6. Hidamari Sketch
What is Hidamari Sketch?
It’s yet another adaptation of a 4-koma comic strip, of course. And it’s another one of those Shinbo shows. And it goes without saying that it’s slice-of-life. But, as accurate as these descriptions may be, I don’t think they say much more about the show than what’s already obvious. What is the essence of Hidamari Sketch?
Whether or not Hidamari Sketch is “iyashikei”, or “healing” anime is a matter of personal opinion, I think. It shares a lot of characteristics with your typical iyashikei series, but the Shinbo quirkiness gives the show an edge that’s missing from, say, Aria or Kokoro Library. And it’s because of that edge that I think the show is difficult to define. Is it relaxing slice-of-life? Offbeat comedy? An instructional video for Japan’s “my pace” movement?
It’s all of these things and then some, I suppose. But, for me, the essence of Hidamari Sketch is summed up perfectly in this image. Looks inviting, doesn’t it? For all intents and purposes, each and every episode of Hidamari Sketch is representative of the feeling I get when I look at that image. And, in a year in which my caffeine intake has increased tenfold and my blood pressure has likely followed suit, it’s a feeling I’ve come to appreciate. I need to make like Yuno and find a blanket already. And a Hiro to share it with.
Of course, I’m not an island unto myself. Hidamari Sketch is more about sharing that feeling with others than it is keeping it to yourself. The many scenes in which Yuno and friends sat around a table working on a project or telling stories reminded me an awful lot of similar good times from my college days. My friends and roommates back then were just as much a part of my family as anyone who shared my last name. They still are. Of course, now that we’re separated by time and distance, there’s no more sitting around the table except on special occasions.
I kind of envy those of you who have the good fortune to be exposed to shows like Hidamari Sketch while still (relatively) young. I often wonder if my outlook toward life would be different today had I had such an opportunity. Would I be better off for it? Is the inclination to even consider such questions something that only comes with age? Would I have simply found Hidamari Sketch boring as hell ten years ago?
I hope not, but I also know myself well enough to know that I probably would have. Everything in due time. And, as for the question at hand?
Hidamari Sketch is bittersweet, that’s what.
This deserves the number one spot. I am now boycotting your blog .\/.
Hidamari Shetch was the biggest unexpected surprise of 2007 for me. I hadn’t even watched it until a couple of weeks ago. It quickly became my favorite anime of the year. After the first few episodes, I forced myself to watch only an episode a day. I don’t know if it was healing, but I sure found it soothing to watch at the end of a stressful day.
I agree with you about the ‘quirkiness’ edge. Ichigo Mashimaro was another anime that was able to combine those two flavors of relaxing and edgy so well together. While I have enjoyed ARIA immensely, it has a completely different (surreal) feel.
I loved all the characters and how each personality was explored through the course of the series. I get that the interaction is viewed mostly from Yuno’s perspective, but she wasn’t necessarily my favorite character. I hate to play favorites, but I was really enchanted with Miyako’s charater. I just couldn’t wait to here what she was going to say next. Spontaneity defined.
Yoshinoya sensei was something else too, but I really got a kick out out the school principal.
I have reached an age where I realize I have completely dropped off the radar for young women, so I found it terribly amusing to view how young women view someone like the principal’s character.
Interesting, I keep hearing good things about this show. I think I’m going to try it.
Damn that is an inviting blanket, well once you’ve kicked Yuno out…
art seems a little too simple (exaggerated simplicity is best suited for parody and sarcastic series)
characters’ ugliness takes away the beauty that Aria provides
too slow
Hidamari Sketch gave me the warm fuzzies, and for that I love it.
