with his new, culturally-different classmates and five AM practicums?

This is an eye-opener of a series in many regards. In telling Hachiken's tale of learning about agriculture, the show is able to expose and confront a lot of misnomers about agriculture and even address some philosophical questions regarding livestock's transformation from respected living creature to meat. Between these conception-shattering moments, you get a bit of character development and a good deal of comic moments; a lot of these revolve around Hachiken's ignorance of the field that he's studying.

This isn't the most intense of series plot wise. Don't expect much in the way of cliffhangers or rising action, in fact the series doesn't even really end on much of a conclusion. I guess this fact is slightly mitigated by the fact that a second season has already been announced.

Character:
There are a lot of characters in this show, and while a lot of them contribute to the central plot in one way or another no one is really well developed. The focus of the show is clearly more on showing farming procedures and practices than on giving the, admittedly, bland history of farm hands. While the protagonist clearly becomes much more adept at manual labor, he still maintains a significantly different world view than that of his classmates at the end of the show. The show does occasionally tease at possible character relationships but this is used as more of a comedy gimmick than for plot progression. Overall, the show features a balanced cast that really is presented to highlight the core farming theme rather than the other way around.

Value:
My strongest takeaway from this show (at least to confirm) is that farm-fresh foods appear to be highly superior to what I, as a cheapskate consumer, can get from the local grocery store. Expect to see the protagonist literally prostrate as a reaction to tasting food. Overall, despite being an average show plot wise, the show managed to stick to its unique theme; this alone earns it a lot of kudos. Unfortunately, I don't see it becoming a hit like Usagi Drop, it just lacks the emotional and character depth. Regardless, it still stands on its own as a reasonably entertaining look at how life is as a farmer. While I have new found respect for those in agribusiness, I'll stick to my white-collar line of work thank you very much. If you're willing to ditch established anime norms (required beach scene, unreasonably cute girls everywhere, etc.) and watch something that can teach you a thing or two, give Silver Spoon a go.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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