Hana-Saku Iroha

[Kou]

Manga? This is original series? I sense Tohru has the hots for Ohana.

 

[Terumi]

lol, there is a manga. or so i saw/heard

anycase, me hoping for

Spoiler:

ko x ohana and tohru x minchi

like everything should be

 

[Kou]

Oh, the manga is released after animu, so it is still original series :P.

That feel when Noel

Spoiler: T_T

lose to Hiromi

in True tears.

 

[Terumi]

me didnt watch that series...

 

[Terumi]

pardon me double post
on side note, oh no, looks like kou's hunch was dead on.

Spoiler: episode 6

<3
I love this show, really.

Ohana's reactions when she got her salary was just plain cute and laugh. 20000 yen after minusing her stay rent and food. 20000 yen = 333.333 local dollars for me, thats very low for a month's worth, but she's having fun, so all's good. Yet, she is still underpaid, back home and even now. Hahaha. Judging from Nako's reaction, she probably earned a whole lot more than Ohana. <3 Aki Toyosaki

New challenge! That stupid woman's english was... not bad. I guess. Cosplay waitress FTW! Nako looked nothing but awesome in her china dress. *hoot-hoot* While that plan backfired, Yuina's suggestion was just plain tempting! MAKE THE SLIT TALLER! *goes hoot-hoot* again.

Nako's 'Chigau' reaction in the locker room was simply the best. REALLY. Gotta love Aki Toyosaki for that.

I really appluad Ohana and her motivation. This led to Mame-jii showing her and Nako who happened to follow them, the old clothes that Okami used to wear. Still in great condition, both our waitress looked stunning in them. Stunning every staff on the way, they also brought back old memories from the old and long time customers. The kitchen staff, Ren-san especially, had his fair share of 'face of the week' moments. Haha.


While, repeating again. I LOVE THIS SHOW
Solid episode and solid execution, character development in Ohana has been nothing short but amazing. She really is infectious, everyone is slowly changing too. It has a superb 6 episodes so far, and i am enjoying every moment of it. The girls and their daily routines are the main highlight, thankfully not school. The girls are simply freat too, PA Works just found a gold mine. 2-cours? Bring them on! I will definitely watch it till the end!

 

[romeyo007]

I didn't like this anime at the start, but now it's different, I hope it will end complete and not hanging up with unclear ending

 

[Kou]

Ohana needs to pick up a copy of Drucker's Management to turn the baseball team... err, I mean the inn around.

Spoiler: episode 6

Hanasaku Iroha: Fulfilling fantasies, one outfit at a time.

Ahem. Tohru blushed. And smiled.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Minchi, its a pinch! GOGO KOU!

Tohru aside, I find the role of outer appearances very meaningful. Ohana was so happy with her increase in pay from when she was in Tokyo, which is relatable. Episode 6 goes back to the original allure of Hanairo: Heartwarming stories of growing up, touching moments of past memories.

Two scenes stand to out me. The first is when Ohana flicks Enishi's forehead; the young master becomes reminded of Ohana's mother, who would often do the same thing whenever he felt depressed. The second is when Okami-san is in the attic, looking at the dresses she used to wear as a humble waitress at Kissuiso. Just like her granddaughter, Okami-san wanted to try something new. Maybe she still does; she gives a slight smile before leaving the attic.

Preview: a SWAT team raiding the inn? This show is starting to get as random as Gintama.

Needs more stalking heron.

 

[Kou]

The perverted pedo LARPers!

Spoiler: episode 7

Am I the only one that thought the LARPers were kind of endearing in their very straightforward approach to peeping?

I love that the show doesn't take itself too seriously and can blend absurd comedy and excellent character development. You don't necessarily need drama to make your characters grow. I very much enjoyed the focus on Tomoe-neesan.

Oh, Jiromaru. You are the most epic buttmonkey of the year. And yes, I did catch that bit of ship teasing between him and Tomoe, though I doubt it'll go anywhere.

Odd that in an episode with a hostile military takeover of the inn, jailbait-peeping, and Jiromaru fan...service (2ch called it yamakan pr0n, I can't unsee it) the most shocking thing was Minchi's adorable sparkle-vision. Seeing her smile is like catching Ghandi eating veal. It just leaves you shaken and confused. Series needs more Tomoe slasher faces. She has a fantastic evil side. Also, Nako is stupidly hot.

 

[Terumi]

lol, hands off my nako!
i'm warning ya! :@

Spoiler: episode 7

well, what can i say?

1. a bunch of middle-aged dudes who are trying to play Counter-Strike at an old country side inn. - checked
2. a willing and participative inn owner - checked
3. a bunch of cute underaged girls who will be thrown unwillingly into the foray - checked
4. a middle-aged head waitress who wants to get fired - checked

Result: total mayhem and laugh

a episode centered around tomoe-neesan, who is deciding whether to quit her job and return for a marriage proposition. she turns her head to trying to herself fired by angering the mad 'warfare' customers. watching her dumb antics made her luagh real hard, while she actually made things better for the crazy customers.

seeing nako suffering such sexual harrassment was simply HAWT~ WHY?!?!?! Cause shes my waifu! I have no probs with her week-in week-out with her absolutely shy and aborable actions, coupled with Aki Toyasaki's voice is pure bliss.

and of course, we cant forget our staff members in minchi and ohana. the former beamed SUCH A SMILE for the first time after being praised for her onigiri.

