Hah, I think that Miyu-sensei’s more extensive entrance in this episode has caused a good stir in this series. Quoting Shintani’s subs, Yoshinoya is just so hot. Oh yes, she is.

Episode summary

Yuno woke up with a horror-themed alarm as her alarm clock had no batteries and she had to borrow one from Miyako. As she went down the stairs, a tired Miyako came down as well and said that she woke up suddenly from a nice dream. Yuno noticed that there was an envelope on the floor and it was filled with lottery tickets. Miyako started speculating on the various possibilities of this lottery stack, including kidnapping (it’s usually robbery), bribery (you use lottery tickets to bribe, not bribe the ticket) and murder (you can’t kill a lottery ticket). As they found the guy who dropped, the man gave them four tickets, and the top prize was in fact 300 million yen!

In school, they were discussing about the amount of money, and Yuno said that Miyako could buy 913 years of curry rice on three meals a day in school with that cash. Yuno then asked what Miyako would spend on if she won it, and she said she was going to have some simple construction while Miyako went into deep thinking on every single step of retrieving the cash in fear of robbery. Miyu-sensei had a special lesson, with a new girl coming in. Miyu-sensei then went into some fury of saying that the students were thinking that she was the new relief teacher, that she was going to have babies with her husband and that they were sexually harassing her. It was probably her harassing the students.

The new girl introduced herself and she was a senior, Kishi, who is now in a very prestigious university. She said she was studying filming, while Miyu-sensei added randomly that Kishi worked as a model in her holidays. Kisa showed a film to everyone that was her new work, but she showed her parents’ film being concerned with her. Eventually, she got the right one about the romance of two people. It was question time and a student asked her why she chose filming. Kishi said she was initially in love with drawing in this school, but a filming experience during the school festival made her realize how much she loved it. Kishi said she was in another production, and Miyu-sensei was part of it as a parody character of a Japanese courtesan.

As there was time, Kisa asked about the dreams of everyone. One girl said she wanted to be an art teacher, another an abstract art artist and when it came to Yuno, she started getting panicky. Miyako’s sudden dream talk on chasing a bowl of rice while holding a cuttlefish and that she could not catch up with the rice bowl saved Yuno from embarrassment. At the end of class, Yuno rushed out of class to at least talk to Kishi again, as Miyako said that she would support Yuno’s bid to chase Kishi at the sight of first love and that being the same gender was not a hindrance. Yuno caught with Kisa and asked her if it was all right not to have a dream now. Kishi told her that it was the activities that happened around her that made her found her dream, and the dream was simply waiting to be found by Yuno.

At lunch, Yuno passed two lottery tickets to Hino and Sae, as she re-accounted the man and the dropped envelope. They were then discussing about Sae’s plans to upgrade the hostel, but Yuno said that the sunlight would be blocked by the huge tower, as everyone realized how small scale Yuno thought of the house. Later that day, Miyako was carrying rubbish to the dump, as they noted how troublesome it was to without boys. Miyako said that they might find treasure and they did form a beautiful portrait of flowers in the dump.

Yuno was telling the other two girls about the dumped drawing and said it was a pity to drop it since it was done beautifully. It seemed like it was in fact thrown by a girl who had to move house due to her parents but the facts were sketchy. Yuno started turning emo, saying how someone who loved drawing so much was denied the chance to continue and someone so untalented and without dreams like her was allowed to stay in the school. Just when Yuno was going to be more emo, Miyako hit her on a rugby tackle, telling her that she was being emo as the tension of the atmosphere was released.

Miyako then told everyone about the hammock she bought in the garage sale and wanted to try it as a bed. Hino warned her that the wind might be too cold and she had no blanket to cover up. Miyako then went on a fury of parodies using the hammock including hammock skiing, pulling the fish net and something random that made no sense. Miyako then took her blanket and pillow to put on the hammock to sleep, and Hino said that it defeated the whole purpose of the hammock itself. The lottery draw had not started on tv as yet, as they talked about how much they have won before. Miyako had won tons of lottery in the supermarket on food, Sae winning 10000 yen thrice, Hino some small cash and Yuno being the worst luck girl winning absolutely nothing in any lucky draw she was in.

Sae went to buy the paper for the results and no one won eventually. Still, Hino added that it was exciting to anticipate for the results. As Yuno read the newspaper, she realized that Kishi won a special prize for her film in an award but the film’s name was “The Hostel’s wolf”. Miyako came over for a bath since her shampoo was used up, as Yuno said how impressive it was for Kishi to work for her goals. Yuno started to ask whether dreams would disappear but Miyako told her that dreams never disappeared, only whether people bothered to continue trying. Miyako said the student might have thrown the sketch after finding something she liked to do, just like Kishi. Yuno said she was glad that Miyako told her that as she switched off the lights, pulling a purple rope (yet another trick by the previous owner). However, we saw Sae being hit by a basin. Yuno wanted to check on the alarm clock as she pulled the rope again, causing another basin on Sae. Eventually, the release of the horror alarm show came…

Thoughts

I must say that the biggest shock of this week is that Yoshinoya has a husband. Oh god, now I am curious how her husband will be like because it is going to be such a romp. I mean, you have a maniac wife who is so interested in cosplaying and acts generally like a little child most of the time. Perhaps her husband is in fact a closet cosplay fetish person? Oh god, that is practically disturbing.

Miyako definitely steals the show in this episode. Without a shadow of a doubt, her parody acts as well as the goofy dream talk about food always work wonders to break the ice between the slightly down parts of the show. The start of the show is also hilarious, with the addition of the various scenarios of things that they could do with the lottery ticket being totally out there in terms of humor.

I must also add that I am slightly disappointed at the low concentration of Hino and Sae this episode, but it has been compensated with extensive amounts of Miyu-sensei in all her glory. Well, if she had thrown in some cosplay love and the likes, it will be the best episode ever for anything, well at least for green haired anime gal lovers, or in short greenophiles. Good job also on the calculation of curry rice, it’s pretty disturbing how they even thought about such an analogy.

Cute little episode, I enjoyed it.

A virtual cookie for anyone who can tell me where this parody of a game came from.

No, the assumption that I actually know what is parodied is in fact a wrong notion. That is the reason why this very similar rpg-like graphics is my attempt to get people to answer my questions. Ha ha. Anyway, this episode deals with the disappearance of Sae inside her house. Is she really into hiding due to debtors knocking at her door?

Episode summary

It was the holidays as Yuno woke up lazily. She started on some flower drawing, but was unable to draw anything. She actually wanted to draw something during the holidays, even though there was no such assignment. Miyako arrived as Miyako said it might be easier if they worked on some themes as Yuno said cat. Miyako drew some fierce cat while Yuno drew a very cute one. The next theme was flowers as Yuno drew some tulips while Miyako added flowers to the fierce cat. The last one was food as Yuno drew a bowl filled with rice but Miyako added a dish to the previous drawing and started coloring.

