Ryan Reviews: Hanamaru Kindergarten Ep 10

In this episode of Hanamaru Kindergarten, the athletic festival is coming up and Koume seeks training from her teachers so she can make herself and her brother proud. In the next half, Tsuchida drinks some liquid courage and confesses his feelings for Yamamoto.

The young Koume faces an obstacle in this episode, and while we watch her undertake the challenge, it is not only charming but a tad bit inspiring. For a young girl, Koume possess a lot of spirit and when her friends rally around her to cheer her on or defend her, it feels like they have a true bond of friendship. It is not a hard tear-jerker, but the moments of friendship fit right in with the “warm” feelings that Hanamaru Kindergarten has had up to this point. The humor in this episode have even stepped up. The show begins to make use of the characters and the scenarios they have placed them in rather than relying on tired old gimmicks all the time.

There is little else to say now. Hanamaru Kindergarten is still a fuzzy feel-good show that has little (left) in it to criticize. You can watch this episode on crunchyroll. I’m done for now, until next time folks.

Ryan Reviews: Hanamaru Kindergarten Ep 9

Zvarri! It’s time for the next review! The creator(?) of the famous panda-cat hybrid comic is having trouble coming up with new ideas and problems with his love life until he runs into the kids of Hanamaru Kindergarten. Then the kids draw portraits of what they want to be when they grow up, causing some interesting conversations to spawn.

The kids help out another person in this episode, this time a man named Hanamaru who happens to be involved in some manner with the popular Panda-Cat comic. When Hanamaru goes to a nearby park he runs in to Anzu and friends, and it’s just more of the same cute shenanigans that have been prevalent in the show up to this point. There is something about the sincerity of children that make it a lot more believable that these kids would care more about the plight of a stranger than any other person. The best thing about the show are the three main little girls, who have the similar traits of the innocence of kindergartners but are all still unique. The differences between Anzu, Hiiragi, and Koume have play off of each other and create interesting dialogue with the things and people they interact with. This is best evident in this episode when they show Tsuchida what dreams and hopes they have for the future.

Another notable factor is that this episode pulls out some of the niftiest references to date in the show. Namely, Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations, Luke Atmey Reference (See Hiiragi in the first picture) and The Wings of Honneamise, the spacesuit worn by protagonist Shirotsugh Lhadatt can be seen sported in the active imagination of Hiiragi (See third picture)

Hanamaru Kindergarten is getting close to its end. There are less things to say about the show as it goes on, but it still remains one of the better things to come out in the Winter Lineup. Until next time. Here's episode 9 on crunchyroll.

Ryan Reviews: Hanamaru Kindergarten Ep 8

Welcome to the next review! In this episode, Anzu and friends help a classmate named Aoi out by aiding her and family in the their home business. Next, Tsuchida finds a young girl named Hinagiku and helps her home. She falls in love with him and she transfers to Hanamaru Kindergarten in order to marry him. I have a bit more to say than usual.

The show shifts back to the children again as they try to worm their way into the world of adults. It’s easy to understand where the kids in the show are coming from. They see themselves just as capable as the adults around them, and work hard to prove it. The new girl introduced in the first half, Aoi, wants really bad to work with her father. She has a sincere desire to simply be with her dad and also prove herself to him. The other girls try to convince her father to let her work with him, and try to sell fish. These moments make for a show that feels light-hearted and touching to a certain extent. It is not to the point where it is very emotional, but it is an innocent romp as the girls decide to assist a friend in their friend's life.

The second half spends most of its time acquainting the cast with Anzu’s new rival for love, Hinagiku. It is clear that just like Anzu, Hinagiku has no strong reasons to actually be in love with Tsuchida. The audience should accept it with not much thought, since she is a child with a strange concept of love. The innocent love and warm feelings presented are at a level just right to hit fans looking for loads of cute content, and still offers something that feels like an average story. Tsuchida doesn’t seem to mind that he has yet another little girl thinking she can marry him. He handles his scenario in a mature manner, at least opposed to either overreacting or being a jerk to the little girls. The positive aspects of him come through again in this episode.

Episode 8 makes a complete recovery for the show after episode 7’s boring trek to back story. Hanamaru Kindergarten is proof that some shows and characters don’t need some kind of deep past to make for an interesting watch. At least in the cases of this show, it would actually drag something as simple as this down. That is all for now. Episode 8 is on crunchyroll.

Ryan Reviews: Hanamaru Kindergarten Ep 7

My apologies for falling behind. A personal matter came up and I got swept away in my personal business. This episode marks the beginning of the summer break, and Tsuchida heads home with the usual cast of characters. There Tsuchida and Sakura reminisce and Satsuki tries to impress her brother through her cooking, which he fails to identify her as the cook causing her to get angry.

This episode focuses less on the children and more of the adult characters; Namely, Tsuchida, Satsuki, and Sakura. Unfortunately, they are still the most boring of the cast. The chemistry between them is flat, making for some dull interactions. The first example that comes to mind is the relationship between Tsuchida and his sister, Satsuki. She is given a popular moe catchphrase “onii-chan no baka!” and a strange strong desire to be the center of Tsuchida’s attention. In addition, the relationship between Tsuchida and the other characters make no progress either. Sakura tells a story about the past in the first half of the show, but it doesn’t explain anything or imply anything beyond that Tsuchida might have had feelings for her in the past. It felt like the whole episode was just a rehash of things that have been done in other anime, and the events which transpired ultimately made no impact on the characters themselves. It is not an entire failure, it just lacks that which made the episodes prior to this one interesting.

It’s clear that the adult characters are not the shows strong point. When the children are not made the center of attention in an episode, the show is at less than its best. Hopefully the next few episodes will either shift it back to the kids or fix the current issues with the show. The next review will come when I get the chance. Episode 7 is on crunchyroll.