A series like this makes me think all shows should be just 12 episodes. Why spend 3204897450 episodes to stimulate drama or incite emotional impact when you can do it in 1?

Lovely, just lovely.

Before the good stuff, I have to be honest and note that Kayo’s sudden transfer felt contrived. Unless I was completely oblivious, there were no hints about that prior to episode 10. It felt like a slightly cheap way of creating more dilemma for Mugi. Though, given Mugi’s revelation on how she only thought about herself and never once took notice on how Kayo was doing, it could’ve been a method to surprise the audience along with her… naaaah, that’s too sly.

With that small aside, I did enjoy their story. Kayo has been a superb friend to Mugi. As Chitose noted, it’s incredible how Kayo managed to stay by Mugi’s side for 4 years. These two episodes provided a great look into their friendship; something that I now notice as a theme to this anime.

The last episode was beautiful.

To start off, Chitose was also a great friend to Mugi. She was dealing with so much throughout this series. Her issues between the drama club and Mugi’s club, her crush on Takashi, and her friendship with Mugi. She had plenty of her own problems on her mind and still went out of her way to help out Mugi. It’s unfortunate she got shot down by Takashi (who I now hate for hurting such a wonderful girl… ok not hate but he’s still a punk). It’s a shame Kayo won’t be around to help Mugi when she stumbles but it’s relieving to know that Mugi has another incredible friend to keep her steady.

It’d be unfair to say that Mugi was weak. She was shy, indecisive, and self-conscious but I can’t call her weak. She had the will to stand up and the strength to push forward… she just didn’t have faith. Faith… in herself. Kayo believed in her. Chitose believed in her. Nono believed in her. And Mugi finally realized all this in this last episode. Not only that, she knew she could move forward and live her dream.

Mugi and Nono’s meeting on the roof was moving.

Mugi was so full of confidence, it was breathtaking. She never once stumbled in her speech while talking to Nono. That’s quite a feat. I watched that sequence over 10 times… heh… well, sure I enjoyed it and it was heartwarming but honestly, part of it was trying to figure out Mugi’s dream; trying to understand what she meant by “a dream called Hitohira.”

She said it right after bustin’ out the old club banner so at first, I thought she meant she was gonna revive the club. But, after seeing the final scenes showing the club members names at the bottom of the club room door, that doesn’t seem like it’s right. That last scene felt like a goodbye to those times.

So, maybe she’s chasing after Nono? At the end of episode 11, while thinking about Nono, she grabbed her heart and blushed then asked Kayo (in her head) what “this” meant… maybe she likes Nono? Nono’s line that she’ll be waiting on the other side of the bridge could imply it… yet to have sudden shoujo-ai undertones seems hard to grasp.

The safest guess is that her dream is to move forward on her own feet. Yeah, that sounds lame and cheesy but it can also work. She’s had so much support up until now and she finally realizes how much everyone has helped her. It’s time for her to support others. Or something like that.

I bet it’s something really simple and I just can’t see it, haha. Or I’m thinking so much into it that I’m confusing myself. Or both…

Regardless, Mugi can now become an incredible friend. She experienced a great friendship in Kayo, she witnessed a great friendship in Nono and Mirei, and she will continue to build another great friendship in Chitose. With all this, there’s no doubt she will become a great person.

Hitohira achieved what so many animes strive for; successfully portraying a deep story w/o getting lost. This show had just the right mix of everything: simple yet meaningful story, expressive characters, moderately intense and believable drama and of course, plenty of comedy. No aspect was overdone and no event was drawn out.

As much praise as I’m giving this series, it will not make it into any of my top “insert number and category here” lists. It’d even be hard to recommend this to many people. It’s like a niche anime but it lacks the niche… totally doesn’t make sense, does it?

I’ll take the easy way out. Just watch it and you’ll find out.

Overall series score: 8.9 out of 10

Oh, there’s one last thing. Even if this series turned out horrible or if it was so bad that I dropped it early on, I would still be glad I at least checked it out. I love the intro and ending songs. I sat through the intro and the ending sequence for every single episode. Yes, that’s a very rare thing for me to do.

I hunted for those songs before I even finished the first episode yet still had to listen to them every time. With this series finished, the ending song feels so meaningful now. Also, I’m not one to hunt for OSTs since I prefer my music with lyrics but I need to find this one. It’s only for 2 musical scores though, hehe.

I couldn’t wait for the “official” fansubs to get released so I watched this one with some less than perfect subs (but I am no less thankful for them).

