Michiko to Hatchin was one of the more unique anime to come out in the past few years. It doesn’t fall into the genre of wish-fulfilling fantasy or harem comedy that are so common nowadays in anime. Although it could be classified as simply an action/adventure series, it has the same kind of radical style and unconventional feel that made Cowboy Bebop stand out. You’ll find little to no blatant fan-pandering scenes or stereotypical anime archetypes in Michiko to Hatchin; like Cowboy Bebop, the ingenuity of its art, music, and setting are what make it appealing…
Right from the first few seconds of the series opening, it’s pretty easy to tell that the general style of Michiko to Hatchin is not what you’d typically find in anime, especially not in the more popular series. Like the characters and setting of Cowboy Bebop, the characters and setting of MtH are specifically made to look multicultural. As most fans know, this is pretty rare, even in anime that take place in complete fantasy worlds. The setting is a made-up Latin American country based on Brazil, and one can tell that the creators made a great effort to reflect the Latin American style in the designs of the characters, setting, and music. The characters have a creative mix of Japanese and Latin American names, a blend of Latin American and other ethnic backgrounds in their appearances, and most of the text in the series is written in Portuguese. Similarly, various aspects of the setting such as the marketplaces, buildings, houses, businesses, streets, and vehicles all perfectly reflect the wild and harsh yet fascinating Latin American style that the series is going for. Because most anime takes place in either Japan or a complete fantasy world, settings like the one in MtH that try to capture the feeling of another culture really stand out =)
To go with this unconventional Latin American style and setting, the characters of Michiko to Hatchin are also unconventional. Not only are the character designs more realistic and less “anime-ish,” the personalities and actions of the characters are also different from the norm. You won’t find any obvious moe, bishounen, or fan-favorite anime archetypes in MtH, nor will any of the characters exhibit moments of intense angst, self-sacrifice, emo trips, or Japanese mannerisms that fans love to see. In fact, it seems to me that most of the characters in MtH were not made to be all that sympathetic or appealing; they were simply made to emphasize the style and realism of the setting. Most of the people that appear during Michiko and Hatchin’s travels are pretty crude and violent, and seem to lack compassion and morals (maybe because most of the side characters are gangsters or other shady people =P) Perhaps because the series takes place in a country that appears mostly poverty-stricken and relatively dangerous to live in, the creators wanted to show how this harsh environment has hardened the people dwelling within it.
Besides Michiko and Hatchin themselves, there are very few other important side characters. Although Atsuko and Satoshi get some screentime, the show is really all about Michiko and Hatchin. And they certainly are very enjoyable protagonists. Their chemistry is perfectly entertaining, with Michiko’s vulgarity and recklessness constantly ricocheting against Hatchin’s righteousness and common sense. In fact, now that I’ve watched the entire series, it seems like most of their time together was spent bickering, and it was only in the latter half of the series that they started to get affectionate with each other. However, although Michiko is the main driving force of the action and progression of the series, Hatchin seems like the real heroine to me. In a series that’s full of ruthless, crude characters who possess very loose morals, Hatchin is the only character who is always sensible, thoughtful, and compassionate. Although she’s one of the youngest characters, in almost all the situations she’s in, she acts more adult than anyone else.
As far as pacing goes, the episodes of MtH are comprised of about half filler stories and half canon stories relating to finding Hiroshi. But, like Cowboy Bebop, the filler episodes of MtH are very enjoyable, sometimes more so than the canon episodes. The pacing of the series can be a little slow and choppy at times, but in general it’s not too bad. In fact, my only real gripe about the series was how it ended (sorry, a spoiler-filled rant is coming). Not only was it really rushed, with no character development given to Hiroshi after finally introducing him, and at least 10 years of Hatchin’s life crammed into the last half of the final episode, but the separation from Michiko didn’t make sense to me. The two were just starting to grow close, and didn’t Michiko say that she wanted them to live together with Hiroshi? The whole series revolved around Michiko’s desire to find Hiroshi, and yet as soon as she finds him, they separate again, and she leaves a reluctant Hatchin with him. What happened to them living together? At first I thought, because the cops were after her, Michiko didn’t want Hatchin to follow her anymore, but hasn’t she been on the run since the first episode? Didn’t that epic scene of them breaking away from the cops in the last episode signify how much they wanted to stay together? To me it seems like the whole separation from Michiko was just so they could have a touching reunion for the finale scene of the series.
