Summary:
On March 9, prisoner #403 (Michiko Malandro) escapes Diamandra Penitentiary and then robs a bank. Meanwhile, Hachi “Hatchin” Morenos is stuck with the horrible Belenbauza Yamada family. Father Pedro and his wife Joanna adopted Hachi (though everyone calls her “Hana”) just to get the welfare checks, and Hachi is responsible for doing all the chores in the house. Meanwhile, the hateful children Maria and Gabriel generally make Hachi’s life a living hell.
One day Joanna tries to get Hachi to dispose of Gabriel’s cat Blanco, which results in Gabriel riding Hachi like a horse and Maria trying to brand Hachi’s face with an iron. Hachi finally fights back and imagines Hiroshi Morenos rescuing her, but in the end she just returns back to the family as if nothing happened. However, on March 16 Michiko pulls out an old baby picture with the words Hana 11.4 and a scrap of paper reading 22-00552. The next day, Michiko drives a motorcycle into the evil family’s living room, grabs Hachi, and drives off while being chased by the police.
Reaction:
What a strange first episode! From the trippy opening with the topless loli to the wacked out L.B.D.D. feather belly tattoos that every girl has, I had no clue what was going on. I’m guessing that the secret of L.B.D.D. will be revealed gradually and explain how Hachi came to be in such a predicament. Michiko and Hachi don’t really seem to be related (both in appearance and in last name), so what exactly happened to Hachi’s real family?
I thought that Hachi’s foster family was interesting, what with her Debody of the Year step-father actually being such an ass and the children being so horrible. It reminded me of the beginning of Nijuu-Mensou no Musume, but with less poisoned soup. I wasn’t really wowed by this first episode, but I do usually like these kinds of journey series so I’ll keep watching for now.
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This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1937 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
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Remember, it’s the director, Shinichiro Watanabe, who also directed Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop. Nice musical direction though, and opening is just as expected from him.
Watanabe isn’t actually directing it though I suppose he’s overseeing it to some degree. He is the music producer which explains the stylish/trippy opening.
I was really surprised to Watanabe’s name only as the music director in the credits, it’s got his stamp all over it.
The whole Cinderella and her stepsisters thing was overly cruel in my mind but I guess you have to maximize impact if it’s only going to be part of one episode.
So what now? Are they both going to head to L.A on Michiko’s scooter in search for a better life?