Hidamari Sketch has such a strong cast of characters; it’s just a glee to watch them interact with each other. Even with the long breaks between episodes being fansubbed, I was still excited when new episodes were released. Maybe it’s just my affinity for wide SD faces.
last, was thinking something similar, only with a different character missing :p Actually, I jus want all four of them with me XD
HidaSketch, ah, one of the greatest shows to grace this earth, and the one that introduced me to Shinbo. The Man. Just got done doing a post about it myself, actaully. In any case, I had always sort of wonderd why I feel like I’m missing something when I watch it, and you’ve helped me figure it out: friends. I’d really like to gather some close friends (gf prefferedly?!) and watch this show with them (I could watch this show every day, I seriously never grow tired of it.)
That was a beautiful review. I think you’ve completely captured the essence of the show. I’m just now watching Hidamari Sketch, and I’m only up to episode 4, and I’m really liking it so far. I’m a sucker for slice-of-life and 4-koma-based anime, and I have to agree with you on your points. Hidamari Sketch really instills nice feelings while watching. Can it be nostalgia?
Odd as it seems, though I’ve never been in the same situation as they have (I don’t live on my own in an apartment with my friends in different units), somehow the best way for me to describe what I feel when watching is saying it’s nostalgia. Could be because of my failed school life due to delinquency, so a large part of me WISHES I went through those things, like sit around a table with friends working on a project, as you put it. So maybe to compensate, my mind is creating its own past whenever I watch. Something like “what could’ve/would’ve happened”, and how great life could’ve/would’ve been if I went through those things. So it’s like fake nostalgia.
In the end, I can’t really revert to the past to start over, nor can I do anything to change it. So my only source of these “nostalgic” feelings of school friends turns out to be anime, particularly Hidamari Sketch.
1. feeling warm fuzzies is probably a good sign that it is iyashikei. at least for you.
2. I find the blog post’s header image more representative of what it feels like when I watch the show. There may be a substantive divide between the Shinbo take on Hidamari and Aoki’s take on Hidamari, which oddly the first part of your post goes on to define substantively.
3. this deserves a top 3 slot, IMO. which is fine I’ve been waiting to troll you and I thought “hey Manabi Straight is 7 means I get to have 6 shots.” But oh well.
Probably my favorite anime of the season, unless you count shows that started in 2006…
“And a Hiro to share it with.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAMEN to that.
Hidamari Sketch couldnt be more perfect. It is a sweet and kawaii anime. I like the drawnings and the designs (specially Yuno, ^_^). I thought HS would deserve a better possition, but anyway, HS is one of my favorite anime really.
Warm fuzzies, nothing. This show is all about barefoot Miyako crossing the street on a warm spring day.
I hope shows like this get official DVD release in Korean or English, very soon.
We do have the manga to look forward to courtesy of Yen Press.
After reading your impressions, I went and watched the show. Although it wasn’t exactly how I expected it to be, it turned out to be a genuinely enjoyable watch. I especially liked Miyako and her quirkiness. Overall the cast was good and the stories were cute. The pace was nice too, with each episode illustrating a different season. The one thing that put me off tho was that it tried way too hard to be cool and artsy. But that’s just me and my total dislike of SHAFT’s style. It’s a good thing that the show could stand on its own legs despite that, otherwise I sure would have drop it.
So anyways, thanks for the tip, it was nice watching Hidamari Sketch (tho it won’t make it in my Top 10 list :P).
dm gets it. :P “My pace” indeed. :D
But seriously, I felt some recent nostalgia for my little removed days of college when rewatching Hidamari Sketch (and a little sense of the foreboding “loss” of fun while watching it in college), where it was just about me and my friends doing things. If there was no point, it was still all good, and I feel that that type of friendship is the one that tends to last even after everyone goes their separate ways.
Course, a little bit of the same things are happening with new acquaintances in med school, but just with a lot less time to do them. :P
Oh wow, believe it or not I have found myself in this site & Nowhere quite a few times over the past 3 years or so by way of Google lol I’m surprised you still have this up.
As for Hidamari Sketch, I haven’t actually finished the series but it’s my go to anime when I’m stressing, even before Azumanga Daioh. It’s quirky, fun, lighthearted and it really makes you think of the time you actually dedicate to your real friends.
Nice….. review?