Well, almost two weeks have gone by since my last post, and in that time we’ve seen the release of two more episodes of Michiko to Hatchin, a strong indication that Manglobe intends to release the series weekly as often as it can. I don’t know for sure what exactly caused the delay of the second episode, but I would guess (baselessly) that it was related to delays in the production process.

That being presumed, I’m pleased that the team is seemingly willing to postpone airdates if it means they can maintain the incredibly high quality of animation and background art that puts Michiko to Hatchin up there with shows like Kamichu! and Mushishi. Then again, it’s really no surprise, coming from the studio that produced both Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy.

This episode, in fact, is even more beautiful than the previous two (though everything seems to get prettier when the ocean is involved). Michiko and Hana (who, per persistent request by the character herself, will be called Hatchin from here on out), make their way to yet another town which I have failed to locate, even with the aid of the infallible google maps. This time it’s the possibly imaginary sea side city of Sáo Cabal, a gorgeous little slice of urban paradise surrounded on all sides by mountains and surf.

Michiko and Hatchin appear to be just passing through to do some shopping (or shoplifting) as well as search for Hiroshi Morenos, Hatchin’s real father, but after an encounter with a crazy old psychic who tells Michiko, among other things, that Hiroshi is nearby, the two book a room in Hotel Venus, and the diversion turns into a few day stay.

At this point, Michiko and Hatchin’s stories for this episode split somewhat. Michiko hits the streets with an artist rendered sketch in search of Hiroshi or anyone who’s seen him (and later Hatchin, who only shows up for sleepy time), while Hatchin takes a part-time job at a Chinese restaurant to pay for a pair of Jordans that Michiko has stolen for her. She would probably just have kept wearing her old shoes and insisted that Michiko return them, but they’re soon stolen out of the window while hanging up to dry.

In this way, like a great Basho Haiku or Death Cab for Cutie song, this episode places a lot of focus on a simple inanimate object to help develop its characters with subtlety. Even though Hatchin steps in dog poop (which happens to correlate well with one of the psychic’s vague nostradamian predictions), as far as Michiko knows, Hatchin really doesn’t need new shoes. Still, she goes out of her way to steal her a brand new pair of expensive sneakers.

In only a few days time, Michiko has come to care for Hatchin quite a lot, and her attempts to win her over with clothes, shoes, and even a force field in the form of a gemstone for protection, are touching as well as a little bit sad. Judging from the way she dresses and the ride that she procures after breaking out of prison, Michiko is more than a little materialistic, (a quality that Hatchin doesn’t seem to possess in the least), and showering her with gifts seems to be the only way she can think of to show her affection. This all speaks volumes about the incompatibility of Michiko and Hatchin’s personalities.

Oh my God!!! Hatchin can remove the top of her own head!!!

Unfortunately, her efforts all fail. The pain and disappointment on Michiko’s face when Hatchin scolds her for stealing the shoes is palpable. Giving somebody you care for a gift they don’t, especially someone that doesn’t reciprocate your love (romantic or otherwise), can be one of the worst feelings in the world. So, I bet I’m not the only one cheering for Michiko to win the girl (in a platonic or maternal sense). That first moment when they succeed in relating to each other on a meaningful level, that instant when that sullen look of Hatchin’s is replaced by a smile, that first time that Michiko and Hatchin share a laugh, is going to be so sweet that I wouldn’t trade it for a hundred punches to Maria’s face.

On the other side of the shoe related character exposition we have Hatchin. In spite of her horrible upbringing, Hatchin has such strong values that she tries to earn enough money to pay off the Jordans. Her intentions don’t say much for her logic, considering that she doesn’t even know where the shoes came from exactly, but it does say a lot about her impressive ethical standards, which strike a chord with both the owner of the Chinese restaurant and emotionally inclined viewers like myself.