But, disregarding the flawed ending, Michiko to Hatchin is a fun series overall. For anyone who enjoyed Cowboy Bebop or other series that don’t utilize typical anime norms and archetypes and instead rely on their unique style, MtH is worth a try. It stands out amongst all the generic fantasy and romance-comedy anime specifically because its setting and the personalities of its characters are not Japanese but instead convey a Japanese portrayal of a Western culture. Although I’m personally more drawn to most of the popular anime, a series like Michiko to Hatchin that’s not afraid to be different is definitely welcome too ^_^
I didn’t like the ending because after hyping Hiroshi for the entire series they threw him away after five minutes. I thought there must be a reason why he made the same tattoo as Michiko on Hana’s belly but they never touched the subject. Also, what the hell does “L.B.D.D.” mean?
Regarding the separation, I understood that Michiko made a deal with Atsuko. The policewoman let her find Hiroshi and give her farewell to Hatchin if Michiko promised to turn herself in afterwards.
Ah, so that was it, the deal with Atsuko. I guess that makes sense now. But still, I think it would have been just like Michiko to go back on her end of the deal once she realized how much she wanted to stay with Hiroshi and Hatchin. And if Atsuko once again let her get away, that would have been a better ending IMO XD But oh well. And yes, there really should have been at least another episode or two to give the long awaited Hiroshi some screentime. I can’t believe we see him for five minutes, then later on we find out that he abandoned Hatchin. That just reinforced the fact that finally finding that guy was a wasted effort XP
kinda disapointed in the end…it felt a bit rushed.
how did hatchin know that michiko would be on that road at that end?
I avoided this show precisely because it seemed tailor-made for the Bebop/Champloo/Coyote Ragtime Show crowd. But it looks like I’ll have to give it a shot after all. Good review.
Nah, throwing Hiroshi away that quickly was precisely what the series needed. Just to prove that the journey was worth more than the goal.
And, in the end, it also helped the series stay true to life, because a “they lived happily ever after” ending would ruin the whole show.
I think the whole show was about false hopes… Michiko might have wanted to used Hatchin as an excuse to go and find Hiroshi, but in the end, I think she realized what kind of man Hiroshi was and how vain her actions were. And in the end, she gained much more than a fairytale ending with a flaky, over hyped image of her perfect man. I think that Hiroshi, in the end, was much less of an incredible person than Michiko let Hatchin know. And I liked the ending! I think that it was perfect for the series. The whole show was focused on false ideals and fantasies, and in the end, Hatchin and Michiko both discover than what is more precious is what you have right besides you.
I also loved Hatchin as a nonchalant mother, and how Michiko’s personality surfaced within her. And the last meeting at the end was the most beautiful thing! Might have cried a tiny bit… :P
Loved how all of the children in this show were independent, wild, free and sometimes dangerous. It really shows how well the writer researched his stuff before writing. Children in poverty-stricken lands are something else than spoiled, fat, rich kids in my country. I think that this portrayal was something that was very important to this series.
The music was the bomb as one could expect with Shinichiro Watanabe as music producer.
And honestly, Hiroshi, who tattoos their new-born babies? And we still don’t know what it means! I think it calls for an OVA… :P
I really loved this anime. I really think the directors were coming from a feminist angle. Michiko defies the normal conventions, she is strong, independent and doesn’t need a man to help her through life.
I loved the ending as well.
In the end we find out that Hiroshi is the weak one, he runs away from his problems throughout the entire series: women, mobsters and his own daughter. On the other hand Michiko has the courage to face her problems, in the end she turns herself over to the police.
I think the director had to make Michiko turn herself in. If she didn’t she would have been just as spineless and weak as Hiroshi
If you look at the series as one following the trail of an elusive con man (Hiroshi) who lifts money off women and gangsters without so much as a single scratch on himself, the story makes a lot more sense. At first Michiko grabbed Hana and went after him not even knowing for sure whether he still lives. (although she keeps saying he definitely lives because “it’s Hiroshi”) Later on, the trail becomes clearer and clearer, and it became much clearer after the tomato woman episode, both to his whereabouts and his nature.
