Looking Back At 2007: Hidamari Sketch

Yuno on the left, Miyako on the right

While I could have made my first look back at 2007 about something mainstream like Lucky Star, I figured everyone already knew how awesome that show was, so I should probably start with something most people haven’t seen. You aren’t going to see this on the shelves at Best Buy, but it is nonetheless a top show for the year. It had some subbing issues during it’s run, but for those of us English-only types, the show finally got the last three episodes subbed by a great group, who promises to release the special soon. Also, a second season is set to air in 2008, tentatively scheduled for the spring season starting in April.

Story summary

The setup is standard for slice of life comedies, four girls as main characters with quirky side characters to help along the story. The “main” characters are Yuno (the quiet, shy one), Miyako (genki), Hiro (Yuko Goto is sure prolific), and Sae (megane-senpai). The four girls all live in the Hidamari apartments near their school, which kind of acts like a dorm as they all live alone in their own apartments. They attend an art high school, and the show consists of their everyday lives, as most such shows do.

A few reasons why you should watch this

Genki moe

1) Miyako- one of my favorite characters of all time, I just love genki characters like her. She’s not stupid energetic like many genki characters (Tomo), and I prefer it that way. She merely acts on a whim, saying and doing whatever is on her mind, and pursues everything to its fullest (she says the word “plan” does not appear in her dictionary). She is always scrounging for food because she is both short on funds and always hungry. Parallel to her boundless energy is her boundless creativity, as she manages to come up with ideas for art and living her life that is a level beyond most people. Definitely fits within my definition of moe, she’s the best part of watching Hidamari Sketch.

Shaft’s style is prominent when Yuno gets sick and starts tripping balls

2) Shaft- Ok I will disclaim here that Shaft is not always in my good graces, for me their style really only belongs in certain types of shows. While I think that this style does not fit a show such as ef, which greatly contributes to my general dislike of that show, it’s a great fit for a slice of life art comedy. It’s also done in a different way than ef, as I’d liken the style more to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. In Hidamari they use images of real world objects and patterned backgrounds especially well, and the drawing style is also very unique. I think it serves to separate this show from other slice of life comedies by reinforcing the artistic nature of the show’s content and the uniqueness of the characters through these techniques. I don’t claim to view this with any type of artistically educated or inclined eye, I am merely looking at it from a layman’s viewpoint. So it may have some underlying commentary that I’m not aware of, and if you can find it more power to you. Overall though, Shaft really does prove to be an ideal studio for this show, giving it a flavor that’s different from everything else out there.

Truer words were never spoken

3) Characters other than Miyako- Yoshinoya-sensei tops the list of the rest of the characters, an art instructor who is obsessed with cosplaying. Maid outfits, wedding dresses, frilly dresses, you name it, she wears it sometime in the series. Along with her are the other three main characters that I mentioned before. Yuno is the shy and quiet nice girl who is as main of a character as you can get in the show, it’s roughly from her perspective. She is not the most engaging or interesting of characters, but she shows a lot of development over the course of the show as she grows closer to her friends. Hiro and Sae are a year older than Yuno and Miyako, and have been osana najimi for a long time. There are also some minor characters including the shivering principal, Sae’s sister Chika, and Sae’s rival of sorts, Natsume.

Overall Hidamari is a fun and relaxing show to watch when you are in the mood for some light comedy and a unique art style. The characters are engaging and distinct, taking everyday situations and giving them a twist (most prominently Miyako). If you are a fan of slice of life shows, and especially something like Sketchbook, you should definitely check out this show. One of the under the radar gems of 2007.