Hanayamata is a series about the daily lives of schoolgirls, centering around their adventures in a club of niche interest. While not the most unique premise, I hesitate to call the series “cliché,” since to do so would be to undermine everything the series does right. And it does a lot right.
Presentation-wise, the anime is just gorgeous. The animation has its own distinctive style that manages to use soft colors to be easy on the eyes, while at the same time still being eye-catching through the use of contrast. For a series about yosakoi dancing, the dances themselves can be lacking, often using more still frames than you can shake a naruko at, but otherwise it’s a joy to look at all-around.
Similarly, the sound is great all-around. Music manages to accompany scenes well and add to their intent while not completely overshadowing the scene. The voice acting is similar, managing to hit all the appropriate tones for scenes while not being ridiculously over- or underacted (unless the scene in question calls for it, of course). Special mention goes to Hana’s VA, who manages to take a potentially annoying character and turns her into an adorable ball of sunshine.
As for the actual meat of the series, the characters are all phenomenal, and seeing them all interact when the group comes together in full is a joy. It does take a long while for the full group seen in the opening to come together, which is a legitimate complaint, but I’d argue that this allows for the show to more fully flesh out each character before they join the club. They still develop further upon joining, so even after the club is fully formed, it’s nice to see how each girl grows.
In general, the pacing is fantastic. For a 12-episode series, it manages to take things rather slow, making things feel generally pleasant and providing a nice contrast to the later drama. Further, something important happens in every episode; upon a rewatch, there isn’t a single episode that I would even consider skipping. Some episodes are weaker than others, but even the weakest episode sets a pretty high bar.
If you’re not a fan of “cute girls doing cute things,” this series won’t do anything to reel you in. If you are a fan, it’s hard to do better than Hanayamata.
Manga Nothing new, yet something special
Hanayamata is a series about the daily lives of schoolgirls, centering around their adventures in a club of niche interest. While not the most unique premise, I hesitate to call the series “cliché,” since to do so would be to undermine everything the series does right. And it does a lot right.
Presentation-wise, the anime is just gorgeous. The animation has its own distinctive style that manages to use soft colors to be easy on the eyes, while at the same time still being eye-catching through the use of contrast. For a series about yosakoi dancing, the dances themselves can be lacking, often using more still frames than you can shake a naruko at, but otherwise it’s a joy to look at all-around.
Similarly, the sound is great all-around. Music manages to accompany scenes well and add to their intent while not completely overshadowing the scene. The voice acting is similar, managing to hit all the appropriate tones for scenes while not being ridiculously over- or underacted (unless the scene in question calls for it, of course). Special mention goes to Hana’s VA, who manages to take a potentially annoying character and turns her into an adorable ball of sunshine.
As for the actual meat of the series, the characters are all phenomenal, and seeing them all interact when the group comes together in full is a joy. It does take a long while for the full group seen in the opening to come together, which is a legitimate complaint, but I’d argue that this allows for the show to more fully flesh out each character before they join the club. They still develop further upon joining, so even after the club is fully formed, it’s nice to see how each girl grows.
In general, the pacing is fantastic. For a 12-episode series, it manages to take things rather slow, making things feel generally pleasant and providing a nice contrast to the later drama. Further, something important happens in every episode; upon a rewatch, there isn’t a single episode that I would even consider skipping. Some episodes are weaker than others, but even the weakest episode sets a pretty high bar.
If you’re not a fan of “cute girls doing cute things,” this series won’t do anything to reel you in. If you are a fan, it’s hard to do better than Hanayamata.