Sae text-messaged Yuno to come to her house but she asked them to use the back window. Miyako happily jumped down from the second storey as Yuno went into panic mode. Miyako said she could see the sky clearly as well as Yuno’s cute pink panties. Yuno was in shock as she slipped down with a thump. Sae opened the window and said that she had some problems which was why they could not enter from the front. Miyako said if it was due to debtors, but Sae said only Miyako would have such problems. In fact, Sae was trying to escape from her editor for her next writing work. She was stuck though.

Miyako tried to give Sae an idea by using random cards, piecing up an idea of a monk cooking a steamed fish in the plains. Sae told her that she could only write things that she personally experienced, and Miyako said that eliminated love. Sae felt indignant and said there were eight guys chasing her at the same time, which was clearly a very bad lie. Sae actually asked them to buy food for her. At the supermarket, Yuno found a cute cuttlefish symbol as she called her cuttlefish-kun. Miyako said there was no need for honorifics.As they passed by a bookstore, Miyako saw the artist’s name of Sae, which was Tachibaya Aya. She wrote a sappy story between two people getting separated and falling in love, but Yuno stopped Miyako from reciting it out when the juicy parts came in.

They met up with Hino who said that Sae often forgot about meals when she’s busy writing, and she explained to the two that Sae came to the artist’s school so that she could draw her own pictures that could portray her writing best. When they reached Sae’s house, it was very quiet as they placed the food at the doorway. Hino said Sae does not eat when she’s writing, and Miyako said it was a good way to diet. Hino added angrily that it did not work since Sae still ate later. Yuno then talked about the origins of a sandwich, where a person made such food so that he could play poker while eating. Hino repeated that Sae could be dangerous during rush hours, since she had no time to sleep.

Yuno decided to go outside the school to draw, as she lay the cloth and started drawing. Miyako came over to give her a towel due to the cold wind. Yuno said Miyako did not need to accompany her but Miyako said she would fall asleep if she stayed in doors to study Maths. The principal passed by inside the school with groceries, as they were surprised that he could cook and that he was possibly staying in the school. They then said how the principal loved the school so much but he was simply using a shortcut. Miyako was starting to doze off slightly, as Yuno asked whether she wanted some hot tea to perk her up.

Yuno received a mail from her friend, saying that she had a bad headache after sleeping too much, and wished that she could go karaoke with Yuno and Miyako soon. Miyu-sensei came to school as Miyako said that Miyu-sensei loved the school a lot. Miyu-sensei said she had no choice since her parents complained that she was idling in the holidays. Miyu-sensei asked whether Yuno wanted a special lesson since they met up, as she started to pose. She then added that she could get a nightgown back at home for better dressing. Just at that moment, the principal walked with a bottle once again without a plastic bag, as they commented that the principal was a recycle-conscious person. Miyako said that she heard that the principal stayed in school and Miyu-sensei was completely shocked.

Yuno was still not feeling the right moment to draw. Miyako told her to fake drawing, but Yuno said it was not nice. Yuno then wondered how adults would act in this situation as they paused for a moment, before Miyako urged her to continue. As they went back to Sae’s house, it seemed that she had one more chapter to go and was resting for a moment. As Hino rested Sae’s head on her lap, Yuno passed her a mimosa flower. Yuno thought about the earlier event when she fell down, which was extremely embarrassing since she struggled so much. She was sure that Sae had not saw it and Hino was not around too. Sae finally woke up as they held a mini celebration for her. Yuno added that Miyako should go with her to see the books another time.

Sae asked what that meant, as Miyako answered that Sae’s attempts to hide it was futile. Hino said it was good for more people to read Sae’s works, as she talked about the sad sappy story of two young childhood friends who slowly learned about the attraction of the opposite sex. Sae tried to stop Hino, while Miyako said it must be from Sae’s personal experiences. Sae started to blush and said there were tons of confessions to her. Hino said she would still have tons of material. Yuno wondered whether her relationship with her with Miyako would be as good like Sae and Hino. Miyako said she would be nice to anyone who gave her food. A box arrived, who was seafood won in a contest earlier as Yuno congratulated Miyako. During the bath, Yuno said that her relationship with Miyako was very good since without Miyako to accompany her, she would not be able to complete the nice picture.

Thoughts

So, Sae did not escape from debtors. Let me list some of the moments that made me laugh or smile.

1. Sae’s big boast about herself having 8 boyfriends at one go and her “many relationships” with guys.

To me, that is like the most amusing moment for this episode simply because it is such a blatant lie. I am not undermining Sae’s charms, but she seems just like the type of girl that will blush totally red and turn all fuzzy when she is approached by a guy. I mean, if she blushes that badly when she is shy, it will be completely insane to think what will happen if a guy tries to pick her up. Wow, in a way, that can be rather attractive but the way she acknowledged her lies makes this episode a good one already.

2. I see Yuno’s pink pantsu.

Classic pantsu joke, done very subtly so that there is no real visual fanservice. The verbal fanservice makes it funny and it even parodies the silly way in which the wind blows and the skirt starts to fly up, only that it’s impossible for any wind to catch on in that weather and no pantsu is shown. Good job there with the slow motion frames on the skirt rising up too. Yuno isn’t really fanservice material though. Hah.

3. Miyu-sensei’s chibi pose

She rocks. She rocks. She rocks. Want me to say it a fourth time? No?

I will still say it. She rocks. We need more of her in every single episode but she’s really going to be a bit and piece character. Why are all my favorite characters bit and piece characters. First, Tsuruya-san, now Yoshinoya-sensei. Sigh, this is so unfair and the reason that she gave in which she is forced to do work as she is idling at home during the holidays is just drop down hilarious. She’s really like a high school student instead of a high school teacher.

A virtual cookie once again for anyone who can tell me what this picture means. It is supposedly a joke lost on me. Sigh.

Happy loving on the lovely pictures and grab the full-size images using the download link provided! I personally thought that the Hidamari Sketch one is decent until I found the Kotono and Natsumi wallpaper. That one really blew me off and I swear that if Saint October had that kind of budget, it will have one hundred times more rabid fans. Kotono is total cuteness epitomized.

Download links: Yousendit / Sendspace / Storeandserve / Megaupload

Yuno is cute with that bandage. She is really hopeless with any form of physical activity pertaining to movement since she is really so small.

It’s rainy season in Hidamari Sketch and it’s also time for the sports festival. I wonder if Hino has any chance of losing weight by participating in as many sports as possible. Hmmm.

