Minami-ke

Funny doesn't even begin to cover it. I laugh out loud every episode. This show just really cracks me up. It's just so absurd and lively and hilarious.

Story: There's no real continuous plot. It really is slice of life in that Seinfeldian "show about nothing" sort of way. Despite the fact that there's no real story line, it manages to find such absurdity and humor in what should be the simplest, most mundane human interactions and relationships.

Art: Even the art is funny. The characters' expressions and body language just adds to the unexpected humor of every situation, ... whether it's their over-the-top enthusiastic poses or the random adult glares they give each other once in a while. The art is also consistent and despite the fact that the background characters all look similar, I find that they're all easy to distinguish from each other and that they are consistent through the series, which I like.

Sound: Okay, if you've ever seen any of my other reviews or anything -- I normally do not pay any attention to openings and endings, except to generically note that I don't like them. I *LOVE* this show's opening and ending for some reason. It's bouncy and bubbly and absolutely perfect for the show. The opening is one of those cheerful running openings (like Gokusen) and it just hits the nail right on the head in terms of attitude and atmosphere of the show.

And the actors who do the voices of the three sisters do such a great job, especially the two younger sisters -- Chiaki is so deadpan and dry and Kana is so mindlessly enthusiastic. Perfect. =)

Character: I don't know if I've ever seen just a compilation of silly, hilarious characters in one show before. And it's really amazing that the show manages to balance all these ridiculous personalities together to work at making such a funny show without going too far and tiring out the audience. Even the supporting characters you see for one or two episodes, like the various classmates of the girls, are charmingly wacky and endearing. And don't forget the main characters! These girls are each so individual and carefully created that you can almost guess how they'd react in conversations they've never had in the show. They do a great job of subtly filling out all the details of their unique personalities that you get a very strong feeling that they're real and you know them, from the serene and nurturing Haruka to Kana's crazy, pedal to the metal perspective on life and the fact that little Chiaki makes you wonder if a dry, jaded old man somehow got stuck in an elementary school girl's body.

Enjoyment: I love this show. I've already rewatched episodes and it still cracks me up on repeat viewings. And I think other people love this show too, but this is just my guess. ;) Go watch this show!!

Okay well considering there are 7 reviews about minami ke when i finished watching this. So How am i going to get this review noticed? Easy and in one sentence too.
95% like Ichigo Mashimaro
But what do you expect from the same production company? (Domu)

Now with that said. Everything about this screams Ichigo Mashimaro. Sure theres only "3 main characters" as opposed to 5 main characters. Three would be the bare minimum for a slice of life comedy about a plain depiction of the days of the lives of the Minami sisters. Even before the show starts it says don't expect to much. What they ... say is 100% truth considering its practically Ichigo-M sequel. Now it is up to the viewer to figure out if that is a good thing or bad thing. And in my opinion its a VERY good thing.

Two of the main characters are complete polar opposites.Kana is they energetic outgoing idiot, whereas Chiakiis the quiet conservative genius. The third sister, Haruka is only there as an easy medium to balance out the Minami-ke formula. Haruka is such a perfect "in-between" character that i love her the most of the three. She can be cool headed, hot headed, smart, AND dumb and still make it all believable. What also helps the characters out is such a STRONG Seiyu cast. Allthough it does feel like they did a little type-casting. Like Marina Inoue does the voice of Kana, she also did the voice for Yoko (Gurren Lagann) and Mina (Getsumento). And Minori Chihara (of Yuki Nagato and Minami Iwasaki fame) doing the voice as the usually quiet Haruka. A good thing about typecasting though is that you know that you're getting a perfect voice for that character and these girls are perfect for their roles. But one can't help that the characters are cookie cutter replicas of Miu and Chika (Kana and Chiaki)in manner attitude and habits.

Artwork is pretty standard fare coming from Domu, all pastel colors. It all works just fine to promote a warm cozy enviroment. Never any harsh, quick action moving, visuals. There are a few high kicks thrown in for laughs but overall the humor and comedy keeps the visuals from being too much of a distraction. Everything might be in pastel, but everything is accounted for. Laundry hanging on the balcony, to the different ingredients of their snacks and dinners. The enviroment looks very plain but lets not forget this is a story about 3 girls. So everything is usually going to be very clean and organized and you will notice that right away. Literally the only settings that are shown for this show is going to be the girls apartment and the classroom. Each episode will have a different location to keep things fresh but things are usually kept in those two locations. Another nice art twist is how they do the shadowy face and the teardrop mouth. They're good choices to keep the animations a little more unique.

The strongest part of the show is the comedy and if you know anything about Domu is that this is where they shine the best. No matter what setting they have, just as long as they have girls in the story they can make the funniest situations out of NOTHING. They can make drinking a bottle of water or sitting a table hilarious. And thats what most people will love about this show. Theres no story (comon its a sitcom) don't bother trying to find one. They tell at the start of every episode there is no story, just funny situations. There is not enough props for Domu for making some of the best sitcom anime in the industry ^_^ Whats so great about their story telling is that it feels so fresh and more hilarious with every new episode. You can watch any episode and will still be funny to you 10 years from now.

Well I'm sure I've beaten the cookie cutter aspect of the show to a pulp by now but one thing that isnt the same as Ichigo-M is that its not as infected with cuteness as its predecessor. And thats why I will score this higher than Ichigo-M. Me being american, sitcoms will always have a place in my life. Of course sitcom anime isn't for some people. If you don't like sitcoms or too analytical for a sitcom then please dont watch this. If you want to watch funny things unfold for random characters then this show is just for you! Regardless this is another hit made by Doumu.

I couldn't have finished it if they wouldn't have justified the boredom with the intro sentence explaining that this is just a story about 3 girls and nothing special. To be frank, this series is absolutely boring. I do have a broad taste in humor an also often laugh about things most people wouldn't even take as a joke - in short - i don't hesistate when there's something remotely funny. But in this show the only real funny thing was the running gag about the drama tv show the three sisters are following. "sensei!" ... "ninomya-kun!" ... "sensei!"

That got me giggle every now and ... then, but the rest was plain mediocre. At some point i was hoping that they would turn it into a love triangle rom-com. Then at least something interesting would be going on.

But, i don't wanna bash this show. In all fairness they at least apologize before each episode so i can't be too hard on them. It was alright, but do take the intro sentence seriously! They mean it. It is ordinary and may be overlooked without regrets.