Reviews

I believe that HisoMaso represents a coming-of-age story of the same flavor as "March Comes Like a Lion", and with an excellent team backing it up. It speaks to me of identity and self-worth. The OTFs (dragons) are great and cool, and their transformations are epic, but at this point, they are a creative vehicle (get it? vehicles?) for their pilots to learn about themselves.

The best part of HisoMaso is, without a doubt, the colorful cast. I can't express how easy it is to enter the story alongside the characters, empathizing with their relational struggles and cheering for their successes. Each seiyuu is obviously deeply invested into her character, and it's a pleasure to listen to their banter.

At the time of this posting, HisoMaso is *criminally* underrated here on MAL. It's sitting halfway down the popularity list for this season, and is resting at 7.5*, which is a misrepresentation of the quality of this production.

I'd like to take a moment to mention that yes, I understand why many users aren't as drawn to this show. The art style is simple, and lacks the sharpness of the current shounen meta, cutesy flairs of a typical slice-of-life, and the artsy vibe of some seinen shows. The story is slow, if even present at all. The OP isn't as loud and hyped as fans are used to, so it doesn't draw them in the same way. There's no contrived romance, no great evil, and no tragic backstory.

What this show does have is heart.


P.S. The ED is perfection.