Overall, this episode, in addition to the two leading up to it, has brought to my attention an interesting personality dichotomy that, when considered alongside how well Michiko and Hatchin don’t get along, seems to make a lot of sense. Michiko is the more emotional of the two, sentimental even. She gets exited easily, upset easily, and is pretty open with her feelings. She goes where she wants, does what she wants, and follows a set of values that are completely at odds with societal norms. In addition, she has a highly visceral spiritualism which enables her to believe in the psychic’s babbling unconditionally, as well as in her general faith surrounding her vision of Hiroshi. Her character fits the description of the classic hero of Romanticism perfectly.

In contrast, we have Hatchin. Hatchin is calm, logical, and considerate of others’ viewpoints (in particular, society’s ethics). She is not overly emotional, nor does she have any exaggerated or bombastic personality traits. Instead, she is very much like a regular person you would encounter in real life. She does not believe in the psychic’s predictions until they become validated by her personal experience, evidence of her objective minded, scientific personality. She may not sacrifice her personal beliefs, but she does conform to her environment completely, rather than fight against it, even in a setting as bad as the Belenbauza Yamada house. All of these elements of her personality place Hatchin perfectly within the realm of Realism, the literary opponent and antithesis of Romanticism.

It is no surprise then, that the romantic and the realist don’t see eye to eye. As easily as they can be defined, neither Michiko nor Hatchin’s personal philosophy could serve as a completely healthy personality (at least from my post-positivist perspective). So it will be interesting to see how each of them develops to accommodate the other, since it’s doubtful that the series will run its course without Michiko and Hatchin’s relationship making significant progress.

But for now, Michiko and Hatchin are yin and yang, with the connotation of harmony a work in progress. A good example of their conflicting world views comes at the end of the episode. Michiko finally finds someone who recognizes her sketch of Hiroshi, and the two of them head off to meet Hatchin’s father. However, when the supposed Hiroshi appears, before Hatchin has the chance to mutter an inquisitive “Otousan”, Michiko comes to the conclusion that it isn’t him after all and drags Hatchin off, leaving “Hiroshi” and his perplexed wife and kids at the door.

Hey, I’ve seen that dog before! It was in lying next to Michiko and Hatchin’s table in episode 2! It must be working for Atsuko!!!

In what is becoming standard Michiko to Hatchin plot development, this episode throws us another ambiguous event that can be explained in at least two different ways. So, was it Hiroshi? Did Michiko and Hatchin really walk away from the man they’ll be trying to find for the rest of the series in episode three? That would be a wonderful twist, but it’s really hard to say.

On one hand we have Michiko’s reaction and the man’s failure to recognize her, judging from his face at least. It could be argued that Michiko is just upset because Hiroshi doesn’t live up to what she imagined he would be like after 12 years of separation. But, is she really so deluded that she would continue to search around the country for him just because she’s upset? Her motivation would be completely gone at that point, ending their journey. That’s just something I don’t see happening.

On the other hand, everyone is familiar with the narrative trope surrounding crazy old people and their babbling predictions. It is almost always either 100% accurate or 100% false. And in this case, nearly everything does come true, even the ridiculous force field stone averting Hatchin’s early death. So, we have to consider that, if everything else the old lady said was correct, then what’s stopping the part about Michiko finding Hiroshi soon from being true? Perhaps it will serve as foreshadowing for the series’ conclusion. Though, if Michiko to Hatchin follows the typical Shinichiro Watanabe pattern, Hiroshi will be dead at the end anyways, curbing Michiko’s chances of having a happy family with him.

Stepping away from the plot theories and character analysis, I suppose a bit should be said about the more general qualities of the episode overall. All of the technical merits Michiko to Hatchin has going for it are back in this episode, and honesty, I doubt they’ll be going anywhere. There are only so many trite adjectives I know to describe the animation, so to avoid being like Makoto Shinkai, I’m not going to keep writing the same thing over and over again. The music is still quite good but underwhelming, something that I hope changes soon, and dry humor is still speckled throughout.

In fact, in every aspect except music, the series has moved more and more in the direction that I was hoping it would. The action has been toned down once again, this time to a single, plausible chase scene, and none of the minor characters from past episodes make appearances. I sincerely hope it stays that way for a while at least. Oh yeah, and no loli panty shots, which is nice.

