Mahoraba - Heartful Days Review

Screenshots

A_lot A_well_timed_introduction Chiyuri Kamo Koze Language
Mina Nanako Play Read_me_a_story What's_that_noise Space
      To begin with, I would have trouble recommending this as a good show. There's no real substance to it. On the other hand, I pulled it out a few days ago to get a few screenshots for this review, and instead watched six episodes straight. For something that I don't recommend to others, it certainly entertains me.

      Alright then, Mahoraba; what is it? A boy, Shiratori Ryushi, moves to the big city and enrolls in art school to become an illustrator of children's books. While moving in, he falls head over heels for Aoba Kozue, the landlord of his new apartment. Oh, did I mention that they're first cousins? Ok, I guess I don't have any real problems there, but living in Alabama, I do get enough jokes on the subject of family trees that don't branch. (And yes, we DO have running water.) Most of the time it comes through the pipes, except hurricane season when it comes through the windows. Ok, I'm getting off topic.

      Now, life isn't going to be easy for this boy at the Narutakisou Appartments. There's Momono; a cute, but pushy college student who likes to party all night (in Shiratori's room). Tamami, Kozue's classmate who very politely and cheerfully will say things that make your hair stand on end. There's Haibara and/or Johnny. I donno, do I talk about the man who says nothing, or the puppet on his hand that does all the talking, drinking, and fishing? There's Sayoko, a good-for-nothing job-hopper with no motivation or ability and the tendency to take without asking (I hear in the manga she's also suicidal). Her daughter is Asami. It is thanks to her that the two of them have a roof over their heads or food on the table. Finally there's Kozue herself. This has to be the lightest treatment of schizophrenia I've ever seen. Any cases I've known in person have been quite horrible. Then again, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the lightest I've seen made of demonic possession, so what do I know.

      So what of the episodes? If a series interests me at all, I'll give it three or four episodes to prove itself. This one needed three.
First episode: boy moves in, mush
Second episode: random stuff, mush
Third episode: new student who just moved in gets stuck with a 6 year old for a day, a riot
      You could make an entire series on this, much less one episode. The fourth episode had me giggling from the don't-sit-close-to-the-TV warning through to the end. I can't even tell you why. I still don't feel like I can recommend this to people, but it was fun all the same.

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