Michiko to Hatchin
Anime Cafe
gr33nhippo / midgetman007

Directed by Sayo Yamamoto
Studio: Manglobe
Original Run: Oct. 2008 - March 2009
Episodes: 22

    Michiko to Hatchin is an adventurous show that takes place in a Latin American setting. The story follows an escaped fugitive woman named Michiko who is loud-mouthed, violent, and dangerous; and a young orphan child named Hatchin, who is calm yet full of pride and courage. It all kicks off when Michiko escapes from prison and crashes through the front window of Hatchin's foster home with her snazzy light blue motorcycle. She takes Hatchin away from her abusive foster parents and flees the scene. The two then go on a search to find Hatchin's father who apparently isn't dead. How exactly Michiko knows of Hatchin and her father isn't told upfront, neither are her motives or details on the father. On their journey they get tangled up in a mess with various gangs and the police due to Michiko's rather lively past.
    The story was a bit iffy to me, especially in regards to the pacing. Michiko to Hatchin was episodic in nature for a good chunk of the series' run, making it hard to really engage myself into the core plotline which hardly was ever focused on aside from a mention of Hatchin's father here and there. The episodic episodes were for the most part hit or miss with the majority being a miss. While the story did have some interesting developments, the unfavorable pacing makes it hard for me to appreciate the finer points and additionally takes away from my overall enjoyment.

    Gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, and car chases were a common occurrence in Michiko to Hatchin, but it definitely wasn't a selling point for me. The luck aspect of the battles was always heavily tilted towards Michiko's end allowing her to escape from unfavorable battles without a scratch. For some shootout scenes it was as if Michiko was the player in an FPS game against flawed bots with no intelligence and horrendous aim. Not only was Michiko able to survive against point blank shots, but she was also able to escape from the hands of the police after they completely surrounded her with a 20 to 1 ratio. Maybe if Michiko was a Super Saiyan it would be more believable; but generally what occurred was some event would popup during a pickle leaving the police officers gaping and dazed, allowing Michiko to high-tail it out of there.
    Character design was unique for anime, especially considering it takes place in a Latino environment which I don't believe has been done before. There are wacky characters such as Shinsuke, who is reminiscent of Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons. Then you have your members of gangs, the police agents, irrelevant side characters that appear during the episodic episodes, and the main duo Michiko and Hatchin. The relationship between Michiko and Hatchin is a big focus in the show, and it is the only area where we actually see character development. Aside from these two leading characters, not much is told about the others.

    I saved the strongest points of Michiko to Hatchin for last: sound and animation. The original soundtrack was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (that's right, he is the music director) and features music composed by the Brazilian musician Kassin. It sounds really authentic and fits the Latino environment well. Not only is the soundtrack good, but also the sound effects. Every sound felt very clean and genuine, from the sounds of footsteps to the sounds of teeth digging into a fresh apple. The animation is similarly top-notch, everything from background details to character design was sharp and flawless.
    In conclusion, Michiko to Hatchin is a show you may find worth your time due to it's amazing production value and rather unique setting. The story and episodic pacing although severely takes away from the enjoyment value, especially in the middle chunk of the series.

Overall: 7/10*
Story: 6
Animation: 9
Music: 9
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 6
*overall not based on average

~gr33nhippo

    Ariba! Stylish, sexy and fun, these are but a few of the words that could be used to describe how one might react to this twenty-two episode series. Michiko to Hatchin is an adventure/comedy anime that does not disappoint in its telling of a story of a runaway convict, Michiko and her partner the young Hana (Hatchin) on finding her father who is also Michiko's former lover, Hiroshi Morenos. With its slick and stylish art, amazing soundtrack, fun and compelling characters and a beautiful yet grim background of Latin America, makes for one hell of a good series to sit down and enjoy.
    One of the great things about Michiko to Hatchin is its story. The story is set in a fictional Latin American country that is heavily based off the landscape and culture of Brazil which helps add a new and diverse flavor to anime that takes it away from the settings of a Japanese city. It does not feel out of place or weird but will be refreshing to the viewer as the use of the country is able to also tell tales of corruption and some of the grim tales that poverty can do to people. The story covers a short twenty-two episode time span and the telling of the story is episodic.  This gives the story great leeway in how it wants to go about telling the story where certain episodes cannot be relevant to the overall main plot but at the same time reveal certain parts of the main characters so there would be growth and development with the characters. Michiko tells the tale of Hana Morenos who is an orphan in a Cinderella type situation of horrible care takers and bastardly step-siblings who torture her with their jokes and demeaning ways over her. This however does not last long as she is whisked away by the sexy and boisterous Michiko is wants her help in finding her father Hiroshi Morenos.  From there, they travel all over the country from city to city and rural areas trying to track down Hiroshi who was thought to have died ten years ago. This simple plot may not seem that intriguing but the interplay between Michiko and Hatchin make the show great for one can see how they are so different yet how they come to rely on one another and become a family.  While on their journey they also run into troubles with gangs such as Monstro who is headed by Satoshi Batista who was a former friend of Hiroshi and has a hatred for Michiko.

