First Look: Hanasaku Iroha

Title: Hanasaku Iroha
Genre: Comedy, Drama

Summary: Matsumae Ohana, a 16 year old girl, moves out of Tokyo and starts working at a hot spring hotel, which is located on a hill surrounded by cherry blossoms. Matsumae has yet to decide her future. The story will also feature other teenage girls who are looking for their dreams and excitements.

First Look: Hooray another drama for the season! At least it has some comedy so I don’t completely cut myself after the Hanasaku Iroha/AnoHana combo. The anime is rather slow paced compared to the others this season taking you into the average life of Matsumae. Well probably a bit below average considering her mother is a complete flake and her grandmother a bit abusive. But with her strong personality and will to show people she is a hard worker, I’m sure she can fight through it. The opening to Hanasaku Iroha kind of sets up for a small back story that will probably be addressed later on. I’m not sure if I’m completely correct but it may end up turning into a romance as well. During the first episode you discover that Matsumae’s friend secretly liked her, but only ended up telling her after she had to move out of Tokyo. With tension building up and the stresses of working at a hot spring, she is finding it harder and harder to text him. After a couple days, he finally breaks the ice by asking her how she’s doing. Sadly she still is conflicted whether she should bring up the confession or let it slide.

The series seems to be leaning toward teaching the audience a life lesson through Matsumae. With the reply text in the back burner she is slowly starting to understand what it’s like in the real world. It will probably end up being one of those series that has great character development. I’m sure by the end after all the experiences Matsumae has gone through, she will finally come up with an answer to that text. Then again, it could just be a side thing and none of it really matters. Either way I’m sure it will be good. As I said the anime isn’t fast pace and doesn’t have the most interesting story, but it has its own charm. I think the characters are what make it enjoyable. It’s hard to put my finger on as to what exactly I like about the characters because if I met any of them in real life I’d probably get irritated. Some how the anime actually makes me want to learn more and more about each one. It seems like all of them have their own little story to tell. Even Matsumae’s grandmother, who is a bit like the wicked witch of the west, has her good points. Probably what makes the series is the little hints they throw here and there. Characters with a tough exterior have their weak points, and characters who are shy and timid have their strong points. Hanasaku Iroha has given me laughs while still holding up good story/character development.

So far I have no complaints about the series. The story, characters, and art all seem above average. It is probably one of my favorite anime this season aside from Steins;Gate and it is a good change of pace from many of the other series I’ve been reviewing. The best way to describe it is having a little bit of everything. Hopefully the drama doesn’t become too intense. The balance between comedy and drama seems to be working well for my tastes though. 

Final statements: I’m going to keep it on watch but not going to suggest picking it up quite yet. Even though I like it and find nothing wrong with it, dramas can shift for the worst in an instant. I wouldn’t want to make any of you guys sad on accident!