Hamatora The Animation

Unoriginal, predictable, repetitive and for the most part boring and “wanting” When I start doing something -whether reading a book, watching a movie or in this case an anime- my attempt and “promise” –to call it somehow- is to watch it completely, it doesn’t matter how good or bad it is. Eventually you’ll –might- be able to find something that “catches” your eyes –whether a characters aptitude, or the art or even the soundtrack- so I’ll start this review, keep in mind that this is MY PERSONAL review, in no way I’m telling or trying to mess with your own opinion: -STORY: 3- From the start it was your generic “I have superpowers, so I must defend the world –country- but I must remain hidden because that’s how we roll” anime, pretty much the same premise showed in other (in my opinion, better) TV shows/ movies. In the first 8 episodes (more or less) there’s the typical repetitive pattern in this kind of anime: The detectives are called in, they face a problem and as predicted they solve the problem. During some episodes there’re the small hints that there’s a real problem/ adversary underneath it all. Nothing surprising, and even less surprising in this kind of story –which I’m not going to unveil for respect of those who want to see it-. We can compare most of these characters with those on “X-Men” and “Tokyo ESP” (Shows that have better story, or better said, they’re better in every sense. Period). To be honest the last 4 episodes are the “best” and that’s saying waaaay to much. The climax if we can call it a real “climax” doesn’t reach the desired level, but still it gets you a little more excited than the start of the anime. -ART: 8- The art is one of the “highpoints” of the whole show, it’s so colorful but that colorfulness sometimes is weird –when they use their powers the colors seems odd. Nevertheless, the art was really enjoyable. So I’ll call the art of this TV Show the jewel of the “wannabe”-crown. -SOUND: 8- The second and final “Highpoint” of the whole show. A soundtrack that doesn’t reach the level of “memorable” but that it’s still surprisingly well done for a show so… lame. A “collection” of sad, “dark”, “blue” and “grey” compositions and ambient sounds that will make the experience of watching this show a lot more acceptable. -CHARACTERS: 4- As a writer –in my own language (of course)- I know it’s difficult to create a character that’ll be remembered or that’ll break the “generic” mold. But these characters are boring, predictable, they don’t “grow-up”, they don’t change. I know it’s a 12 episode format, but I’ve seen better character development in other anime’s with the same amount of episodes. And most importantly the character didn’t make me feel “in” the show. Probably the best character in the whole show was: Art. The only character –in my opinion- worth watching -ENJOYMENT:3 & OVERALL:5- If you’re interesting in watching a typical and predictable show and if you –really- have time to waste this is your show.

I started watching Hamatora at random, I was just bored one day and decided to go on Crunchyroll to see what was available and I saw Hamatora. I've seen a lot about it before so I decided to give it a shot. I agree with some comments here saying that the anime is a lot of filler, but it certainly isn't useless filler. It really gives you a feel on what Minimum Holders can do, and it shows you what Hamatora's average everyday life would be. I really enjoyed the storyline, and I cannot wait for Re:_Hamatora to release more episodes so I could find out more about it. I was lucky that I finished the series while the second season was airing, because the ending is a huge cliffhanger. A lot of the parts in the anime shocked and disturbed me, but in a good way. Some parts left me crying like a baby, and some made my jaw drop. It's a very shocking anime, dealing with crime for a lot of the episodes, which may be triggering to some. The characters were all loveable and hateable in their own ways. A lot of these character's actions were among the things that shocked me, and I liked that a lot. I finished this anime about a half an hour before writing this review, and I am still in shock and suspence. This anime, although it may not be for everyone, will definitely leave you at the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes mystery and a plot that revolves around superhuman qualities. In short, this anime in my own opinion was great to say the least.