After watching… I now wish I had waited…

Ahhh… I don’t wanna hate on this, I really don’t; this episode as the finale for the OVA was just a let down. Absolutely nothing occurred. If I waited, my expectations wouldn’t have been as high.

Now, granted, slice-of-life doesn’t require significant events but at least provide something new. I found this episode to be very endearing and showing the bonds between Yumi and Sachiko, her friends, and various other characters is a great thing.

Just… not as a last episode! Not when it’s been shown several times with just this OVA! Not when I WANTED TO SEE SOME PROGRESS FOR YUMI AND HER (POTENTIAL) PETITE SEOUR(S)!!

Yes, I’m being selfish. Seriously, this was a lovely episode. In terms of content and quality by itself, it passes. Unfortunately, I cannot see it as just itself. If this episode happened a few episodes back, I’d have more praise for it. It didn’t work for me as a closer.

I suppose there were some developments. Very minor but there, nonetheless. When Yoshino brought up her and Yumi’s petite seour situation and name-dropped Touko and Kanako, Yumi didn’t play them off. As in, she didn’t reject the implication that they were potential petite seours for her. I’m probably picking it apart too much but whatever, it’s fun. It gives me reassurance that she’s on her way to decide between them.

If I think about it, Yumi’s situation could turn into some funky love triangle dealie, huh? Yumi isn’t exactly strong-willed nor decisive, classic traits of your harem male MCs. She’ll probably throw herself into some unnecessary drama due to that.

Hahaha and if you take a look at Touko and Kanako, it’s almost your classic two girls for a shounen/bishoujo romance drama. These shows always have your outgoing/tomboyish/tsundere/loud/etc. girl (Touko) and your reserved/shy/quiet/modest/etc. girl (Kanako). Hahaha… yeah, I know I’m stretching it but this is also fun. I’ll stop there though, heh.

Where was I? Oh yeah…

The best part of this OVA was Shizuka.

I like her character and I love her eyes.

It’s too bad since this’ll probably be the last time she’ll ever appear. She just has no real reason to. The original grand seours haven’t shown up either but they at least have a legitimate reason to show up at any time.

She has the character design of someone really cold yet may be one of the sweetest characters in this series. Her screentime was much too short.

*SIGH*

Now it’s a long wait. I doubt the next season (or OVA) will happen until at least next spring. It sucks even more since I’m sure it’ll be about Yumi pickin’ her pony. I have been tempted sooooo many times to spoil myself and see who she finally chooses… sooooo many times…

I must stay strong!

…but I’m so curious. ARGH!

Anyway, it was great to see these lovely ladies again and I eagerly await more. Hopefully the passiveness will subside and the stories pick up in the next sequel. I enjoyed watching this OVA but more due to nostalgia and familiarity instead of it being an incredible watch.

Overall OVA score: 8.3 out of 10

Like last time, I caught this as soon as I grabbed it and… ehh…

It sucked.

There was way too much randomness and half of it didn’t make sense. I can understand having obligatory beach episodes but if you’re gonna do it, just fill it up with fan service. Don’t try to make some weird story out of it. It was too damn nonsensical.

It didn’t help that they left out most of the interesting characters.

The next episode seems to be going back to actual character development so hopefully this show starts picking up again… or I’ll lose the drive to watch it as soon as I acquire it.

Well, I was wrong. Nono and Mirei’s backstory didn’t contain anything else. The bulk of episode 7 was devoted to their story and as nice as it was, there was no extraordinary event between them. The small hints they dropped prior to this episode covered everything already.

Still, it was a nice episode. Though the backstory wasn’t shocking, Mirei’s minor breakdown was. She cares for Nono so deeply, much more than I assumed. It was a touching episode.

The next two episodes covered the cultural festival. Mugi’s time in the spotlight came sooner than I expected. I kinda guessed this event would cap off the series and figured it wouldn’t happen until near the end.

Nono losing her voice during the play was expected but Mugi’s stage voice was a surprise. Her voice was booming. Up until now, I’ve only heard her use that voice in short phrases so I didn’t expect that.

Kudos to Kimoto Orie for a fine job… but not for Mugi’s stage voice. That voice was great for effect but sounded normal. I’m guessing that voice is Kimoto Orie’s natural voice. I’m commending her on Mugi’s “normal” voice, when she sputters and mumbles. It brought out Mugi’s shyness quite well and compared to how Kimoto Orie (probably) naturally sounds, it was worth noting.

