English Dub Review: Hinamatsuri “Hobo Life 101”

Hinamatsuri leans on its excellent supporting cast in a fun episode.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After realizing she can’t live by thievery forever, Anzu is taken in by a friendly neighborhood homeless community and taught the value of working for her living. Hitomi is blackmailed into taking on a job at Utako’s bar, and has to deal with the possible repercussions when her school teacher comes in for a drink. Finally, Hina attempts to clean house while Nitta is out, but only succeeds in making things more filthy.

Our Take:

The first half of the episode is dedicated to Anzu’s exploration of living legally. It’s much more heartfelt than humorous, but I’m not complaining. A bunch of sweet old people who are down on their luck, taking in a penniless super-powered little girl is always something I like to see. (I kept waiting to see what they wanted in return but was pleasantly surprised that they just seem to be a wholesome and pure lot with no ulterior motives for taking Anzu under their wing.) And there was still some laughs to be had. There’s something undeniably funny about Utako laughing manically while her minions chase down a poor little street urchin.

The second half is split between Hitomi and Hina-centric segments. Apparently, Hitomi is still bartending for Utako. Blackmailing a middle-schooler into becoming a bartender against her will is iffy, for sure, but the show’s comedic beats keep it from feeling too off-putting. I do hope that we continue to see Hitomi and Utako working this out, though. Maybe Hitomi will realize she actually likes the job? I find it interesting that the show leaves Hina’s plot until the end. It’s simple, but a cute, funny way to wrap things up until next week.

The dub was up-to-snuff in this episode, with Amanda Lee and Tabitha Ray doing excellent work as Anzu and Hitomi. The script boasted some really good, really funny lines. Anzu (on money): “So if I use this stuff, people won’t chase me out of stores anymore?” The ‘hobo’ wisdom was actually kind of deep: “You may be broke, but you don’t owe the world a thing.” Even Hitomi found time to joke while being in an unwanted situation: “Thanks to blackmail -and the power of technology- I have a job.”

Hinamatsuri continues to be a wonderfully wacky series with a bunch of fun, well-rounded characters. It’s really a remarkable achievement that we’re only on the third episode, and the side characters can already pull-off handling the majority of the running time themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing how things progress next week. (And hoping Anzu and Hitomi can get themselves into better life/work situations!)

Score
8.5/10