I dont normally write reviews but I thought it'd be good to review this since i saw many people rating it less than 6 which is quite surprising for me since i enjoyed this very much. Story - 8 The story was outstanding but the idea of people having powers and so is used quite a lot. however the use of this idea was amazing. It keeps you always at the edge of your seat and i haven't been into an anime for a long time. normally when a sad scene happens i wouldnt react as much as this anime made me. This might be not only because of the story but also because of the characters. Character - 9 I got pretty attached to the characters really fast and they were all quite lovable. however it explained why some characters were there late which made me always ask questions to myself about the characters and didn't give them much care, which annoyed me, but not a lot. Art - 10 The art was really awesome. It was very colorful unlike any other anime, which you'd see in the comments while watching it. I liked their use of colors and the i didn't really find any flaw in the art. everything was drawn really well. Enjoyment - 10 This anime, as i said before, was very exciting. It was never boring to watch and it was really funny. Sound - 9 I think the soundtrack for this anime was one of my favourite things about it. The OP and ED were catchy n i lovedd them. however sometimes but only rarely theres music added to a scene which kind of doesnt match the scene. this only happened in episodes which didnt have action scenes and stuff so yeah it was not a big problem at all. Overall - 9 There are many better anime than this but this was awesome to watch. finished both seasons in less than two days. this made me laugh a lot and i kind of finished both seasons this fast only because of that. or else if it was all dark n sad i wouldnt have completed it that fast because i needed a break from dark anime n stuff cuz i watched this after the 26th episode of death note. anyways this is an anime id recommend for times like i mentioned even though its not one of the best anime out there. I hope this was helpful :)

I've read the reviews for this anime and while I mostly agree with them, there's something I think I can add, so I'll add it. Firstly though, Hamatora is that it's about super powered people in a non super powered modern world. A lot of people have compared this to Psycho Pass and Darker Than Black, and while I can sort of see where they're coming from, at the same time, it's not right at all. Hamatora is inherently a light hearted anime with some icky stuff going on in the background. Even when it becomes darker, it has a weird light hearted, or rather, disconnected feel to its violence. Both Psycho Pass and Darker Than Black had a lot of heart warming moments but they were serious animes existing within a distopian society. While it's true that Moral looks like Makishima (and on surface level seem alike, but their methods, motivations, and goals are completely different), and that Minimums being similar to Contracts, I think Hamatora actually has more in common with slice-of-life animes. STORY 7/10 - Although the way the story was told causes some head scratches, the concept itself is not bad. Moral unfolds an acceptable plan of villainy that the heroes must wade through, and the stakes are not too small scale or too large. I don't suggest watching this for a deep and complicated plot, but it's thought provoking enough for something 12 episodes long. And despite everything, I was satisfied with the last episode. CHARACTERS 7/10 - The artwork of the characters is nice and everyone has something unique to set them apart, and they're all very easy to look at. The characters themselves, however, are something of stereotypes, and they never quite get any character development. Nevertheless, they all do have their little quirks, such as the psychotic Birthday's attempts with ladies and Hajime + food. They're very enjoyable to watch, and for a fluffy 12 episode anime, they work. ANIMATION 9/10 - The animation is sharp and the fight scenes are smooth. The only thing is that sometimes the drawing's too sharp and has a game-animation feel to it. Added to that, the nightmare of colour that happens whenever a Minimum is activated can be off putting for some people. I've come to enjoy it myself, but it was hard to get used to and I see people getting headaches from it. MUSIC 6/10 - Some of the score is nice, but some of the music is really oddly placed. It causes a disjointed feel to the scenes which would be kind of cool if it were done on purpose, but nonetheless does not really add to the anime. It reminds the viewer that they're watching something rather than simply immersing them in the moment, which is never a good thing. OVERALL 7/10 - While this was not the greatest anime ever to come into existence, it certainly is enjoyable enough to warrant a watch. The hot springs episode for instance was hilarious for me and I've never seen anything like it, but I know an equal amount of people who hate it so I suppose this anime's a hit or miss. It doesn't really get better, it doesn't really get worse, and you can probably tell if you'll like thae series or not by episode 3. Although, it does get a lot bloodier in episodes 11 & 12. If you're looking for light hearted shonen overall, definitely give this a try.

Hamatora is one of those anime which i watched with no prior knowledge of what kind of show this is or should i say with not much expectations .Rather i just happened to find it randomly and decided to watch. Surprisingly enough I really enjoyed it .The character development throughout the series is really good if you ask me. Each character has taken its own time to develop and also the protagonist Nice has a pretty interesting ability and background story. Many seemed to have disliked the anime , maybe because they had a lot of expectations build up,can't say for sure why, but if you like action anime with supernatural powers, a good plot and certain twist and turns this is a treasure box buried in the ground for you guys.

