@Valen: It’s practically torture…

@Maipeisu: ^_^ Absolutely thrilled to be here! There actually isn’t any Spanish, (it’s set in Brazil), so Portuguese, but they are very similar ^_^; You’re welcome to join me any time you like on any series I blog, so if you want to put your two cents into the Michiko to Hatchin episode reviews, or even tag team review them with me, I’d be honored.

Now what can I say about Michiko to Hacchin that hasn’t already received a nod from Prince? This has got to be the most superior animation I’ve seen in a while, and I’m loving every second of it. To me, what makes animation eye candy is not having patches of amazing design, but maintaining an overall consistency you can depend upon completely. Why consistency? Because it’s one of the keys to hypnotizing the imagination, to wooing the brain into giving itself over to the artistic medium. As a creative re-rendering of the world, it has GOT to be consistent. Think about it — for instance, it would be deeply distressing to your sense of trust and comfort with the world if, every once and again when you got up in the morning, the toaster appeared pixelated, or a CG box of cereal appeared in the pantry, now wouldn’t it??

The story is fun too. I read a review that pointed out how it is a mash-up of unlikely elements (Japanese and Spanish – elements that don’t really mesh well together, like an ill-formed sandwich – and speaking of those two languages…. coincidence…?), but I’m not so sure that’s the case. It may ultimately burrow deeply into the Tex-Mex ambiance it has fashioned, which will be rather refreshing. And yes, I do get hints of Cowboy Bebop. Can’t help it. Ain’t no accident that Watanabe is on the team, either.

Prince, good call on the tattoos. I counted two but forgot about the third on the dude’s arm. What is the significance of it all? Looking forward to ep 2, and this series is definitely getting priority on my Fall lineup.

what kinda asshole would actually tattoo an infant???

@hc: yeah, I know. Better quality pics next time I promise…I agree that Michiko’s action scenes weren’t impressive, but judging from the trailer there IS some good stuff on the way. Even so, no matter how “impressive” it turns out to be, I’m not going to give a damn if I don’t care about the characters. The first episode has gotten me to sympathize with Hana quite a lot and for that reason alone I don’t feel that the exposition dragged. I have a feeling that the series won’t ever reach a point where it is plot driven, so if you’re just looking to “figure out” what happens, you might be better served by something with a more complex story, like mouryou no hako, which Maipeisu is blogging I believe. And yes, that bike is certainly sweet. I wonder who she stole it from…

@ayu ayu: (^_^)/

hope to see more action soon, btw – this episode was a little dragged – we could have figured out that Hana was abused in less than ten minutes, and Michiko’s action scenes weren’t that impressive.

Nice bike, though

@would: one can only hope!

@ghostlightning: well, the first thing I did was translate the episode, so I’ve seen a lot of scenes way more than twice <_< hehe…And yeah, I’m sure that Watanabe has played a huge role in the production of this series (larger than hist title at least), but I in no way meant to imply that we have him to thank for everything. I didn’t convey that well in my post, thanks for pointing that out.

@Jerry: Not to mention pointless. It would stretch so much.

@sleepingpanda: thanks! I’m really glad you liked it, cause you’re part of the reason I insisted on posting it! I saw your comments in Impz’s review where you circuitously requested a second article. pleased mine was to your liking ^_^

@Omisyth: Thanks! I’m very glad to be here! yeah, I’d be happy to debate/speculate anytime!

@lelangir: I just added you, and yes you should watch it! It’s well worth it.

@lucky_huh?: yes, I absolutely agree. Like I said, the settings are simply beautiful, and the characters have a very human quality to them, a combination of great animation and solid writing. They don’t seem like typical anime characters at all. Yeah, it’s odd that they can get Portuguese right but not English most of the time. Then again, there ARE a lot of Brazilian-Japanese, like the Belenbauza Yamadas, living in Japan.

@itAintEazy: Yes, that’s something I failed to consider when I wrote this. It very likely WAS imaginary, which is sad. At the time I just didn’t think that she had been beaten up very badly. The parents don’t seem to give a damn about any of their kids though, so they may not have dropped the hammer on Hana. Just look at how Joanna deals with Gabriel’s cat. It’s quite possible they simply wouldn’t care.

But yeah, did you add me on YIM? I forget what your username thing is

I still would’ve liked to pump my fists into that family’s faces. <— grammatically incorrect but emotionally accurate.

And, likewise to others I didn’t notice the tatoo on the so-called “imaginary man’s” shoulder. I’m thinking EXTREME BIKER GANG FAMILY.

Congratulations on joining THAT and I may be able to join in speculations with you as I’m covering this series as well at Yukan! Blog. ^_^