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Ichigo Mashimaro, in my opinion, is one of the most misunderstood shows out there. Under its loli-clad outer shell, and the too-easily tossed around explanation/catchphrase "cute, not pedo", the show seems to have given people the impression that it is a moeblob series aimed at pedophiles who like to watch little girls do cute things. For me, and many other fans of the series, that impression couldn't be more wrong. The true appeal of Ichigo Mashimaro to me, and many others I've discussed the show with, is its comedic genius, rooting from Barasui's source manga and further improved by the excellent anime adaptation.

Ichigo Mashimaro ... can be considered many things. It's a story of four young girls in elementary school. It's a story of their older sister. But most of all, it's funny. The strongest point of the show is its excellent timing of the jokes. From the delivery of one-liners to the repeated Miu on the ground gag, the timing is always near perfect, augmenting the humor all the more. At the same time, the humor restrains itself from becoming a run-of-the-mill, "hurr durr" type of a slapstick show and retains something of a sophisticated feel to it. Barasui also puts in a fair bit of clever wordplay (one please!) and his own twists into the series, and his efforts in the manga carry right over to the anime.

However, the anime takes it one step further with its excellent auditory effects. The seiyuus are perfect for each character, especially Chika and Miu whose voices seem to fit their tsukkomi-boke relation perfectly. Ana's ojousama attitude is conveyed wonderfully, while Matsuri's helplessness is reflected just as well by the voice actor. The excellent voice acting helps portray the characters the way the manga intended them to be, and as a result improves the comedy - with each character often playing off one another - immensely, adding to the already brilliant character-based humor of the manga. On the other hand, the sound effects, such as the laundry-pole sales man on the megaphone, greatly add to the situational aspects and in establishing the timing in the jokes.

The characters of Ichigo Mashimaro, while pretty memorable to their own right, are pretty typical of a slice of life series aren't as impressionable as those in some character-driven series are. However, they are perfect vehicles through which the humor is able to manifest itself, and thus are more than excellent for the show. Would I watch Ichigo Mashimaro if it was cast with a bunch of old men? Probably. But I do admit that the "cuteness" of the show is what brings attention to a show that may otherwise go unnoticed despite its excellence (Hyakko comes to mind).

So while this show may be famous for is cute (and pedo) factor, I feel many are unaware of what an excellent comedy series this is. So if you've neglected the show because of what you think it is, I would strongly suggest you take another look at it, but just watch it with an open mind and don't expect it to be your typical moeblob anime.

(PS. Yes, the girls really are cute. Especially in the manga.)

After enjoying Sketchbook ~full color'S~ immensely, I quickly decided to jump onto its source manga, written and illustrated by Totan Kobako, expecting similar things to the laid-back, easy-going, yet intriguing and most of all humorous adaptation the anime was. Well, the manga was all of those things alright, but also a completely different affair from the anime.

Sketchbook, a 4koma comedy manga by Totan Kobako, is indeed just as laid back as its anime adaptation. The soft art style, its lack of a continuing plotline, and of course the head-in-the-clouds main character Sora all contribute to create the relaxing atmosphere the anime is known for. And ... yet, the focus of the manga isn't so much Sora's view of her world and the people she knows, but more the people themselves and their (much varied) view of the world. Kobako utilizes the characters, a cast of high schoolers brought together by their involvement in the art club (the similarities pretty much end there) to present to the reader his view of the world.
With such a dynamic cast - from the bug otaku Nagisa to the penny pincher Hazuki - Kobako is able to touch upon a variety of aspects of every day life, ranging from reading street signs to going fishing, and of course, art club activities. Thus Sketchbook provides more than a few "aha" and "I do that!" moments for every reader, and through Kobako's clever wordplay and careful timing of jokes presents many "lol" moments while doing so.

The manga definitely focuses more on the comedy aspect in comparison to the anime, but also does a great job in further developing the characters in which the anime somewhat falls short due to its short length (season 2 where?). Again the various character traits and archetypes allow Kobako to explore many themes and situations, in which the side characters are used extensively, allowing the reader be thoroughly exposed to each character. As a result, characters who may have gone unnoticed in the show truly get a chance to shine in the manga (Kuga and Hazuki come to mind) and oftentimes they are the true highlights of the series, to the degree that it's perhaps inappropriate to call them "side" characters. There are no boring characters in Sketchbook, nor are there any filler characters. Each character provides a unique vantage point from which Kobako shares his witty observations about the little things that may go unnoticed in the big picture.

In that sense, Sketchbook is indeed a sketchbook upon which Kobako has laid out his sketch of the world, and to me, it is an appealing, agreeable, and accurate sketch. Of course his sketch may not be for everyone, but if you are the type who finds pleasure in the small, ordinary and simple things in life and, of course, having a few good laughs, this may just be the manga for you.

There are many different things that make a show stand out, and for that same reason there can be just as many different opinions for a given show. As for me, I'm a sucker for intriguing, well-developed characters that stick around in your head long after you've finished the show, and Mahoraba just happens to offer such characters.

On the surface, Mahoraba is a story of the main character Shiratori Ryushi's stay at the Naritakisou apartment, the real focus of the show is on its dynamic gang of side characters. While it is easy to present a bunch of easily likable characters that offer some additional ... dimensions to a show, Mahoraba takes those characters and use them as the foundation upon which the show is built. In that sense, Mahoraba can be considered a true "people's story". Each character is developed, episode by episode, and the story naturally with it. Rather than being the device through which the plot is progressed, the characters themselves are the plot, the story, the show. Therefore, while the show's story itself may not be as groundbreaking as those found in other genres, it is the ride itself, not the destination, that is the most enjoyable about the show.

The pitfall of such a series, of course, is that it could be easily dismissed as "boring" and being a "show about nothing" (see also: Aria, Sketchbook). At first, I myself found Mahoraba's 26 episodes to be an intimidating lot to tackle. So many slice of life shows of such length end up losing its momentum too quickly and becoming redundant after the 13 episode mark, and finishing the rest of the show becomes an arduous task. Mahoraba takes the opposite approach, starting somewhat slowly, with a narrow focus on the two main characters Shiratori and the landlady Kozue, with the side characters acting more as comedic relief and background scenery. However, as the show progresses, the side characters are revealed in greater depth to the viewer, and more and more entwined unto the story, and that's where the show really reaches its high point. Kozue becomes the key character who brings forth and ties together the characters' tales, and entwines them into a coherent knot. At the end of Mahoraba, you don't feel like you've watched anything life-changing, or even memorable for that matter. However, upon looking back at the series, you do realize that Mahoraba takes you through each resident of Naritakisou as if you were living there yourself, and the twenty six episodes feel as though they've passed by seamlessly, even though you can't seem to recall anything happening at all.

Mahoraba is a slice of life story in the most literal sense. The show chronicles the lives of its characters, past and present, utilizing the two main characters and something of a storyline to do so. And just like in real life, though the details of your encounter with someone may be quickly lost, the memories of them, what they represent and the emotions they evoked, linger in your mind long after, and that's why Mahoraba still stands out in my mind, even long after I've watched it, and will continue to do so.