A minimum holder is someone who was born with a special power, making them different from everyone else. Having the power can be a good thing, but jealousy caused by it can make the entire city go into chaos. At first I didn't understand what was going on in the anime because the whole explanation of "minimum holders" was a little confusing, but I caught on real fast - as you can see - and came to love this anime.  I started this anime late one night when my eyes were barley able to stay open. So I didn't have to strain my tired brain trying to read subtitles, I decided to watch the dub. The English voice actors were amazing compared to other dubbed anime and I really appreciated that about this show. I feel like the voices that were chosen for each character were well thought out because they reflected very nicely on the characters' personalities.  A couple things bothered me throughout the show however. Usually I come to love the villain(s) of an anime because their character is well developed (and attractive), but the villain in this show - named Moral - was obnoxious and annoying. I hated hearing him rambling on about "saving Nice" and all that crap, but I mean I guess that was the point. He's a villain, and his villain rants were supposed to be evil.  This is where I say that I am SO happy there is a second season because I loved this show all the way to the end, but the way this show ended was COMPLETELY unacceptable and made me VERY angry. If you watch this show, plan to watch the second season because the way this season ended was utterly unsatisfying.

This is probably the only anime that I have ever wanted a second season so badly (Yes, I have watched it already). The characters are simply lovable, likable and have just the right amount of coolness in them. And for once, the girl character in the anime can fight as well as the male. None of them are weak but none of them are OP. They all have the moment of defeat and triumph in their life and that is what I liked about this anime. It is not illogical. Unlike Fairytail, they don't always win a battle, they have loses. The action scenes are simply awesome and enjoyable. The character developement are really great too! The ending can make one wanting more of it.

Hamatora was a nice anime. Nothing more. You probably won't remember it in 20 years like a legendary one, but it's still interesting and easy to watch and follow. It's a nice choice for a rainy weekend when you need to kill four hours of your time. Story: 7/10 It's not a new story but it's still interesting, it has some dark and interesting points, and some comic reliefe when needed. It's not complicated, it's easy to understand and doesn't try to put some new complicated thing every two episodes. Art: 4/10 Big dissapointment here. There are some things well done, but in general is mediocre, and as I write this review I can't forget some fire animations from the last episodes so badly done I hope whoever did them is now looking for another job. Sound: 6/10 It's there, nothing interesting or new, voices are nice but nothing more. If there wasn't any BGM there would be no difference, it doesn't ruin the show, but it doesn't improve it. Character: 7/10 Too many interesting characters is bad if you don't have enough time to develop them or explain their back stories. Ther are no wasted ones, every single one of the main cast (heroes and villains) have their personalities, and yes, they aren't anything complicated or new, but every one know it's place. Enjoyment: 7/10 Interesting, entertaining and you don't watch eveyr spisode praying for it's ending. As I aid, it's not a bad anime, but it won't be remembered; it could have benn better, a lot, and the art department almost runied the whole thing. Overall: 7/10 No silly ecchi and no bad fan service give it an extra point, young people with superpowers without an harem is also good, but as a whole Hamatora keeps missing something to make it great. It would pass an exam, but won't go to the hall of fame.

Hamatora aka the show with one thousand different opinions about it. The critcism has largely been about the direction the show took from an overall promising premise. Hamatora is similar to the Yorozuya from Gintama, or a group of friends doing odd jobs. That's about where the similarities end. Hamatora is episodic at first, then kicks into high gear for the main arc. The first few episodes i really enjoyed, i loved the different jobs, mysteries, adventures the different groups experienced. That's the kind of ride i like to be on. It also does cheesy pretty well, and i'm a big sucker for cheesy. And also badass OP characters that beat ass and take names. The main story might not float everyone's boat, while i thought it was Psycho-pass-esque in its plot, the delivery left something to be desired. It's not that its bad, its more that its a bit different. I did find it ultimately refreshing, but i'm not a fan of prolonged suspense, yet you couldn't even call it suspense. And that would be the major flaw IMO; the pacing was great, the art was lacking in a few places, the sound was all good, the characters were solid and most importantly fun to watch but.... the setting; or rather the environment, the feeling it gives off during the show just doesn't really fit. It's jarring, it's hard to explain, you just have to watch it and find out if you dig it. Overall, i think it was a good ride, I would have liked to double the episodes to flesh out the characters and let the story simmer, but for 12 eps i think it did a pretty damn good job.

