It's not often that we see comedies like "Hinamatsuri". It's a show that goes absolutely balls to the wall with its gags and jokes, taking them to the logical heights of absurdism But unlike a lot of other comedies the jokes aren't just forgotten when the punchline is said and done. The things that happen to characters in the show's pursuit of its next big laugh often end up having lasting Consequences that, more often than not, permanently altered the series status quo. In "Hinamatsuri" Ridiculous scenarios, that would be crazy one-and-done-gags in other shows have a tendency to stick. It has the naturalistic writing of a serious slice-of-life drama But the tone and timing of a laugh-a-minute gag anime; like "Nichijou" or "Cromartie High School" and I freaking love it! I haven't quite settled on my favourite new show of the season yet, But right now it's down to this or "Megalo Box" And if you've seen how much i've been gushing about that show, you know That's saying a lot and I feel like I didn't give this anime quite as hard a sell as it deserved in my spring 2018 Recommendation list. So today I'm gonna rectify that by telling you, why you need to be watching "Hinamatsuri" Or if you're already watching "Hinamatsuri" by telling your friends why they need to also be watching, "Hina Matsuri", just as soon as you share this video with them. by the way This video is sponsored by crunchyroll, who are currently simulcasting "Hinamatsuri" and dozens of other great seasonal anime. So if you're not a member already and this video convinces you to give the show a shot head to crunchyroll.com /basement to get a 14-day free trial and watch the whole show and anything else that interests you for free. That's a deal even Anzu could afford and that's a reference that you'd understand if you'd watch this show. So, what is "Hinamatsuri" all about? Well, a lot of things. It's got a huge cast of surprisingly complicated characters But the series mainly focuses on three little girls. First you've got the titular Hina a powerful psychic who randomly crash lands in the apartment of a Yakuza thug named Nita and Ends up squatting there before eventually becoming his adopted daughter Then there's Anzu, a decidedly less powerful psychic who's sent to defeat Hina and ends up homeless after that doesn't work out. Lastly there's Hitomi a regular middle schooler who's a fast learner, a hard worker and utterly incapable of saying no to anyone who asks her for help, which is how she ends up working as a bartender at the tender age of definitely not old enough, serving drinks to a wide variety of clientele including Yakuza bigshot CEOs and her willfully delusional homeroom teacher. There's a lot going on in this show at once, but it's kept manageable thanks to the three separate plot lines and they're all unified by a Consistent theme of found family. Nita and Hina form a gradual bond, becoming more and more like a real father and daughter with each passing Episode. And as she grows closer to Nita, she also becomes more and more a part of his Existing families. Both his real relatives and his surprisingly friendly, but not that friendly, Yakuza organization. Hitomi grows closer and closer with the clientele at the bar where she works and Anzu becomes essentially the adopted daughter of the homeless community living in the cities park. She becomes particularly close to the old man Yassan, who teaches her the ropes of living on the street and Basically becomes her surrogate grandfather. An arc that leads to some legitimately Heartwarming emotional moments, as well as to some huge laughs in equal measure. Later on She's adopted by an old couple that runs a restaurant (which I'm gonna say isn't a spoiler on the grounds that they show it happen In the OP, Reddit!) and she builds a new kind of family with them. And before Hina and Anzu came to Tokyo It's implied that they and the other psychic girls had their own kind of family dynamic within the mysterious evil organization. Through all of these examples the show posits, that all we really need to get by in life is to care about people who care about us in return and if you Try you can find that anywhere, from criminal organizations to the streets to your shitty thankless job. Which might sound like a kind of sappy message but somehow "Hinamatsuri" Manages to convey it sincerely, while still playing almost every important emotional beat for laughs Big laughs, because it understands that getting close to people and letting them into your life also Exposes your mutual flaws and foibles. A person might try their hardest to help someone they care about, only to screw it up royally Or they might let a small misunderstanding Get a little bit out of hand because they're too embarrassed to clear it up or they might get carried away Celebrating forget the dimensions of their apartment and accidentally break their kids leg, just as a totally random Example. "Hinamatsuri" can get really really silly but it gets to those silly places through a natural escalation of each character's defining traits and flaws, Which are compounded by universal human factors like: embarrassment, anger and inflated pride. So there's never a point where you're left thinking 'Well, that doesn't make any sense!' Which is an impressive trick for any comedy, that gets this absurd to pull off! More impressive though is how the characters are Changed by what goes on around them. Generally speaking while they do often go through arcs and grow as people, comedy characters tend to be a little more, shall we say 'Resistant' to learning from their mistakes, than your average character in a more serious story, because those mistakes are a big source of comedy. Changing your characters in a significant way means throwing out proven joke formulas, yet this show does it practically every episode. A great example of this is how "Hinamatsuri" Handles the 'will they, won't they' relationship between Nita and the bartender Utako. The kind of relationship That's a staple of basically every sitcom ever. I've got to spoil it slightly to talk about it So skip to this timestamp if you want to see the show totally fresh But it's a pretty minor spoiler all things considered. In episode seven, with Hina's help, Nita finally convinces Utako to go on a