Hinamatsuri

While reveling in the successful clinching of a prized vase for his collection, Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, is rudely interrupted when a large, peculiar capsule suddenly materializes and falls on his head. He opens the capsule to reveal a young, blue-haired girl, who doesn't divulge anything about herself but her name—Hina—and the fact that she possesses immense powers. As if things couldn't get any worse, she loses control and unleashes an explosion if her powers remain unused. Faced with no other choice, Nitta finds himself becoming her caregiver.

To let her use her powers freely, Nitta asks Hina to help out with a construction deal, which goes smoothly. But while this is happening, a rival yakuza group covertly attacks his boss. To Nitta's shock, his colleagues later pin the blame on him! Tasked with attacking the rival group in retaliation, Nitta steels himself and arrives at their hideout. But suddenly, Hina unexpectedly steps in and helps him wipe out the entire group. As it turns out, Hina might just become a valuable asset to Nitta and his yakuza business, provided she does not use her powers on him first! And so the strange life of this unusual duo begins.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hina Main

Tanaka, Takako Japanese

Nitta, Yoshifumi Main

Nakajima, Yoshiki Japanese

Anzu Supporting

Murakawa, Rie Japanese

Mishima, Hitomi Supporting

Hondo, Kaede Japanese

Mao Supporting

Ozawa, Ari Japanese

Yassan Supporting

Tsuji, Shinpachi Japanese

Sakura, Utako Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Sab Supporting

Kawanishi, Kengo Japanese

Naitou, Tatsuhiko Supporting

Inada, Tetsu Japanese

Baba, Kiyoshi Supporting

Koyama, Tsuyoshi Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Kikushima, Kazufumi Producer

Ogata, Mitsuhiro Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Reviews

Jun 22, 2018

Stark700

Recommended

Once every now and then, we get comedic showstoppers that does what it needs to do: entertain. I’ve seen a lot of comedy shows in the past few years and believe me, Hinamatsuri belongs in a category of its own. It’s entertaining not just on the level of being able to make me laugh but also able to capture the magic of what comedy really is about. It’s only 12 episodes but manages to make an addicting impression.

As a fan of the manga, delightful is just one of many words that came to mind when I heard about the adaptation. The manga contains over 70+ ... chapters of memorable content and to fully deliver that value isn’t an easy task. Luckly, Hinamatsuri does something that I noticed many shows doesn’t do these days and that’s being aware of itself. On first viewing, it felt like a challenge to realize what this series is all about. The premise itself can make some people’s eyes roll while the character cast consists of a variety of colorful personalities. To me, Hinamatsuri is like diving into a world of absurdity but coming out of it brings me nothing but a smile and the realization of being entertained.

From watching the show, I can tell that the director wanted to for entertain the audience. The most evident is the selling of the comedic character reactions. Main characters Hina and Nitta does this the best as they come from very different backgrounds. On the surface level, the two are nothing alike but through interacting with one another, they form a strange bond that makes them almost inseparable. The anime does a phenomenal job at capturing the character expressions with well-timed body language. It creates the sensation of wanting for more every episode and see what characters will do under certain situations. Each episode consists of segments of everyday life activities although there are abnormal events happening from time to time involving psychic powers. Beyond just selling the comedy, this show also does contain some interesting emotional elements too.

One particular episode showcasing Anzu depicts the realism of homelessness. It’s one of those episodes that you would least expect to see from this particular anime. What attracts me about this show is how it ties in a lot of ideas together. The thematic storytelling may feel random at first but overall has a connection together. Every main or supporting character also delivers moments that are hard to forget. This also includes Hina’s classmates such as Hitomi as she works discreetly at a bar that few knows. It’s also noticeable that the show doesn’t just take place at school or the city either. In a big change in mood, an episode focusing on Mao shows what life is like in isolation. By experimenting ideas like this, it feels like this show constantly evolves and has something for fans to talk about.

I’ve already mentioned some of the characters but a big question is if the show puts enough value to make the audience care about them. While some characters may not stand out much as the others, I can definitely say with confidence that the main cast is worth watching for their roles. It would have been easy to just let the characters do the talking but instead, the series remarkably showcase their personalities in the most humorous ways possible. A general sense of fatalism can also be felt as some characters are destined to meet or events fated to happen. While some storytelling elements can be predictable in later episodes, it doesn’t hold back with how characters connect with each other.

Now, there’s an elephant in the room. Once you’ve seen a good amount of episodes, it’s not hard to say that the anime portrays characters in some inappropriate ways. Fan service is present in some episodes and there may be some uncomfortable scenes thrown in by the creators. While this is true on the surface, it should be realized that the anime isn’t presented as a shock value. At its core, Hinamatsuri serves to entertain its audience through creative comedy. The fan service adds more fuel to the fire that way.

Adapted by studio feel, the anime has production quality that I can say works quite well. The character reactions are the big selling factor animated with extreme style. Somehow, it remains faithful to the overall tone of the show without ever going off-track. It also impresses me that we get to see emotional moments bought to life. It’s very human and despite how silly the anime can be, the show contains episodes that are tearjerking. Character designs looks sharp with the vibrant outlines that makes them stand out too.

