Proving Superpowered Girls Don’t Have to Save The World
There are many questions in life. Life is positively full of them. How can we tackle the homeless epidemic? Is it morally right to ignore the suffering of others if we can do something about it? What do you do about a strange girl appearing in your house in a metallic sphere? Hinamatsuri is a quest for answers to questions such as these.
Detailing the zany and haphazardous life of yakuza rising star Nitta Yoshifumi and his new daughter...adopted step-...Hina, Hinamatsuri is one of the funniest thought provoking anime of Spring 2018. Mixing light social commentary with sight gags, situational comedy, and plenty of misunderstandings, the series is more than meets the eye. At no point were we able to forsee the outcome from one scene to the next, and its unpredictable nature made it wholly enjoyable. Here’s why.
Nitta Yoshifumi has become a solid member of his yakuza organization and enjoys a luxurious lifestyle few can afford. His days are uneventful, until a psychic powered girl named Hina arrives inside of his apartment in a metallic egg. Unable to understand how she arrived, he at first tries to get her out of his life, but through certain circumstances he comes to live with her. Hinamatsuri is their attempt to live in a rather unusual section of Tokyo where common sense doesn’t seem to work, but every situation tends to be either hilarious or thought provoking.
The entire cast is memorable even if they only have a few minutes of screen time. Main characters Hina and Nitta are central, but Anzu and Hina’s classmate Hitomi have major roles as well. Anzu discovers that life in the real world is different than her and Hina’s upbringing within their mysterious organization of psychic superpowered girls. She falls in with the homeless community who adopt her as a beloved granddaughter, raising her as best they can.
Hitomi overcomes struggles of her own, mainly caused by Hina’s actions or the selfishness of her boss Utako who owns a bar which she works at. Being forced to work several jobs as a minor due to the convenience of others becomes a theme of Hitomi, and she finds that while she is very successful, she is losing her childhood. All the characters display various moral themes that go beyond the humor each of their arcs contains.
Despite his numerous grievances with Hina throughout the series, Nitta has become a friend and father figure to her and cares for her deeply enough to put up with her self-centered, misguided shenanigans. Anzu grows to care for her homeless family and she learns that separation is integral to growth and new beginnings. Family is a strong theme throughout the show and at several points, the audience is shown how little blood and background have anything to do with strength of bonds.
Final Thoughts
Hinamatsuri starts off as a show that begins with superpowered psychic school girls and ends up delivering big laughs and teaching us not to judge anyone based on their status or appearance. The yakuza higher up isn’t always a violent maniac. The braggadocious young hoodlum might be forced to steal to survive. Hinamatsuri is a series we weren’t quite ready to have leave even after the final episode, and we hope more is in store from this one.
Author: Hercule SSJ
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