 

[Kou]

You can have Nako, I will take Yukikaze (DD) for this season ;).

 

[Terumi]

lol, thought coro said they were already claimed.
HAWT~

 

[corocoro]

Dog Day girls are claimed before you even see them. :P

Anyway, Hana-Saku continues being great week after week. ^^

 

[firev1]

I shoot ONC for this. For this show i have no preference but oh my nako's zettai ryouki mmmmm........

 

[Terumi]

^ Lol.

Great show week-in week-out. Prolly one of the shoo-ins for best show this spring to me.
Nako's hawt! And shes mine! XD

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 8

Loving this episode. There was absolutely no wasted motion, and I couldn't believe it was already over when the ED started playing. Ohana's little delusion spot near the beginning stands out because it got in all the cuteness that the characters are so good for without it interfering with the epic customer service as various characters try to fill in for the manager. Of course Ohana will not be denied. She is here to chew bubblegum, and serve dinner, and she's all out of bubblegum.

Aside from enjoying the power struggle in Sui's absence, I noticed as most of you did that Ohana is chasing after Tohru for the second time now. Even if it's just to drag him back to work the kitchen, they really are teasing them as a pair. Just as Kou is about to arrive, no less. Oh why i keep getting vibes of a lot of incoming misunderstandings?

Naru's braids are adorable. Tohru looks spiffy in a suit. And was it just me, or did they put a LOT of work and detail into the city that Ohana literally races through in a few short seconds? This show is not fooling around with the animation.

Also, Jiromaru getting everyone riled up over mystery guests = 0% chance of there being any mystery guests.

 

[corocoro]

Spoiler: episode 8

Also, Jiromaru getting everyone riled up over mystery guests = 0% chance of there being any mystery guests.

Spoiler: 8

Or 100% of them being someone completely different. Maybe even Kou. ;)

 

[Kou]

I can feel a storm and a war brewing...

Spoiler: episode 9

A very solid conclusion to what was something of an epic two-parter. I didn't like this episode quite as much as the last one, but it was still one of the also very good imo.

I also think this episode did loads of good for the characters of Tohru, Minchi, and Ohana. Tohru, in particular, shined in this episode, I felt. He handled the whole situation incredibly well, with not the slightest degree of annoyance or lack of professionalism.

I did like the touch near the end where the mystery guests were not who Jiromaru thought they were, and how perhaps they only ended up being pleased due to Ohana's actions and philosophy of treating all customers the same. It was a nice reinforcement of Ohana's approach, and a good personal success moment for her, I felt.

Running the romantic hints in both directions: Ohana feels closer to Kou-chan, while Tooru feels closer to Ohana. TooruxOhana shippers can have their fun now, but the story is young. She liked seeing Minchi and Tooru together. When she smelt Tooru's hair in the helmet, she thought of Kou. Too bad Kou went back rather than showing up to help. But coming unannounced was ridiculous, anyway, which he finally realized.

I feel sorry for Kou :(.

 

[corocoro]

Spoiler: 9

Nice conclusion and, like I said, the mystery guests were in another room.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 10

I’m still not quite sure what happened this episode, what with the jumbled up timeline, how some things seems to just be Ohana’s delusions, or a memory of what happened before. But, I just really liked it.

This episode is about what happens when Ohana falls sick, the reactions of the other characters to her absence, and Ohana’s thoughts on her importance at Kissuiso. Tohru is starting to become more aware of his affection for Ohana, which Minko has noticed. While Ohana was beginning to doubt her importance at Kissuiso when everybody kept reiterating to her that all is well even without her, leading to her entertaining thoughts of going to Kou, Minko and Nako came at the nick of time to reiterate how important she had become to Kissuiso. This episode truly showcased how the other characters have changed ever since Ohana’s arrival, and how everyone seems to regard her as a precious member of the Kissuiso staff.

I’m also really intrigued by the little girl with the fox. I mean, the Shrine does have Kitsune-statues standing watch - but Hana Saku Iroha really didn’t strike me as having supernatural elements, but that little girl might be some spirit or god-avatar… didn’t Kitsune usually guard shrines intended for Inari-sama?
Anyhow, they never show such glimpses without further meaning; We’ll find out sooner or later :)

 

[corocoro]

Spoiler: 10

Maybe it's a reference to the story Ohana heard a few episodes back about the lanterns being used to guide the gods home.

 

[Kou]

^ I have a feeling that Ohana’s dream sequence last episode may actually be hinting that Ohana is considering “letting go” of Kou :( especially with episode 11 now.

Spoiler: episode 11

Another excellent episode.

Pretty much everything about this episode, from the visuals to the audio, was well done. Kanae Ito's performance was very powerful, be it when the Ohana force was in full swing, or when she began to crack, down to when she finally gave in to her fears. She along side Aoi Yuuki have successfully wormed into my heart as part of my top 10 VA's.

