Azami, Himawari, Himeji, Tsukiyohime, Shikimi, Yusura
In the Village of the Mists, a place where ancient tradition meets modern technology to train the ninjas of tomorrow, two people are transferring. The first is Hayato Marikouji, a new transfer teacher and a true fish out of water. The second is Himawari Hinata, a chipper ninja wannabe who possesses very little skill, but has seen ninjas on TV. She was saved by one from a plane crash when she was young, and aspires to become one herself. Himawari transfers into a class with several more experienced ninjas, and starts her training, discovering the secret of her and Hayato's past at the same time.
Himawari! (and its sequel series, which has an additional exclamation point) were Anime First series that aired in the spring of 2006 and the winter of 2007.
Himawari! provides examples of:
- Ascended Fanboy: Himawari, who knows almost everything about ninja from TV.
- Blood Knight: Himeji loves the sound of explosions and fighting in general.
- Chained to a Railway: The ninja students do this to Hayato in the very first episode.
- Combat Medic: Shikimi specializes in herbs and potions, but can hold her own in combat.
- Continuity Nod: The opening the premiere episode of the second series references the opening of the first series with a gag involving Himwari.
- Designer Babies: The reason most of the ninja in the series are so good is that they were genetically engineered that way.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Azami
- Everybody Lives
- Everyone Knew Already: Himawari hides that she discovered that Azami is a spy for the boy's school, but all of the other girls already knew. Only she and their teacher, Hayato, didn't. When they discover that she's hiding it, they explain that he's a double agent, and that he's a boy.
- Fake Defector: Tsukiyohime supposedly sells out her friends to a monster freezing over the forest, but true to her style, she was helping them to victory in an unexpected way. Also, the principal and Takechi-sensei.
- Fake Memories: Both Hayato and Himawari have them planted by the organization.
- Fartillery: Momota Main form of attack is farting.
- Figure It Out Yourself: Tsukiyohime rarely offers any actual advice, instead preferring visions and letting everyone else work out the rest.
- Fountain of Youth: An episode in the first season sees most of the cast reduced to younger age, though it's only temporary.
- Frying Pan of Doom: Once Hayato and Team Himawari are on the run, he keeps one in his knapsack at all times, and can fight decently well with it.
- Gasshole: Momota who seems to fart constantly at random.
- Genki Girl: Himawari and to a latter extent, Himeji.
- Genre Savvy: Himawari, to some extent. She's seen enough of her favorite ninja show that she has at least some idea what to do. Whether it works is another matter.
- Hilarity Ensues: A key part of the concept. Himawari has decided to attend a school for ninja, despite knowing little about ninja other than what she's learned from a television show and the fact her life was once saved by a ninja when she was very young. Meanwhile, her classmates are all already far more advanced. Naturally, hilarity ensues.
- Hot for Student: Hayato and Himawari's relationship, though it's primarily from her end.
- Humongous Mecha: Karakuri mecha are built for an inter-school competition. Himawari's team returns in the second season to momentarily aid an escape with its Rocket Punch.
- Interspecies Romance: Yusura has a solid relationship with one Yonezawa. He happens to be a kappa.
- Invisibility: Kotaro, Hayato's childhood friend. Except for his ears. He seems very eager to go into great detail about how his invisibility works.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: In an effort to cure Himeji in the second season, the main cast (and Hayato) go inside Himeji's head.
- Mad Libs Catchphrase: Yusura describes things as being "[adjective] like [animal]". Azami has "According to my information, [important news]. Also, [useless trivia]."
- Miniature Senior Citizens: Both the owner of the shop, and the school's principal.
- More Dakka: If she's not using her katana, Himeji is blasting things to hell.
- Ninja: At Ninja School.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Momota, Yusura's dog. Fights with flatulence.
- Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: The second season is differentiated from the first by only one exclamation mark. (Himawari! and Himawari!!) Some listings refer to it as Himawari Too.
- The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The people aboard the triangular ship in the second season.
- Once per Episode: Tsukiyohime appears without warning and in the most improbable of locations to offer a bit of cryptic advice.
- One-Gender School: Both ninja schools.
- On the Next: Used at the end of each episode, narrated by Himawari, and always with a single line of hers from the actual episode at the end.
- Perpetual Poverty: Hayato, continually strapped for cash. Though he's a teacher, he mooches off his students more than anything. He's being forced to pay-off a tremendous debt and the money is siphoned from his school pay every payday.
- Personality Powers: A twisted version. The ninja under the company's orders gain their powers from past traumas. For example, a boy who was denied a gumball turned into a Rubber Man ninja.
- The Plan: The principal and Takechi sent down the unusual ninjas to prepare Team Himawari for the final battle.
- Playing a Tree: In one episode Hayato recounts to Himawari how once, when he was a kid, he got upset about having to be a an autumn tree a play, even though he had chosen the role himself. When he whined to his mother about it, she declared that they would make him the best tree ever. And they did, drawing and making many paper leaves to together.
- The Power of Friendship: It's one of the key themes of the show and ultimately what saves several of the characters, most particularly Shikimi.
- Pocket Protector: A cucumber that Yusura gave to Yonezawa as a gift saves him when he's Brainwashed and Crazy.
- Raised by Grandparents: Himawari was raised by her grandmother, and often speaks nostalgically of her. She wasn't Himawari's real grandmother.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Yusura
- Stalker with a Crush: Komurasaki, a student from the boys' school, towards Himawari.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Shikimi and Nanafushi. Ninja from the two schools are not allowed to find love, but that doesn't necessarily stop them.
- Sunny Sunflower Disposition: Himawari, of course.
- Terrible Trio: The Boss, Wabisuke and Sabisuke, a trio of turtle ninjas from the first season seeking revenge on Hayato. Not very effective, but their mission was misguided from the start.
- Theme Naming: "Himawari" means "sunflower" (as evidenced by her hair decorations), and almost the entire rest of the cast is named after plants as well.
- Toilet Humour: An invisible man who discusses what a pain it is try to clean your toilet when your waste is also invisible.
- Unusual Ears: Tsukiyohime has elfin ears, which makes her stand out among the cast.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?
- What Would X Do?: In any given situation, Himawari will ask herself "What would Denzou do?"
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Azami is a boy, spying from the nearby boys' ninja school. Everybody knows, but nobody really minds. Though the viewers may be the ones who are the most surprised.
- Verbal Tic: Himeji's "de arinsu".
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
