Wakaranai

Rating:    

If there’s one show this season that deserves critical buzz, then it is undoubtedly Michiko to Hatchin. While I was prepared for the show with a good amount of trepidation, there is no escaping its staff pedigree which, for better or for worse, guaranteed an anime overflowing with creativity and with a big budget. Well in advance of its airdate, the show was rabidly pimping itself as a style-laden tour de cool. While I love style, it, like everything else, should be applied in moderation. As a testament to this wisdom, the first promo was so dripping in style that it looked like a rejected advertisement for a retro brazillian bikini fashion label – I struggled to see the “anime” in it at all. And the other source of my doubt was the involvement of Manglobe. Pre Ergo Proxy I was a veritable Manglobian worshipper, but after that show proved to be a major disappointment, my faith has been crushed. But with the very discerning Shinichiro Watanabe’s name attached to it, and a reasonably successful first episode, Manglobe have taken up the quest to redeem themselves.

Certainly, Michiko to Hatchin is the most vibrant and creatively saturated series I’ve seen this season. I may say that Kannagi does not feel too clichéd or that To Aru Majutsu no Index is not too genre-bound or clichéd, but this series a fresh and original anime in the purest form which makes no attempts to fit comfortably in the palette of a pre-existing fanbase. It’s not Cowboy Bebop with a twist, or a sequel to anything in either name or spirit. Unlike most anime these days, there’s no obvious parallel or comparison, and the fact that the show so determinedly stands on its own two feet is refreshing and perhaps its greatest strength. For a change, I find myself eager to watch something from which I don’t know what to expect.

The tone of the show is explicitly geared towards the fun (but not dramatically distilled) end of the spectrum, kicking off with an outrageous prison-breaking scene and topped by an even more ridiculous rescue of Hatchin from the clutches of her adoptive tyrants. The series, driven by the fearless and badass personality of Michiko, has a carefree attitude to realism and believability, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. On the other hand, Hatchin’s story gives the show a requisite dose of humanity and dramatic weight. The harsh and cruel “upbringing” of Hatchin by her nasty parents and siblings forcefully extracts empathy from the audience. I could not help but yearn for the adorable Hatchin’s happiness as she was relentlessly abused. At the same time, her character is improved by the fact that she isn’t just a pushover – she had a feisty side to her, exemplified by her slapping her sister stupid in retaliation. The pairing of Michiko and Hatchin at the end of the episode should certainly be interesting in this regard. In escaping a life of sultry maltreatment she has been thrust into one that looks to be tumultuous and dangerous.

The animation quality is exemplary. Although the cel detail is not all that high, each scene looks great with the help of fantastic background art and good character designs. Manglobe had better not screw up on this one like they did with Ergo Proxy’s animation. On the audio side of the production, Shinichiro Watanabe’s involvement makes its entrance. He is the music producer on the show, and as well as being an amazing director his projects in the past have proven he has a very deft ability to obtain and fit the right soundscapes for his projects, whether it’s the juxtaposed beats of Samurai Champloo’s hip-hop soundtrack, or the classic musical journey of Cowboy Bebop. Although I’m not a big fan of the OP at all, I expect the show to have an excellent soundtrack. Other areas of the show’s staff are populated by less well-tested names. This is director, Saya Yamamoto’s first big role as director, and there isn’t much information around on the writer.

While this episode allayed my fears of an over-stylised romp and was a lot of fun, the show has a long way to go before realizing its vast potential.