date that he's been pining for since episode one. It doesn't go well, although it's sort of due to a misunderstanding. Nita wants Utako to be a mom to Hina, but Utako doesn't quite Understand that and she feels like she shouldn't get between them, when he clearly cares about his daughter a lot. So she tells him that she can't date single divorced dads, because Utako's kind of a Self-centered asshole, you see. In any other comedy that would be a cop-out status quo reset and Nita would be back to pining for her the very next episode. But here he actually Gets over it, to the point that by episode 10, he's started to notice what a shitty person She can be and straight-up says to himself: "Why was I in love with her again?" After this the show even starts gradually removing her from the OP and ED as her importance dwindles, though It does make sure to keep in all the parts, where she's indirectly or directly Responsible for the suffering of all the girls, because it needs to remind us that she's the worst, but back to Nita. That is real measurable character growth. Nita goes from being a carefree, self-centered, horndog gangster to a proper father figure with a, still somewhat skewed, sense of Priorities and the ability to see people for more than just their looks. Likewise Hina goes from being a total brat to someone who cares about the feelings of others and makes an active effort to do nice things for them, even though she's not very good at it and as she and Nita force each other to grow into better people, they also get measurably better at forgiving each other for their faults and Screw-ups and learning from their own and each other's mistakes, like a real family. Anzu's time on the street changes her from being rash Entitled and callous to a sweetheart with a strong work ethic and a genuine appreciation For every kindness that other people show her, as well as a vastly deflated understanding of the value of money Hitomi's work-life transforms her from a shy and bewildered little girl to basically Aggretsuko and the most mature and responsible Person in the entire cast, which she kind of needs to be, since every adult in her life repeatedly fails her. But it's not just the core cast that grows in this way! Most of the supporting characters, even minor ones, like the band Hina joins from one episode Show some kind of growth or development between their appearances Although some like Sabu show that all the good intentions and experience in the world can't help stupid This has two big benefits Obviously these, kind of three-dimensional, characters make the show's world feel more alive and give its plot more weight But they also enhance the comedy. Even after knowing these characters for 10 episodes, they still manage to genuinely surprised me and give me strong laughs as a result because they're constantly changing and sometimes even surprising themselves Hell, some of the show's biggest laughs come from their Realizations about the world or the other characters around them! One Specific joke, that highlights just how immature Hina was before meeting Nita, had me absolutely rolling on the floor. The show also keeps things fresh by constantly Introducing new characters, who almost always stick around, at least in the periphery. A structure that's reflected by the ED, showing Utakos bar gradually filling up with the huge supporting cast. That constant cycling out of old material and Introduction of new material keeps the show feeling fresh while, still delivering on the same kind of humour that initially draws you into it I've gone on and on about the writing in "Hinamatsuri" and I do think it's the show strongest feature but it's also worth mentioning how well directed the show is. The jokes are enhanced a lot by the hysterical over-the-top Animated reactions of the characters, as well as pitch perfect timing in both line delivery and editing and the music is great at selling both The show's generally quirky tone as well as it's more serious emotionally impactful moments. As a comedy "Hinamatsuri" delivers on every level and then some; a memorable cast of characters, at least one laugh out loud joke every episode and gags that Constantly surprise you by taking familiar material in new directions but it's also got a lot of that ephemeral heart that I love so much and a plot that moves forward and changes at a Surprisingly fast clip. Just like real life tends to do. It's hands down one of the best comedies I've seen in a long time, one that uses Superhumans to comment on regular humans, in a way that reminds me a lot of "One Punch Man" and "Mob Psycho 100". And again, if you're familiar with my channel, you know, that's very high praise coming from me If you haven't given "Hinamatsuri" a shot yet You are missing out on some great laughs, as well as some surprisingly moving, tender moments Which often managed to still be hilarious. It's the best comedy of this season, even counting which is still tragically stuck, waiting for Netflix to get its shit together, and quite possibly one of the best shows of the year Although 2018 has been and looks like it will continue to be a hell of a good year for anime So it's got a lot of competition for that second slot. And if you want to see it and judge for yourself Or keep up with all the other great anime slated for the summer and Beyond Crunchyroll is the way to do it. Their simulcast service lets you watch dozens of new shows in English the same hour they air in Japan and they have a huge back catalog of older anime, that's growing almost Every week as well. By going to crunchyroll.com/basement You can try it for yourself and watch as much anime as you can handle at full 1080p for 14 days And if you're looking for some other things to watch after you're done marathoning to catch up with "Hinamatsuri" I highly recommend checking out "Golden Boy", "Great Teacher Onizuka", "Mob Psycho 100" and "The Daily Lives of High-School Boys" If you're a fan of "Hinamatsuri" Let me know in the comments below who your favorite character from the show is and while you're down there don't forget to hit subscribe and ring that notification bell, to catch every video that comes from Mother's Basement from now on. I'm Geoff Thew, professional shitbag, signing out from my mother's basement
