Michiko to Hatchin
Title: Michiko to Hatchin Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Rating: 8.7/10
Review: I’m sure you can tell from the image, but this anime does have quite a bit of fan-service. Don’t worry it isn’t anything awkward and you don’t really notice it between the action and general awesome of the scenery. This isn’t the stereotypical “chicks with guns” anime, and it actually resembles Cowboy Bebop quite a bit. Instead of Spike you have Michiko Malandro, a kick-ass, no-questions-asked, shoot-‘em-up girl. Doesn’t hurt that she is also quite the looker (as seen from the picture above). And who is Spike without his faithful companion? Well that is where Hana “Hatchin” Morenos comes in. This little girl probably has the biggest character development in the anime, starting off very innocent and weak, slowly changing into a very rockin’ sidekick. The anime seems to take place in a South America type setting, ranging from the slums to the big city. The story is fairly simple, Michiko picks up Hatchin after breaking out of prison to go look for Hantchin’s supposedly dead dad Hiroshi Morenos. The entire anime is spent on the various adventures and hardships Michiko and Hatchin have to go through with the police, crime syndicates, and themselves. The relationship development between Hatchin and Michiko was very well done, and probably a large focus of the anime. All the main characters were introduced well, giving a clear sense of who they were from their actions. The back stories were explained in a rather cliche` way (flashbacks), but were still interesting because it also shows how all the main characters tie together. The art style and soundtrack was also great for this anime, keeping a very upbeat attitude. The opening theme fits the atmosphere of the anime very well, and the fight scenes were always fun to watch. When watching this anime I always said, “Wait it’s already over?” at the end of every episode, a clear sign that this anime really kept me interested.
Final statements: If you are a Cowboy Bebop fan you will probably really enjoy this anime. I hate to compare animes but that is probably the best way to describe it. It does have its variations like being more fun and upbeat, but quite a few similarities too. The character development and relationship between Michiko and Hatchin was perfectly done. For all you action comedy fans out there I would check this one out. High priority watch.