Today’s review is a rather special one for me. Despite not have a release in the United States (Apart from the links below), this series is one of the most emotional anime I’ve ever watched. Couple with a nice animation style, a great cast, and a simple but fun story, and you have one of the best anime of the decade (So far, at least). So as not to reveal anymore in this introduction, let’s take a look at the charming HaNaYaMaTa, and see if it deserves the praise that it has received.
Story/Setup
Naru Sekiya is an average Japanese student. She has a normal appearance, a normal intelligence, and is normal in arts and sports, despite loving heroines from fantasy & fairy tales. Everything about her is normal! Everything changes one fateful night: while walking home from school, she encounters what she believes is a fairy, but is actually a transfer student by the name of Hana N. Fountainstand (From America.......from Princeton, New Jersey.....let that sink in for a second). This chance encounter with Hana introduces Naru to the world of Yosakoi, a modern style of dancing that was adapted from a traditional summer dance. At first reluctant, Naru eventually comes to love this new world she’s discovered, and through the process becomes a strong-willed individual. During this journey, she brings in friends old & new into the fold, and in the process they grow up & learn things about the world that they didn’t know before.
On the surface, HaNaYaMaTa’s story looks & feels a lot like other “Girl-Power-Cutesy” series out there, especially K-On. To a certain extent this is true: there are indeed many cute tropes in this show, with some being more obvious than others. If you dig beneath the surface, however, then you’ll find something much more profound. At it’s core, HaNaYaMaTa is a coming-of-age story. Sure, there have been plenty of them in the past, and there are some now, but what makes this show so superior to many of these kind of series (Especially most of the newer coming-of-age shows) is how realistic it feels. Their problems can feel like your problems when you were young, their happiness can feel like your happiness, etc. There’s definitely a girly aspect to HaNaYaMaTa, which makes sense when you consider that the show focuses on the girls, and this aspect might turn off some male viewers, which I can understand. If any male anime fans can get past this, then they’ll find something very worthwhile!
Animation
The animation within HaNaYaMaTa is very simplistic. Not lazy, but simplistic. The show has a more normal look & feel to it. It would be more accurate to describe this show’s animation as Slice Of Life: nothing is over the top, they don’t try to do anything wacky, and there isn’t anything absurd. With that said, this is one of the best looking shows that’s out there so far for this decade. There’s a very clean look to everything that’s going on, all of the characters either look nice, cute, or handsome (In the case of the two male characters), and there’s a general amount of hard work put into the show’s looks.
Voice Acting
At this moment in time, the show only has the original Japanese dub & subtitles. In regards to the Japanese Dub, I’d say it’s alright. Everybody seems to have a voice that matches the character they were given, although there were times that they seemed to be more high-pitched than normal Japanese dubbing.
Characters
Every....character.....works....in....this....show!
The main cast is absolutely delightful. Each of the five girls have their own distinct personalities, with different likes & dislikes as well. They each have their own personal flower as well, with their physical beauty matching & reflecting their inner being. Despite their differences, they all come together to become really great friends. At the beginning of HaNaYaMaTa, the girls are all in some kind of rut, but by the end of the last episode, they are at a completely different point of life, improved for all the right reasons.
The first girl we see is Naru. Like I said in the Story/Setup, she’s very shy & ordinary. She’s not that eager to try new things, with her only joys in life being reading books & sword practice at home. Her only real friends are Yaya, a girl with her own dreams & problems (More on this in a little bit), and Tami. When she first encounters Hana and her constant pestering to try Yosakoi, she’s really not sure what to do. After something personal thinking, Naru reluctantly decides to go along with Hana’s plan. In contrast is Hana herself: Hana is very tomboyish, excitable, and overall is a very happy person. Her positive attitude is infectious, as Naru & a few others are eventually drawn to her.
There are other girls that are drawn into the eventual Yosakoi club. Yaya is a girl that has an even mix of good looks & brain power, making her very popular (The irony is that Yaya has messy handwriting, which provides some of the show’s humor) at school. Not only that, but her family runs a noodle shop, and she’s in a band with three of her own friends (More on this soon). Tami is equally as nice looking as Yaya, and is highly skilled in dancing. However, she has something of an Electra Complex towards her father, and is always trying to be an ideal Japanese woman to please him. Machi is Tami’s closest friend, and is something of a contrast herself. Machi is more strict, serious, and is very much a no-nonsense person. However, Machi’s one weakness is her love for sweet things, which provides for some funny moments. Like I said earlier, these girls are in some kind of spot, and through self-discovery and/or through the urging of a friend, they learn, grow, and mature.
There’s two other characters that deserve some mentioning about. Sari Tokiwa (Sally-Sensei, as the girls call here) is the girls’s English teacher. She also happens to be Machi’s older sister, and there’s some drama there, but to reveal it would be a major spoiler. Like Naru, she’s reluctant to be a part of the Yosakoi club, but after some prodding from Naru & Hana, she becomes their advisor. Sari can be very ditzy at times, but there’s other occasions where she can be surprisingly smart. The other is Masaru Ofuna, a 33-year old male (One of only two male characters that make appearances) that runs the Yosakoi Masaru shop. Despite looking like a threatening individual (Hana called him a “Bald Yakuza” when she first saw him), he’s quite friendly, and is eager to teach anyone the art of Yosakoi. Though not quite in the spotlight as the girls, they still provide to the overall story of the show.
Availability & Pricing
Sadly, HaNaYaMaTa isn’t available outside of Japan yet. Airing sometime in the middle of Summer (July, if I’m not mistaken), the last episode was put out only recently. Unless you have enough money to import the manga, or anime if they’ve put it out on DVD, you may as well wait until it comes over here (If it comes over here).
Overall Impression & Rating
I hope to sweet zombie Jesus that this series gets a release here! Despite two small blemishes, the otherwise pristine nature of HaNaYaMaTa makes it a gem. I’ve laughed, cried, and even clapped throughout this entire show, and despite how feminine & girly it all is, I can safely say that I would watched this show over & over. No ifs, ands, or butts about it!!!
HaNaYaMaTa gets a 9.5 out of 10
So that was my review for HaNaYaMaTa. I hope you enjoyed it, and I’ll see you soon!
* If you’re looking to watch the show, here are two links to the series:
http://wyyww.animefreak.tv/watch/hanayamata-online
http://www.crunchyroll.com/hanayamata
On top of that, there is also the manga out there to read. Here’s a link:
http://www.mangahere.co/manga/hana_yamata/
** If you would like to learn more about Yosakoi and it’s history, check out the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosakoi
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