(I’m reviewing this show as part of Reverse Thieves’ Secret Santa Project.)
Chiyo Mihama/Tsukasa Hiiragi/Yui Hirasawa/Matsuri Sakuragi/Mika Inamori/Yuno is a shy, polite, hardworking girl attending school with her friends. Most of the situations the group end up in are a result of the energetic Tomo Takino/Konata Izumi/Ritsu Tainaka/Miu Matsuoka/Kana Minami/Manami Amamiya and Mutsuki Uehara/Miyako, who’s goofy antics are complimented by straight-man character Koyomi “Yomi” Mizuhara/Kagami Hiiragi/Mio Akiyama/Chika Ito/Kana Minami/Mei Etoh/Sae. These girls are accompanied by Chiyo again/Miyuki Takara/Tsumugi Kotobuki/Ana Coppola/Haruka Minami/Momoha Odori/Hiro who serves as the most levelheaded member.
(Ten points to Gryffindor if you can name all series referenced here.)
You get the point I’m trying to make here? While the above isn’t a perfect comparison, and there are minor variations, the problem is that they are just that, minor. These slice of life series are staples of each season’s lineup, which straight-up baffles me because they are all the same bundle of rehashed characters and situations. I’ve developed some ideas as why they continue to come back season after season with such force, but that’s not the point of this post. I think it’s only fair that I review Hidamari Sketch itself.
Here goes: Between the unbalance of comic parts to dull sections, rehashed characters and scenarios, and a sheen of blandness, I found this series to be wildly forgettable and unable to hold my interest.
All slice of life shows have some little gimmick so as to feign that they are different from the rest. For K-on! it was music, for Strawberry Marshmellow it was the Onee-chan (Nobue), for Minami-ke it was that they were all sisters, and for Hidamari Sketch it’s art. Now I can’t deny that Hidamari Sketch is certainly more stylish than other slice of life shows.
However, often this style seems forced and pointless. For example, when the backgrounds are all large sections of solid color, can it really be said that it is for style’s sake, or is it just a way to cut down on production costs? Additionally, during one section of the show, the “camera” cuts away from Yuno four times in one sentence, just to a solid pink background with an X on it. It’s distracting and doesn’t offer anything to the show other than giving it’s fandom something to help them distinguish it from the rest of the SOL genre.
Of course, being a show about an art school, there are also art references made, but not in conversation, only in appearance. For example, this version of Monet’s Woman with a Parasol used during an eyecatch.
Thus the references don’t serve to educate you any further on the subject, or even serve as a conversation centerpiece, but just as an ah-ha moment to remind you that this show is about art, and is totally different from all the other SOL series out there.
Most episodes seem to follow a certain formula, in that they all consist of three sections. Action, girls sit around a table and reflect on action, Yuno takes a bath and reflects on both refection and action.
If there’s one thing I can’t stand in my anime, it’s polite conversation.
The only thing more boring than discussing the weather with someone is watching fictional characters discuss fictional weather. Personally, I’m a little confused to say the least over why this show feels that after you tell a joke, you have to have the characters sip tea and discuss the joke. Frankly, I think by the third episode you no longer need to tell me that X Situation is so something Y Character would do.
Here comes the totally cornball conclusion: Hidamari Sketch is Aoki Ume’s first work of any length, and I can understand borrowing some elements from other shows for your first work. However, I don’t think that anything of interest was added, thus making the show incomplete. I think that Hidamari Sketch is comparable to the incomplete sketch Yuno does in Ep. 10. Everyone seems to think that by lacking any character development or conflict that the show is “Light-hearted”, when in fact, it is just lacking. You could say that Hidamari Sketch is a just a sketch (You may groan now).
Overall, I feel like this series is akin to talking about art with someone who only knows what they’ve read out of a book. All the basics are there (Characters, plot, ect.) but there’s nothing particularly interesting, nothing is gained by watching it.
You and I had the exact same feeling on Hidamari Sketch. Narutaki and I both wanted to enjoy a show about art students. As a former art student Narutaki really wanted to enjoy a show like this even more than I. But we both found the plot and characters of Hidamari Sketch so very uninteresting.
In shows like this you are supposed to be drawn into the charaters and therefore just want to sit around and listen to them talk like you would listen to you friends talk around a table. I just did not care but I know lots of other people do.
On the other hand I really liked GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class. But mostly becuase I connected to those charaters. I liked how the people in GA actually talked about art and art theory. Plus I found them fun charaters. YMMV.
Still thank a bunch for participating in the project! I hope we can work together in the future.
umm… lucky star.
2.5 points?
Slice of life series tend to lose my interest after about (1)4 episodes, and I think it’s safe to say that Minami-Ke’s main draw point was Hosaka. We were all just sitting there waiting for Hosaka to show up and start molesting fish/Atsuko/the general public of Japan both human and otherwise.
Also, this series was produced by Shaft, so random cutaways to blocks of color are to be expected. You can’t really blame them, but at the same time you can. Just take a look at Bakemonogatari, SZS, and, for past references, Pani Poni Dash. Shaft has been collectively going batshit insane.