The appeal and reviews of "Himawari!": A cheerful and moving story

"Himawari!" - A story of female ninja's dreams and youth

"Himawari!" is a TV anime series that aired in 2006, and is based on an original anime. It was directed by Kageyama Masato, produced by ARMS, produced by Genco, and produced by the "Himawari!" Production Committee. It consists of 13 episodes, and aired from April 9th ​​to July 2nd, 2006. It was broadcast on tvk, TV Saitama, Chiba TV, Family Theater, and other networks, with different air times set for each region.

story

The story takes place in a charming rural area of ​​Japan, Kasumi Kogen Town, commonly known as "Kasumi Village." In this village, there is a private school for training female ninjas, "Shinobi Private Academy," where elites from all over the country gather and study and train every day to become female ninjas. The people of the village are also graduates of the training school, and the whole village seems like a big trick house, flying, jumping, appearing and disappearing.

One girl and one man visit this unusual village. Himawari is an ordinary girl who dreams of becoming a ninja and looks up to Ichikawa Denzo as her mentor. She has come to this village to enter her dream school, Shinobi Academy. Then there is new teacher, Manrikōji Hayato, who has been scammed and has come to the school without knowing why, to repay his debt. By chance or fate, the two meet in Kasumi Village.

The two are a student and a teacher at a school. Forbidden love? Forbidden love? Kunoichi trainees Azami, Shikimi, Himeji, and Yusura are watching them from the shadows. They cry, get angry, laugh. They fail, try hard, and grow. Can Himawari become a proper "kunoichi"? And can she protect the master with whom she made a "pledge"?

cast

・Himawari: Kana Matsumoto ・Hayato: Koichi Tokon ・Shikimi: Aya Hirano ・Azami: Ryoko Shiraishi ・Yusura: Asumi Nakata ・Himeji: Mayumi Yoshida ・Tsukiyohime: Yuko Otake ・Yatsugashira: Mika Doi ・Yonezawa-kun: Takashi Kondo ・Momota: Yui Shikano

Main Staff

・Original work: GoDo
・Director: Kageyama Akito ・Series composition, script: Ikeda Mamiko ・Script: Yokotani Masahiro, Sasano Megumi, Yamada Yuka ・Character concept and production design: okama
・Character design and animation director: Seiji Kishimoto ・Mechanical design: Hiroyuki Okawa ・Art director: Maho Takahashi ・Director of photography: Hisao Shirai ・Editing: Takeshi Seyama ・Music: Takeshi Senoo, Kei Haneoka ・Sound director: Yasunori Honda ・Production: ARMS ・Produced by: Genco ・Production: "Himawari!" Production Committee

Main Characters

Himawari Hinata (15 years old)
[Personality] Cheerful, brave, devoted, and hardworking. On the inside, she is naive (pure) and highly sensitive.
[Favorite movie] "Ninja" series [Ninjutsu/Swordsmanship] Currently in intensive training!
A high school freshman at Shinobi Private Academy, she is an ordinary girl who dreams of becoming a ninja. A decade ago, her plane crashed into the mountains. As she lost consciousness, she saw a man in black clothes who had saved her... "A ninja...?" Since then, just as she admired daycare workers and nurses, she has admired ninjas. Her dream for the future is to become a ninja and help people, so she enrolls in Shinobi Private Academy in the countryside, which trains female ninjas, on her grandmother's recommendation. Most of the students at the school are elites who have been selected through recommendation to become female ninjas. It is rare for someone to enroll through a general entrance exam like Himawari. Himawari is an expert on ninjas, having read ninja-related movies, literature, and materials, but her classmates make fun of her because the reality is very different. However, with her natural tenacity and courage, she works hard day and night to become a full-fledged ninja. Her grades at school are excellent, and she is also good at sports. However, because he lacks ninja-like common sense, he is sometimes called "senile" by those around him. Soon after entering school, he is saved from a close call by his half-baked ninjutsu by the new teacher Hayato, and he becomes convinced that he is his "soulmate." He makes a "promise" with Hayato and does his best to protect his "master."