Episode summary

It was a dark cloudy day as the principal tried to encourage everyone to play hard for the sports festival even though the weather was not that good. However, it immediately rained as everyone ran to take shelter. Sae suddenly asked what number it was and Hino said nine when Sae was actually asking about the typhoon scale rather than her period day. Miyako said that it would be great if they had a dome around the stadium but Hino said it would make the gym redundant. Miyako replied that it was of a different surface before Sae ended the little dream.

Yuno need to rush to the toilet before the festival started again, but she saw something queer in the teacher’s office. She ran back to the three, trying to tell them before going to the toilet again. The rain stopped as a green haired gal came to laugh at Sae, saying how their white team would win the red team. Sae said if she did not have swollen cheeks the previous year, they would win. The wind was getting strong as the tent was blown down, trapping Miyu-sensei. Miyako also fooled around by getting “blown away” by the wind and encouraged Yuno to do it, only to make her fall.

Miyako then made a victory proclamation for the class, saying “great sportsmanship”. The rain started once again as the festival was postponed tomorrow. As they reached home, Yuno was worried for Miyako as her room was very inflammable. They sat down waiting for the rain to drip, saying how fast the water was dropping. Yuno also went to grab a new bucket to replace the other bucket when it was filled up while Sae said it would be good to take a towel to clean it up. As dinner approached, Yuno said they could order pizza since that was what her family did when a typhoon came.

Yuno asked how fast the speed of a typhoon was, and Hino said it should be faster than a military cruiser. Miyako gave the example that it was the speed of traveling from the east to west, as we saw Sae adjusting the radio. Miyako said that it seemed that Yuno was a “rain woman”, where she caused rain when she tried to do something. It seemed possible since Yuno experienced rain five out of ten times when they have some form of major activity. Miyako was thirsty as she went to get a drink, but she simply drank right through the tap, as Yuno went all dizzy. Hino decided to make some tea for everyone. Everyone was in fact worried that the cooling packs might catch fire.

Miyako gathered all of them together and happily passed all the packs to Yuno, who threw them in the air due to panic. The packs were warm as Miyako wondered what would happen if she threw them into the water. She then threw it out in the rain, with nothing happening at all. Hino decided to go to the supermarket further way for cheaper goods. Miyako and Yuno tagged along, as Hino decided to make a white dinner, with all ingredients being white. Yuno brought some tofu and found some white drinks in the form of soya bean milk. Hino also saw white chocolate (white!) as she eventually bought it with Yuno’s insistence. They had a lucky draw as Miyako was very excited to draw only to win a fish.

An unknown woman came and said that she had visited them to see how they were getting along in the typhoon. The sky had cleared as they wondered how fun it would be to walk in the clouds. Miyako as usual was thinking about eating the clouds. A delivery came and it seemed that Sae’s parents had passed her a box of chestnuts, with a letter that caused Sae to be mouth out “coming, huh”. As they saw the sharp thorns of the chestnuts, Miyako rushed to her room for a baseball bat, saying to crush it by playing baseball. The unknown woman wanted to test out the chestnuts, as they gave her the fish that they had won.

Yuno then realized very slowly that it was in fact the landlord and she had not greeted her properly. Yuno said she would go down to the landlord to address her properly, but it was the sports festival. Sae said they should sleep early, after remembering the idiotic girl who challenged her. Yuno then remembered about an earlier incident, where she saw Miyu-sensei sewing a red cloth saying “MUST WIN!”. The rest asked what happened but Yuno simply smiled and said that they would know tomorrow.

As the chestnut rice was prepared, it was nice smelling as Miyako asked for seconds. Sae told her to ask after she finished it and Miyako simply added that she had reserved seconds. Yuno wanted to give up for the sports festival and she told herself not to think of such depressing thoughts. As she finished bathing, she went to the balcony as Miyako told her to look at the moon since it looked like a chestnut. They smiled, as the rainy day came to a close.

Thoughts

Sae is really challenging Miyako as my favorite character in Hidamari Sketch. She is not only really petty at some things, but her ability to blush and say really cute stuff has given the randomly crazy Miyako a good run for her money. I am actually surprised that Sae has developed so much as a character, since I remembered disliking her from the first two episodes for being really boring and one-dimensional.

Many incidents in this episode, like the anger at the radio for the lack of signals, the petty anger against the girl who is competing with her and the “coming, huh” sadness does create a lot for her. I actually am growing in liking of Sae due to her rather complex character compared to Hino. After the great episode for Hino in the earlier episodes, she is actually having just that continuous fat joke that is a little dry in my opinion. It’s funny, but the joke is running a tad thin for me.

Yuno is also extremely likable for her sheer clumsy behavior as well as her ditsy self at complex things. I mean, she is always the most formal one and it is funny how she wanted to actually go all the way to the landlord’s house to address her properly. She is probably one of the most polite people in anime, though it’s funny how short she is compared to others. No wonder the girl in Episode 4 called her small. She is almost Ayu-level size, but well more likable.

To add, this article had a rather mellow feeling in terms of jokes and humor. Perhaps, it is the fact that I did not understand some of the jokes that are said in the episode, but I did not laugh much. Compared to the highs of episode 4-6, this episode is slightly milder in tone, but the characters are simply good to listen. You know, this episode really feels like the rain, where you can watch it in a rainy day and it will fit that feeling completely. I guess it’s good that I really watched it on such a weather.

The next episode is March, fitting with the month that it will be showing in Japan. Let’s see what will unfold when Sae does not open the door or pick up the phone…Is she escaping from debtors?

Sae brings the whole thing about blushing gals to a whole new level. This episode returned a bit on the wholesale laughing out loud notion in Episode 4 and I must say that this is turning out to be a hell good ride.

Let’s go on to Episode 6!

Summary

Yuno was dreaming of a red blanket chasing after her as it approached, only for her to wake up after realizing she had fallen asleep after studying for the entire night. As she left her house, she realized that Miyako was not awake as she knocked on her door. Miyako looked like she just woke up as Yuno assumed that Miyako spent the night studying but she had overslept for 12 hours. As they walked down, Yuno found Hino watering plants as she asked her what she was doing. Hino said she was handling herbs, but the same noun applied to “harp” and Yuno said that it was expensive to maintain it.

During the exam, Yuno checked her stationary, only to realize that she brought the plasticine to wipe off sketches rather than an eraser. She asked Miyako whether she had two erasers but Miyako was sleeping. The exam started as she started to answer rapidly and she found that all her answers were “A”. She thought it was merely a coincidence but all the questions were answered with option “A” as she started to worry if there was something wrong. The last exam was Miyu-sensei as the questions were totally irrelevant with Japanes history questions, a picture of a principal, questions of what the students like (in a survey) and a 50 mark question on how to make excuses when she had trouble with the principal (a clear abuse of power).

