Michiko e Hatchin
3 Mar 2009 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
salineaWas the last Sarah Connor Chronicles awesome or was it AWESOME? I've really been loving SCC this season, in terms of characters, action, cinematography and metaphors it's easily been one of my favourite show on TV mininova lately. I think it's time I find myself some SCC icons, minorspoilers:[especially one with that's I'm a bad bitch quote]endminorspoiler. Do you folks know where I could get some good SCC icons?
But today I want to tell you about my other favourite show right now. Much like SCC, it does not just pass the Bechdel test, it passes it with flying colours and while doing a tap dance. And above SCC, if there's an equivalent to the Bechdel test for characters of colours, it passes that one too:
That's Michiko e Hatchin:
Produced by Mangaglobe, the studio otherwise known for Samurai Champloo, and directed by Sayo Yamamoto, Michiko e Hatchin takes place in a nameless country which is basically Brazil with the serial numbers removed and features more references to the 70s exploitation genre than a Tarantino movie, and revolves around one woman and a little girl travelling around searching for the girl's father while cops and gangs try to capture/kill them. So far 18 episodes out of a total of 22 have been broadcasted and can be found fansubbed easily.
This is Michiko Malandro:
Michiko has been in prison for more than 10 years when she escapes and finds Hana. I'm more than a little bit in love with her. It's not only that her chaarcter design is really lovely. She's badass, temperamental, sexy, cocky, impulsive, and tends to insult people first, ask question later. She's also still hanged up on Hiroshi, a guy she loved before, and thought of as dead until she found out that had had a girl after the supposed date of his death. Both her and Hiroshi used to be part of a gang named the Monstros.
This is Hana, soon to be nicknamed Hatchin:
Hana is a 9 year old going on 10 orphan girl raised by the family of a pastor who all abuse her horribly. The first episode is hearbreaking in its depiction of Hana's day to day life, but this soon stops whenJean Valjean kicks the Tenardier's ass Michiko drives her fucking bike through the window and asks Hana to come with her. Hana's interesting because she's not just a cute little girl along for the ride; she's a very angry little girl - for good reasons - but also has a big responsible streak and sense of morality which balances out Michiko's temperament but also complicates her relationship with her.
This is Atsuko:
Michiko's childhood friend and sometimes victim of bullying, Atsuko is the cop who initially captured Michiko and is now charged with finding her again. She and Michiko have a... complicated relationship, to say the least. Me I think she's in love with Michiko ^_^
This is Batista:
An old childhood friend of Hiroshi, currently the leader of the Monstros.
This series is easily the best I've seen since Serei no Moribito. With a great balance of action, comedy, drama and atmospheric moments, it's a really fun and enjoyable ride; but the big draw is the characters and their relationship.
Michiko and Hatchin's relationship is never very easy - they argue and bicker a lot, and occasionally hit each others - but they also desperately care and look out for each others in a very compelling way. The other big draw is the setting - I don't know enough of Brazilian culture to properly judge how faithful the picture is, but the anime at least really give you a great sense of texture of the country, both visually, with the soundtrack, and through the characters we often see in only one episode but who are nonetheless extremely well realised and awesome on their own. Storylines tend to alternate between a focus on Michiko's PoV - usually high on action and the driving storyline of the search for Hiroshi - and Hana's - more low key but often fascinating in the way it portray her run-in with random people and how she connects with them. Unlike in Samurai Shamploo, I really loved the storytelling in every episode, even the most standalone ones.
Last but not least the opening is really awesome. Judge yourself:
But today I want to tell you about my other favourite show right now. Much like SCC, it does not just pass the Bechdel test, it passes it with flying colours and while doing a tap dance. And above SCC, if there's an equivalent to the Bechdel test for characters of colours, it passes that one too:
That's Michiko e Hatchin:
Produced by Mangaglobe, the studio otherwise known for Samurai Champloo, and directed by Sayo Yamamoto, Michiko e Hatchin takes place in a nameless country which is basically Brazil with the serial numbers removed and features more references to the 70s exploitation genre than a Tarantino movie, and revolves around one woman and a little girl travelling around searching for the girl's father while cops and gangs try to capture/kill them. So far 18 episodes out of a total of 22 have been broadcasted and can be found fansubbed easily.
This is Michiko Malandro:
Michiko has been in prison for more than 10 years when she escapes and finds Hana. I'm more than a little bit in love with her. It's not only that her chaarcter design is really lovely. She's badass, temperamental, sexy, cocky, impulsive, and tends to insult people first, ask question later. She's also still hanged up on Hiroshi, a guy she loved before, and thought of as dead until she found out that had had a girl after the supposed date of his death. Both her and Hiroshi used to be part of a gang named the Monstros.