Satsuki finally returns -- this time as an antagonist! The more I see of her, the less I like her. Her being the one who wrote the bad review (without visiting the inn of course; she had no qualms admitting she gave them a low score on someone else's orders (most likely the guys building that hot spring complex)) was an interesting twist. This revelation hit Ohana hard. She always made sacrifices so that her mom would have more free time, and all her mom did with that free time is fool around with dudes and write fake reviews. She doesn't even feel bad about it. At all.

Ohana's silent protest in front of Satsuki's workplace was pretty funny thanks to those banners (Matsumae Satsuki, regain your human heart! ). The face she was making was great too. Ohana is so lovable <3. Glasses Girl became Kou's possible love interest (True tears all over again? :()

Other interesting parts of this episode include how Ohana seems to have taken witting her thoughts on paper from Nako/Minchii. It really does show that the six past months had a profound effect on her mannerism. Also, I liked how the episode had alluded to how much running seems to be involved in Kohana seriously, it's like every time these crazy kids meet face to face on screen they need to end it with running away from each other lol.

Now in the PV it suggests conflict between Ohana and the "book girl", with a "goodbye" phrase by Kou, a pissed off Tooru and a jealous Minko. PV STOP TROLLING ME, I WANT NEXT EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kou]

Another strong episode~

Spoiler: episode 12

Ohana's epiphany that she is the villain of her own love story hit really hard. I felt so awful for her, but she needed this moment of clarity; sometimes you can act completely without malice, but still hurt others. Kou's parting words to her suggest to me that he may be thinking it's time to move on. Unfortunately for Ohana, she's clearly not quite ready to close the door on him, if episode 11 was any indication. The most telling part last week was when she went to visit the bookstore, and started trying to convince herself that it was mostly just to look up some more creative words to put on her signs. Suuuure, Ohana. The Kou love triangle drama is just getting warmed up, I think. The next time we see him, will he be dating glasses girl?

LOL. Only Ohana can publicly announce a plan to kidnap her own mother without stuttering or realizing the absurdity of it.

Tohru continues to shift annoyingly between being my favorite character, and coming off as an icky pervert. Mostly, he was awesome this episode. More of this Tohru, less creepy drooling at 16 year old girls in china dresses, please. Maybe I'm crazy, but his comedic abuse of poor Minchi's stomach looked to me like a sign of approval and acceptance of her potential as a chef. I bet he's the tough love type when it comes to instructing. Minko is taking Tohru's affection for Ohana surprisingly well.

Satsuki and Ohana being similar despite their clashes came to a full round this week as we get to see Satsuki’s younger self standing up to her mother for always putting her job first. Funny how deep family ties can run. Next week sure is going to be fun to see Satsuki and Sui facing off each other. Unlike Ohana… both these girls are adults already, so things are probably going to go quite a bit… vindictive.

 

[corocoro]

There will be blood.

 

[Kou]

Bye bye Kou.

Spoiler: episode 13

this was quite an amazing episode. It was heartwarming in every manner of speaking, and I have to admit at this point that I don't think Satsuki's as bad as I initially claimed. She has her downsides, like being a horrible mother for not caring about Ohana at all through her entire life, for being the type of person who doesn't think about what's truly right and wrong is works for money and nothing else, for being too flighty with guys and people in general, but she does have her good side. She gave good insight to how things could improve in the inn, and approved that Kissuiso is in fact a nice inn regardless and clearly has taken a liking to some of the people there (oh Nako-chi). It shows that she doesn't just care about herself, but knows how to read and understand people, after all. And tho I don't agree with her timing, she is showing sympathy towards Ohana now.

The family reunion was also excellently made. The discussion between Satsuki, Ohana and the granma, especially that part where Satsuki and her mom smiled at each other. Tho they have their differences, it shows that in the end, they can get along with each other but don't like to admit it (the way Ohana did admit she loves her mom, which I find admirable). Ohana's conversation with her granma was beautiful. It's the longest convo they've had together in the entire series, as pointed out by Ohana, which to me shows that they are getting closer, and Ohana's really showing a knack for knowing how to treat customers, which Satsuki probably picked up on as well when the deed was done.

All in all, it was a brilliant ep showing a family get-together that didn't turn out to be the bloodbath everyone thought it would be, and was really touching in the process. Hope to get some Yuina screentime.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 14

Very interesting episode. Yuina seemed really frivolous, but it seems that was only because she's self-willed. She needs to give more mind to other people's feelings, but the finacee needs jolting out of his complacency as well.

I'm not sure if Yuina's engagement was something unofficial between them she exaggerated to her classmates, or had been arranged by their families. Either way she should be able to resist if she really wants to, but they'll probably mend their relationship later on.

Kou is still in the opening...haven't seen the last of him yet.

Liked the new op and ed, though the previous op is still a classic. Yuina's frilly swimsuit looked a bit childish, probably the whole 'kawaii' style, but Nakochi looked really good in hers. /me drools