The exam ended and Miyu-sensei told everyone that she would place the scripts of the lowest grade in front of the school gate but she was scolded by the principal. They then returned home, with Miyako doing some suntanning on the roof. A cat came as she placed her on her stomach and fell asleep. Yuno went to find Miyako and Miyako flew from the rooftop. Yuno said it was dangerous and found that Miyako was very tanned with a paw mark on her stomach which was very cute.

They thought of ways to keep cool and Miyako said a good way would be to say strange things. However, the same noun spoken also represented “staircase”, as Yuno wondered how falling from the staircase could make someone feel cool. Sae was playing with the fan as she spoke with a “windy” sound and she realized that Miyako and Yuno had been looking at her. Yuno and Miyako actually came to play with Sae as it would be colder on the first storey as Sae allowed them in. Miyako then opened Sae’ cabinet and found a very mushy romantic love story written by her. Sae blushed like a tomato when Miyako and Yuno recited the contents as she snatched it back.

Sae suggested to go to the pool but Yuno said that she was a “saw in water” (she meant to say she can’t swim) as the imaginery appeared. Miyako then went to grab her inflatable pool and told everyone that her parents wanted her to bring it because she was staying alone. The other two found that it made totally no sense. Miyako said that she was going to wear her school swimming costume as she did not have any. Sae felt that it would be like school as she passed her a T-shirt and a bikini bottom. As Miyako went to change, Yuno asked why Sae only gave the bikini bottom and Sae explained that she did not want Miyako to complain that the top was too tight. Yuno then started to blush and tried to say that Sae’s physique was very good for a female.

They brought the inflatable pool out to the grass and asked Yuno to blow it up. Yuno amusingly used her mouth as both were surprised she did not use the pump. Miyako then started to pump the pool while the other two went to change, as she mumbled about how hot and how happy she was while pumping it up. Inside Hino’s room, we realized that Hino was having steamboat in order to sweat and slim down to wear all the skimpy clothes for summer. Yuno said they intended to ask Hino out for the pool but they went out without her, jumping right in. They then had to refill the water, waited and played water. Rinse and repeat.

As they had the steamboat in Hino’s room, they realized that the whole act was an attempt to slim down, as Sae continued to tell Miyako not to only eat meat. They continued to have random jobs involving steamboat, like Steamboat president, Steamboat CEO and Steamboat best Jeans person among other random things. It was however getting too hot, as they went to soak in the pool. As they went into the pool, they talked about the relaxation being like in the sea (and some other stuff which I cannot get).

Yuno then re-accounted her queer dream as Miyako asked if she was hated by the red blanket. Everyone sweat-dropped at the silliness. A few random shots of them in swimming costumes assumed with a lingering shot of the four of them in a beach. As Yuno started to bathe, she realized that the red blanket was also a customary sign that she would not do well in the exams. Leaving the bathroom, it seemed like the caterpillar was about to morph. It was in fact not a caterpillar but a butterfly. Everyone started panicking and tried to get rid of it as it flew around in the room.

Thoughts

This episode really cements the series as my favorite winter series up to date. It continues on the word play of various things which is always hilarious. I have to say that the one about maintaining herbs and maintaining a harp is just total randomness, as it seemed that Yuno is always the one that is making these really silly mistakes at words. Yuno does seem a little ditsy and naive at times, which makes for times of hilarity.

I feel so bad for even criticizing Yuno being a bad lead. She is definitely funny in her own right and it is definitely a misjudgment in Episode 3 that I said that she is a bit boring. That said, I cannot believe how silly she is to actually blow up an inflation pool with her mouth. What is she thinking really?

Even a country pumpkin should know that it’s totally impossible but it does tell you that Yuno is perhaps from a rural area before she came to the Hidamari Hostel. That hint is already in from the vegetables sent over to her. I do want to know how she is like when she is back in the rural area. It must be silly laughter but I doubt they will explore it.

Another thing that gags me to no end is the continuous joke on Hino’s slimming down efforts in really hideously amusing ways. I mean, the last thing that I can imagine someone to do in order to slim down is to eat hot plate or steamboat at a fricking summer season. You will probably burn from heat stroke and Hino is really the typical paranoid with weight gal. The small chest gag on Sae seems to be likely to repeat in the future and I will be mean and laugh along when it does happen. The other continuous gag is how Sae blushes so badly like a tomato which makes me wonder what makes Sae blush. Maybe I should think of some warped ways to make her blush within a second.

Yes, I can be a rather evil sadist sometimes.

This episode is very well done, which is amazing considering that there is very little of Miyu-sensei, my favorite character along with Miyako. I guess it’s no longer important for any of the characters to be present in order for this series to work, especially when all the characters are very likable, with their unique traits persisting for this slice of life series.

Great stuff, and next week seems to be on the sports week in October. I wonder what Miyako will do next that is totally random.

Miyu-sensei just made me laugh hilariously in this screenshot when she complained about being dragged to school even though she had a cold. That remaindered myself of how my parents used to push me to school, even though I have a cold and fever. Of course, I turned out worse and eventually went home going all dizzy.

Just for your information and warning, the summary is going to be random. Why? We have malfunctioned just like Yuno.

Episode summary

Yuno was in a snow field, crawling around as she had a voice seemingly from Miyako telling her that she was surrounded. Yuno was suffering from a high fever of 38.2 degrees as Yuno said that the thermometer was faulty. It seemed that Yuno was also faulty due to her random actions to go to school as they told her to rest at home. Yuno started to dream about arriving late in school, as the other three gals were practicing sketching Brutus. The principal then appeared, telling her not to be late and take care of her health.

Yuno was getting thirsty as she had yet another dream about her rushing back to her class. She wanted to grab some school clothes but suddenly thought about seeing Miyu-sensei’s clothes. As she opened her closet, all the closets opened with frilly dresses appearing as she wore them while using flour on Brutus. She then realized the temperature was wrong and wanted to fix the thermostat but collapsed in her dream. Miyako arrived to see Yuno sleeping deeply as she gave Yuno a change of clothing since it was all wet (and noted a mole). Miyako also placed a wet towel on Yuno’s forehead as she left.

Yuno had yet another dream in which she was supposed to fix the thermostat. She felt better, with her head feeling less hot, as she tried to make sure that she was functioning well (or the thermostat). As she walked on the road, she found the little buddha as she talked about seeing her parents, as well as buying cakes but realized that she had no money pouch.

Finally, she woke up from her dream as she checked her mobile phone. A text message from Chika asked whether she had any plans for Valentine’s Day but Yuno responded she had no dates. Sae also texted her that they had brought some medicine from the sick bay and would see her when they got back from school. She then stood up confused, as she saw a rabbit apple, as well as the fallen towel on her forehead, as she went back to sleep.

