The 4-koma/slice of life style has suddenly become in vogue that studios desperate for prolonged success are flocking to churn them out like Prozac for the masses. My, how things have changed since Azumanga Daioh came out back in 2002 then nothing like it came out for quite some time. if someone had told me back then that 2009 and 2010 would be substantially dominated by 4 high school girls eating cake and occassionally playing music, I'd have laughed myself silly and I'm sure most people would have too. The atomic bomb of moe blobs, K-ON, exploded onto the scene in 2009 and it seems its effects will be felt for years to come. Mastering a simple yet highly profitable formula of lulling the viewer into a state that could be compared to wallowing in a volume of tryptophan equivalent to the Queensland floods in January, the style has suddenly become a cash cow. Working came soon after with similar results and more of its kind followed. Suddenly plot, character development and tension being essential components of a successful series were thrown out the window, replaced by tryptophan, happenings so placid you don't really feel anything at all and 'buy this merchandise!' In business terms, certainly it's effective, but in a creative sense it's like trying to pass off soft serve as creme brulee.
It's somewhat hard to believe that merely two years before this, Minami-ke had its first season come into existence in the anime realm. Unlike the 4-koma/slice of life series of today, Minami-ke prided itself on making things happen and evoking ample feelings but never getting full of itself. In short, a comedy series that goes back to the basics and excels like no other in providing laughs as well as warmth and fulfilment.
A good comedy is hard to find. Particularly one that is able to excel in itself and the characters in it, rather than rely on cliches, overloading moe, service or crudeness. It is very possible to make what seems normal and usually isn't funny into something that is funny. However, it isn't that easy. That requires a good cast of characters, proper timing, appropriate music and good animation.
The setting of providing a mainly female cast in a school + home setting has been done before, but to differing degrees of success. Lucky Star provided a very otaku-oriented style, particularly oriented to those familiar with Kyoto Animation/moe. It is an otaku's series with otaku jokes, otaku reference, etc. You had to be either a seasoned fan, an otaku or a moe junkie to get/like this. For those who could appreciate those mechanics, it was funny/cute. Personally I found it to be a scrawl and grew tired of cliched moe antics that are potentially worthy of Interpol’s attention. On the other hand, there's Haruhi Suzumiya, which had a very vibrant approach with a mix of lively, subdued and submissive personalities that made for interesting conflict. However, it also relied to much on moe/service antics. They're funny a few times, but by the time you see the gag for the fiftieth time before series' end, it begins to grow old. And again being an otaku-oriented series, it will appeal to only so many. Other similar series that come to mind are School Rumble and Earth Defender Mao-Chan – guilty of similar traits. And need I say what K-ON and Working have done to lower the bar yet raise the $$?
A better example would be, say, Azumanga Daioh. With a wacky cast, a carefree attitude and a mix of personalities so loaded in being silly, cute, intellectual, vibrant - there was always the potential for just about anything to happen - and it usually did, with good results. But if there was a flaw with Azumanga Daioh, it was that it did occasionally go a bit too far - particularly in the sexual sense. Plus the lack of males did restrict what was possible. And every now and then, the abstract humour went over even the most seasoned anime fan's head. Still, it has a bigger appeal. AD’s creator’s other work, Yotsuba&, is very similar but even more abstract, which is intriguing in some ways but very discomforting in others, which may explain why it hasn’t been animated and might never be.
(Deep breath)
Why mention all of this? I say this because Minami-ke seems to be very uninhibited by restrictions yet also knows where to draw the line. And for comedy, that's a very hard balance to achieve. It doesn't try to be over-the-top, genre-specific, too abstract, too sexual, too sugary or too moe. It follows the basic KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid. Heck, it even says it at the start of each episode!
'This is a simple depiction of the everyday life of the Minami sisters. Please try not to expect too much from it.'
