We are introduced to Ohana, a young girl who already shows signs of being an independent woman, who gets ditched by your typical anime-parents and is forced to move to her grandmother's inn. With the setting put into place, there is very little plot to work with throughout the show, but keeps your interest as you learn about the rest of the cast.
As the viewer is slowly being introduced to the cast, they are given a sample of this life story and their past which will further be shown as the show goes on.
The writers, like Hayao Miyazaki (creator of Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and many more), wants to present female characters as strong-willed and realistic. While Ohana is still questioning on her future, she continues to work hard at the inn in hopes that she will one day find her calling.
Minko, the apprentice chef for the Kissuiso Inn, is a prime example of a strong, ambitious and independent young girl that is mature beyond her years. Against her parents wishes, she trains everyday to fulfill her goal to become a chef.
If you've watched another show by P.A. Works, you know that the animation quality and character designs are second to none. The animation is beautiful and fluid that you might mistake the episodes you've watched were on Blu-ray as the animators were very thorough with each episode. Their time and sweat spent on each episode is testament to how great they wanted this show to be.
I enjoyed this show during it's airing and I couldn't wait for each episode to come out every week. It feels like a breath of fresh air as they captured realism into their show.
Overall, I'd have to give it a 9 which is quite high for a slice-of-life show, but it well deserves it. I've seen some call Hanasaku Iroha another moeblob anime, but quite frankly, it's not. The characters don't act cute every 10 seconds and they have a goal they want to pursue. So please check out this show whenever you can, it's not the most ground breaking show, but it will give you a more optimistic outlook on life after each episode.