In school, Sae, Miyako and Hino were at the sick bay to get some medicine for Yuno, as they found Miyu-sensei sleeping. Miyako asked if she was faking illness but it was actually because her parents forced her to come amidst her cold. Sae then remarked sarcastically whether Miyu-sensei was a secondary school student. Back at Yuno’s room, she realized it had been a while since she rested in the afternoon. The three finally got to Yuno as Sae brought her some child medicine and the others brought her some cakes, apple juice and lollipops to replenish sugar (don’t ask).

Sae decided to cook some porridge for Yuno as Miyako said that everyone around Yuno was not around, when it was in fact all the students surrounding Miyako. They then talked about Miyu-sensei hiding in the sick bay and hence did not go to school. As they were on Miyu-sensei, Yuno re-accounted in her dream that she was trying to find Miyu-sensei and was even stopped by the principal. Miyako then said that the dream had came true as she imitated the principal extremely well as she repeated what the principal said about Miyu-sensei being sick and he was here to replace her for the class. He then continued to tell everyone to take care of their health, telling everyone that using a reason that having wet hair was good looking was a clear way of getting sick.

Miyako actually tried to copy the notes for Yuno but fell asleep within seconds as Hino cleaned up the place. Yuno also placed the rabbit apple into the fridge as she was full. They then discussed about Valentine chocolate as Miyako said that the reason why Sae received chocolate was because she was like a man, as Miyako received a punch. Yuno also noted that she was always sick at this period of time. Late at night, Sae brought the old notes for Yuno while Hino brought some cakes for her to eat tomorrow. Hino said that Sae was very kind and added that Sae had watched her the whole night when she was sick, leaving Sae to blush badly. They eventually left, as Yuno woke up in the night to see the preparations that the two seniors had made. After that, she tried to get back to bed but realized that she could not sleep anymore.

Thoughts

After the madly hilarious episode 4, this episode is a bit low on the laughs, even though it is definitely not too far behind. Miyu-sensei sleeping at the sick bay was one hilarious scene that I loved, since she is just about the queerest teacher portrayed in anime. I mean, try to find a teacher in anime that is so cute, so innocently perverted (yes, irony) and loves cosplaying so much. She rocks so much, especially since it is mostly her in the previous few episodes that have brought the anime to some hilarious moments, other than Miyako.

I do not know about you, the reader, but I find that Hidamari Sketch’s unique use of super-deformed faces is spot on for most cases. I have seen my share of bad SD forms that totally annoys me (Crescent love, anyone?) but this one seems to be generally pleasant.

I am also glad that we have a bit of character development for Sae, who I feel is almost stereotypical at the start of the series. It is definitely a good thing that she is now much more fleshed out, as we can tell that she is in fact a shy person that has a really kind heart rather than being all cool. It is actually better, since we see her going all red on two seperate occasions just this episode. That makes her much more adorable than she is, even though Miyako takes the cake for being totally blunt and amusing with her extremely realistic portrayal of the principal.

*Shivers* You…all…better…listen…when…I…talk. I apologize but I can see why Miyako is having such a kick imitating the principal.

The thing about this episode that can be a little disorientating is also the dreams. If you ask me, I feel that Yuno is not exactly the most exciting lead for a slice of life series. I know that part of her charm is her innocence at many things and that she is probably fitting as a female lead. However, when an episode concentrates completely on her, the humor level seems to drop, even though she does have her moments such as the start when she malfunctions. I also like how they painted her glowing red to signify that she has a fever rather than the red blushing face. I think it’s a good touch and these are the small little things that make Hidamari Sketch such a cute little piece to watch during a nice rainy sleepy day to warm yourself up.

Well, if you are wondering that the lack of comments will deter me from blogging this series, I believe that this series is good enough and I hope to provide information to all for this. So, to end off this entry, I want to ask. Who is your favorite character after 5 episodes of Hidamari Sketch?

I think you can tell who my favorite is.

A Hino without sweet stuff to fill her stomach is definitely a very depressing one as you see the happiness beam in her eyes when she can grab something sweet. I wonder why she has such a paranoid of being fat. I mean she is not exactly a chubby loli (that is of course disproved as chubby lolis later on).

Hidamari Sketch just keeps getting better and I am so glad that the first two dry episodes did not stop me from viewing more. Now, time to capture the summary of this episode and hopefully, I can conjure out some of the linguistic jokes in this episode!

Episode summary

Yuno woke up to a sunny bright morning, as she brought her futon out to sun as she saw Miyako at the balcony. She was in fact hanging “ah ji” (hangar fish) on the “aji mata” (clothe hangar) to dry (linguistic joke). Yuno then decided to dry up all her clothes and went to school. Miyu-sensei, seeing the good weather had a lesson in sketching outside and said any theme would do. Yuno asked if really anything would do, leading Miyu-sensei to think delusively that they cannot draw her in a naked posture out here. Miyako requested to go back and rest due to drinking too much milk (possibly expired). Yuno first went to a beautiful garden, only to meet the principal as she fled after he suggested to have a “principal and the garden” pose.

Yuno then arrived to a bamboo area “chi ku ling”, and drew a cactus ball (”chi ku ling”). As she drew, two blushing gals ran out, leaving Yuno in shock as they told her not to say that they were inside. Yuno asked if they were having a private affair, as they both strongly rejected it. Yuno went in the forest, only to see a little Buddha, as she got reminded of her father who she had not seen for a long while. After that, she was shocked why the Buddha that made her think so but the thought was interrupted by Miyako who said that the Buddha would give all the gifts on her doorstep. Miyako then rushed to put a safety cone on his head so that she would get some free gifts by Buddha too.

With that, a tennis ball hit Miyako as Hino rushed over, patting and asking if Miyako was all right toward the Buddha statue. She added it was a joke, as Hino said it was Sae who overhit the ball. As Sae came over, she said she had no idea about this statue but Hino said it had been here for a long while, with Miyako proposing to drag it back to Hidamari Hostel. With that, Sae dragged Hiro back, with Miyako questioning whether Sae was as strong as a boy and like a monster, half-monster and … Returning home, Yuno found vegetables with a little worm sent by her mother and father, as she thanked them and the little Buddha for the gift. Going over to Hino, she brought some of the vegetables as the two were eating cakes. Hino was looking extremely sad.

It seemed that some girl in the park called her fat and Sae wanted to elaborate further but was stopped by Hino. Miyako wanted to grab Hino’s cake, but Yuno continued that there was a karaoke place that gave the amount of calories used and approximated one song to be around 10 calories. Hino’s eyes beamed up, saying that if she sang thirty songs, she could eat this cake. They went over to the Karaoke place, with her singing the first song and only burning 8 calories as she wanted to sing something more energetic.