Therefore, once Hiroshi is found, the story is basically over since the whole point of it was to locate him. Michiko had to go back to prison properly anyway otherwise she’d remain a fugitive forever, so she had no choice but to push Hana onto Hiroshi. Thankfully Hana is very indepedent so she’d stand on her own anyway. In fact she did so frequently while still with Michiko. That Hiroshi will flee again should be clear to most people who understood why Hiroshi fled the tomato woman.
A lot of things still don’t quite make sense especially some details in the final episode, but in the grand scheme of things they can be ignored.
Well…. ending-wise, you have to understand that Michiko to Hatchin was a classic case of abridgement due to it’s lack of decent TV-ratings. The show was planned for 24 episodes, yet only 22 were aired. And frankly, that bugged me beyond belief considering 2 episodes were enough to close major plot-holes like the tattoo on both Michiko and Hatchin’s stomach, the biological mother of Hatchin and Hiroshi’s decision to fake his death, while subsequently cutting of his relationship with his lover for the sake of embarking on a new life, the life of a vagrant-esque person. Not to mention how they could flesh out the side-characters by providing more background information, and more importantly, come with logical explanation for Michiko’s decision to set out her time in jail.
Other than that, I absolutely adored the ending. It wasn’t set up to be incredibly delifghtfull nor was it contrived to be melancholic and gloomy. It was right in the middle, right in balance, it set out to do what it had to do, and that was to invoke a bittersweet atmosphere.
Overall it had its flaws…. but without a doubt, this is a show that needs to get more love, a lot more.
so will there be a second season?
>.>
or even a english dubb?
Im not super receptive but the subtitles kinda hinted that hiroshi was gay. Like when he leaves it says “he found another lover” and you can see a dude in the car. During the screentime they did show hiroshi he didnt look like Super into Michiko (even though she was smokin hot), like i could be totaly wrong about that but it wouldnt suprise me if the animators slyly showed this. Another theory is that he just doesnt want to be held down by anything. Throughout the series he constantly picks up what he has and leaves. At the end Michiko says maybe hatchin will change him but i guess it doesnt. Uh.. ending did suck regardless lol, but the great thing about it was this anime showed a screwed up place and flashbacked to the (good old days), which was new and i liked it. Also i totaly agree wtf dos L.B.D.D stand for, the only semi hint they gave is hiroshi had it when he was young, but that doesnt give much. And so ends a great anime : )
about the ending and hiroshi:
****************YEAH, SPOILERS HERE**************
the point, precisely is that hiroshi is a good for nothing, a lazy neer do well who spends his time mooching and having no care at all in the world, and i have know some people just like him.
and satoshi and michiko adored hime because they both were so strong willed, to the point of complete insanity, that their personality seemed to reflect in hiroshi (a big cue about this is when satoshi confesses to hatchin what he liked about hiroshi, and her answer.)
besides, atsuko negotiated with michiko the time to meet hiroshi and say good bye to hatchin (she was very concerned about the time in the airfield) in exchange of her surrender, which would restore atsuko´s place in the police after being disgraced one too many times…
also, michiko finally saw through hiroshi in the train station, thus i guess she didnt wanted to have anything to do with that husk of a man.
and… i think michiko IS hatchin´s mother, in part because hatchin´s daughter, and because when she got “genki” after knowing michiko was on her way home her nose bled, just like michiko´s…
despite all the deus ex machina it had, the characters feel real, not the usual stock.
and, in case someone missed,… atsuko had the hots for michiko all the time…
Really good ending. JayT is right on target about Atsuko negotiating a bargain with Michiko, but even aside from that, I think the key thing is that when Michiko found Hiroshi she understood that things are not going to be like she dreamed them. Time with Hatchin changed her, and it may have changed Hiroshi (as she could have hoped at the time). On a more practical thought, projects connected to Watanabe never have stock endings (or stock anything), possibly because he finds them distasteful (which is understandable). Lastly, what reason could Hiroshi have had for leaving them?