Hamatora was an anime I wasn't interested in at first. The plot was not very original, and there seemed to be too many characters. But after watching it for a while, it became better. The art is unique and actual effort seems to be put in it (compared to other animes). The colors are flashy and eye-catching, which is something you don't see too often. The art, to me, is one of my favorite parts of the anime. However, the story was a bit lacking, and like I said, not very original. The whole 'people with superpowers' thing is common and easy. But the plot makes a huge turn and distances itself from other superhero animes, which I liked, but it wasn't enough. I think some characters are useless and a pain to have. For example, Hajime and Koneko don't really take action at all. Now, Hajime actually does pull her own weight, but only around the end. I get that there's a bit of symbolism, but that's all I really see. I'm hoping they'll all have a part in the second season, but so far, it doesn't appear so. At least, not for Koneko. Overall, I enjoyed quite a lot, despite all the little tweaks it needed here and there. I like that one of my favorite characters, Art, turned into a mysterious villain at the end. It was quite an unexpected twist. For me, at least. I can't wait to see what this anime has in store. I highly recommend it for everyone :).

Hamatora is one of those few anime that can get you interested right from the first episode. Unfortunately the rest of a show is a cycle of losing the viewers interest with fillers only to pick it back up with a plot twist relevant to the main story line. This anime had a lot of potential and I can’t say it lived up to it. Here’s to hoping the second season will be better. I’ll give an overall score and then delve into specifics. Overall (7/10): I really wanted to like this anime from the first episode, and honestly I really did, even when it started interrupting the most crucial plot moments with filler. It was funny and interesting, the characters were charismatic, fun and interesting, and the plot would have been great if it wasn’t for all the interruptions. The problem that occurs is that the creators are trying to do too much with their material. Even though there is an overarching plot line, it doesn’t move smoothly and at times it’s a little confusing even though the concept shouldn’t be. Thus overall, I can’t objectively give this anime more than a 7 no matter how much I enjoyed it. And to enjoy it, you really have to not take it seriously. You have to accept the fillers as part of the story because once you start getting caught up in the plot, the fillers will just annoy you. Okay now for the specifics: Story (6/10): Don’t let that score fool you, the main story itself is actually really interesting but all the interruptions and filler episodes make it hard to focus on the main plot. I can describe this anime as a mix between Gakuen Alice and Fairy Tail. A group of people with powers known as Minimum, trained by a secret school exclusively for these individuals, (known as Minimum Holders) form a detective and odd-jobs agency where they take on missions to help others with their problems. The missions they take on all end up connecting to the overarching plot somehow. All in all, the story is one that a fan of any anime genre could potentially enjoy, but in reality, if comedy or filler episodes bother you then this is an anime to stay away from. In order to keep the audience interested, the show throws in a lot of plot twists, some of which I enjoyed while others I found excessive or too dramatic seeing as how the anime itself shouldn’t really be labeled a drama at all. For me, the characters really pulled the whole show together, and kept me interested even during the fillers, which brings us to our next category: Characters (8/10): Many of the characters are interesting and I’m glad that some of the fillers were actually devoted to giving us character backgrounds. I’ll start with my favorite character, called Art, who leads the police force in the city that Hamatora works in. He’s a complex character in his own right and I’m hoping the second season focuses more on him than fillers. The villain, Moral, is psychotic but also makes this show really interesting and moves the plot along. If nothing else, I’d watch this anime just for Art and Moral and their own conflicts. The main protag duo consisting of Nice and Murasaki are the team called Hamatora. They’re funny, have a strong sense of morality, cool, and basically everything you’d expect the protagonists to be, which actually makes them a little dull compared to Art and Moral because they’re so predictable. The other members of the Cafe Nowhere agency also make pretty interesting characters, such as Ratio and Birthday (I know they all have weird names) and Honey and Three. Each of these characters has their own minimum and uses them to take on missions for money. Another character who seemed to have a lot of potential that was not explored thoroughly (in the first season anyway) is Hajime. She’s basically a background character for most of the anime and all she does is eat, but I’m hoping there’s some more to her character in season 2. Animation (7/10): The animation was really good and the action sequences were pretty cool, even though it’s not much compared to actual action shonen genres like Naruto or Fairy Tail. The animation fits the story line well though it doesn’t really stand out so it’s a solid 7. Soundtrack (9/10): Okay I have to say the soundtrack was amazing. I really loved the openings and endings. They really fit the main story line and give the anime a whole new energy. Final Notes: All in all it wasn’t a complete failure of an anime, despite all the fillers. Actually, if you just go into it expecting to see the fillers and try to just enjoy them as they come, you might end up really liking this show. I’m definitely going to be watching season 2, if anything then for the conclusion to all those plot twists and also for the main story line, which I can’t deny is very worth watching.