While not being a powerhouse in the music department, Hinamatsuri does boasts a great voicing cast. Nitta, Hina, Anzu, and Hitomi are the primary examples that perfectly fits with their personalities. Every now and then, they can say lines with a straight face under certain circumstances that can’t help but make me laugh. It’s a comedy show and definitely never forgets its intentions. The music also makes certain scenes and montages feel more meaningful.

Ah, if only Hinamatsuri had more than 12 episodes. The manga contains more material that I would love to see animated on TV. However, it did adapt the series to the extent that made a great impression to me. From character chemistry to the peculiar storytelling, every episode left me with something to talk about. This is a dark horse of the year that I hope people won’t overlook. Crafting comedy isn’t easy these days but I feel that Hinamatsuri accomplished that so well. I am entertained.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 3, 2018

Jezza_G

Mixed Feelings

Kept waiting for something to happen.

This show is fairly easy to watch and there are some moments that will make you laugh.
Overall though nothing really happened. You would think a show about girls with telekinetic powers and some shadowy organization would have more violence, fights or anything really.
Instead you are treated to 12 episodes of Hina wanting food and lazing about. Nitta caring for and often complaining about Hina. Ansu's life as a homeless teen (which was probably the most interesting part of the show) and finally Hitomi working in Nitta's favorite bar and occasionally helping Hina or Ansu.

This show is very episodic, with ... very little in the way of a contiguous story line. After 12 episodes there was no indication of where these super powered girls came from, or what the "Organization" is, why they exist etc. Like I said, it's 12 episodes of nothing.

Animation was fine. If you care, there was little to no fan service.
Soundtrack was fine.

Go into this one with low expectations and maybe you will enjoy it more than I did.

5.5 out of 10

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 22, 2018

Krunchyman

Not Recommended

Just so that we are clear: Nitta thought Hina was a dude, even though he had a full-frontal look at her unclothed body.

……seems legit.

Anime comedies never seem to tickle my “funny bone” the way The Simpsons did in its heyday (circa 1991-1999). While there are notable exceptions (i.e. One Punch Man and Gintama), the vast majority fall under the zany category of school-aged hijinks. To distinguish itself from the heard, Hinamatsuri throws in girls with psychic powers, who, for the most part, use them to generate obscure situations for the purposes of setting up the proverbial punch line. And while a handful ... of the joke’s secure a half-smile-to-a-grin, nothing resonates enough with the viewer to burst out into laughter over. In fact, I would wager that my expression resembled Hina’s blank face when I watch this particular anime.

The funniest jokes, in my estimation, are the one’s that have a modicum of relevance to one’s own life experiences. In animation, this begins by creating a character that embodies a distinguishable characteristic that is shared by most people (e.g. laziness), allowing the audience to live vicariously through them. If the audience feels disconnected from the experiences of the character’s on the screen, their actions come off as being ridiculous, and, god forbid, “cartoonish.” To exemplify this point, juxtapose a typical Adam Sandler movie with a comedy classic, The Big Lebowski. In the former’s case, we have situational character’s who fit a particular mold to tell a particular joke, usually to the point of exhaustion. Whereas, with Lebowski, we have three character’s who epitomize the human condition, that being: laziness, anger, and awkwardness. Thus, allowing the comedy to sprout naturally from the essence of the character’s themselves, rather than being forced through nonsensical happenstances — as is the case for Hinamatsuri.

Hina, to the detriment of the series, is a vacuous character with little-to-no remorse for her discourteousness, and only the slightest inclination of empathy. She doesn’t sound like a typical school girl to me, she sounds more like a sociopath, but that’s none of my business (slurps Lipton tea). Her unassuming lifestyle parallels that of an annoying, adolescent child, making her behavior all the more irksome; consequently, her immaturity extinguishes the impact of her “comedic” moments. The singular moment where her deadpan personality did serve a purpose, was to set up the final joke in episode 8 (when Nitta celebrates being a “free” man again — now that was hilarious!). That aside, her monotonous, imbecilic behavior was simply excessive to the point of infuriating the viewer. We get it, she’s ceaselessly hungry, it’s not cute when a three-year-old says it, and it’s certainly not cute or funny when Hina says it.

I’m not really sure what to make of the homeless scenes with Anzu (there’s some feels there, I suppose) and the bar scenes with Hitomi. They, you know, happen, because……the anime staff’s gotta fill 12 episodes? Also, how come Anzu’s hair/appearance never looked disheveled when she was homeless? It literally takes a day for anyone to look like utter garbage without the proper bathroom “essentials.” Just saying.

Despite my “harsh” criticisms, its not an awful anime, its just not really good, either. It offers a specific brand of comedy that may appeal to a cohort of the anime community; nevertheless, its staying power is substantially limited, due to the inane nature of the show. If you have roughly 4.5 hours to kill (who am I kidding, I know you do) then give it a go, it may be a source of great enjoyment and copious laughter — but, if you’re like me, it will be fairly jejune.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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