Reviews

"Michiko e Hatchin" is a hybrid between Brazilian and Japanese culture that is best compared at first as a "Cinderella"/"Prisoner 701 Scorpion" mix, however the episodes that follow seem more like a Thelma and Louise story arch accept it's a mother daughter combo. "City of God" was also mentioned by another reviewer and it's hard not to compare the Braziling like gang violence that occurs throughout this series. These comparisons are really loose references though, considering Michiko and Hana's relationship became much more dynamic as the series progressed. The artwork is very vibrant and fun, and the music has a spicy Brazilian edge and keeps the tempo of this fast paced action drama melodically interesting.

Background Info:

Sayo Yamamoto's debut as a head director is full of promise. Yamamoto is no stranger to smash hits as he has directed episodes of Samurai Champloo, Eureka Seven and Ergo Proxy. Shinichiro Watanabe himself the director of "Cowboy Bebop" is lending a hand for his friend by producing the Music, and Seiki Tamura the art director of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and the Background art director of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", "Princess Mononoke" and "The Grave of the Fireflies" helps make this production definitely something that needs to be watched.

Story and Character Analysis:

At the center of this anime is a story about a society in which two little girls are forced to grow up early due to abuse and a world that won't let them have a childhood. Michiko(mother) and Hana(daughter) are both subjected to physical and mental torture from a young age. For Michiko, the need for love and reconciliation from the one person whom she believed loved her, husband Hiroshi, was originally the driving force to her existence. Michiko deeply desired some normality in her life, since she was forced as a little girl to grow up fending for herself. The normal future that was ripped away from her by a crime syndicate was something she never forgot. This dynamic later switches from Hiroshi to her daughter Hana.

Hana's search for her father is one part escaping her original dismal and abusive situation but eventually evolves into a quest to gain her mothers love and some since of family. Through out this story the mostly painful relationship between her and Michiko occurs mostly because of Michiko's selfish nature and Hana's protective personality. The mother/daughter angst story arc plays out right until the end and made the series feel completed and more realistic in my mind.

The little criticism I do have revolves mostly around the other underdeveloped story arc's which included subtle but sometimes blatant lesbian implications. Definitely a story that can be appreciated by feminists, me included.

Great Series!