Altogether, absolutely a top-grade series, as good as Bebop, Champloo, Miyazaki’s films, etc. It’s a real shame that it did badly in terms of ratings and had to be rushed at the end. I think the real talent shows itself when a director is forced to cut up his own work due to outside forces and still comes up with a way to make it a masterpiece.
I noticed at the very end, when a nearly grown Hatchin received several boxes with clothes in them, she used the postage to trace where these bags came from, and then took off on her motorbike with her child to find what she believed would be Michiko. As she finally reached her destination and waited on the road, a motorcycle very similar to the one Michiko used to ride came down the road. The rider got off and approached Hatchin, then the show ended.
Is this a sign that there will be a sequel?
I think that his a pretty cool show-it has a ragged edge to it in Michiko and a lot of the supporting characters are pretty crude. I liked the atmosphere that the show captured-being as Manglobe was involved and I loved Samurai Champloo this was a shooin for me. Michiko chasing her old lover all over the place and looking for Hatchin-her long lost child-and the interaction between the 2 of them was the high point of the show for me. I give this a 9 out of 10 points. Highly reccommended.
just finished watching it,,,what a great series! :) im still having double thoughts whether theres a “yuri” thing going on between michiko and hatchin (someone recomended this and said that it has mother/daughter yuri subtext, thats why i watched it because mother/daughter relationship is kinda intriguing) well i think atsuka, michiko’s friend, is in love with michiko for sure..,just look at their love/hate relationship..,,the end tho got me thinking between hatchin/michiko because hatchin had nosebleed upon discovering bout michiko’s arrival,,,,oh well i think she just got really exited,,,,,,its just sad that michiko didnt end up with anyone in the end :/ shes such a cool girl
I totally DISAGREE with you about the ending:
1) The ending being rushed to a conclusion signifies that it is not the destination that matters but the journey took place and the relationship of Michiko and Hatchin.
2) Some character development was given to Hiroshi during the episodes, e.g; he’s not committed because he kept on running away throughout the whole show! His personality is revealed and reflected in the other characters, there does not need to be a biography of Hiroshi at the end he’s not relevant. But why should his character be developed? It’s not called ‘Michiko, Hatchin to Hiroshi’.
3) The separation was essential, come on think about it. If they all ran off together the cops would still be chasing after Michiko. Yes the cops were chasing them from the beginning but it doesn’t mean Michiko wanted a never ending police chase. What kind of life would that be for Hatchin? Michiko sacrificed herself so that Hatchin would be able to have a normal life with her father. Plus I have my suspicions that Michiko made some sort of deal with Atsuko.
4) The reunion at the end again re-emphasises the point that the journey is more valuable and important than the destination and their relationship is proof of this. Michiko’s love for Hatchin became stronger than her love for Hiroshi. Adding a touch of feminism, it shows that women are heroes in worlds known to be ruled by men, throughout the series Michiko and Hatchin are portrayed as strong female heroines and men are seen to be weak, unfaithful and ignorant.
5) I also like to think that Hatchin having a baby shows that the baby will have a better life without a father than Hatchin did with one.
But I totally AGREE with you about everything else ^_^
(Yes, I’m very biased towards this show, it captured my heart!)
I have just finished watching it and was totally amazed ,captivated and yeah even a little touched in places as well.
I usually prefer a good manga to anmie any day of the week , but I have to admit this was something unique and special.
I agree with what most have said above about the ending.Nuff said
To my mind it did seems a drop rushed ,but i guess thats par for the course and no use crying over split milk.
As much as i would like I don’t even really think this this needs a second season, cause the story has been told.
I really agree with Kira. You realise Hiroshi’s charcter at about episode18 or 19. When I first watched it I was rooting for Michiko to get her man and her happy ending, but as I learned more and more about him, through his actions, he became a complete turn off and I was like open your eyes Michiko he no good. If they stayed together, for all we know she could have came home one day and found her bank account empty and his cloths gone, because thats just the type of guy he is. Anyways, she finally saw the real him towards the end. Unfortuentaly, all Michiko asked was for Hiroshi to help take care of Hatchin and he lets her down, proving once again that he is no good, he really didn’t care for either women, and also proved that the journay was not about him but those two forming mother/daughter bond two.
