Director: Kishi Seiji (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimahita, Seto no Hanayome)
Writer: Machida Touko (Lucky Star, Karneval)
Main Cast:
Oosaka Ryouta as Nice
Hatano Wataru as Murasaki
Kamiya Hiroshi as Art
Character Design: ????
Music: Yoshimori Makoto (Natsume Yuujinchou, Durarara)
One thing that distinguishes Hamatora from other anime is its willingness to acknowledge the seedier side of the human experience. Yes, some girls pay their way through college by having sex with rich men. Yes, some kids are bullied so badly that they want to kill themselves. Yes, some parents think their children are losers. In this show, these subjects are viewed through the lens of a supernatural detective agency, one where the detectives have powers called Minimum. And yes, the differences between those with the Minimum powers and those without is examined. Even if the execution is clumsy at times, I appreciate the effort.
Those clumsy moments come from the obvious sources. The otherwise competent writer has no idea how to deliver exposition naturally, making exposition dumps a regular occurrence. Also, there are only so many times I can laugh at how poor the protagonists are before it gets old. As for the direction, well Kishi Seiji has a reputation as a subpar anime director for a reason. I defended this guy for a while because I liked Angel Beats, Kamisama Dolls, and Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. But, the good outweighs the bad at this point. In this series, he is in love with color palette swaps, and that kind of works for the action scenes when we see the Minimum powers activate. It doesn't work at all when the police detective (Art) is interviewing someone who is serial killer. Oh, and I would really appreciate it if he would STOP ZOOMING IN ON AN EYE AT EVERY DRAMATIC MOMENT YOU FUCKING HACK!
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| While I'm at it, stop with the dutch angles. You aren't Shinbou Akiyuki. |
With that said, there is plenty to like when the show isn't getting in its own way. The main characters are easy to like with the hard work they put into their cases.Also, I like the way the two leading guys, Nice and Murasaki, work together. Nice's idealism is a good compliment to Murasaki's practicality. And the two of them share an obvious friendly relationship with Art, meaning it's no surprise when it's revealed they share a common past. The minor cast is filled out nicely, no one is overly annoying, and it looks like everyone will get their moment to shine. The episodic characters are good too, and are easy to sympathize with when we learn about their cases. The other thing I'm enjoying is this show's ability to juggle both the episodic cases and a serial story arc about a killer going around targeting people with Minimum powers. Not only that, but they definitely aren't spinning their wheels in these early episodes with the long term arc. The killer's identity and general motive are known, and I look forward to seeing how that story develops.
So, while Hamatora isn't without its flaws, it's more than good enough to pass. The world has been constructed as one that has the same issues as our own, complete with new ones thanks to the Minimum holders. And on a more basic level, I appreciate shows about adults as someone quickly approaching my thirties. Not only are they easier to identify with, I don't have to deal with the garbage of high school drama as much, and that's always a good thing.
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