This series went down like tea with a bit of honey. It's refreshing to see slice of life done like this. It starts with Ohana, the main character. You can't help but root for her. She comes across as energetic yet earnest. We follow Ohana from her start at Kissuiso and watch as she matures and grows while at the hot spring. From there, the series explores a wide variety of characters. While I had my doubts at first, the cast at Kissuiso was very well rounded and interesting. Hanasaku Iroha did a good job of keeping focused on the main character in a sea of supporting characters.
As opposed to my usual preference for drama and psychological/dark events, there's not a lot of drama in Hanasaku Iroha and the story telling largely remains positive and happy. But I was never bored and always looked forward to the next episode. With a very light sprinkle of romance (and I mean light, but the ending is well done in this regard) Hanasaku Iroha is probably the best "slice of life" I've seen.
If you don't need non-stop fighting action or secret plots and enjoy slice of life then Hanasaku Iroha is for you. I passed on this at first because I read it didn't have a lot of romance, and while this is true I do believe it's probably still worth your time if you're a fan of Rom-Coms/slice of life type shows.
P.S. very well done in regards to this taking place in a hot spring inn. I never felt like there was unnecessary fan servicey-type shots. Well done and tasteful.