This anime pissed me off so much. Because the plot was good and the characters awesome. But... but.. then they killed it. WITH THE AMOUNT OF FILLERS THEY PUT IN AND WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO EXPLAIN WTF HAPPENED AT THE END! I MEAN SERIOUSLY WTF! Now that my rant is over onto what I liked.I enjoyed how the main protagonists were not technically good. Yes they saved people and were technically heroes but they had a bit of a dark side to them which I enjoyed*. I liked the characters but there wasn't very much development with them. Now onto what I was saying about fillers. I'm sure other users have already said this but the anime was mainly made up of fillers. They was about two minutes of actual plot at maybe the end of one episode. If you had to work the plot into taking up a full episode there would probably be about 2 episodes. However I will say I'm watching the Re:Hamatora because there is a twist ending that will leave you thinking. What the fuck just happened. That is if you don't drop it.I I would not recommend this anime because it is amazing or awesome. But I do think people should at least try it out. Because its not completely bad just mediocre. *I'm mainly talking about Nice.

Hamatora is another one of the many crime fighting/detective type anime out there. Its story centers around the PI duo of the Hamatora group, Nice and Murasaki, and the various cases and investigations that they get involved in. The aspect that is supposed to make this series unique is the existence of beings called "Minimum Holders," humans with special powers. Think along the same line as NEXT's from Tiger & Bunny. The thing with Minimum Holders is that they have to engage in certain actions in order to activate their powers. Story: The actual plot of Hamatora is relatively decent. It centers around the idea that "weak" people envy "strong" people, and what will happen if we empower those "weak" people so that nobody is "weak" or "strong" anymore and everything is on equal footing. The issue, however, is that you have to get through a lot of filler and side-quests in order to get to the actual meat and potatoes of the series. When the show is actually focussing on the plot, it's really good. Now, that's not to say that the side stories aren't worthwhile, because some of them serve as a device to try and fill out character's back stories, but for the most part, it is kind of superfluous to the main storyline, and some of the filler really, really interferes with the flow and suspense halfway through the series. Art: For a series with a low budget, for the most part, the art was nice and consistent. I did enjoy the art style and the use of colors. Color and texture are definitely used to reflect the mood in this series. There were definitely also scenes here and there where the art wasn't quite up to par, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. Sound: I enjoyed the opening and ending songs. And then there is a song that plays every time Nice activates his Minimum that I also enjoy quite a lot. It starts to play, and you know that some sort of action is about to go down, and has quite a lot of impact. Other than that, while there were one or two more songs from the soundtrack that kind of stuck out to me, overall I would still say that aside from the parts I already mentioned, there wasn't much that stuck out. Character: There wasn't a lot of evolution of character or anything like that in this series. Many of the characters don't even have decent back story. It's a difficult situation, as well, in that the two characters I found to be most engaging weren't even technically considered to be "main characters." One would be the head Inspector of the police force, Art, and the other would be the main villain, Moral. Both of these characters, in their own way, were very, very interesting. I won't go into why because I don't want to accidentally spoil anything, but honestly, without these characters present, this series wouldn't even be worth my time. Enjoyment: I only rated my enjoyment of this series an 8 because, like I've stated previously, when the story is focussed on the actual plot, it's really good. There are a handful of parts where I was kind of bored (though really I would say that I just wanted them to return to the plot), but for the most part I really enjoyed it. Overall, I had to give Hamatora a 7 because, even though I really did enjoy the show (a couple of the characters in particular), there are some issues with filler and momentum that really count against it. There's also the lack of filling out information about many of the main characters that makes it hard to bond with any of them, thus making it harder to connect to what's going on and what's happening to them. I would still recommend watching this anime, because it is an enjoyable view, and I will probably re-watch it myself at some point in the future. If you're reading this review after watching Hamatora and you enjoyed it, then I would also recommend Tiger & Bunny, Psycho-Pass, and Get Backers to you. Hope you enjoy~

