Hanamaru Youchien impressions

This is BEYOND lolicon. This is TODDLER-CON!

Shake dat @$$!

So hawt *nosebleed*

Hanamaru Youchien is a series that all slice-of-life lovers should watch this year. It’s gently-paced, it’s simple and it’s got laughs and moments that make you reminisce about your own childhood. Hanamaru centres upon Tsuchida, the new male teacher of Hanamaru Kindergarten, who wants to gain the attention with pretty co-worker Yamamoto. Through a couple of innocent misunderstandings, first-yearer Anzu declares that she will be Tsuchi’s bride. Cue in more misunderstandings and mayhem.

Look Tsuchi! 4 arms!

"What's that funky smell...?"

As expected, Hanamaru is painted in moe. All the toddlers are super-deformed walking eggs whose footsteps make cutesy treading noises. However what may let the series down are its cliched characters. Some may notice that a few of the main characters are reminiscent of Haruhi Suzumiya, with Anzu being the active and lively leader, Koume being the shy and cute girl, and Hiiragi being the neutral genius of the group. In addition the kindergarten concept has been used before, so it’s hardly a new idea.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall~

Aren't there laws to prevent this?!

Animation is, as expected, nothing too spectacular. The soundtrack as well is rather standard, but the high-pitched squeaky tunes are fitting for the subject. One thing that bothered me was Tshuchi’s voice. For some reason, they made him sound like a pansy, which was somewhat annoying to my ears.

OMGWTFBBQ SQUID RUSH!

OP: a suitable OP that emphasises the imaginative and creative minds of infants. Tune used is passable.

ED: It appears that EDs are unique to each episode. So far both EDs have, like the OP, stressed the imagination that exists in young children. Both have been fantastic, showing Gainax’s creativity and inspiration. It should be noted how awesome the second ED, combining a quasi-epic tune and a play on the sci-fi genre. Epic.

Seriously, w t f ?

Final impression: ~8.5/10

Hanamaru shows signs of being a really entertaining watch for those who don’t want to think too deep when watching anime. While the presentation is deliberately over-the-top moe, you can’t help but fall under the spell of these toddlers speaking like adults. The central premise (the ‘love’ triangle among Anzu, Tsuchi and Yamamoto) is also gently developed and not forced, which is great because the slice-of-life factor in Hanamaru is what keeps us viewers amused. Overall, Hanamaru is a series that sets itself apart from this season’s anime lineup by focussing on the innocent lives of kindergarteners. It’s a charming watch that perhaps deserves more credit that what it’d receive from face value.

Pucker up!