Hinamatsuri

The fundamental problem with this anime series, at least for some audiences, is that Hinamatsuri is quite different from what it first appears to be. In the first episode, a young girl appears out of nowhere, has superpowers, and acts like some sort of sophisticated combat organism sent into the past to change the future. In other words, it really is a parody (not only) of Terminator, confirmed by the final scene where the parody is quite obvious. However, it becomes very quickly apparent in the later episodes that this is no science fiction or action anime series, and there is not even going to be a complex narrative here. It is not even much of a comedy, though the opening episode with its parody would suggest that. Despite all of that, it is still quite entertaining. In fact, Hinamatsuri ends up being one of those enjoyable and likable anime series that focuses on its characters and their relationships and manages to make the viewer happy with the pleasant and fun interactions between them. The whole thing is simply delightful to watch and just so heart-warming. This is one of those anime series that one reviewer writes "smiling throughout the whole episode", it felt like that all the time - at least to me. I mean, some will be disappointed that they "only" get short atmospheric episodes instead of a complex narrative. Lyrical instead of epic. In other words, this show is not for everyone. However, I guess I am lucky that this anime series really hit the spot. Some viewers found only wasted potential, repetitive jokes, a boring slice of life anime series, and forgettable characters. On the other hand, I found something amusing, often human and incredibly pleasant, with excellent characters. It is hard to choose a favorite from the characters. It could be Hina, the little bartender Hitomi, or the anguished and conscientious Anzu. Even though I did not see much of her, it could even be even Mao, whom I found intriguing. All of their narratives indiscriminately caught my imagination; some with Anzu even moved me. In other words, I found this anime series really worked. Oh, and it is not just the child characters that I am going to remember; I really do not think I am going to forget Nitta or Utako in a year. I felt that the comedy worked too, and it worked from the very first episode. The ending of first episode and the Terminator parody put a big and sincere smile on my face, especially. However, I did not stop smiling even when it changed from being primarily a comedy. As for the criticism about repetitive jokes, I will just add that it does not matter how many times a joke is told, but rather how it is delivered. If I had a problem with repetitive jokes, I probably could not have fallen in love with Gintama. What I can relate to is the criticism that the soundtrack and even animation are sub-par. However, I did not notice this so much because it was suitable and still sufficient for the purpose of this anime series. The quality of the soundtrack and animation simply did not affect me = did not spoil the impression. Personally speaking, Hinamatsuri is a well-produced piece of work that I enjoyed a lot. I think it is one of the best anime series of Spring 2018 releases. It is quite possibly the winning show of this anime season, even with only four stars - 8.3/10. (06/22/2018) (less) (more)