Hayato Manrikoji (24 years old)
[Personality] He's earnest and kind-hearted, and has a bit of a perverted side... in a word, he's a straightforward young man. He never gives up on anything, and his honest and straightforward approach to everything makes him well-liked.
[Ninjutsu/Swordsmanship] Excellent motor skills [Subjects] General education A new teacher in charge of the new subject "General education" introduced this year, and the homeroom teacher of Himawari and her classmates. He was scammed by a friend and ended up with a lot of debt, so when the offer to be a teacher at this school came up, he jumped at the chance... He was called here out of necessity, but he doesn't really know why he was called here. The other teachers are ninja experts and teach specialized knowledge, but Hayato is an ordinary person who is in charge of general education, so the students tend to treat him like a "toy." His motor skills are above average, but he can't use ninjutsu. Soon after he was assigned, he helped Himawari on her way to school, and was forced to make a "promise," and since then, he has been called "master." At first, Hayato is confused, but Himawari, who is brave and hardworking, gradually starts to fall for him...

Shikimi (15 years old)
[Personality] A neat and quiet girl who is well-kept. Although she has a strong sense of responsibility, she tends to keep everything to herself. Although she may appear cool at first glance, she is actually very passionate. She has no immunity to boys.
[Ninjutsu] He is knowledgeable about plants from all over the world, past and present. He is skilled in mixing medicines and poisons, handling gunpowder, and chemistry.
A female ninja who is a classmate of Himawari and the class representative. She is an honor student. However, she is also a "pharmacist" who is good at compounding medicines and chemistry, and she calmly poisons those she dislikes.

Azami (16 years old)
[Personality] Very competitive and competitive. Well-informed. However, he can't hide anything and he's too talkative, so it seems like our information is leaking out too. Yomogi's assistant. He's a spy at a boys' school, so he's well-informed. However, he can't hide anything and he's too talkative, so he's a fatal character for a spy.
[Ninjutsu] His ears and eyes for gathering information are dozens of times better than an ordinary person.
[Swordsmanship] A gun expert. A military otaku who is adept at using all kinds of weapons.
A female ninja who is a classmate of Himawari. She plays a sort of strategist role in the class (or so she thinks). She is good at gathering information and is a "news broker" who brings in all kinds of news and rumors. However, she is also clumsy and often runs off without listening to the end of a story, so many of her stories are false.

Yusura (15 years old)
[Personality] She is a cheerful girl just as she looks. She is friendly and clingy... she has the cuteness of a small animal. She has a childlike personality. However, she also has the cruelty and short-sightedness that are typical of children.
[Ninjutsu] He is an "animal user", able to communicate with animals and control them at will.
A female ninja who is a classmate of Himawari. She looks the youngest in the class, but she is the only one who has a boyfriend. She also keeps a mysterious peach-bottom ninja dog named Momota.

Himeji (15 years old)
[Personality] Although he is half Japanese and half English, he has a Latin-like, easy-going attitude and momentum. He doesn't think too deeply about things and has a happy-go-lucky personality.
[Ninjutsu] Use flashy weapons to destroy your surroundings.
[Swordsmanship] Swings a long sword and destroys with force.
A classmate of Himawari, she is an exchange student from the United States. She is half English and half Japanese, her father is an MI6 spy, and her mother is a female ninja who graduated from Shinobi Academy. She speaks Japanese fluently. She was born in a tropical country, so she is sensitive to the cold. She admires both samurai and ninjas.

Princess Tsukiyo (17 years old)
[Personality] She is extremely quiet and rarely speaks. In fact, she is the most mature (female) of her classmates, having reached the state of enlightenment.
[Ninjutsu] He can manipulate illusions. He can create an illusion in a soup bowl and know the universe.
Himawari's classmate. She can do anything that women are good at, like cooking and sewing. She lives in a nearby swamp and doesn't come to school very often. She's poor. She cooks nearby grass and makes soup out of it.

Momota <br> A ninja dog kept by Yusura. His speciality is farting.

