Michiko to Hatchin episode 1
‘’Someone will come for me. That’s what I’ve always wished for.’’
Sometimes an anime just pops out in your face and you know you have to watch it. In this case, review it as well. That anime is Michiko to Hatchin. I can number many reasons that made me review it, but main reason is that it takes place in a country similar with Brazil. Actually, is like an alternative Brazil, with some mixes from other Latin American countries as well. But is Brazil, in its predominance. With powerful accents from the 70’s and 80’s considering that the police are still driving Volkswagen Beetle and there is a strong feeling of the past if you look at the scenery and streets (or could it be an exaggeration of the creators just to enforce the Latin feeling).
My wife is Brazilian, so there comes reason number one to review this anime. Other reasons include the fact that I adore and love anything that is Brazilian. Music, culture, way of life, mix of cultures, exuberance and joy of living. Next month we are going there in vacation, so this anime attracted my attention at the perfect moment.
Michiko to Hatchin is produced by Manglobe studio (Samurai Champloo), and directed by Sayo Yamamoto. It aired between 15 October 2008 and 18 March 2009.
The anime centers on the destinies of two women, Michiko Malandro and Hana Morenos (Hatchin). They are both trying to escape from something and to achieve freedom. Michiko is the typical full-body Brazilian beauty. She is trying to escape from prison. For the fourth time. And the fourth time is a success. She knocks off a guard, brings down a police helicopter and she is on her way to freedom.
On the other hand, Hana Morenos aka Hatchin, is a little unhappy girl. He was adopted by a rigid and very religious couple. She is daily abused by the two children of the adoptive parents. She takes beatings, she is humiliated, she gets to be blamed for everything bad that happens in there. Her life is a living hell. She wishes that someone would appear someday to take her out of this place. One day she cannot stands the abuses anymore and she snaps. She beats the crap out of her step sister, who was on her way to burn her face with an iron machine. Much of this first episode shows Hatchin and her horrible daily life.
But one day, while they were eating, Michiko lands right on their table, through the window, with a scooter-like motorbike. Michiko appears to know Hatchin’s father, who was her lover sometime ago. For Hatchin, seeing Michiko on her motorbike is a total shock, if we take in consideration the strict, limited, religious atmosphere in house that she lives in. Michiko has a tattoo on her belly, she is wearing sexy small pieces of clothing exposing a lot of her body, she is smoking, driving a motorbike and she speaks like a street punk.
She drops like a bomb in Hatchin’s life, and on 17th March, they go away together, while being chased by police cars.
Although not much happens in this first episode, I can say that this is a very relaxing anime. Top notch animation, Brazilians really look like Brazilians not like Mexicans. The music is Brazilian all right, no doubts about that, and the opening and ending credits look like they were taken from a novela (Brazilian soap-opera). The names are mixed, there are flavors from all over South America, but the Japanese names just do not fit in there what-so-ever, even if I know that there is a numerous Japanese community there in Brazil. The characters look very modern, some are more exagerated in looks than others, to expose some some bad traits or to show their true character. Michiko is what Brazilian call a mulata, which translated is a like half black half white. Mulatas are considered the sexiest women in Brazil, with a good reason. They are. I think Michiko and Hatchin will form quite a couple, thou I’m not sure what type of couple that will be. Michiko seems the shot-and-run type, easy going woman that likes to have fun in the rough way (she robbed a bank, by the way).
I am 100% sure I will continue to review it. Ate manha!
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