As Hino was singing, Sae explained to the other two that a little girl came up to Hino when she was at the benches, saying that she was “kaka” (fat). Just when Sae was about to say which part of her body was fat, Hino stopped Sae as it was very embarrassing. Yuno assured Hino that she was not fat. Hino happily wrote 10 calories lost as she forgot to see the screen.

Sae was singing a love song, blushing quite a bit for some reason. Hino then told Sae to sing louder but the second part of the song was sung very off-tuned as she left the room and spotted Miyu-sensei singing too. Miyako was looking at the English song menu, hoping to find Japanese songs. They talked about how Miyu-sensei was the maker of the Buddha and it was originally a structure that was somehow ravaged by time to look just like what it was now. After that, they wondered how old Miyu-sensei was. Sae actually prayed at the statue as the person in the talk came back. Sae was pressed for an answer as she finally said that it was rumored by praying to the statue, since it was made by Miyu-sensei, would make her breasts bigger.

Hino was now shaking on her seat, having trouble resisting the attempts to eat any snack as it was Yuno’s turn. Even though the song was sung with the right lyrics, she was pretty tone deaf. What was equally amazing was how Miyako could copy Yuno’s style of singing flawlessly. It was Miyako’s turn and she was surprisingly good enough like a professional. It seemed that Miyako had helped to sing in some place in exchange for snacks. Hino said it was her turn, as the other three discussed which part of Hino’s body was fat since she had a perfect figure for a gal. Miyako talked about the arms, the neck and eventually the breasts, before explaining that she was not trying to be sarcastic toward Sae.

The topic changed as Yuno said she was going to rear the worm that was in the vegetables, instead of throwing it away like Miyako. Sae remarked that it was like Yuno to do something like that, as the phone rung. Hino picked up the phone as they asked whether any time extension was required. She was about to say yes when Sae took the phone away and said no as they had a last song. On their way back, they met up with the same girl, only to realize that she had said “Kaka” (pink curly hair) rather than “kaka” (fat). The girl also called Yuno very small, making her sad and wanting to drink tons of milk. Back home, Hino received her diet drinks as Miyako wanted some, only to be rejected since she would probably finish everything. With that, everything ended with a bathe and the worm being reared by Yuno.

Thoughts

Darn, this is getting better by the minute. The first two episodes might have been a little disappointing, but the next two episodes really redeemed it as one of the better series, a slice of life once again, of the winter season. Even though the winter season is nothing really to be wowed about, this series is proving to be a good mix of subtle humor and random linguistic play on words, which caught me by surprise every single time. The “Kaka”, the salted fish hung in a clothe hanger as well as Chi ku ling wordplay is really silly, like cold humor splashed with icy water.

They are really amusing to keep the fat gag on Hino all the time, and in various ways to display the paranoia of Hino who was perfectly shaped as a girl. This is remarked by Yuno and the likes, which means that Hino is definitely not fat. However, her own paranoia of things probably make her extremely sensitive and it is a good touch to see her gain 1 kg after the whole Karaoke in the ending part of the show.

She probably will go all bonkers trying to lose that 1 kg soon. Poor Hino.

Miyako is really pretty mysterious in a funny way. She seems to have a child-like behavior, yet having a lot of talents in various areas. I guess the part of her being talented in so many areas (drawing, singing, artistry) fits with the part that she’s so happy go lucky and that she is in fact an elite student. No one believes her since she is always so child-like sometimes. Poor Miyako, she is turning to be my favorite character since she livens up the conversation between the four.

The rumor about breasts getting bigger is hilarious. It is funny to see Sae, supposedly cool and not really moving in emotions, totally flustered. I can imagine the embarrassment in telling all the gals that she is praying to have bigger breasts. The last accidental talk about too fat breasts on Hino is also amusing when Sae glared at her. Hah.

It’s a pity that there is very little Miyu-sensei and her cosplay, even though her deprived thoughts of a “naked posture in the grass” is downright hilarious. In any case, this episode is really good and Hidamari Sketch is turning out to be a good series for Impz to blog, simply because it is short and funny at the same time.

Did I miss out any puns, linguistic play, parodies or humor in this episode? Share!

Can I be served by you, Miyu-sensei? Please?

This episode totally hits the right spot at every single part of the show. I totally laughed my head at some of the queer inferences in this episode, not with a crazy start by our residential cos-play in Miyu-sensei. Many other scenes just asked for a laugh and this is probably more of a subtle style of humor rather than random dumbness that will die off in 1-2 episodes, like how it did with some of the fall season shows.

Let’s go in, enjoying the little rain of laughter.

Episode summary

It was the rainy season as Yuno woke up sleepily, preparing her bag as well as greeting her worm (?). She then added some bread into her bag but dozed off, as Miyu came over to call her. It seemed that Yuno did not like the rain. As they went down, Hiro had her hair curling everywhere due to her weather while Sae had a cold. As Yuno arrived at school, there was a bandaged thing dropping down that was squirming. It was in fact Miyu-sensei who had this bandage all over her as preparation for her class later. Yuno supported her to the class, as she squirmed over the floor like a worm to be the model for the drawing class today.

As she removed the bandages, it seemed that she was ready with the cosplay costumes, but Miyako said the pink dress was hard to draw as she was thinking that being cute would help them draw better. Lamenting for a while, Miyu said she would have to strip (leaving the class in shock), as she changed to a waitress dress (don’t ask), and then to a wedding dress. After that, the principal called Miyu over, scolding her for her behavior as Miyu-sensei came in sadly, telling Miyako and Yuno to get a model in the art room.Miyako found a sculpture of Brutus, the Roman senator that conspired to kill Caesar. Miyako then went on to carry it above her head even though it was way too heavy for her, as we saw Miyako totally on all fours with the statue on her back.

Yuno made a desperate attempt to hold it up. They started to draw, with Yuno doing the common way to concentrate by putting a pencil in front of her. Miyako assumed it was “locking on target” though the essence was there. Yuno then took up the bread, saying that it was used to erase the charcoal marks as she asked whether Miyako wanted it for her art. However, Miyako simply ate them up as she did not have breakfast. As lunchtime arrived, a sneeze by Yuno caused a coffee stain on the forehead of Yuno’s and Miyako’s drawing as she wondered what to do to fix it. Yuno started to doze off as lunch settled in her stomach. Miyu-sensei woke her up, only to see her face filled with the charcoal. As they ended the art, Miyu-sensei thought about the Indian dots on the forehead.

Later that day, Yuno and Miyako came back after buying stuff from the supermarket in the rain. They started to eat as Miyako did not buy anything as there was no nikuman. We also realized how Miyako ate pork buns with noodles and queer combinations. Hiro added that it was a good thing to eat something warm on such a cold day, as they talked about what type of buns they wanted to eat. Miyako said she wanted shrimp buns, Yuno curry bun and Hiro chocolate cream bun, as Sae hit her right at the spot with a “it sounds like something fattening and your previous diet did not work”. Ouch.