    Because the story is episodic, some fans might be hesitant for they see a good portion of the episodes as filler as they struggle to get to the last part where everything starts to tie up.  If you're not a fan of that kind of storytelling, than a series such as this or Samurai Champloo will not be to your liking but if you like or do not mind it, the story is solid.  What makes it great is how Michiko and Hatchin interact with each other.  They are polar opposites as Hatchin is quiet and more reserved but willing to stick up for what she believes is right and Michiko is wild, spontaneous, temperamental and just a flat out badass.  Even though they are different in personality, common ground can be found between the characters as slowly throughout the series they come to rely on one another more and more and develop a true love and understanding of one another that helps make the story more than the sum of its parts. Because the story is episodic, it focuses mainly on the personalities of these two characters and how they develop and become to love one another, it also dives into their pasts (mainly Michiko's) and tells about the people they have known and affected.  This can be seen with the police officer Atsuko "Jumbo" Jackson who grew up in the same orphanage as Michiko and the mixed feelings she has toward her. This can also be seen with Satoshi and his feelings and past for his old friend Hiroshi.  The interplay and connection between all the characters is well detailed and strong which is needed to carry a loosely held down story such as this. The diverse cast of characters help carry the story and can be seen as human for they all are greatly flawed as they struggle toward their goals and what they feel is right and wrong.
    One of the biggest highlights for this series is the art and animation ****of the show.  Michiko has fantastic art and was produced by the studio Manglobe who has done Ergo Proxy and Samurai Champloo. Everything within the series is greatly detailed.  From the setting of the Latin American country to the Nikes that Hana wears, everything has such pristine detail that it makes one's eyes quiver from the beauty of it.  Not only is the art very crisp and detail with vibrant color, but the design of the show is also simplistic and not overly complex.  One can see and get the feeling of watching a true moving, animated piece of art as it's not trying to be groundbreaking or overly complex.  The simplicity and stunning visuals of the show are something to truly behold as for it is one of the best designed shows in years.  With its simplistic and vibrant artwork, it also brings feelings and ****from the ****c Lupin III anime with its design.  The animation was crisp and well done as well everything was fluid from the walk of the characters, how they held themselves, the action sequences and so on.  The only issue is that near the last few episodes, some of the animation and design got sloppy and was nowhere near the top quality of the ****and design of the earlier episodes but it was still something truly amazing to look at.

    The action sequences in Michiko are top notch.  All though mainly an adventure/comedy anime, there are quite a few action sequences and they are all well done. Many of the fights Michiko gets in are well animated as she fights her way against one to several opponents.  There are also quite a few gun fights and the details on the guns and the gore of the show are also well done.  The blood that is shown is not over done but also has a touch of realism feel to it that at times might make one cringe.  The show does have its gruesome moments for the character Satoshi is one not to be trifled with as he sets the bar for getting his revenge against those he feels have or are trying to wrong him.
    The music of Michiko is nothing less than perfect.  Famed director Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) takes on the task of directing the music.  There is a great use of jazz, rock, rap and salsa music throughout the series.  The opening and end theme are great pieces and are quite memorable.  The use of timed music during sequences throughout the anime add it the extra flair and ****to it as it feels like watching something on the big screen. If anything, it truly is a soundtrack worth downloading and listening on its own for it helps add the extra greatness to the show. Like Bebop, there is always a different tune playing on in the background that makes one take in the atmosphere of the fictional Brazilian cities and rural areas.

    Overall, Michiko to Hatchin is a great series that more than likely will be overlooked my several as it competes for glory with juggernauts of the mainstream such as Gundam 00. It has a certain panache and feel that is unmistakably cool and loveable.  The story is loose but is held together and made better than what it seems to be by its solid cast of characters and how they interact with one another.  Their growth and development can be seen even in the "filler" episodes of the series and one slowly becomes closer and closer to them as they continue down the story.  The music is nothing short of phenomenal as it uses several different genres to set the tone and background for each scene and is just plain flat out catchy.  The overall art and animation of the show is beyond great as it sets a new standard in detailed and simplistic art.  Overall, Michiko is an anime that goes out and exceeds in almost every facet of what someone would expect from this show as it goes more than the extra mile to add to the flavor and enjoyment of the show.

Overall: 8/10
Story: 7.5/10
Production: 9/10
Action: 7/10
Music: 10/10
Enjoyment: 8/10

~midgetman