Hanamaru Youchien

Gainax’s most recent production seems to have been greeted with either one of three responses. The first is that of simple pleasure found in watching an anime that has well-structured episodes and that make good use of humor. This is the view I have adopted, as each sub-episode contained within an episode is well planned and carries subtle undertones of moral conventions contrasted with and against accepted social attitudes. The anime itself is a set of twelve episodes, each containing two sub-episodes, that are loosely tied together through a plot-line based on the unrequited feelings of romance a kinder garden student, Anzu, has towardsher teacher, Tsuchida ‘sensei’, and the subsequent events that occur in their lives when together and apart. Anzu’s friends include Koume, a shy and gentle character, and Hiiragi, a cos-playing child prodigy. Strangely, yet with good reasoning, no other characters raise an objection to this blase relationship between student and teacher, and there is even some degree of acceptance, understanding and even support, especially by those that would normally be apposed to this behavior, such as the child’s parents. However, everyone manages to best live their lives alongside an almost sadistically humorous love triangle between Anzu, Tsuchida and the beautiful Yamamoto sensei. The second response to this anime is that it is boring, having no sufficient development in the storyline and lacking in length. This response is largely due to the viewer’s lack of understanding; yes, the episodes are loosely strung together by a thin plot, but this is not the defining point of the anime, such as it is with those that follow the gradual changes in characters. Rather, the two sub-episodes cover a specific time frame during one of the main character’s lives that makes others and themselves change and grow, yet cuts out all the unnecessary in-between events, delivering only the relative material to the audience to best outline the idea or value that is to be portrayed to the audience in that sub-episode, hence the room for split stories in one twenty minute time block. Also, another point is that this type of anime utilizes a stasis plot, which is used correctly in this case to allow the episodes to branch off into smaller sub-plots yet still retain a link to the main story. The final response is rather negative; heavy criticisms that are based on art, storyline and the characters of Anzu and Tsuchida. My views on storyline have already been outlined, so I shall proceed directly to the critiques on art. Once again, these criticisms are caused by lack of understanding. True, the artistic style used to draw the children is over-exaggerated, and detail is lost in the drawings of the adult characters and scenery. However, this is done to really drive home the idea of the distance between children and adults in society, and to present to the audience the view of the world from a ‘young child’s’ perspective, having alliterations to a child’s drawing and it’s innocent representations of character, giving rise to an almost childish drawing style that takes into account these factors. Though it involves many adult characters, this story is ultimately based on the idea of children living in an adult world. This is why Anzu can show unseemly displays of romance towards an older character and not be ostracized by society, and also why she has a very mature personality for her age that is readily accepted by the other characters. Though viewers may disagree with the anime on moral grounds, this is still a personal bias that doesn’t affect the quality of the anime. If taken into account the understanding of symbolism and important conventions that are often overlooked or mistaken as incorrect development, then the anime would truly have no criticisms. Of course, the average viewer does not consider these things when watching an anime for enjoyment, however it is important to note that harsh criticisms should be made after careful analysis. Though not on this site, I have seen many blatant reviews that dismiss this anime for the reasons mentioned above. Because of that, this review may seem like an over-endorsement or over-hyped defense of the anime, however all I wish to do is present a more deeper view into the some of the aspects of the anime that have been criticized too unfairly in ways that would put off someone from what I believe to be a very good anime that I have been looking forward to every Monday for the past twelve weeks. I also look foreword to the making of a second season, and hope that it will be as deeply satisfying as the first.

Hanamaru Youchien revolve around Tsuchida, a clumsy person who has always been good with children. After leaving home and starting living on his own, he decides to work in a kindergarten. Although Hanamaru Youchien isn't a masterpiece, it's certainly outstanding. As the series goes on you find out more about the children their parents and all kind of fun story that will surly make you laugh and smile :} together with its fantastic art style, unique endings, fabulous background sound, and of course its funny and super kawaii(cute) characters, it may not be the best series out there, but you wont regret watching it! :}

