Seiji Sawamura is the toughest seventeen-year-old in town, feared by all for his fighting prowess and his deadly "devil's right hand." But at heart, Seiji is a softy, and all he wants is an end to his seventeen-year history of being a lonely single guy. Unfortunately, his tough-guy reputation only serves to decrease his popularity with the ladies.
Then one day, Seiji wakes up to discover his "devil's right hand" has turned into...a miniature gal named Midori! Strangely enough, Midori is a real girl who is just as surprised as Seiji to find out she has now become--literally--Seiji's right hand! It turns out Midori has always had a crush on Seiji, and her desperate wish to be connected with him has somehow come true...maybe all too true!
Credit: sarisasenshi
Story & Characters
LOL @ shoujoboy
In the world of anime, there are plenty of relationships which stand out from the rest. Some fall in love with
goddesses, others with tenants of an inn, and others with just plain ol' girls who happen to be
cyborgs/robots/androids/aliens/models/princesses/thieves/vampires/insert generics
here. But once in a while we are introduced to something fresh. Enter Midori no Hibi (Midori Days/Days of
Midori), the series that went all out and created the closest couple I can imagine in the whole entire history of anime.
What am I talking about? The lead character has a freakin' girl for a right hand!
Actual Story Rating:
7.266849
Note: As much as I'd prefer an unbiased review, there are those who prefer the
works of an "opinionated bastard".:D
The overall plot of this title is rather generic but hold all thoughts of generic being a bad thing. Yes, the situations
that the characters end up with in the story is rather cliche'd (which are quite numerous to mention), but just
having Midori as a right hand certainly tends to make things very interesting. Also, there are plenty of fascinating
plot developments that would keep the viewers glued. Though some might note that it was never explained how did Midori
end up as she was, the story provides enough enjoyment to detract their attention from such detail and focus on the main
objective here and that's entertainment.
Moving on to character, well what can I say.... Hmmm.... You can't really expect something as short as Midori no
Hibi to have very in-depth character development but the pure charisma of each character is certainly undoubtable. From
Midori's energetic spirit to Seiji's ferocity (more notably his sister), we are treated to a cast of very
likable characters.
Midori no Hibi is generally your regular slice-of-life, magical-girl anime with the obvious fact that the concept really
deviates from everything that preceded it. Hey, I've seen scabs that talk, pimples with evil minds and hands that
go idle then berserk but nothin' like this...
So as for story, I'd give it a really decent score just for the concept
alone.
Rating: 7
Art
Actual Art Rating: 7
Midori no Hibi doesn't have that much to offer in terms of visual presentation, though two major things stand out;
the animation and character design.
Animation for this title is very fluid with the fight scenes being the most
noteworthy. Other details such as character movement are decently done as well as the movements of objects in the
background of a scene (e.g. that vertical train).
Studio Pierrot is a very notable name when it comes to this sub-genre and this
title is certainly another fine representation of their abilities. Their character design for this series is very
appealing with cute as the main characteristic. There's a certain aura exuding from the characters of this show
that just says you gotta love 'em especially Midori, everybody's just gotta love that girl.
So I guess that's it for this section. I don't really pay attention to visuals on modern animes but this title
was an exemption.
Midori no Hibi with its appealing characters and quite impressive animation quality gets a decent score for Art.
Rating: 7
Sound
Actual Sound Rating: 5.6
Now let's go to the Sound Department.
Obviously, the first thing that anyone who's watched this would say is that this title boasts a great OP and ED
theme. Right off the bat we're presented with "Sentimental" by CooRie that
get's us prepped up to watch the show. Then we get to say goodbye to Midori with "Mou Sukoshi... Mou Sukoshi" by Saori Atsumi. Both tracks
are quite nice and I find them appealing.
As for overall sound quality, nothing really stands out much except for those already mentioned and the fact that Midori
has an angelic voice!.
I'ma keep this short and sweet so for sound, I'm giving this one an average 6... it can't get any better
than that, I think... though if you feel otherwise, let me know your factors for consideration. :)
Rating: 6
Presentation
Actual Presentation Rating: 9
The title presents itself excellently. The humour factor is superb. If you're the type that finds it humourous when
someone gets "belly-to-back" suplexed or chased after by a girl then you'll find plenty of that here. The
title also pokes fun at otaku culture, specifically the figure collector class. With Midori as a right hand who needs a
puppet? Well, Seiji's "friend" knows that very much and would like
to have Midori for himself... with Seiji imagining things that this guy would do to him including amputation and
such.
This title also features a little ecchi for those skin lovers out there. And yes, you
get to see right-hand Midori's bare chest... :hmpf:
Moving along, we get back to the concept which I think I've pointed out very clearly that is certainly very, very
well presented. How complicated would it be to have a girl for a right-hand? I think its better than having a dead fetus stuck to your face, right?
But seriously, focusing on just the overall packaging of the show, one can't ignore the fact that this title
generally focuses on the enjoyment factor which I regard very highly as some of the more familiar titles just resort to
plain randomness as comic relief, this one on the other hand is a more balanced, almost sitcom-like approach. It
also doesn't veer away much from the main plot and rarely presents any situation without canonical significance.
The romantic part is also very well played, with an almost harem-like feel to it.
All of that presented in a 13-episode package which is certainly enough for anyone. :)
So to wrap everything up, we have Midori no Hibi scoring high on Presentation
with its peculiar concept and impressive comedic offering.
I highly recommend this for everyone but if you don't like it then sue me for misleading you. I've watched
this show from a fan and a critic's standpoint and I am certainly very impressed. :D
Rating: 9
Final Verdict
7.5000 (good)
Reviewed by BossMac, Jan 14, 2008