This is Hana, soon to be nicknamed Hatchin:
Hana is a 9 year old going on 10 orphan girl raised by the family of a pastor who all abuse her horribly. The first episode is hearbreaking in its depiction of Hana's day to day life, but this soon stops when
This is Atsuko:
Michiko's childhood friend and sometimes victim of bullying, Atsuko is the cop who initially captured Michiko and is now charged with finding her again. She and Michiko have a... complicated relationship, to say the least. Me I think she's in love with Michiko ^_^
This is Batista:
An old childhood friend of Hiroshi, currently the leader of the Monstros.
This series is easily the best I've seen since Serei no Moribito. With a great balance of action, comedy, drama and atmospheric moments, it's a really fun and enjoyable ride; but the big draw is the characters and their relationship.
Michiko and Hatchin's relationship is never very easy - they argue and bicker a lot, and occasionally hit each others - but they also desperately care and look out for each others in a very compelling way. The other big draw is the setting - I don't know enough of Brazilian culture to properly judge how faithful the picture is, but the anime at least really give you a great sense of texture of the country, both visually, with the soundtrack, and through the characters we often see in only one episode but who are nonetheless extremely well realised and awesome on their own. Storylines tend to alternate between a focus on Michiko's PoV - usually high on action and the driving storyline of the search for Hiroshi - and Hana's - more low key but often fascinating in the way it portray her run-in with random people and how she connects with them. Unlike in Samurai Shamploo, I really loved the storytelling in every episode, even the most standalone ones.
Last but not least the opening is really awesome. Judge yourself:
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Date: 3 March 2009 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 06:32 pm (UTC)As for Machikio--hubba hubba! Great fanservice!
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Date: 3 March 2009 06:38 pm (UTC)Michiko's gorgeous, and certainly shows to great effect her body, yet the storytelling is such that I never feel like the 'camera' objectifies or lingers on her only for the sake of fanservice. Something which I greatly appreciate.
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Date: 3 March 2009 06:52 pm (UTC)I don't quite know exactly about Brazil, but I can tell you it does have a very accurate Tropical South American feeling. The scenery remind me of Brazil, and Colombia, and Venezuela. Even the character designs. It makes me happy. It does feel like I'm watching a very badass Brazilian soap opera and all, instead of an anime!
Also, the surname Malandro amuses me to no end, because in Venezuelan Spanish, that word means thug/thief/gangsta. I know they didn't mean it because they're doing Brazilian Portuguese, but the coincidence is just spot on.
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Date: 3 March 2009 07:12 pm (UTC)Glad to get a confirmation that it does feel faithful to Latin America. Yeah this show really feels unique in how multicultural it feels. I don't think I've ever seen an anime before with so many various characters of colours, it really feels great.
I'm assuming they picked the name on purpose, and the Spanish is either a brainfart or intentional. It looks like a lot of city names have specific - and odd - meanings in Portugue or Spanish, no?
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Date: 3 March 2009 08:15 pm (UTC)Oh, but 'Big Box of Gin' is also great. XD
[There's a 'Little Box of Gin' too.]
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Date: 3 March 2009 08:27 pm (UTC)are those from Michiko e Hatchin or from somewhere else?
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Date: 3 March 2009 09:19 pm (UTC)Salsipuedes is quite cute actually so they probably meant it as a positive saying.
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Date: 4 March 2009 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 12:08 pm (UTC)It has similar conotations in portuguese.
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Date: 4 March 2009 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 06:12 pm (UTC)Quand j'étais enfant et que mes parents disaient à l'un de nous "Es un malandro", ça n'avait rien de positif.
Je suppose que le mot à la même origine que le français "malandrin" et il est parfois utilisé dans le même sens (Os malandros fugiram = les bandits/malfaiteurs se sont enfuis).
Pour une ex-taularde visiblement plutôt futée, je trouve que le nom de Malandro va très bien à Michiko. J'espère qu'un éditeur français sortira la série. :-)
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Date: 3 March 2009 07:51 pm (UTC)Crap, I do not need another show. XD
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Date: 3 March 2009 07:57 pm (UTC)It's a short show? ^^ why wouldn't you need another show?!
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Date: 3 March 2009 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 08:16 pm (UTC)[note: I'm lazy. That's why I don't follow through with recs.]
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Date: 3 March 2009 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 10:49 pm (UTC)lol I love her bike yes. It's so rad! ♥
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Date: 3 March 2009 11:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 March 2009 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 01:19 am (UTC)Michiko's a lot like Faye too!
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Date: 4 March 2009 12:16 am (UTC)I CAN NEVER GET THE NAME RIGHT IN MY HEAD, for some reason. I have some sort of mental block against it D8
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Date: 4 March 2009 01:20 am (UTC)lol what's so difficult about Michiko e Hatchin?
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Date: 4 March 2009 01:35 am (UTC)I get it backwards, I say the words wrong, I substitute other words entirely in, and it just doesn't make sense
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Date: 4 March 2009 02:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 08:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 02:56 pm (UTC)I took so long to read Samurai Champloo.
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Date: 4 March 2009 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 March 2009 02:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 12 March 2009 10:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 12 March 2009 12:02 pm (UTC)HOT MOTORCYCLE WOMAN IS HOT!!!1!1!1!1!1