Hitohira

Title:Hitohira
ひとひら (Japanese)
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Xebec
HIKAMI Kyoko
KAWASUMI Ayako
KISHIO Daisuke
NARITA Ken
YUKINO Satsuki
Asai Mugi, a new student at Kumataka arts academy, has trouble speaking when she is confronted with her extreme stage fright. Forced to join the schools Drama Research Society by upperclassmen, she gradually changes due to the influence of drama.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


Animated by Xebec.
Aired for 12 episodes starting in March 2007.
Based on the manga series by Izumi Kirihara.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 8 7 8 7 7 7 Dreamer [series:2402#2279]
Another club-related series. I find these types for the most part fun and enjoyable to watch. This one barely passed as "ok".

Art, Animation & Character Designs
Artwork and animation was nothing special. Artwork actually seemed a bit bland and lackluster. However, the backgrounds, the scenic ones seemed to have a fair amount of details, colors and depth. Character designs were sorta boring and typical. Speaking of characters, "Katsuragi's" voice seemed way off for his character. It was way to deep and serious and did not fit his illustrated looks.

Music
The OP was the typical and average pop piece with female vocals. Nothing special and wasn't of my flavor. As for the soundtrack, they were mostly of the piano flavor, hard pianos that one would find typically in dramas... although this wasn't really a drama. But it still fit nevertheless because of the fact that the series dealt with "drama" as the theme.

Series and Episode Story
This was a typical story telling about a group of High School friends and their club. It's been done a million times over right? Well, here's another one and this one is..... nothing different. It basically centered around the drama club.... well, "their" drama club and it's activities.... which wasn't much to speak of. "Asai", the protagonist was sorta kawaii.... mainly her voice. There was a lack of character development, aside from a very minor moment between the two drama club presidents. But then again, it was probably ok since none of the characters really stood out.

Overall, this was marginally entertaining series and nothing more. There's far better similar ones out there.

Last updated Friday, December 10 2010. Created Friday, December 10 2010.
Rent 8 8 7 7 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:2402#1552]
(Rent-/ Watch+)

Hitohira has quite the flawed potential. What could have been a solid premise focused on a second drama club formed to rival the school's main club with characters displaying visible flaws is greatly watered down by enough issues in its developments. But before I pick off these flaws, I'll at least give praise to what the show does right. Hitohira does feature some characters who do get a decent amount of fleshing-out and are not your cookie-cutter high school anime character archetypes, mainly in the form of Nono and her best friend/ rival Mirei. Both characters have their strengths and flaws where both pick apart the problems of their actions and even running into their own problems with other people thanks to conflicts of personality and personal beliefs. It is their interactions with one another that make for both the better heartwarming and highlight moments of the show for me. Following the play, the series also looks into some coming-of-age moments for Mugi that involve graduation and one supporting character moving away making her come to grips with the fact that not all things last forever.

Now enough with what positives I have for Hitohira. Time to rummage through what I had issues with for the series. Beyond Nono and Mirei, the other elements to the series are a bit on the weak side. Pacing for the series was a bit rushed leaving little time to develop other potential aspects of the plot like character relationships and developments in the bonds between characters. Other characters either followed typical character archetypes (Mugi as timid and shy girl, Chitose the energetic girl with a crush, Kai the nice guy with a crush) or just lacked a good deal of development compared to more prominent characters (Risaki and Takashi). The series at a number points resorted to angst and melodrama focusing around Mugi's problems to compensate for her character being a hollow archetype which left me caring more for Nono and Mirei's developments than Mugi's as they were nowhere as over-the-top as what I was finding with Mugi's developments, especially with her acting once she works up the resolve to put on a good show.

Overall, I found Hitohira to be more enjoyable thanks to Nono and Mirei's developments than I did with Mugi. Her shy girl archetype and the many scenes she resorted to angsting when too overwhelmed with changing situations did enough to push my buttons throughout the series and it had me waiting for when Nono and Mirei would finally return onscreen. Combine this with the rushed pacing and the weak development of secondary characters and you have a series that proved to be quite the mixed bag for me.

Last updated Friday, October 29 2010. Created Friday, October 29 2010.

Other Sites
NameURL
Official Hitohira Anime Site (Japanese) http://www.hitohira.tv/

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