Story: 8/10
Based on the ongoing manga of the same name, basically its about four grade school girls and their big sister (only one is actually related to her, but they all look up to her as one) living life in Japan. I feel I should state at this point that it keeps its story as realistic as possible, so there is no princess to save, no student counsel to form, nothing! This is about everyday life! Which may be a turn off to some fans wanting an actually plot in their shows. Each scene opens up with something different though, such as the girls going on vacation, the big sister on her never ending quest to find a job, the girls making birthday presents for someone special, or them just trying to not make too much noise so another member can sleep! I almost felt like I was watching someones animated home videos about their life sometimes, as apposed to an actual anime. One of the girls is actually from America, so there is plenty of references to both Japanese and American culture made by the girls, which is nice for those of us wanting to learn more about their ways. The story is warm hearted and cute all the way through, though I couldn't help but feel that if it wasn't for Miu (main lead) this series would not have been nearly as entertaining. As she is the only real member that actually has a comical personality to her, where as most of the others are more down to earth. While Ichigo doesn't do anything new with its over all concept, it does indeed to it right! Its soft soothing storyline can either be its greatest feature, or worst, depending on your taste.
Soundtrack: 8/10
The opening theme has the girls singing a party theme to Ichigo Masimaro, while the ending is the complete opposite, and is sung solo in a soft layed back tone, which fits the anime nicely for its theme. The background music is sparse however, in fact a good portion of the time there really is no BG whatsoever. And while I do feel it enhances some of the moods in the series overall, it would have been nice to actually have had at least some memorable tracks! Still, what they do have there is good! The Japanese voice cast they got were great however, every girl was matched perfectly with the appropriate voice over. Whether it be Ana's soft sweet voice or Nobue's more layed back personality.
Characters: 8/10
The cast is very likable, while they don't have the most deep or versatile personalities (like Miu has), they at least never come off as annoying. In fact all the personalities that have been given to each girl is pulled off sweet and charming. They really know how to interact with each other well!
One thing I found to be interesting though, was a lack of supporting characters. The only people you’ll see in this title for the most part are the main cast themselves. (with the exception of some old guy that is used as a running gag, the girls just never seem to give him any peace and quite) This can be seen as both a positive and negative depending on your view point, while I personally loved this feature, some may feel that this might make the story all the more bland. Again, it just depends on your perception of it.
Artwork: 7/10
It is soft and cuteness at its best. Nothing is ever "overly" detailed that it comes off as too much for the eyes to take. Color and art are focused on the characters themselves, while the backgrounds look more along the lines of soft water color paintings. It does have a nice appeal to it, but certainly isn't the most well detailed series out there. As the clothing and backgrounds have a much more plain look to them, still it is nice to look at.
Bottom line: 9/10
If you like a large cast of characters and a deep storyline in your anime, then it would be best to avoid Ichigo Mashimaro, as this title contains none of those whatsoever. But if your like me and love slice of life anime with a nice realistic layed back sense of humor, then it doesn't get much better than this! As this title has some of the cutest and most lovable cast you'll see in one, and will give you a sense of joy and fondness after watching it!