Somehow, I feel as though Hanamaru Kindergarten is a giant lesson in hypocrisy. So many people have preached that it's all about being cute and fluffy. Loli not pedo, that kind of stuff, but is it really? The focus of the grand majority of the series is about Anzu in love with Tsuchida and Tsuchida in love with Yamamoto. While I reasoned Anzu's attraction to Tsuchida was nothing but an innocent crush, her tenacity and attitude as the series progressed genuinely began to frighten me to the point where brushing this off as an innocent childhood experience was no longer an option. Anzu really lovesTsuchida... and to make that the focus of the series is just creepy. In many ways, I can easily see where Hanamaru could have succeeded with its characters alone. While Anzu, Hiiragi, and Koume are all the standard genki girl/smart girl/little wife archetypes, they are neither overpowering in their prescribed personalities nor are they entirely cliched. Their mannerism and attitudes still reflect a great deal of their childishness. This only disappears when they start talking about matters of love, which unfortunately is at the core of this series. While some innocent talk and "kids say the darndest things" conversation is to be expected, the series pushes it repeatedly until it eventually reaches the point that I question what their parents are exposing them to at such a young age, especially Anzu's mother who is so liberal when it comes to her daughter's crush I don't think she even realizes how her daughter is interpreting her messages. Because of this, the story comes across very similar to the heavily controversial Kodomo no Jikan. However, because the little girls resemble blobs more than they do humans (how do they support their body on those twiggy legs?!), no viewer can really take it as seriously as KnJ's portrayal of the topic. This doesn't change the fact that this is a show about a kindergartener in love with her teacher. The story could have gone in one of two directions; follow Anzu and her friends on misadventures, or focus on Tsuchida and Yamamoto's relationship with some gentle humor provided by their students on their relationship. This series decided to do both and connected them in the most unsettling of ways. It's sad when you think what this show could have been and what it turned into in the end. The art is bright, cheery, and adorable. I have no problem with Anzu and her class being moeblobs as it highlights a lot of their innocence and how much they have to grow both physically and mentally. I also love the design of the kindergarten itself. I think we all wish we had gone to a kindergarten is awesome-looking as this one was. The soundtrack, playing with a lot of xylophone and percussion was pretty cute, though I don't know how I felt about needing a new ED every week. They peaked rather early with the epic second ED and after that they ranged from okay to bad to just plain inappropriate for a series of this nature. Kei Shindou as Anzu was a welcome treat. So often she plays brats so to hear her as a happy genki girl was a treat. Of course, only Erino Hazuki could pull off Yamamoto's effervescent brand of happiness with a shred of possibility of it being believable. Anyone else would have made that role unbearable, so kudos to her for her handling of an incredibly difficult role to make acceptable to the audience. Despite all of Hanamaru's many bright points, there's too much weighing it down to give this anything higher than a 7. This is a cute and fluffy show, but it's a cute and fluffy show about a kindergartener in love with her teacher. The fact that they try to make it as cute and innocent as they can despite Anzu being very set in her ways makes it just that much more unsettling. Kodomo no Jikan worked because there were psychological issues at hand that played well into the unsettling aspect of it, but Hanamaru has nothing to defend why a 5-year-old wants so desperately to marry her teacher. I could have done with a show about a kindergarten teacher who falls for his colleague, and I would have adored a show about kindergarteners being kindergarteners like a moeblob version of Rugrats, but this form of execution is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Overall, I give Hanamaru Kindergarten a 7 out of 10.

Story: So you look at the plot summary and think its just another show about a teacher and his students, however this show is much more than that. Although some issues of this show tread on some people's line of morality, it shows what a crush really is in its purest form in both of a child and an adult. Each side plot is filled with good jokes and a small moral lesson, while maintaining a light hearted feel in the show. Those who don't like too much happiness should stay clear of this show. Art: The animation for this show completely suits the light hearted feel thisshow tries to convey. It brings out simplistic drawings, and making them very cute. One key thing they did in this show was to make the children look unlike a real child and more into a cute lump of moving flesh. This turned possible perversion, into a cute first crush. Sound: The vast amount of ending songs was almost the highlight of my week. I was so excited every episode to see a new ending song, each with a laugh of its own. The background music helped the very light hearted atmosphere within the show. Characters: For the adults, they pulled out stereotypes and made a new standard for them. All the characters were used to never get old. For the children, every one showed a pure heart, and really gave a feel of real children and their emotions. Although the lead female kinder gardener was slightly forward in terms of her wishful relationship, what could have been perverted, was made so it just seemed like a joke. Enjoyment: This was my feel good anime every week. I would laugh out loud, and re-watch every episode right after I finished it for the first time. If you are looking for a show to sit back and smile, then you should watch it immediately. Overall: All the strings came together into the ultimate perversion-free romance comedy (when i say romance I mean using dating jokes). At first you might be a little discouraged by the animation as it might seem childish, and a little to bright and happy, but once yo adjust, I assure you will enjoy this show.

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