Japanese Title: �?��?��?�ら
Genres: Romance, Shoujo(?), Slice of Life
OP: “Yume, Hitohira” by Yuuko Asami
ED: “Smile” by Mai Mizuhashi
Producers: GENCO, XEBEC M2
Official Site: http://www.hitohira.tv/

Probability of watching this: High
Probability of blogging this: Low

Rating: 8.2/10

Opening Sequence:

[Yume, Hitohira] by Yuuko Asami

Download TV size mp3 – 1.37mb: Mirror 1

Impressions:

Not a bad episode, and not a bad start to the new season (excluding Idolmaster and Keitai Shoujo, since they were released on the internet). Hitohira focuses on background and music, both of which are done excellently. However, it’s the actual facial animation consistency that lets the overall quality down. The OP is pretty catchy IMO, while the ED is actually quite dull. Hitohira is about a girl (Mugi) who loses the ability to speak when nervous, but ends up joining the theatre club…now how does that work? Apparently (I think), Mugi has some pretty nice acting skills, but is just too shy to use them.

Being sort of shoujo…I think, I really don’t want to pass this anime up. The first episode is good enough to keep me watching for now, but I probably won’t be blogging this. In order to fully decide though, I need to see the second episode, and it’s definite that I will be following this anime subbed. I don’t think I will be watching any anime this season raw, since it’s too much of a hassle. Unless an exceptionally good show goes unsubbed…Anyway, I hope this series isn’t too long either. It seems like a single season show, which should be fine unless there’s a lot of essential plot to cover. I’m worried about the budget as well…

Short Summary:

It is the start of a new year at school, and Mugi is a shy girl who can’t speak when she’s nervous. This is apparent when she is about to check the class lists for the year. However, upon seeing that she is in the same class as her best friend, she lets out a scream of satisfaction. This is noticed by members of the theatre club, who take her into consideration for new recruits. After a bit of character development, with Mugi talking with her friend, as well as failing to talk when she is meant to introduce herself to her new class, getting captivated by a play’s prop, getting up close and painful with a boy, she ends up joining the theatre club by accident.

This basically sums up the entire episode, and I can guess where the story is headed now. It’s all about Mugi getting over her shyness and becoming a star in the theatre club. For the sake of those planning on watching this show, including me, I hope the anime doesn’t use a lot of clichés and generic school-anime themes. A potential love-interest has appeared, and it seems most of the cast have appeared in some way already. Something to note is that there are quite a few characters, which s a huge plus in my books. More characters broaden the universe of the anime, and ultimately diversifies the plot and subplots; increasing entertainment value. Well, that’s what I think.

Opening Sequence:

[Smile] by Mai Mizuhashi

Download TV size mp3 – 1.35mb: Mirror 1

Preview:

Next episode – #2
The practice…begins?