And this is why Minami-ke works. It gives a healthy dose of many good things but never in excess. No primary character is used too much or too little. Secondary characters flow in and out without disruption but leave fitting impressions. It simply moves on at a consistent pace and is very upfront with what it sets out to do. To simply label it as a clone of Azumanga Daioh or Lucky Star is simply insulting. There is more than enough in this series that differentiates it from other comedy series of this style, which I will explain in great detail as I go on.
Minami-ke, as explained at the start of every episode, is an honest account of the lives of the three Minami sisters. That’s the story, right there. Without parents or relatives to take care of them, they rely on each other to get by and for support on several levels. Hence, despite having three very different personalities, they compliment each other very well and share very strong bonds of family and friendship that you just don’t get to see these days. They bring out the best in each other as well as the funny, cute, witty and heart-warming sides. It is a very character-driven series, so that is a better place to begin explaining the finer points of Minami-ke.
The eldest sister, Haruka, is somewhat naive, innocent and a free spirit in some senses. Not to mention she is very beautiful – in physique and personality. With her long, flowing blonde hair, her perky eyes, her ever-present sincere smile and the mature/cheerful lilt in her voice, it is virtually impossible to feel anything negative when in Haruka’s presence. However, despite these traits which may have led to her being a bit slack or vulnerable, the dependence her other two sisters have on her draws out the power in her to do what is necessary for the three of them. As a result, Haruka is a source of maternal strength, driven to be a good person and to enjoy her life in order to be able to support her sisters. One wonders how she may have turned out if the Minami sisters still had their parents. But the thought doesn’t last long, because the attraction to Haruka as a character is that her purpose is to fulfil the needs of others and to be a better person. Simple, maybe too optimistic. But there is something undeniably magnetic and very admirable about it. It is very hard to put aside one’s personal aspirations for the good of others, but Haruka is able to do that without compromising her own life. Some people draw fulfilment from those around them being in their lives and don’t need another reason to wake up every day and live life to their fullest. This is how Haruka works. The fact she has a normal life and two sisters to cherish is all she needs. She may be simple but she is such a glowing source of maternal love and positive energy, constantly warming those she values. And because she is very unaware of her effect on others, it is always natural and never loaded with ego or anything malicious, which also makes her very popular amongst her fellow students. Thus, Haruka is a very potent example of the true strength within females and someone her sisters and peers look up to. She doesn’t need ridiculous aesthetics, moe traits or an inflated ego. She is naturally beautiful – which is a rare thing to pull off, but with Haruka it is done exceptionally well.
(from left) Chiaki, Kana and Haruka - I wonder which one is having the most fun?
Chiaki, the youngest, is perhaps the best example of a precocious young girl who is exceptionally aware of the world around her, yet is still able to maintain her cute, innocent vibe. Chiaki doesn’t need moe features, a sugary voice or ridiculous aesthetics to pull this off. Instead, Chiaki is given a fairly sleepy, almost hypnotic expression on her face and a voice that is equally so. It’s as if she is lying dormant, waiting like a predator either to amaze with her sharp wit, lash out at stupidity (particularly to the middle sister, Kana) or to comfort/compliment Haruka. Her voice mulls over like she’s in a dream, handling obstacles in her way with ease and dishing out razor-sharp lines in a plentiful supply. It is this swaying from being the most insightful, stirring character with wisdom beyond her years, then reverting back to actions and habits more befitting of someone her age, that is the core of Chiaki’s charm. Two conflicting sides that are never in excess, resulting in a very intriguing young girl. Brimming with curiosity, never afraid to say what is really on her mind and acutely aware of what is really going on, Chiaki is a major source of humour, as she is the perfect foil to Kana. Certainly Chiaki and Kana require the other to give them that edge, which is why Chiaki ends up being so fascinating. Without Kana, perhaps Chiaki would have ended up very much like Haruka, which would have been a very sedate environment and weakened Haruka as a character as well. With Kana in the fold, Chiaki is forced to develop a serious side to resist Kana’s random antics and to provide visibile appreciation of Haruka’s efforts, which is also a foil to prevent Haruka’s innocent, maternal vibe from becoming too dominant. Which is why Haruka and Chiaki do get along very well. Chiaki’s ways give Haruka fulfilment that results in affection that gives one a moment of pause and a smile on the face. Similarly, Chiaki’s ways also give Kana moments of pause and cause her to fall into line when required, or explode with an even more potent counter that causes all hell to break loose between the two of them and outrageous laughter for the viewer. Either way, Chiaki provides a lot of entertainment.
