“#«Hanasaku Iroha» Box 1: Willkommen im Kissuiso! ” The time has finally come: after many years, “Hanasaku Iroha” has also made it to Germany. But how is the latest release from Anime House doing? We took a closer look at the first box in the Slice of Life series!
When Ohana’s mother suddenly runs away with her boyfriend, the lively schoolgirl has to move in with her grandmother, who runs an onsen hotel in the province, and lend a hand there for a living. Not only is work a completely new experience for the 16-year-old, she also faces some bizarre encounters with the weird employees and guests of the ryokan “Kissuiso”. From a mysterious writer to a crazy group of survival gamers, everything is included. But just as Ohana has really settled in, a newspaper report threatens to ruin everything …
Personaly thinking (Warning, spoilers!)
“Hanasaku Iroha” makes the heart of every slice-of-life fan beat faster. With lovely characters, an interesting setting and the right amount of “everyday action”, the series has everything that characterizes good representatives of this genre. The viewer follows the development of 16-year-old Ohana, who suddenly has to prove herself from one day to the next as a housemaid in a ryokan.
On the way she encounters various obstacles, be it dealing with her initially closed young colleagues or some strange guests. Her grandmother also turns out to be a very strict old lady who does not make it easy for her granddaughter in the new environment. But gradually Ohana overcomes these difficulties and grows with the challenges.
In addition to the coming-of-age topic, “Hanasaku Iroha” also offers romance material. Here the series takes an extremely unusual start: In the first episode, Ohana gets his love confessed by her best friend Kōichi. With Ohana’s move, however, the two initially lose sight of each other again, and their relationship also suffers from the spatial separation. The anime thus creates an interesting scenario, which makes the viewer wait excitingly to see if and how the two will succeed in getting closer to each other …
Animations (10/10)
Mit «Hanasaku Iroha» hat das Studio P.A. Works create one of the prettiest anime i know. The fact that the series has been around for ten (!) Years is only noticeable on the figures’ flip phones. In terms of animation, the work can easily put numerous current titles in its pocket. This is especially thanks to the detailed backgrounds and appealing character designs. The use of CGI, for example for vehicles, hardly falls out of the overall picture – a problem that some animes won’t get under control even in 2021.
Since the anime was probably produced in 720p resolution, the image on a standard monitor is not razor-sharp. However, the generous bit rates of the Blu-ray version of Anime House make this very good.
Music (9/10)
As the first opening of the series, we get the band’s song “Hana no Iro” nano.RIPE to listen. I came across the song some time before the German anime release, which has become a real catchy tune for me. The singer’s voice in particular has a very unique timbre, which makes the piece stand out from the crowd.
The ending “Hazy” of Sphere has a quieter character in comparison and forms a good conclusion to the respective episodes. Apart from the normal opening and ending, there are also numerous insert songs with vocals to be heard during the episodes. As a result, there is hardly any boredom, as something new has always been interspersed here.
And the background music also convinced me. Here you can listen to an acoustic guitar and gentle accordion sounds, among other things. The opening melody was also used several times in instrumental arrangements.
German localization (8/10)
The German dubbing was done at HNYWOOD in Heilbronn under the dialogue direction by Antonio F. Lopes. To be honest, I was rather skeptical about this in advance because the studio was under its previous name Lab Six does not have a particularly good reputation in the community. Nevertheless, as someone who actually always prefers the German version, I gave the setting a fair chance.
And I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised here. Especially Nicole Silbermann, who is still rather inexperienced in synchronizing, works better than expected in the lead role, even if she sometimes cannot keep up with her sometimes more experienced colleagues. But otherwise, with a few exceptions, there are rather unknown names on the cast list. Actually, however, there wasn’t much to complain about here, with the exception of minor inconsistencies in the pronunciation (“a hundred thousandten times ”). I also found the cast to be quite successful; here the respective voting age was chosen well.
I would also like to positively emphasize the mix. While I always remember the synchronization of the Munich studio Violetmedia due to the unsuccessful mixing, HNYWOOD’s work is much better here. The relationship between voices and background noises is balanced and the spatial surroundings of the figures have been given appropriate reverb.
So that the texts and signs contained in the image material are also understandable, occasional subtitles in the appropriate font and color were inserted in the correct position. Although these are not as perfectly integrated into the picture as in AniMoon publications, for example, Anime House has done a better job here than its larger competitors KAZÉ and peppermint.
Packaging & Extras (7/10)
The term “Premium Collection” chosen by Anime House is unfortunately not entirely correct with regard to the packaging. Unfortunately, the decision was not made for a slipcase here, but for a wider O-Card, as was the case with “Chidori RSC”. This encloses both discs, which are housed in normal soft boxes. However, since the O-Card hardly offers any adhesion, the Amarays can slip out quickly if you don’t hold the box tightly together.
At the same time, however, I also recognize the advantage of this type of packaging: After all, the beautiful O-Card Spine looks good on the shelf and almost creates the illusion of a slipcase. Overall, I have to praise the design of the box. I particularly like the local logo better than the US version and the cover motif is also very well chosen.
As for the extras, the release arouses mixed feelings. The 30-page booklet, which provides more detailed information on the characters and locations, is very successful. However, you won’t find any additional content on the discs themselves – unfortunately there are only a few trailers to be seen here.
Conclusion
With this first box, Anime House “Hanasaku Iroha” finally donated its well-deserved release in Germany after ten years. As a big Slice of Life fan, I give you credit for licensing the series despite the presumably reluctant sales prospects.
In terms of content and animation, the anime is completely convincing. Even the German dubbing leaves a surprisingly positive impression despite presumably smaller budgets. Regarding the packaging, however, a little was saved and the extras are rather manageable.
Here I am curious whether the second box might come up with a synchro featurette, as was the case with previous releases by Anime House. As I hardly need to mention, apart from that, of course, I also longingly look forward to the further course of the plot.
We thank Anime House for providing the review copy!
The article “Hanasaku Iroha” Box 1: Welcome to Kissuiso! first appeared on BuradaBiliyorum.Com.
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