92nd G-View: Minami-Ke

Hello and welcome to G-Views, where SoL reigns supreme, moe is respected and Dokuro-chan sucks poopie. This show goes to show that no matter how many troubles sisters go through, as long as they stick together, everything will be alright. This is Minami-Ke, a simple show with hilarity ensuing around every corner.

Minami-ke: Okawari (TV) (sequel)
Minami-ke: Okaeri (TV) (sequel)
Minami-ke: Betsubara (OAV) (sequel)

Minami-ke: Tadaima (TV) (sequel)
Genres: comedy, slice of life
Themes: crossdressing, family, school
Number of episodes: 13 for each season + 1 Bonus OVA
G-Ratings:
8/10 Season 1
7/10 Season 2
8/10 Season 3

8/0 Season 4
Bonus OVAs: 8/10

Plot Summary: There are three of the Minami sisters: Haruka, Kana and Chiaki, who have an average life. The girls only have each other to depend on and help each other get through everything from love confessions to cooking. Haruka the older sister is a love-giving mother to the younger sisters, but she’s also a discipline follower, Kana the middle one leaves everything to the last possible moment and always gives trouble to this trio, and Chiaki the little one is the calculating and manipulating one, she likes to be admired and loved by Haruka and always gives trouble to the less blessed Kana. An unbalanced family, but besides of that they love each other with their whole heart.

What the intro message of the 1st season’s OP tells you is all there really is to the show. I like the fact that the show is self aware of what kind of show it is. It’s your basic Slice of Life comedy type show which is driven forward by the Minami Sister’s wild antics and the great supporting cast.

Like any SoL with comedy elements, expect madness to take place very quickly, no matter how simple the subject matter of the skit is. Each episode is divided into different skits which have a different subject in mind, most of which are hilarious. Be warned though that the reason I gave the 2nd season a lower number is because of all the 3 seasons and bonus OVA, it is the inferior one.

The animation changes quite a bit as soon as the 2nd season starts. Personally, I like the 1st season’s animation style better than the sequels, but it’s not too bad. For a SoL show, it fits. Something worth mentioning is that the show often applies close-up shots of the 3 sisters whenever they have a vital expression they wish to show. What I mean by this is that whenever they’re thinking of something big, the camera closes in on them and their appearance changes from shoujo to shounen style of animation. You’ll have to see for yourself in order to understand.

The Music: As far as OPs and EDs go, my favorites will always be the 1st seasons. for some reason, I’ve always enjoyed the 1st season most of all. Don’t get me wrong, the entire series is awesome but the 1st season holds a special place in my heart. As for the rest of the Soundtrack for each show, it fits. It’s nothing special or epic, it’s just right for a show like this.

The Characters:
Haruka is slightly stable and motherly, but can be oblivious to many things happening around her.
-Kana is a hyperactive knucklehead who misinterprets many things and gets herself and her family in trouble sometimes.
-Chiaki is very calculating and manipulative. She has a greatdislike for people she deems idiotic or in Kana’s case, a dumbass. She also has a drowsy look on her face because she doesn’t want to waste her visage staring at idiots. Of course Chiaki idolizes Haruka and does everything in her power to be praised and cared for by her.

As mentioned, the supporting cast on the show is just too awesome to deny. All of them have their own distinct charm and reason to make us laugh. Let’s take a look at a few and you’ll get an example of how fun they are to watch.

Hosaka: He goes to the same high-school as Haruka,he is in the third year and also captain of the volleyball club.He is one of the funniest characters on the show thanks to the way he acts being described as a weird guy because he is quite expressive, mostly physical which is hilariously disturbing sometimes. He likes and admires Haruka a lot and his daydreams…oh his daydreams of them being together. Just watch his daydreams. Whenever an announcement of one appears, get ready to laugh.

Fujioka: Has a crush on Kana but thanks to a misinterpretation of a love letter Kana received from him, Kana thinks his love letter was a challenge letter and Fujioka is mistaken for being a Banchou (Delinquent or gang boss).

Makoto: Chiaki’s classmate and constant victim of her wrath (After mall, Chiaki doesn’t respond very well to people she deems as idiotic). After he sees Haruka he immediately has a crush on her and even has to cross dress and change his identity to Mako-chan whenever he is invited to the Minami household. He will do this OFTEN and it’s not as bad as you think. It’s funny and sad at the same time.

The Other Minami family: Basically 3 brothers plus one younger sister who coincidentally also have the last name, “Minami”. Each brother is weird in his own way. however, the one we must pay the most attention to is Toma Minami, the youngest sister. She seems to be the ONLY one who can actually stand up to Chiaki and pose a challenge to Chiaki’s usual haughty manner.

In Conclusion: this is a fun comedy for people who just want to watch a simple, light hearted show which doesn’t have to try hard at all to be funny, unlike Mitsudomoe (Made by the same company that brought us minami-Ke). Easily recommendablee to any anime fan who wants to have a good laugh without expecting too much in terms of plot.