Miyako continued to talk about food but got hungry as she had no money for dinner. She saw Sae’s food and went on to do funny faces in order to earn some food from Sae. Yuno said she had some miso soup but the tofu was spoiled (Miyako heard it as running), as she dreamed of food running all around. After a Sae sneeze, Miyako commented about how she had fever, cold and cough only once in the school, which was during the entrance exams. Yuno was impressed that she did it amid the illness but Miyako said matter of fact that she went through the backdoor. Sae then strangled Miyako, saying that she cheated as she reiterated that she was recommended by the school as she was a top student. No one believed her. Miyako then attempted to use the bedsheets Yuno intended to dry in the sun as a rain charm in various ways.

As they split up, a loud noise from Miyako’s room got them there, as Miyako’s house was dripping water. As the rain flowed down into the bucket, they played Shiritori. They discussed about the state of Miyako’s room and Yuno said how her room had Misato’s signboard. With that and the thunder raging in the background, they warned Yuno to be careful of purple snakes, seemingly in great fear. It seemed that Misato was a weird sempai that loved practical jokes, as Yuno came out in her towel. She saw a purple rope as she pulled it, only for a basin to hit her right on the head. Yuno then screamed how she hated the rainy season!

Thoughts

This episode is hilarious. Right from the start, it slaps you with the cosplay of Miyu-sensei, that is honestly always welcome in Impz’s view. I mean, what can go wrong with a green haired anime gal doing all forms of cosplay? That is like a total annihilation of the many hearts of all anime viewers. I will be severely shocked for anyone to actually dislike Miyu-sensei. That person must be either warped, insane or hate anything cute.

In that chance, I have no comments.

There is no story but honestly, you really do not look at Hidamari Sketch for any read story flow, especially since its origins came from a 4koma. The key point is the slice of life and random inferences, and I found it aplenty in this series. It seems that all things ridiculous and funny sourced from Miyako and I think that she’s probably the most critical character in it. Whenever there is an incident, she is always at the center of attraction, amplifying the good qualities of the other characters. It’s a bit like the character that needs to be there, even if she is not critical at all.

I mean, without the trigger of Miyako talking about buns and food, we will not be able to laugh once again at Hiro’s failed attempt to lose some weight again. Honestly, she is not fat but I guess it’s just the paranoia of girls as usual. I mean, ask a normal girl on the streets and 90% of the time, they will tell you that they are too fat even if they are not. Still, Sae is really evil to shoot such a painful attack on her weight and diet.

I actually think that they are so mean to think that Miyako is not capable enough to be a top student. I always think that Miyako must be an extremely good artist. I mean, which artist will actually make art forms simply from snow in episode 1. That said, how about playing with imaginary with puddles of water as well as creating the rain charm from the futon. Sigh, I think I really like Miyako most out of the four gals.

Lastly, the lack of use in SD forms actually helped me with the humor of this series. I do not know why too. So, what do you think about this episode? Do you think it has improved from the first two episodes in terms of humor?

Why does Miyako remind me of a more matured Miu Matsuoka from Ichigo Mashimaro? Sometimes, she acts exactly like her in the same eccentricity and Hiro is like Chika, delivering as always the wonderful bump on the head.

Hmm….

Episode summary

Yuno was doing a bit of morning exercise after waking up, as she noticed a note left by the landlord that they needed to make a new sign for their hostel. As they were in Miyako’s room, Miyako was using sandpaper to alter the shape of the signboard and overly sawed it until it became too small. As Hiro arrived, we realized that Miyako’s room was tidied, with piles of rubbish bags at the side of the room.

They then realized that Miyako’s room was much cheaper at 40,000 yen compared to theirs at 45,000 yen, with Sae speculating that there must be something wrong with the room. Hiro added that she had heard rumors about Hidamari being rumored as a “Bloody hostel”, with loud noises in the night. They then returned to their work, saying that Hiro was simply scaring people but Hiro insisted that there were “creak” sounds on the floor and blood appearing.

As Hiro moved, a creak sound did appear as Miyako said that it was probably due to Hiro’s weight. Hiro then awarded Miyako with a bump on the head, as Hiro said she was going to diet today. Time moved on as Yuno came out of the restroom as she heard the “creak” sound again but Miyako said she never took any notice since she was singing all the time. Yuno said she realized it because Miyako was singing up to 11pm when Miyako said she slept at 9. Hiro then wondered where the singing came from, but Miyako lazily added that it was probably her sleep-talking, or more accurately, sleep-singing.

They then went on to decide who was going to write which part of the sign, but there was an additional letter “hostel”. After they discussed about the different names that they were about to give, Sae reminded everyone that the landlord never said anything about changing the name. Hiro then re-accounted that she met Miyu-sensei who was wearing a huge jacket on the streets. She suddenly opened her jacket and showed the nice swimsuit she was wearing pretty like a flasher. Each of them then went about writing their own sign.

As they cleaned up the brushes, one of the brushes fell but rolled down even though there was no slope. Miyako then said that it was because Hiro was sitting there and caused a slope to appear, earning Miyako yet another bump on the head. As they uncovered the mattress, they realized that there were a lot of drying agents. Miyako and Sae then went over to ask the landlord (who was a beautiful young lady) and realized that the room was furnished by the owner herself. That was why it was much cheaper to help poorer students have the chance to aspire for their dreams. The room was also easily flammable due to the drying agents and rain would sometimes seep through.

As the paint dried on the sign, they put it up and saw an announcement for a festival (and Miyako only saw the free snacks if they came in a yukata). Miyako did not have one but Hiro passed her one that was above knee length, saying that it was from her younger days. Hiro and Yuno felt that it was very cute but Sae thought it was too high and felt more like a vixen. They then met with Miyu-sensei, who turned up a beautiful rose yukata. They then played the ball fishing game and Miyako was extremely good as she said she used this game to exchange for takoyaki when she was young.

They then went on to play some small fire lighters, as Hiro told Sae that the yukata Miyako was wearing was cursed with a fox spirit and nothing went well the two times Hiro wore it. Sae was shocked that she passed such a robe to Miyako but Hiro misinterpreted it as giving the robe to the wrong person since Hiro would fit better. Just when they were talking,

Miyako suddenly ran ahead saying that she heard fireworks, with them chasing her. As they ran up the stairs, there was in fact fireworks as they wondered whether it was the work of the fox spirit. However, as they arrived home, another instance of Miyako acutely hearing Hiro doing some ice grinding across the room proved that it might be just that Miyako had a great hearing sense.

