Leave it to HanaIro to turn a trifle like a culture fest episode into a two-parter.  No subject matter, it seems, is too trivial for this show to waste extended time with. I find myself sympathizing with Minchi more and more as this series progresses.  Not so much that I […] Read more

For me, this episode of HanaIro is a kind of “look on the bright side” situation. Yes, it was yet another complete waste of time that did nothing to advance the overall story (if that even still exists). But much to own own surprise, I rather enjoyed it. Unlike the […] Read more

Well, at least they got Yuina back into the massage chair… I’m feeling myself in a bad place with HanaIro right now. I really, really don’t want to be the guy who carps every week on how disappointing this series is. But I’ve blogged it for four months, and seen […] Read more

What an odd series this is. It just can’t seem to settle on what it wants to be about, and there’s no telling from week to week whether you’re going to get something serious, quirky or downright slapstick. That unpredictability could be a good thing, but unfortunately the quality fluctuates […] Read more

All right, we’ve had our little break from the serious emotional stretch ther the middle of the series. I’m ready to go back now, because to be honest this episode was about as light as an animator’s wallet and I was pretty bored by the time it was done. For […] Read more

The last couple of episodes of HanaIro have been so intense that it really does feel good to have a break from all the romantic tension. While this one was still full of character development and meaningful plot movement, it was certainly slower and more wistful. For one thing, stepping […] Read more

So HanaIro follows last week’s magnum opus with another rock-solid, character-driven episode. If it lacked the raw emotional firepower of it’s predecessor, it hummed along at a steady clip, tense and involving. Seems like Okada has a good grip on where things stand with the show for now – that’s […] Read more