Status Update!

Happy Belated Birthday to Miki! <3

Now with that taken care of, let's get down to business.
I honestly didn't expect university to put so much constraint on my otaku life but unfortunately it did. It's currently final exam time and I've got two of them coming up soon (both of which I am frantically studying for). With only a tiny amount of free time left in between studying, it appears that my review backlog will continue to grow. Because of this, I have decided to give you (the readers) a status update and what I plan to do for the rest of this month (i.e. before the start of the Winter 2012 season). Speaking of next season, I'm expecting to only review a couple shows in an attempt actually get the reviews out on time. More information on that later. For now, the status update:

Hanasaku Iroha - Dropped Indefinitely

┐(￣ー￣)┌

I was thinking about this back at around the halfway point but only decided to do it now since the boredom I experience when watching it has gotten out of hand. Maybe some day I'll try finishing the last 10 episodes, but for now, I'm going to leave it aside to make room for the Fall 2011 season. My apologies to all those that follow this series on my blog. Thank you for understanding.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 15

*facepalm*

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

Back to watching some Hanasaku Iroha for me. I liked how this episode gave Yuina quite a been of screentime as well as character development. It's good to see that, even though she is depicted as an ojou-sama-type character, her personality is not annoying like many of the spoiled, rich girls in other anime. Aside from the story, the fanservice included was really unexpected, but most likely put in there to please the viewers who were looking for it. As the "field trip arc" (or whatever you want to call it) ends, it's back to the adventures in Yunosagi for Ohana and co. Hope to see more or less of the same amount of drama in the coming episodes.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 14

Epic face

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

The obligatory beach episode is here; although only the few few minutes of it was actually at the beach. Good thing that Yuina got lots of screentime this episode since she barely appeared after she was introduced. On top of that, an aspect of her personal life is also revealed, making this the ultimate episode for her fans. Looks like the drama returns in the next episode, even while they are still on their school trip. It will be interesting to see if Yuina will be involved in the problems, given that she never showed her sadness and anger before.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 13

Ouch!

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

All right, we got some family bonding time with daughter, mother and grandmother. The interactions between Ohana's mother and the landlady were less "intense" than I expected but that one night of drinking and talking, along with the multiple flashbacks throughout the episode, allowed viewers to understand them more. Ohana getting drunk and revealing all her feelings was the highlight of the episode (it just edged out the multiple slaps that Enishi received). With Ohana's mother confirming that she enjoyed her stay at Kissui Inn and Ohana yelling her farewell to Kou, the drama takes a backseat as the obligatory beach episode is up next! Yuina finally gets screentime.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 12

This is my first time seeing someone win so many claw crane prizes

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

I guess this is the last time we'll see Kou for a while. I, for one, am disappointed in this since I wanted Kou x Ohana all along. It's hard to watch Ohana get the opportunity to be with Kou but waste it on self-loathing. I mean, come on Ohana, the only reason he's helping this much is because he likes you; so you should stop hating yourself for requiring his assistance. On the side, Tohru and Minko's journey through Tokyo's many fine restaurants was fun to watch but seeing Minko suffer made me a bit sick too. My hope for the next episode is that Ohana's mom meets the landlady. That will surely bring a lot of drama.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 11

Ugh, a love triangle...

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5/5)

Drama, relationship conflicts and more drama. With her mother, Kou and his co-worker showing up in this episode, things are starting to get tough for Ohana. All this is caused by her love for Kissui Inn. How unfortunate is that? Anyways, the relationships between the characters are getting even more complicated with Ohana, Kou, megane-san, Tohru and Minko all in the mix. With the direction that this series seems to be going in after watching this episode, I am sure that there will be plenty more drama ahead which, for me, is extremely relieving.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 10

So Minko does have a sense of humor...

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

Fevers. Misunderstandings. Dreams. One thing leads to another as Ohana almost decides to leave KIssui Inn because of these.  Despite her condition being a burden to them, the caring staff at the inn show that they value Ohana because, whether it be Nako or the landlady, they all check up on her condition every so often. This episode is a good lesson for those that are part of team-oriented occupations. It teaches that, even though an organization may not have the most skilled of workers, good teamwork allows them to accomplish almost anything. Through this episode, Ohana realizes Kissui Inn is the place for her and that she loves everything about it.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 9

Scared? You better be

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5/5)

