This review will definitely be unnecessarily long. However I am doing it not only to help others realize how great and innovative the visuals of this show truly are and to push back against the common understanding of what makes an anime look good, but also to try and figure out for myself just why it is I find the franchise to be so endearing.
The best way that I can describe the way this series is so visually compelling to me would be to say that it has this persistent rhythm that is constantly driving the framing of shots, the timing of cuts, and the placement of sound effects. It is through the constant energy provided by the shifts between all the stills it uses that the show feels warm and alive despite not containing much traditional animation. To be sure, each and every still frame in this show is impeccably designed from a color and graphical standpoint, but the directors somehow know just how to shift between these diverse and interesting framings at just the right times that it always commands your attention despite the obvious banality of the topic matter. This is all without even mentioning the impeccable sound design and perfect use of sound effects – they are always timed to either compliment the shot transitions and make it feel as though scenes flow effortlessly from shot to shot and from each scene to scene. They also add a great deal of punchiness and comedic effect to the jokes due to their perfect timing. The last thing I want to touch upon in regards to the visuals and sound are the use of idiosyncratic symbols and sound effects which add a feeling of familiarity and symmetry to many of the moments. The show so often transitions to these highly reduced, minimalistic cuts placed in between shots of more traditional visuals in order to add visual variety, and the characters are typically represented with a specific symbol that the viewer quickly learns to associate with that character. Not only is this just a really interesting technique that further diversifies the visual repertoire, but it makes each of the character designs feel that much more iconic and memorable when there is a symbol that can be associated with them. In most other shows, Yuno’s hair clips would just be a completely unremarkable part of her design, but the visual design in this show is so strong that it managed to turn such a banal trait into an instantly recognizable part of her character as well as a great running gag (such as when other characters put on the clips). In my view the core cast of this show have some of the most iconic character designs ever made and much of their iconic nature is owed to the strong symbology. The framing of shots within the characters’ rooms uses a similar technique, wherein a small set of specific, static angles was deliberately used for each separate room – in this way, the viewer is actually able to subconsciously realize which room a scene is taking place in just by recognizing the angle that is being shown. The sound effects do the same thing, as the viewer begins to associate specific sound effects with specific actions due to how they are used. Not only does it make me grin like an idiot to hear those familiar little chirps play when, say, the show is rapidly showing a bunch of cuts of the food Hiro made or something, but the use of that same golf sound effect every time Miyako gets clobbered in the head makes me burst out laughing every time. This repetition of familiar sights and sounds might not even be noticed by first-time viewers but I think it goes a long way in making the setting and the characters feel familiar which is crucial for the overall feel of the show. The whole point of this genre is to make the viewer feel like they are comfortable in the company of old friends, and by adding all these repeated, idiosyncratic bits of sight and sound it feels as though you are “in” on some sort of secret language that the show uses. There is simply just a very specific, unique, and instantly recognizable sort of communication that this show uses through its visuals and sound which is absent in the vast majority of other shows I’ve seen that makes HSketch stand out among its contemporaries as unique and full of personality.
Another great choice made by the first two seasons is the choice to air episodes in an asynchronous format. The episodes jump back and forth between the seasons of the year with little care for chronology, with the first chapter of the manga actually not even being adapted until the second season. The anime adaptation never even takes the time to introduce its characters and instead just throws you into a random day in their lives in the middle of winter. Evidently, many have found this choice to be arbitrary and annoying, but I think it’s actually genius. The whole point of this show, as I view it, is to allow the viewer to completely relax in the hypnotic rhythm of the presentation and enjoy the company of these wholly likable characters in the context of its comforting setting of the Hidamari Apartments, and in this view, the actual order that events or even time happens is of little significance. The asynchronous structure helps to take the emphasis off the specific things that happen and reinforces that the show is about how relaxed the characters and the environment make you feel. In this sense I really feel like HSketch is the ultimate Slice of Life show because it is fully focused on taking these perfectly contained little vignettes of a single day in life at the Hidamari Apartments and focusing on making the presentation as warm and charming as possible.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the success of seasons 1 and 2 may have been the downfall of the series. With seasons 3 and 4 came an obvious significant increase in the animation budget and visual style – these seasons lose the charming “hazy”, almost dreamlike feel of the first two and replace it with a more sharp feel, and the director team behind these seasons is completely different than the first two. Furthermore, the aforementioned asynchronous format is abandoned in these two seasons for a strictly linear progression of time, which just makes it feel less interesting. Although seasons 3 and 4 are by no means bad I think they lack most of the particular visual charms of the first two and are generally inferior – again, I think that the creative forces behind the first two were so instrumental to why they felt idiosyncratic and endearing, but those staff members were absent from the last two seasons which kind of removes the point. Also, it’s not that I even dislike Nori or Nazuna, but the chemistry between the original four was so perfect that I think it’s impossible to add characters to and have it stay as perfect.
Again, I really cannot stress enough just how great all the character interactions and sound design is, but the main focus of this review is on the visual design, and you can experience the strength of all of these aspects if you just watch it. The first two seasons of Hidamari Sketch, especially the first, are in my view a classic case study into how strong color design, interesting framing, and unique symbology can be used to create engaging visuals even in the absence of traditional animation. Given all this, it is both puzzling and saddening to see that HSketch has fallen by the wayside in comparison to its contemporaries. Most internet users probably know what K-On, Nichijou, or Azumanga are or have at least seen a few memes containing their characters, but I’ve literally never seen an HSketch meme in the wild. I just think HSketch should still be considered as relevant and innovative today as it was when it first aired over 15 years ago, because it is proof that smart, intentionally designed shows focused on the characters and setting can be made for cheap, and will have infinitely higher quality and shelf life than overproduced CGI crapfests with massive budgets.