Yonezawa-kun <br> Yusura's boyfriend. He hardly talks. His favorite food is cucumbers.

subtitle

・Episode 1: I'll Protect My Master (2006/04/08)
・Episode 2: You must never fall in love (2006/04/15)
Episode 3: I won't tell you even if I die (2006/04/22)
Episode 4: Stealing is a ninja's shame (2006/04/29)
Episode 5: Kunoichi's Forbidden Valentine (2006/05/06)
Episode 6: Ninja training is life-threatening (2006/05/13)
Episode 7: No needless killing (2006/05/20)
Episode 8: We'll Protect Everyone Together (2006/05/27)
・Episode 9: Ninja Shinobu (Love) Shinobu (2006/06/03)
Episode 10: There is no need for mercy for a ninja (2006/06/10)
Episode 11: It's an unbreakable bond (2006/06/17)
Episode 12: No one cares if the master and servant fight (2006/06/24)
・Episode 13: I'm a servant for life (2006/07/01)

Related Titles

・Sunflowers!!

Theme songs and music

OP1
・Fragments of the Sun・Lyrics: Nemiko Oikawa・Music: Tatsuya Hirakawa・Arrangement: Shintaro Ito・Singer: Ryoko Shiraishi

ED1
・Guru Guru ~himawari version~
Lyrics: riya
・Composition: Hajime Kikuchi ・Arrangement: Hajime Kikuchi ・Singer: eufonius

The appeal and evaluation of "Himawari!"

"Himawari!" is a youth comedy anime set in a female ninja training school. The story follows the main character Himawari, who dreams of becoming a ninja and enrolls in Shinobi Academy, overcoming various challenges as she grows. Although it is an original anime work, it is appealing for its unique characters and humorous storyline.

The greatest appeal of this work is the individuality and growth of the characters. Himawari has a bright and single-minded personality, and while she pursues her dream of becoming a ninja, she also grows through her interactions with the people around her. Her relationship with Hayato in particular skillfully depicts the theme of forbidden love, drawing viewers in. Additionally, the unique kunoichi trainees such as Shikimi, Azami, Yusura, and Himeji also add color to the story with their distinct skills and personalities.

The story development is also not to be missed. Each episode has a different theme and challenge, depicting various events that occur in the training and daily life of the female ninja. In particular, themes such as ninja ethics, friendship, and love are skillfully interwoven, deeply moving the viewer. There are also plenty of comedy elements, allowing you to enjoy both laughs and emotions.

The visuals are also highly acclaimed. The character designs are by okama, and the cute characters are drawn with great charm. The backgrounds and art are also meticulously designed, and the charming atmosphere of Kasumi Village is well expressed. The music, by Takeo Senoo and Kei Haneoka, also adds to the worldview of the work, including the opening and ending songs.

Recommended points of "Himawari!"

"Himawari!" is a story about youth and growth set against the backdrop of the unique setting of female ninjas. The following points are the reasons why we highly recommend it.

1. Unique characters <br> Each character, including Himawari, has a different personality that keeps viewers entertained. In particular, the charm of the characters, such as Himawari's purity and hard work, Hayato's seriousness and kindness, Shikimi's coolness and passion, Azami's competitive spirit and information savvy, Yusura's innocent nature and animal taming, and Himeji's happy-go-lucky personality and flashy ninjutsu, make the story more exciting.

2. A balance of laughter and emotion <br> The comedy and emotion elements are perfectly balanced to entertain the audience. Various events that occur in the training and daily life of the female ninja are depicted humorously, while themes such as friendship, love, and growth are explored in depth.

3. Beautiful visuals and music <br> The visual aspects of the work, including character design, background art, and music, have also been highly praised. Okama's character designs are adorable and evoke the tasteful atmosphere of Kasumi no Sato. Additionally, the music by Takeo Senoo and Kei Haneoka is an important element in livening up the worldview of the work.

4. The unique setting of a female ninja training school gives the story a fresh and interesting feel. The themes of female ninja, such as ninja training, ethics, and special skills, are skillfully depicted, drawing viewers in.

summary

"Himawari!" is a youth comedy anime set in a female ninja training school. The story depicts the growth, friendship, and romance of unique characters, and you can enjoy both laughter and emotion. In addition, the beautiful visuals and music, and the unique setting of female ninjas are also attractive. Please give it a watch.