I haven’t watched the fourth episode yet so that I may focus on just this one. So, while I realize that any number of things I hypothesized in this post could be disproven in the next episode, as much as I love getting comments, I’d appreciate it if you would avoid mention of episode four’s content. I really wouldn’t want to spoil anybody’s experience of it here (that can wait until the next post), and getting any answers to the questions the series has posed thus far would deprive others of the opportunity to ponder them to their heart’s content.

Oh yeah, and Hatchin chops her pig tails off, putting her one step closer to the Hatchin from the OP that goes around shirtless with a holstered pistol and a strand of bullets around her waist.

]]> http://that.animeblogger.net/2008/11/14/michiko-to-hatchin-episode-3-enter-sao-cabal/feed/ 9 http://that.animeblogger.net/2008/11/02/michiko-to-hatchin-episode-2-finally-right/ http://that.animeblogger.net/2008/11/02/michiko-to-hatchin-episode-2-finally-right/#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:39:28 +0000 Prince http://that.animeblogger.net/?p=13719

The quality of screencaps in my first post was seriously lacking, as many people have pointed out to me. So as compensation, in classic Random Curiosity style, I’ve decided to appeal to both quantity and quality by littering this post with pics from the best looking torrent I could find. Enjoy!

Well, it’s finally here. It may have taken two weeks, but it was worth the wait. Michiko to Hatchin’s second episode is at least on par with its first, and in addition to maintaining the same high level of general production value, this episode succeeds in a few ways that I don’t think a lot of people were expecting.

But, before getting to the episode itself, I’m going to quickly address a few lingering misconceptions about Michiko to Hatchin that I’ve seen floating around the blogosphere in both posts and comments with hopes that it will help to quell the confusion:

Setting: Michiko to Hatchin is set in Brazil, not Mexico. Brazil, Brazil, Brazil, Brazil.

Language: As such, there is no Spanish. Portuguese. Portuguese, Portuguese, Portuguese. Accurate Portuguese even…

Ethnicity: Many seem to be wondering why a series set in Brazil would have characters with Japanese names. As it turns out (or so Wikipedia tells me), Brazil is home to the largest Japanese emigrant population in the world, including people of mixed ethnicities, which is probably the case with Michiko, Hana, the Belenbauza Yamadas, Atsuko, and Hana’s real father (more on them later).

The episode starts off with a twelve year flashback, taking us simultaneously to the event of Michiko’s arrest and the introduction of another key character. This time it’s Atsuko Jackson, who one can fairly safely assume will be the main antagonist of the series. Atsuko, or Jumbo as Michiko affectionately calls her (perhaps for her giant afro), is the old childhood friend turned police sergeant that brings Michiko to justice. Their interaction suggests a very tumultuous history. Michiko’s interrogation after her arrest even ends in a fist fight between the two that has to be broken up by the prison guards.

This wouldn’t be all that interesting of a relationship if not for Atsuko’s tendency to take conversation in the direction of nostalgia. She constantly makes attempts to talk with Michiko on level terms, but every time she tries to get sentimental, Michiko pisses her off with her usual flippant and disrespectful attitude. I get the impression that Atsuko was never as important to Michiko as Michiko was to her, and Michiko knows it.

After the flashback, we rejoin Michiko and Hana on their flight from the law, only hours after Hana’s “kidnapping” from the Belenbauza Yamada house. The focus of this episode is on the conversations they have on the road, most of which revolve around Hana’s real father, Hiroshi Morenos, and Hana’s likeness to him.

Michiko tells Hana the deliberately misleading story of how Hiroshi “died”, only to turn around and ask Hana if she’s seen him or knows what he’s up to these days. Hiroshi was supposed to be killed in a bus accident 11 years prior to Michiko’s escape (soon after her arrest, according to the news), but the thing is, Hana doesn’t even turn 10 until the 11th of April.

This revelation makes the plot of Michiko to Hatchin, in a couple of ways, a lot more interesting than I initially expected it to be. If Hiroshi didn’t die in that accident, then where is he? What happened to him? And, who is Hana’s real mother? Michiko and Hiroshi were clearly lovers, but since Michiko was incarcerated when Hana was conceived, she isn’t likely to be Hana’s mother. That, and Michiko doesn’t appear to know about Hana until Atsuko gives her that baby picture we’ve seen a dozen times already.

