"Hidamari Sketch"/"Sunshine Sketch" (Anime/Manga)

[pkristen]

Hidamari Sketch – (Season 1) 14 episode TV/OVA series
Hidamari Sketch X 365 (Season 2) 16 episode TV/OVAseries
Sunshine Sketch 4 volume Manga (continuing)

Originally Reviewed Sept. 15 2010

Summary
Slice of life series primarily focusing on four girls living in Hidamari Apartments while attending Yamabuki High, a school with a varied arts program for its talented students.

Review
Subtle in its style and ultimately sweet. You won’t have any major regrets if you never check it out but if you do, it’s rewarding if you like quirky and short episodic moments that lead to a bigger story.

I like the fact that it does a good job of using the arts programs for subjects and represents the feel of a dorm-like living situation since these girls are ultimately living alone but “together”.

Lesbian Analysis
Yuno - Lead girl who starts the series by moving to the apartments to start her first year of high school. Sweet, naive and endearing.
* So far she’s gone a couple of years without professing any interest in a boy even though Yamabuki is a co-ed school. Has some cute, “symbolic” moments of Yuri-ness with…

Miyako - Yuno’s best friend. As talented as she’s free-spirited and unorthodoxed.
* (I could pretty much copy and paste my assessment about Yuno here.)

Sae - One year older, gifted and published writer who professes more life experience than she really has, especially in the area of romance.
& Soooo obviously the budding lesbian, who’s very devoted to best friend Hiro though probably doesn’t really want to come to the obvious conclusions (just yet, at least.)

Hiro - As mentioned above, another student/apartment-mate. The “older sister/caretaker” of the group, with an obsession for food and losing the weight that comes with it.
* Clearly doesn’t have an issue with Sae’s devotion, but is wise enough to let it grow on its own. After all, neither of them have other real romantic interests or distractions to get in the way. Well, except for this one time…

Natsume - Also an older student at the school, but doesn’t live at the apartments.
* Her frustrated infatuation with Sae is both cute and sweet. And Sae’s blatant obliviousness-ness adds to the awkward and sometimes comical tension between them.