That said, Kana is the true ‘entertainer’ of the trio. Sporting an eternally vacant/air-headed expression and pigtails more befitting of someone younger than her, always loaded with energy, unable to sit still or follow any concept of normal behaviour, Kana certainly is the ‘spanner in the works’. Where Haruka is very selfless and Chiaki is very considerate and grateful, Kana is rather self-obsessed, loud and impulsive – they very opposite of the other two. But that is a necessary role and then some. It is Kana which provides the majority of the conflict within the Minami family, which causes Haruka to be the stabilising, reliable force and for Chiaki to defuse Kana’s zany antics in a way only Chiaki can – or magnify them. Kana is the essential catalyst for the appeal in all three of the Minami sisters, so why she may not be the most likeable of them, she is still an integral part of the mix. Kana’s ability to turn a normal situation into an epic struggle against the odds, to be oblivious to the glaringly obvious, to unravel a scenario to ‘back to square one’ or to just fail in hilarious circumstances – unmatched. But perhaps the most important aspect is that Kana does have the occasional moment where even she is evidently grateful for Haruka’s eternal generosity and gives Chiaki a moment of pause. So why Kana might make you facepalm occasionally, she is the one that makes things interesting and makes Haruka and Chiaki more interesting, as well as several of the secondary characters. By their own admission, Haruka likes Chiaki for being the catalyst to create difference and fun within the Minami household and Chiaki likes nothing more than to poke fun at Kana. So in a very weird way, she provides an aspect that causes the Minami sisters to be even closer and more appreciative of each other. That is one of the most appealing and unique aspects of Minami-ke – that it relies on more human factors to be of interest rather than more clichéd/standard measures.
Kana - she wishes she was...
The animation style for Minami-ke is very pleasing. Well-defined lines give good grounding features for pastel-like colours. Such combinations are just perfect to illuminate Haruka’s natural beauty, Chiaki’s cute/dreamer nature and Kana’s energetic, airhead-like ways. Movement, expressions and shadows are handled well. Water and light effects are very good. My only gripe with the animation would be that the background animation seemed a bit slack overall, but that’s a minor quirk. As for the music, it’s a rather relaxing mix of piano, light woodwinds, calypso drums, mouth organ, xylophones, violin and triangle. Half of the time there isn’t background music, because it isn’t always necessary. It drifts in when needed for extra effect. Again, another superior aspect of Minami-ke – it never does things in excess. Both the opening and ending themes are very light, bouncy and very feminine, yet they are incredibly catchy and ideal for the type of series that Minami-ke is. "The Rise of the Value of Experience" is a fairly frenetic, cheesy piece but very uplifting. With chibi caricatures jumping in and out with little punch lines and throwing in an avalanche of random short moments of hilarity and warmth, it’s just perfect to get one in the mood for an episode and to lift one’s spirits during a bad day. While also a bit fluffy, "Colorful Days" is a more toned down and earnest affair to reflect the more sincere, loving side of Minami-ke, reflecting what a tight knit group the three Minami sisters are. Again, perfect. The voice acting is of a high quality, particularly from the three main characters. Sato Rina does Haruka’s warm, maternal voice with ease, Chihara Minori slips into Chiaki’s dreamer/hypnotic voice ever so easily, Inoue Marina gives Kana the energy and stupidity befitting of the character. Very pleasing to hear.
