Minami-ke

Funny doesn't even begin to cover it. I laugh out loud every episode. This show just really cracks me up. It's just so absurd and lively and hilarious.

Story: There's no real continuous plot. It really is slice of life in that Seinfeldian "show about nothing" sort of way. Despite the fact that there's no real story line, it manages to find such absurdity and humor in what should be the simplest, most mundane human interactions and relationships.

Art: Even the art is funny. The characters' expressions and body language just adds to the unexpected humor of every situation, ... whether it's their over-the-top enthusiastic poses or the random adult glares they give each other once in a while. The art is also consistent and despite the fact that the background characters all look similar, I find that they're all easy to distinguish from each other and that they are consistent through the series, which I like.

Sound: Okay, if you've ever seen any of my other reviews or anything -- I normally do not pay any attention to openings and endings, except to generically note that I don't like them. I *LOVE* this show's opening and ending for some reason. It's bouncy and bubbly and absolutely perfect for the show. The opening is one of those cheerful running openings (like Gokusen) and it just hits the nail right on the head in terms of attitude and atmosphere of the show.

And the actors who do the voices of the three sisters do such a great job, especially the two younger sisters -- Chiaki is so deadpan and dry and Kana is so mindlessly enthusiastic. Perfect. =)

Character: I don't know if I've ever seen just a compilation of silly, hilarious characters in one show before. And it's really amazing that the show manages to balance all these ridiculous personalities together to work at making such a funny show without going too far and tiring out the audience. Even the supporting characters you see for one or two episodes, like the various classmates of the girls, are charmingly wacky and endearing. And don't forget the main characters! These girls are each so individual and carefully created that you can almost guess how they'd react in conversations they've never had in the show. They do a great job of subtly filling out all the details of their unique personalities that you get a very strong feeling that they're real and you know them, from the serene and nurturing Haruka to Kana's crazy, pedal to the metal perspective on life and the fact that little Chiaki makes you wonder if a dry, jaded old man somehow got stuck in an elementary school girl's body.

Enjoyment: I love this show. I've already rewatched episodes and it still cracks me up on repeat viewings. And I think other people love this show too, but this is just my guess. ;) Go watch this show!!

Okay well considering there are 7 reviews about minami ke when i finished watching this. So How am i going to get this review noticed? Easy and in one sentence too.
95% like Ichigo Mashimaro
But what do you expect from the same production company? (Domu)

Now with that said. Everything about this screams Ichigo Mashimaro. Sure theres only "3 main characters" as opposed to 5 main characters. Three would be the bare minimum for a slice of life comedy about a plain depiction of the days of the lives of the Minami sisters. Even before the show starts it says don't expect to much. What they ... say is 100% truth considering its practically Ichigo-M sequel. Now it is up to the viewer to figure out if that is a good thing or bad thing. And in my opinion its a VERY good thing.

Two of the main characters are complete polar opposites.Kana is they energetic outgoing idiot, whereas Chiakiis the quiet conservative genius. The third sister, Haruka is only there as an easy medium to balance out the Minami-ke formula. Haruka is such a perfect "in-between" character that i love her the most of the three. She can be cool headed, hot headed, smart, AND dumb and still make it all believable. What also helps the characters out is such a STRONG Seiyu cast. Allthough it does feel like they did a little type-casting. Like Marina Inoue does the voice of Kana, she also did the voice for Yoko (Gurren Lagann) and Mina (Getsumento). And Minori Chihara (of Yuki Nagato and Minami Iwasaki fame) doing the voice as the usually quiet Haruka. A good thing about typecasting though is that you know that you're getting a perfect voice for that character and these girls are perfect for their roles. But one can't help that the characters are cookie cutter replicas of Miu and Chika (Kana and Chiaki)in manner attitude and habits.

Artwork is pretty standard fare coming from Domu, all pastel colors. It all works just fine to promote a warm cozy enviroment. Never any harsh, quick action moving, visuals. There are a few high kicks thrown in for laughs but overall the humor and comedy keeps the visuals from being too much of a distraction. Everything might be in pastel, but everything is accounted for. Laundry hanging on the balcony, to the different ingredients of their snacks and dinners. The enviroment looks very plain but lets not forget this is a story about 3 girls. So everything is usually going to be very clean and organized and you will notice that right away. Literally the only settings that are shown for this show is going to be the girls apartment and the classroom. Each episode will have a different location to keep things fresh but things are usually kept in those two locations. Another nice art twist is how they do the shadowy face and the teardrop mouth. They're good choices to keep the animations a little more unique.