Thoughts

I am wondering whether an episode summary is required for this series but I do like it a lot. The reason why it feels a bit queer to blog about this series is because it is an extremely slow slice of life series that has about nothing happening, yet the interaction between the characters are pretty interesting.

For example, I like the digs of Miyako at Hiro’s weight, and it was apparent that Hiro was extremely sensitive of her weight. It is pretty good to hear the calm and slow-paced interactions between the four characters. Of course, the flasher antics of Miyu-sensei adds to the icing quite a bit. I mean, which crazy person will wear a swimsuit right out in the open with only a huge jacket and suddenly open up the jacket to some innocent girl? I wonder if I can have such a teacher too…

Wow.

Other than that, this series is making me feel a little fuzzy, yet it’s a simple theme with a simple story. The graphics ain’t too good and there is a good amount of overly stretched graphics, but it fits decently in the series as it is not overly cute yet not overly disturbing that you get detracted from the viewing experience.

Honestly, I do not know if the summary helps so do reflect it. If it doesn’t, I can change this slightly to a picture filled summary rather than a wordy format. I think it might work better for this series.

Art + loli-looking characters + SD forms + school life setting + slice of life = Win?

Perhaps. The verdict is still unclear.

I do not know how to describe this anime. Many who have watched this probably felt that it was a tad boring and even I have to admit that it can get a tad boring. Still, there is just something there that is decent and I honestly do not know what it is.

This looks pretty much like a slice of life series, with a slightly cute twist to it. However, unlike Manabi straight where the cuteness can kill, this is more subtle. It is good and bad, you decide.

Episode summary

A girl, Yuno, woke up on her bed, struggling to get out of bed as she got ready to go to school with the television reporting on horoscopes. As she returned, the show was over as another girl, Miyako appeared as she came in since Yuno was still dressing up for school. Miyako started to daydream about people buying gifts for her as she sat down, with Yuno telling her that she would leave her behind. As they reached school, they met up with Hiro (red haired) and Sae (spectacle blue-haired girl) who talked about how their teacher, Miyu-sensei (green hair!), had gotten a bad omen fortune when she wore her yukata for the festival in the temple. Yuno received a very lucky good omen fortune telling but Sae warned that good things might not be very good sometimes.

As they went to class, Yuno realized she had forgotten about her holiday homework when Miyako asked her about it. Miyu-sensei started on talking about the things she did in the winter holidays like hanging out with friends, going for KTV, wearing beautiful yukata for the new year festival and much more. As Yuno wondered what she could do, she went out to ask Miyu-sensei whether she could hand up her work tomorrow, but Miyu-sensei gave a very nice smile and said “no!”. Yuno then went back to her room and tried to finish the collage art work before 1 pm when the class started. She then added a copy of the postcard that Miyu-sensei said at the center as she finished just in time. Just when she was rushing back (with Miyako urging her on in the window, ha ha), snow started to fall.

As the class ended, Yuno told Miyako that she had finished her work during lunch break as her stomach started to growl. Miyako then passed her a origiri who was given by Hiro since she wanted to diet. They then went out in the snow as they were in charge of clearing and cleaning up today. Hiro and Sae then met them as Miyako ran around, trying to make an art. Sae and Hiro then rushed away as Sae took a picture from the 2nd floor as it was “Love and Piece (peace)” made from the footsteps, with Sae remarking that it was just like Miyako.

Hiro and Sae then talked about how they spent their time in snow when they were young. Sae said that she did what Yuno and Miyako did, with Hiro surprised that Sae being so cool did not look like someone who would do that. Hiro said that she liked to play but did not like the wet experience after playing with snow. We then saw Miyako and Yuno going home after playing, as they visited Hiro to thank for the origiri. They then went in as Sae and Hiro were also required to do the collage work. Sae then deduced that she had finished her work during lunch and handed it up, or else Yuno would not have played.

Miyako was hiding under the futon like a cat, as she felt warm after the snow play. They then talked about the pictures during the snow play as Sae asked about why she had “piece” inside. Miyako made some lame explaination about spreading her love in pieces toward the world, with Sae asking that it seemed more like a typo. Miyako then quickly changed her statement, saying she wanted to test how many people would discover the intended mistake. They then looked at the various other pictures, as well as stating how Miyako used the rubbish bins for the sculpture-like face snowman.

Miyako then asked for model fees (food), as Hiro went to grab some mandarin oranges, tea and rice cakes. Yuno then got a mobile message from Miyu-sensei as Miyu said that her work was good considering that it was rushed and the concept was decent. Yuno then explained to the others how she had used the postcard in the center, as they discovered that the cosplay-crazy Miyu had taken totally different poses for every single student. Yuno then received another mail, asking if she had received the new year card, with Yuno blushing and everyone having a wow. However, Sae looked like she was troubled when she saw it.

Hiro then said that she was on diet after eating too much rice cakes. Miyako then said how Hiro was eating only 2 rice cakes as she had unwittingly eaten food with a lot of calories during new year celebration. Hiro then only ate one origiri and gave the remaining one to Yuno, but Miyako told her not to be tricked because Hiro’s purpose was to diet. Yuno then said that Hiro was very sweet as Hiro did not want Yuno to mind. As the snow stopped, Hiro and Sae wanted to go to the supermarket before it snowed again, as Yuno went for a hot bath, realizing how her hands were sore red after the snow play.

Thoughts

Ok, when I first watched this, it feels like 4koma completely. There is that same feel of Azumanga Daioh in this show, even though Azumanga is slightly more entertaining than this. However, to use Azumanga Daioh as an example, does speak quite well of Hidamari Sketch and I personally think that it is perhaps a good thing. It is a bit boring at the start when they start on the introduction and simple lifestyle of the girls, but somehow, there is this lure that I cannot describe what it is that fascinates me.

The four girls are pretty character-less, but some of the dizzy faces are pretty cute to look at, though not over-bearing for me to swoon like a mad cow. That is good, because I will soon have a moe overdose if this really continues with all the series that I am watching such as Manabi Straight, Saint October and VVV, which are all rather moe~ series.

The story and setting seems to be rather decent, with mundane stories similar to Ichigo Mashimaro and I do not know why I always enjoy slow and slightly mundane slice of life series. The artwork part was a tad disappointing too. I am expecting something like Picasso or something, but doing collage art is a bit juvenile. What is the age setting for this series? I have no clue yet but I presume it is middle school.

The cosplay teacher is perhaps the most interesting one for now, with her different cosplay postcards to all her students. I wonder if they will make the real postcards. I will not mind collecting a bunch of these postcards for hanging purposes, since they are all pretty cute.

Anyway, next week seems to be about the summer of Japan in August 31th, so I cannot wait for them to throw in all the yukatas. I love yukatas.