All of this means then, that Michiko has rescued Hana, the child of her old lover with another lover, solely for the sake of hoping to track him down through her. She even goes as far as to say that if Hana isn’t who she seems to be, that is, if she doesn’t have that mysterious tattoo on her stomach, which she at first claims to not have, that she intends to abandon her completely.

With a remark like that, it goes without saying (though I’ll say it anyways), that Michiko and Hana don’t exactly hit it off. Michiko’s abrasive, hot-blooded personality doesn’t mix well with Hana’s kind and responsible demeanor, and as a result, they fight constantly. Hana chastises Michiko for her delinquent behavior, and in response, Michiko pitches fits, yells at her, and commits more delinquencies.

However, over the course of the episode, the two of them start to behave more comfortably around each other. Even though Michiko’s disposition is still generally nasty, she comes to behave like Hana’s surrogate mother very quickly. When Atsuko and her police posse finally catch up to them, Michiko offers Hana a pact of mutual trust that seems to override her earlier claim to discard Her if she isn’t of any use.

Along for the ride in one of the police cars is Pedro. Once hell breaks loose and the obligatory chase scene starts, sinking to all new lows, even for a Belenbauza Yamada, Pedro gets the horrendous idea to try and kill Hana amongst all of the confusion so that he can claim her life insurance policy. After Hana falls off Michiko’s bike, Pedro chases her up to the top of a nearby building where he intends to shoot her dead. Michiko, of course, comes flying off a nearby, slightly taller rooftop just in time to save her.

Right before screaming for Michiko, Hana rips off her little wooden cross necklace and throws it in Pedro’s face, an act that I believe symbolizes both her rejection of Pedro’s authority (religious and paternal) and her acceptance of Michiko’s pact, a deal with a dangerous and hotly pursued convict, which is more than a little like a deal with the devil if you ask me.

The second episode of Michiko to Hatchin is, from a technical standpoint, just as good as the first. The animation is still crisp, detailed, and consistent, and the little Brazilian towns depicted in the background art are comparably beautiful to the little church in Laranja. The music is also solid, but not quite as dynamic as I was hoping. A lot of the same pieces from the first episode make a return in the second, and there aren’t really any unique standout songs yet like the kind that enabled the producers of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo to put out nearly a dozen soundtracks for each.

Characterization continues to be a major focal point, and Michiko in particular is developed a lot in this episode, something that was lacking in the premiere. The interaction between her, Hana, and now, Atsuko, is enjoyable and fascinating to watch. The plot has progressed a lot as well, more than making up for its near absence in the first episode. In fact, when I think about it, almost every aspect of this episode is on par with, if not better than, it was in the first. The action is still silly and largely unimpressive, but it is well animated, and much to my liking, not in any way stealing attention from the story or its characters.

This episode probably won’t top the first for many viewers in terms of emotional impact, but since no innocents are suffering unspeakable abuse (except for one poor vending machine that Michiko beats on with the heel of her boot), it wouldn’t really be fair to expect it to do so.

If there’s one minor complaint I have for episode 2, it’s that it isn’t far enough removed from episode 1. Michiko and Hana, in spite of all the driving they’ve done, haven’t put much distance between themselves and their pursuers. Even though she’s a compelling enough character, I really hope there isn’t a run in with Atsuko in every episode. It’s fine for the first couple episodes, but if the pursuit follows Michiko and Hana too closely for too long, I’m afraid it could greatly lessen the sense of grand adventure the series could potentially achieve. If we’re constantly seeing the same characters, it’s going to make the world of Michiko to Hatchin seem rather small. Bring on the episodic narratives already!

Oh yeah, that, and the fact that the people at Manglobe must have thought that Michiko’s promiscuity alone wasn’t enough fan service so they decided to have Atsuko lift up Maria’s dress to get a shot of her panties. In fact, we’re 2 for 2 when it comes to loli panty shots in this series. Gabriel did the same thing to Hana in the first episode…No, I’m not posting them!