Not what I expected in terms of drama but still an excellent episode overall. Unfortunately, Kou still doesn't meet Ohana yet due to some miscommunication but the few bits of Tohru x Ohana made up for it. Personally, I would prefer Kou x Ohana and Tohru x Minko because Tohru x Ohana would most likely leave Kou and Minko extremely depressed or angry. That aside, the way the staff (with the exception of Takako and Jiroumaru-san) came together in order to get over this huge hurdle really showed the desire for success in each one of them. The final scene with the landlady returning was, in my opinion, the most heartwarming scene of the series so far. Hope there will be more of the same in the future.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 8

^o^     ^o^     ^o^

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

A good build-up episode which I feel is setting up quite a bit of drama. With the landlady's hospitalization, Kou's arrival and Kissui Inn's influx in customers, Ohana has her hands full. The pressure is starting to mount and I believe that, without a doubt, she will be able to handle it. However, the light at the end of this tunnel does not seem to be near as of now. The staff of Kissui Inn will have to give it their all if the inn is to live for another day. A major setback here may spell the beginning of the end for Kissui Inn. The fate of the inn rests solely in the hands of the staff there. Will they be successful in pleasing the large amount of guests? Or will the pressure be too much for them to handle?

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 7

I don't think roaring waves resemble death in any way...

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

This episode consisted of more comedy than drama which is nice once in a while. The presence of crazy stalker-like characters usually brings tons of laughs and this was no different. I really enjoyed the whole process of Tomoe contemplating whether to keep or quit her job, with the plan of getting fired eventually backfiring due to unintentionally making the crazy stalker-like guests' stay more enjoyable. Even though she didn't know it, Tomoe actually proved that "fighting fire with fire" actually works as she got the guests to surrender after acting crazy just like them. With this episode being full of comedy, the next episode seems to take a 180 degrees turn. Judging from the preview, Ohana's grandmother needs to go the hospital which ultimately puts the Kissui Inn's future at stake. But for now, here is this episode's summary:

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 6

What are you thinking about, Tohru?

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

I'm surprised to see actual fanservice (not part of Jiroumaru-san's erotic novels) in Hanasaku Iroha.  Things start getting more complicated now with Tohru increasing his harem count to three or four (Minko, Yuina and now Ohana and/or Nako). I'm sure that with 20 episodes left, the dramatic parts won't come until episode 20 or so. Right now, I find that the episodes are mostly focusing on character development, with this one in particular focusing on Takako, the weird business consultant advisor for Kissui Inn. Personally, I hate her because she is too full of herself. She is also really ugly and it's funny how she thinks her extreme plans will work. Next episode seems to focus on Tomoe so more character development is on the way.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 5

Yuina needs more screentime

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

As many people have predicted, it was a misunderstanding after all. I guess the producers are saving the really dramatic parts for later in the series since this is going to be a 26 episode series. It's good to see Minko softened up to Ohana a bit more. Yuina needs more screentime because she's such an interesting character. Finally, it seems like Kou-chan is thinking about visiting Ohana, considering he feel asleep while reading magazines about hot springs and the Northern Coast. In the end, I hope to see Kou x Ohana and Tohru x Minko.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 4

Violence is the solution to everything?

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

A new girl who is a bit airheaded is introduced in this episode. Along with her entrance, she brings along even more drama in this drama-filled series. If love triangles are something you really hate, then this show may start to disappoint you. Personally, I find the Minko-Tohru-Yuina love triangle/misunderstandings quite interesting.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 3

The faces of insanity and rage

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

For the first half of the episode, I wasn't even sure if I was watching the right show...

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 2

Ketchup message reads: I hate you Mommy!

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

As a child Ohana had been taught a single important rule by her mother: Don't rely on other people. Believe only in yourself.

Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 1

Die

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

A bit of a slow start but each character having a unique personality was nice. The episode starts off with Ohana, who looks like your typical high school girl, and her mother having a casual conversation. From the way her mother talks, it is easy to tell that she is the type that is lazy and too carefree. Ohana's mother also has a boyfriend which could mean several things. Even with a broken family like this, Ohana shows no signs of sadness but instead looks content at life. The third character to be introduced is Ohana's best friend, Ko. Not much is known about him except that he likes Ohana. After Ohana is told by her reckless mother that they were moving, Ko confesses to Ohana at a park, knowing that this is probably the last time he'll see her. I find it quite weird to have a random confession in the first episode.

Hanasaku Iroha - Preview

I had thought about watching Hanasaku Iroha when browsing through the Spring 2011 anime but wasn't sure if I would like the story. However, I have heard good things about this anime after it aired and another slice-of-life anime this spring is more than welcome. The aspect of "leaving your comfort zone and becoming independent" is what I am looking forward to the most. Hope Hanasaku Iroha won't disappoint.

Spring 2011

Below is the list of shows I plan to watch for the Spring 2011 season (subject to change)