Hanayamata

Title:Hanayamata
ハナヤマタ
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Madhouse
TANAKA Minami
UEDA Reina
Normal appearance, normal intelligence, normal in arts and sports... just normal. This is the entirely normal 14-year-old, Naru Sekiya. While she admires "Heroines" she continues to live a normal life until one moonlit night she meets a fairy. This foreign girl then guides her into the extraordinary world of the yosakoi dance.
(Summary Courtesy of MyAnimeList.net)

[TV series, 2014, 12 episodes, 25 min; animated by Madhouse, based on an ongoing ↗Seinen manga with 4+ volumes since 2011.]
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 8 7 8 6 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:2918#1552]
This is another one of those slice-of-life dramedies involving a group of schoolgirl friends coming together in the formation of their own school club, in this case a Japanese dance called yosakoi that involves the synchronized performance of traditional dances accompanied by modern music played. On the one hand, the series does do a decent job showing the development of the girls among the yosakoi club as they learn to get along with one another in spite of their different personalities and improve the quality of their performances throughout the series. On the other hand, the series still plays up the typical tropes of slice-of-life comedies as the series usually milks the eccentricities of the girls for subpar attempts at humor and features character arcs focusing on a dramatic situation with the girls that mostly feel tacked on just for the sake of drama before they inevitably become part of the yosakoi club. Beyond this, the anime offers up beautiful visuals thanks to the soft colors employed in its designs and is quite gorgeous in showing off both scenic shots and the traditional robes worn by the girls as they practice and perform their yosakoi dances. While Hanayamata still follows the typical flawed tropes of slice-of-life dramedy, it still offers up a good deal of focus on the gradual formation and improvements with the yosakoi club and is at least worth a look if slice-of-life titles catch your interest.

Last updated Saturday, March 19 2016. Created Saturday, March 19 2016.
Unevaluated Stretch [series:2918#628]
(One episode watched):

So, is blondie really a 'fairy', or just a transfer student who loves Yosakoi dance? Early on I thought she must really have fantastic powers, since she could jump effortlessly between the tops of temple arches; later I concluded that that had just been a metaphor, or a joke, and she was an ordinary girl (except for her obsession). Whatever the case may be, other than Yosakoi she seems pretty simple minded. Naru has the all too common problem of thinking that she has to excel at something in order to be happy. So, I guess my problem with this show is that neither character really seems like a very interesting person who I would like to meet. Also, I don't know if Yosakoi will particularly inspire me. I didn't get any memorable laughs out of episode one, so I wonder what, if anything, this show might have to interest and entertain me. Maybe a fairy will help Naru utilize the abilities she has within her, but I'm not sure if I care.

Last updated Wednesday, July 16 2014. Created Wednesday, July 16 2014.

Other Sites
NameURL
Official Japanese Series Web Site http://hanayamata.com/

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