Everyone should watch Miname-ke. Just do it.

I really regret making that post about Moyashimon. I wrote the post for Moyashimon after I just saw the first episode. I was so excited that I acted on impulse. Unfortunately, despite Moyashimon's incredibly cute microbes and awesome opening and ending (indeed quite obviously, repeating an excellent one or two minutes at the start and end of every episode does not a make a great anime) it really failed to live up to my expectations. Had I waited just another few episodes, I probably would not have had the desire to ever comment on its existence and saved myself a few relatively unimportant minutes of typing and Youtube searching. Alas...

This particular anime, on the other hand, is one that I am absolutely positive about. Unlike Moyashimon, as I write about Minami-ke now, I have watched the entire series from beginning to end (Minami-ke is actually only thirteen episodes so this is not a difficult feat for even a single weekend. There is a sequel now being broadcast in Japan but more on that later...) and I have felt same warm sentiments for this series from the first time I saw the opening to the last time I saw the ending. I love Minami-ke!

Minami-ke is the story of the ordinary lives of the three Minami sisters, Chiaki, Kana, and Haruka. These three girls are generously separated in age - Haruka is in High School, Kana is in Middle School, and Chiaki is in higher Elementary School - and for reasons unexplained have been left to live on their own. Life may not be easy without parents, but as long as they have each other, they manage somehow and with hilarious consequences. Like any good student attending a prestigious University, I will now analyze and deconstruct all the reasons why I love this series (we do this for fun, really).

1. Realism. There are no giant robots, no moon power, no death gods, no ninjutsu, no fighting (okay, well, some fighting), no transforming Aryans, no angels portending of the Apocalypse caused by an encounter with a super-creepy giant replica of your mother, no deus-ex-machina seeds that remain unexplained to the conclusion of the series, and definitely no lonely nerdy guys surrounded by hot women who want him. Minami-ke faithfully adheres to the concept of a slice-of-life anime and keeps all of its creativity and humor character-driven. As strange as some of the characters in this series may be, some people are really weird too. This is among few animes that I can actually imagine happening somewhere in Japan (another noteworthy slice-of-life anime that truly pulls this off would be Azumanga Daioh).



2. Impressionism. Alright, I admit it. Just as I commented above, judging an anime on the first minute that's repeated every single episode is probably the shallowest way to judge a series. This is almost literally judging a book by its cover. Nonetheless, I still maintain that an awesome opening can really add another layer of awesomeness. I really enjoy getting excited and set in the mood to watch this awesome(sigh... my vocabulary is so limited) anime, so I must give props where it is due. (Also, whereas the original Minami-ke has an awesome opening, the sequel has a terrible opening, which I feel really takes away a certain charm from the show). The ending sequence is also equally enjoyable, which pushes me to watch the whole twenty-five minutes to completion.
   
   The Opening... ITZ SOOOOO CUUUUUUTE
   
   
   The Ending... ITZ SO CUTE TOOOOOOOOOO
   
   



3. Gender Identity. Minami-ke raises an important dialog on how gender identities form and evolve through personal experiences and how society rejects certain unorthodox identities to reinforce the existing social hierarchy of Minami-archy. You go Mako-chan! Fight heterorthodoxy! Mako-chan's appearance in episode number I'm-not-telling-you-which-so-you-can-be-surprised just killed me. I laughed to the grave as I grasped for another shot at life at my sides.
   



4. Nihilism. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear, does it really make a sound? If Hosaka prepares elaborate bento-boxes for Haruka but never manages to offer the fruits of his labor, does he ever really become bishounen idol? Indeed, Hosaka is by far my absolute favorite character. Ever. His disconnect from reality, complete lack of shame, and absolute embrace of absurd fantasies could make a great series by itself.
   



5. Filial Piety. Despite the set of awesome side characters, at the end of the day, the three Miname sisters are the primary focus of the series and the spotlight is in no way wasted on them. Miname-ke is truly a character driven series and even without Hosaka and Mako-chan, the interaction of the three Miname sisters are enough to drive this series. Aside from all the humor and comedy, there are also a few scattered tender moments between the sisters. It's not easy for three young sisters to make it on their own after all, but this show manages to be touching without becoming sentimental.
   

I love Minami-ke and you will too! Honestly, this show simply touches so many different levels of humor I can't imagine anybody disliking this series. Find it at the anime fansub torrent nearest you!