Well, this was the climax… right? The festival is over and the play a success. They lost to the drama club but it was still a victory for them, especially Mugi and Nono. It was sad seeing them take down their club “sign” even though it was inevitable; Nono, Takashi, and Risaki will graduate in just a few short months.

So is that it for Mugi’s acting? Will she join the drama club? Or maybe she’ll revive her club? But most importantly, has she finally gained some of that sought after confidence?

Will Nono be alright? From this point on, she probably won’t be overworking her voice anymore but given how I still feel this gloomy “mood,” I can’t stop the negative thoughts.

Yeah yeah, I can just watch and find out, haha. Not yet though. I’ll wait until the last episode gets fansubbed before I finish off this series.

I despise cliffhangers.

…cuz I have no patience… heh heh…

Initially, I wanted to check out just one episode to see if this was worth watching.

Initially.

I would’ve finished the rest of this series if it wasn’t so late already.

Guess it was worth watching, eh?

While searching for more anime to start and never finish (seriously, I gotta stop doing that…), I read about this one in a couple places. A couple. Two. Only two.

I can count on one hand the number of people that have watched this. I wouldn’t have even known it existed if the two places I saw it at weren’t places I frequented often. It took me a while to start it since the fansubs weren’t done yet and I didn’t feel like watching it episode by episode. It’s still not done but there’s only one episode left to fansub so I can deal.

So why did I try it out?

These are sources I relate to very well. Meaning, I will give something a go if any of my “reliable” sources note its worth. Of course, that will only get me to try something. To keep watching is another matter.

Well, to be honest, I still wasn’t convinced for this one. Then I looked up the VAs and BA-BAM! Kawasumi Ayako and Yukino Satsuki. How the hell can I say ‘no’ to them?

Yes, seriously. It was that simple. It takes a helluva lot more to KEEP me watching something than to START watching it.

Ah haha… with that boring monologe out of the way…

This show is intriguing. It’s very light-hearted with plenty of comedy, utilizing a lot of distorted faces, silly antics and various other comedic routines yet the mood feels gloomy. It’s a mystery. Quantifying “mood” is something that can’t be done while actually being “in the mood.” It’s normally noticed after the fact or when forcefully creating one.

While watching these episodes, I only felt the light-heartedness. The drama is mild even when it appears hardcore and there’s plenty of hilarity. Yet, in retrospect, I feel sullen. That’s not a combination I’m accustomed to.

I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. Or a jinx…

Anyway, it’s not a bad thing. I did enjoy this first half of Hitohira

The animation is good. Thankfully, Xebec did a solid job. When I read they did the animation, I instantly had Mahou Sensei Negima flashbacks and started having doubts on watching.

Yes, as simple as I am… I’m also very petty.

The most notable part of this anime is the pacing. It’s moving quite fast and I’m lovin’ it. Why bother dilly-dallying around stupid shit or even filling in every single obvious detail to waste time? Parts of this story skip the “how did we get here” and just gives us the “here we are.” At times, it seems abrupt but in no way would I prefer the alternative.

The story and characters are great. Mugi’s growth (and attempts to grow) is exciting to watch. While she tries to learn acting, her emotions fluctuate just as a real actress. It’s kinda ironic, heh. Her story’s fun but my real interest is with Nono and Mirei. Their past has been revealed bit by bit in each episode to where most of it has been revealed but some parts still feel sketchy. I can’t yet say if I’m suppose to just fill in the holes or wait for more.

Nono is a bit mysterious. She comes off as a strong and perfect girl but could she really be weak at heart? Or maybe just hiding something? Hmm…

Mirei, on the other hand, is simple to read. She truly cares about Nono. What feels like petty rivalry is probably her stubborn way of getting Nono to stop acting. I wanna know some of the things she did for Nono. Every time Nono brings up “her precious friend,” it feels like Mirei was like, a godsend or something.

Hah… I have one big worry. Since the “mood” feels somber… will Nono lose her voice? The issues with her voice have only been brought up in brief moments but I don’t know, I just have this strange feeling. This series seems to be just as much about Nono as it is Mugi and that’s why I start to wonder. And due to the “mood,” I keep thinking of the worst case scenario.

Oh, that would suck. But then, her voice miraculously being fixed would be retarded. Ahh… but if nothing happens at all, then it’d be boring.

Shit, I don’t think I can be satisfied.