For secondary characters, there is a good cast. Fujioka, the nice guy most female students his age like, is really into Kana but his actions always end up being misinterpreted, to the point everyone but Kana likes him, which makes for some amusing squirming and pining on his part. Makoto, a male student in Chiaki’s class, has a major crush on Haruka but Chiaki thinks his stupidity almost mirrors Kana’s level, which causes Kana to make him cross-dress as a girl in order to get into the fold. The amusing fact is – it suits him better than when he’s dressed as a guy! He literally sounds more feminine and acts more feminine normally despite his protestations, so he pulls ‘the trap’ version of Mako-chan with ease and makes for plenty of hilarious moments, particularly when it involves Haruka. Touma, a fairly tomboyish girl in Chiaki’s year level, becomes Chiaki’s favourite project and she becomes a ‘reverse trap’ as Chiaki’s pseudo-brother. The funny part being she fits in ever so well into the Minami sisters dynamic as a result, it feels so right. Especially when her own family of three elder brothers, also called Minami, can’t mesh with her at all. Hosaka, a rather flashy, saucy, sort-of-perverted guy in Haruka’s year level, is hellbent on being the perfect person for Haruka and goes to crazy lengths to do so, but never once do his efforts get recognised. But his efforts make for very entertaining watching. The Minami sisters’ uncle ends up being more of a punching bag/comic relief than a supportive figure. The Minami brothers family gradually try to get close to the Minami sisters family, with plenty of spoofs and the like in result. It all works, but furthermore, the series manages to utilise male characters in several different ways – normal and in anime styles – to make the series even more entertaining. I can’t say any other comedy series that has females running the main parts has been able to utilise men anywhere near as well. So once again, Minami-ke establishes its own identity very well here.
(from left) Touma, Chiaki, Makoto - Remember, only one ISN'T a trap!
There are also plenty of little things that happen frequently that set Minami-ke apart from the others in its genre. Silent-movie type monologues as a build-up to a poignant/funny moment, GTO-style serious/foreboding faces when the sisters are up to something sinister or in a bad mood, the running TV sitcom Ninomiya-kun, mini-movies that actually work (particularly the dream cut scenes Hosaka has of being with Haruka), keeping humour simple (Chiaki’s epic adventure with kicking a pebble is just priceless), a very fulfilling ‘less is more’ approach (Haruka’s gradual build-up to showing off herself in a swimsuit in the beach episode is an epic moment. The nice, unassuming woman decides to take pride in her appearance for once, does so, looks absolutely stunning, provides the only breast-bounce moment for the entire series, which instead of making it crude and un-called for, turns it into a truly divine moment that every character feels privileged to have seen!). It is funny where other anime trademarks weren’t (only Minami-ke has made traps this funny!), it has provided far more character development than other series in its genre, which were more reliant on the comedy. The sisters actually feel more like ‘real’ females that what a guy wants to swoon over privately. It utilises everyday, realistic conflict for positive results. A bit of ‘real’ spice is so much better than pure sugar all the time. Its anti-fanservice habit of putting someone in the way of what would have been service, save for a few Haruka moments, make it feel clean and the few service moments feel so special, healthy and guilt-free as a result. And on re-watch, the jokes are still funny and the warm moments still feel warm.
This all combines to create a very refreshing series that is more that just a comedy – it is also about sibling love and developing this bonds in detail and with plenty of feeling. That is what truly sets Minami-ke apart from the rest of its genre – a point that can’t be over-emphasised.
Minami-ke is a brilliant example of a comedy and a slice-of-life series. It never tries to do anything in excess or to be something it isn’t. By providing an honest account of the three Minami sisters and their everyday lives, it creates a very rare level of fulfilment that makes one feel refreshed and very privileged to have watched a series done right. An underrated gem that never loses its appeal and is certainly of more value in a time where the genre has been converted into tryptophan sessions.
Overall rating: 9.7/10
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