The strongest part of the show is the comedy and if you know anything about Domu is that this is where they shine the best. No matter what setting they have, just as long as they have girls in the story they can make the funniest situations out of NOTHING. They can make drinking a bottle of water or sitting a table hilarious. And thats what most people will love about this show. Theres no story (comon its a sitcom) don't bother trying to find one. They tell at the start of every episode there is no story, just funny situations. There is not enough props for Domu for making some of the best sitcom anime in the industry ^_^ Whats so great about their story telling is that it feels so fresh and more hilarious with every new episode. You can watch any episode and will still be funny to you 10 years from now.

Well I'm sure I've beaten the cookie cutter aspect of the show to a pulp by now but one thing that isnt the same as Ichigo-M is that its not as infected with cuteness as its predecessor. And thats why I will score this higher than Ichigo-M. Me being american, sitcoms will always have a place in my life. Of course sitcom anime isn't for some people. If you don't like sitcoms or too analytical for a sitcom then please dont watch this. If you want to watch funny things unfold for random characters then this show is just for you! Regardless this is another hit made by Doumu.

Story (8/10)

Minami-ke is a slice of life comedy centring on the three Minami sisters (no mention of any other family except a distant relative) and their friends as they go about their lives – usually with hilarious consequences. Each episode is portrayed in short segments spread throughout, much like azumanga diaoh with each segment having its own theme, but usually fitting round a general episodic storyline. The vast majority of the story takes place at the girls various schools (each sister attends a grade school) and at home, giving a wide scope for hilarity to ensue, with most of the comedy coming from the younger ... sisters Chiaki and Kana.

Although there may not be a storyline moving towards a dramatic ending, as the genre’s nature is, each episode is well written to bring a smile to the face. The way the story is portrayed with the characters and the styling, make this one of the most fun and enjoyable series that you’ll watch – its just good fun.

Art (9/10)

The art in Minami-ke is commonly called soft art, whatever they call it, it fits in with the story and the characters brilliantly. The character designs are some of the best I have seen, every aspect of the characters is well animated, and I love the facial animations – especially the tear drop mouth. The backgrounds are all nicely done, and the schools and Minami home are all animated well.

My only complaint with the animation is the tendency to switch styles when the girls are being serious to a more hardened styling. The first time it happens it’s quite a shock, usually involving facial close ups, with additional details added to the eyes and nose detail – it just seems out of place with the rest of the animation being so soft, and they could probably have had the same effect without resorting to a different animation style. This is a small complaint though and the rest of the artwork is beautiful.

Sound. (9/10)

The OP isn’t to my tastes but is lively, happy and catchy, generally a good mood setter for the series, the ED is again lively and if anything catchier than the OP. The voice acting is of a high standard throughout the anime, everything sounding right, from Kana’s relentlessly enthusiastic voice to Chiaki’s slightly deeper (not in a bad way!) dead pan voice work really well with the characters.

The background music involved reminds me of the background music from azumanga diaoh - it sets the pace of the segments where it is used, and is normally timed for comedic effect and adds in that extra little bit of fun to the anime.

Characters (10/10)

This show works because of its strong range of characters and supporting characters throughout the series, with most of the supporting characters getting better development than main characters from other animes.

The Minami sisters work brilliantly well, with Kana’s abundance of energy and lack of common sense being offset by Chiaki’s superior wit and intolerance for idiots. That said it’s up to Haruka to keep the peace, although this is not easy as both siblings vie for Haruka’s affection at every turn.

The supporting cast is very strong, with a few strong recurring characters, each of them likeable, my only complaint was about the gender bending Makoto/Mako, while his initial cross dressing was hilarious, the more often ‘Mako’ turned up the less I liked the character, however this was somewhat offset with the introduction of Touma (not really a gender bender, as had it forced upon her) later in the series, which seemed to give Makoto a counter balance which I felt was needed.

What makes this show such a success is the way the characters combine, and would not have been half as funny if the extensive range of characters were not involved. The continual battle of wits between Chiaki and Kana is brilliant to watch, and the way they both manipulate their friends into their schemes is highly amusing.

Enjoyability (10/10)

This is one of the most enjoyable series I have seen, the characters are wonderfully developed and animated and the scripting for the episodes is brilliant – you’ll get at least on good laugh out of every episode, which is basically what this type of series is about, putting a smile of the viewers face.

Overall (9/10)

Miname-ke sets a high standard across the board for it portrayal of brilliant characters, fantastic animation and brilliant use of music. Each storyline brings something new, and you never know what to expect except that its going to be hilarious. I had been looking for a while for something that could compete for laughs with azumanga diaoh’s slapstick comedy and in Miname-ke I found it – in fact its probably the best anime of its type out there at the moment.