As far as the whole tattoo mystery, yeah it would be nice to know its orgin but its not really important. Let sleeping dogs lay, everything doesn’t need a story behind it, maybe thats what the tattoo can represent.
As far as Hatchin being Michiko’s daughter, as much as that would make me happy, the is no possible way. Hatchin was 9 years old when she was found by Michiko. Michiko had been in prison for 12 years at the time of her break out. Unless Hiroshi stopped by to make a conjucal visit, which i doubt because he was pretending to be dead, there is now way that could happen.
The ending did feel rushed but its wasn’t a bad rushed were they were like screw it just end the damn show, but more like if we have to end it so abruptly then let have a semisweet happy ending. Yeah she didn’t get the guy or her happy ending, but she got something better than what Hiroshi could have provided, a home and a family to comeback to. Only Hatchin could give her that, Hiroshi was to flaky, by the time she got out of jail she would have no clue were he was, (hint the 22 episode journay looking for him) or whether or not he would stay with her, but instead she has a “daughter and grandchild” that she can call family and I think she is quite happy with the way things ended, I know I am, I clapped at the very end, almost cried, and i rarely ever cry or clap at any anime ending because some are just predictable, this one wasn’t and that was the best part.
I find it hilarious that it was called a “flawed ending,” when in reality, the writer only expressed their own ignorance to the understanding of it. Well, at least I know now never to come to this site for a trusted, reliable, and educated review. Lesson learned.
For me it didn’t seem rushed. Coming from a broken family, and seeing many being broken in the process, you see stories like this all the time. You spend years searching and looking for someone, and in an instant, only to have them turn their backs on you, it happens.
If they had the reunion you people wanted them to have, admit it, you wouldn’t say it was rushed. Because then, everything in the story would have fit together and wouldn’t have been in vain. But because it wasn’t one of those happily ever afters, everyone’s calling it hurried.
@ GuardianOMS
I wrote this review over six months ago, and since then I’ve come to understand and appreciate the ending of the series better thanks to other people’s commentary. I realize that I should have reworded myself and clearly stated that I simply didn’t understand the ending instead of saying it was flawed.
The ending was decent. It wasn’t the best but it was enough to make me smile. Over all though, I am glad that there was less hiroshi. He was running away from them the whole time, he messed around with this doctor lady and to top it off he left hana for a new lover in the end. This anime should have been about hana and michiko getting closer while finding hiroshi not really just all about hiroshi. But yea, the ending was more of a relief.
I feel you may be wrong about the ending i personally feel it was great and ended really well. Like with hiroshi why should he change? In the beginning we were lead to believe that he really wasn’t worth all the trouble. Had he suddenly had a change of heart that really would’ve been a stereotypical anime ending. As for michiko sending hatchin off she had her reasons. Michiko has been running from the cops the entire series,this is true but this time they pretty much had caught her so rather than keep running its better to send her off with her father and hope for the best
I’m so dumb, I thought the series was over after Hatchin and Hiroshi left on the plane. So I spoilered myself by coming here because I hadn’t watched the whole thing. lol
Well, it was easy to see that Michiko knew she couldn’t live “happily ever after” with the police chasing her and thus her family indefinitely. Turning herself in was required to let Hatchin live a normal life. She could always reunite with Hatchin after serving her time, and she did.
As for whether or not Michiko is Hatchin’s mother, we don’t know if she had a baby while in prison. No part of the series excludes this possibility. Why would she have a picture of baby Hatchin otherwise? How would she know about Hatchin if she wasn’t the mother? It brings me back to the first episode when Hatchin’s foster parents thought Hatchin’s mother “died”. That surely will always be a mystery.
I had a gut feeling that things with Hiroshi WOULDN’T go the way Michiko planned. He was already awaiting a bus to leave, so I doubt he was just going to say “okay, I’m going to stay with my family now.” The reunion was so….lackluster. He wasn’t excited to see her, he was just going with the flow until he eventually left Hatchin as well. He’s a jerk really, and I don’t care about him in the end. All I care about is Michiko and Hatchin being together. That’s the whole point of the series really.
Also, it’s really cute how while Michiko chased Hatchin, Atsuko chased Michiko. I ship ’em.