I apologize for posting a review of an episode for which there is already another, but I wrote this as my sample entry and I didn’t want it to go to waste! I’m not really one for self introductions, so if you want to know more about me you can just hop on over to the “About the Team” section of the site and check out my profile. In addition, we have updated the “Fall Series blogging page“, so you can use that page to navigate the series that are blogged currently.

Well then, without further adieu, let’s get to the anime! Oh wait, excuse me. It appears that there is a bit more adieu on the agenda. Sorry. During the excruciating limbo that was the waiting period after applying for a position at THAT, a number of other prospective bloggers and I banded together and vowed, as a way to remedy the pang of inevitable rejection that most of us would be feeling, to form a new team anime blog amongst those of us who didn’t make the cut. I won’t be a part of that endeavor sadly, but Douglas of otakucrave.com and many of the other THAT applicants are in the process of converting the site into their new team blog. Not much is up at the moment, but you can expect lots of fresh articles by a team of zealous bloggers in the near future! So check it out! Here’s another link in case you glazed over the first one. You can’t miss it!

Michiko to Hatchin [Episode 1] Second Opinion

After having seen the 2 minute preview trailer for Michiko to Hatchin streamed on the series’ official website, www.michikotohatchin.com, I was certain that the show would be one of the best of the season, if only for its technical merits, but not being much of a fan of action series in general, I didn’t expect it to carry the kind of emotional impact or story depth that makes me truly excited to go looking for torrents week after week. And in one of those respects I was right, up to this point at least. One episode in and I know virtually no more about the story than what had already been introduced to me in the trailer.

Michiko, one of our titular characters, breaks out of a supposedly break-proof penitentiary and teams up with Hatchin, a young girl who’s always wished that someone would come and take her away from her abusive foster family, and the two of them cruise around a beautifully animated Brazil while fending off equally animated pursuers. That being said, I expected to be entertained by the events on screen and impressed by the animation, but not particularly invested emotionally in the work as a whole. I am pleased to say, however, that any description of my overall viewing experience would be incomplete without the inclusion of all three of these, among others.

While it may be true that not much can be said about the main plot of Michiko to Hatchin from the first episode, I noticed something during the opening credits that set my mind at ease. Shinichiro Watanabe of Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo fame is credited, no, not as director, that honor is being filled by newbie Sayo Yamamoto, but as music producer. This becomes obvious as soon as you hear either of the excellent theme songs, the first of which could pass for a slightly less dynamic version of “Tank!”, and the second, which I could swear was by the same group that produced the ending theme for the last episode of Samurai Champloo. The music is top notch all around I might add, though still, conventional wisdom tells me that being the music producer can’t have that big of an impact on the overall quality of the series.

But, if you’ll allow me to indulge my ridiculous presumptions for a moment, I can’t help but feel like the production process may have been permeable enough to allow Shinichiro Watanabe’s genius essence to spill over into other areas of key importance. And honestly, even without him at the helm, I think the show is already set up to become another one of his classics. Here we have two characters of completely different, likely incompatible backgrounds, united by a common goal, and teaming up for a largely episodic journey with a simple, near nonexistent plot which is downplayed almost to the point of being forgotten to make room for complex and hugely compelling characterizations. Okay okay, a bit unfounded I know, but I’ve got a hunch!

After all, that’s what made Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo so great! So, that’s what’s most likely probably nearly without a doubt going to make Michiko to Hatchin great too! And it couldn’t be more welcome frankly. To think before this I was willing to come to terms with a season where Toradora! was my favorite new series. To misquote Hedonism Bot himself, this is shaping up to be “the sole diversion in what has (thus far) been a pale and unamusing season”. But enough with my predictions, let’s get to the meat of the episode itself.

Michiko to Hatchin opens as many series do, with a totally banal action scene. Diamandra penitentiary is said to be nearly impossible to escape from, though to be honest, I’m not so sure. Prison security is pretty decent inside the facilities, with the guards blasting their submachine guns at anything that makes a noise, but once Michiko makes her way outside, the hot pursuit boils down to a single helicopter that crashes itself into a windmill.

I see the windmill…Do you see the windmill?

Ummmm…apparently he didn’t see the windmill…

Outside of prison Michiko occupies herself with a variety of criminal activities, such as robbing banks, stealing hot pockets, and driving her motorcycle through windows, but the focus of this episode isn’t really on her, rather, on the going ons of the Belenbauza Yamada family.

Consisting of father Pedro, mother Joanna, older sister Maria, younger brother Gabriel, and of course main character adopted foster child Hana (a.k.a. Hatchin), the Belenbauza Yamadas are a “family” in name only. Well over half of the episode is put to the use of conveying to the viewer exactly how awful Hana’s family members are and how much she suffers from their abuse. Honestly, the kind of tortures and hazing Hana is put through would make Dr. Zimbardo’s surliest prison guards blush. But as sadistic as it may sound, this aspect of the first episode, more than any other, is what really won me over.

Each member has their own unique way of making Hana’s daily life a living hell, and the individual abuses they inflict fluctuate rapidly between jaw-droppingly shocking, bizarre, hilarious, rage inducing, and in at least one case, genuinely disturbing. Pedro constantly holds his façade of religious piety and moral superiority above Hana to chastise her and justify forcing her to do such things as cook him another omelet because his first was slightly burned. Joanna, in addition to running the draconian household alongside Pedro, uses Hana for all kinds of chores and even her dirty work only to turn around and frame her later. Little brother Gabriel constantly subjects Hana to a mixture of odd teasing and pseudo-sexual harassment accentuated with occasional violence and humiliation. And then there’s Maria. Oh God Maria! My skin crawls just thinking about her. Maria’s offenses are many, but to put things into perspective without ruining too much, at one point she tries to iron Hana’s face!

“Towels are for drying not for wearing!”…The Hell they aren’t!

Each of the Belenbauza Yamadas, Hana included, is more developed and more interesting after just 23 minutes of airtime than many lesser series’ main cast of characters during their entire run. By the time Hana finally lashes out against Maria near the end of the episode, I was bouncing up and down in my chair, muffling screams of joy, and pumping my fists. That’s how much I hate them. And bearing in mind the distinct possibility that none of them will be appearing in future episodes makes the accomplishment all that more impressive. If Michiko to Hatchin can produce episodic characters of this caliber week after week, we’re all in for a treat.

I know she called in advance, but it’s still kind of rude to bust through the window like that…

Aside from the excellent writing, the other production values are all equally high. The animation is detailed and consistent, the backgrounds are truly beautiful, especially the inside of the Belenbauza Yamadas’ house/church, and the seiyuu work is both appropriate and well done. I especially love Pedro’s unbelievably hollow voice, befitting of his weak character. Michiko and Hana are actually both voiced by screen actresses, Yoko Maki of Memoirs of a Geisha and Suzuka Ougo of The Princess Blade and Battle Royale II respectively.

And the journey begins…

There’s not really much of anything I didn’t like about this episode and I expect great things from this series in the future. With amazing production values and characters that are more than just anime archetypes with a twist, things sure look promising. I am worried, though, that once Michiko and Hana are out on the road, that the series could make a dramatic shift towards the kind of banal action found in the prison break scene. Hopefully any future gun slinging will pack an equally resounding plot. Oh yes, and there is one little plot related device hinted at…

A total of 3 characters with this cryptic tattoo make an appearance: Michiko, Hana, and a mysterious man who appears in Hana’s wishful daydream. What is the connection between the three of them? Well for starters, Michiko claims at one point to be Hana’s mother, but according to Pedro Hana’s mother is dead, so that point is contentious for now…

Hana imagines this man coming to take her away. Who is he? Her real father? An older brother? I’m sure we’ll find out. Maybe, and this is a stretch, he’ll be a Julia/Sunflower Samurai analogue…If my theory of Shinichiro Watanabe commandeering the project holds up that is…

What kind of an ASS-HOLE would tattoo an infant?!?!