It starts off with major potential, but quickly turns down a rather bland road. Many scenes that were supposed to be dramatic left me underwhelmed (I wasn't even whelmed) and thinking "really?". Not that there weren't a few parts where I wasn't like "Woah! Holy Sh*t!" but the majority of the time I wasn't impressed. The villain is like one huge boring cliche, and I almost laughed at a lot of the "dramatic" scenes involving him because of this. The main characters had great potential, but I felt like all the development was unbelievable and thrown out of left field. I mean two of the characters go into telling their back stories without even a single shred of prompting. I found that pretty lame. The story's like a cross between Darker Than Black, The Get Backers, and Psycho Pass so I was really looking forward to it, but I felt the entire thing was poorly executed. Still it was pretty enjoyable to watch and I recommend it if you're bored. It's certainly funny enough at times and the art is pretty great. I love the powers of the characters and the unique color changes that occur when they begin to use them. Very eye pleasing.

First and foremost - this is actually pretty good. The story is interesting, the main unique point of the show (the Minimum power) isn't goofy, and the characters are interesting. That being said, the number one feeling I got from this show is "This is a second-rate Durarara!!". They are very similar in plot, setting, and overall theme; the only difference being that Hamatora's characters have superpowers and Durarara!!'s do not. I enjoyed watching this show, but in my opinion, the music, visuals, character designs, and plot copy Drrr's. I would recommend Hamatora, because it is legitimately good, but be warned that for those who have seen Drrr, it may seem slightly familiar.

Initially, I didn't like this anime. That's why I left it on hold for literally years. But the aesthetics are solid and I needed another mystery anime to watch, so I decided to go back to it and see if it gets better. It did. The biggest flaw is definitely that the beginning is pretty cliche anime humor, but it quickly gets more complex from there. I just finished it a couple of weeks ago and I am already rewatching it. I wouldn't say it's perfect or a masterpiece, there are definitely flaws. But the plot and characters are both deeply interesting. I can't say too much without getting immensely into spoilers, but there were some plot twists that I didn't see coming. Something to do with Art in particular... Anyways. It was certainly fun to watch. Not the most intellectually challenging but still enough to keep you engaged. It's easier to obsess over on an emotional/psychological level than it is on a logical level, though there aren't glaring plot holes or anything. It simply isn't that kind of mystery. Worldbuilding-wise, you hear about minimums and get that they're basically hyper-specific superpowers and also there's a school that minimum holders are supposed to go to and think "yeah pretty standard anime stuff." I liked how they handled minimums though. It really explores the societal impacts as well as the inequality of having a minimum vs not, and this spawns the wider thematic debates about weakness and the human condition that drives the conflict between the antagonist and the protags. Overall, if you like the sound of a supernatural anime with a fantastic aesthetic that starts off cheesy and gradually becomes more complex and dark, then you'll probably like this anime.

As someone who has seen this animé in 2021, I have to say, it isn't that bad, with so many good qualities animes in the market nowadays with astronomical budgets the simplicity of this series is captivating. I must say that I'm attracted to underrated animes, of course I don't neglect Attack on Titan, Death Note, Full metal qualities and recognize them for it. But Hamatora is different in a way, I read most of the reviews of this first season and all of them have similar points: fillers and lack of development. Which I agree and is understandable, the mangá is not that famous in japan and the animation is even worse in that aspect, it is so obscure that even the game(yes, hamatora have a game) was never realeased outside japan. My main critic about the animation is the lack of character devolopment by far, every episode it is about a case that is offered to Hamatora to solve, that takes 15-18 to happen and leaves 3 or less minutes to develop the main plot, don't get me wrong, the cases are fun and cool to watch, but none of the episodes took a time to explain the past well detailed or make us care about anyone. Also, there's this bizarre fact that a great parcel of the characters have english names that aren't even regular names, Nice, Birthday, Honey, Three, Master. We don't get to know if its their real name or it is a nickname and why, they don't even use last names which kinda pisses me. Looking in another way, the villain was well developed in a way that made you hate him, he was the kind of psychopath who would indulge himself as the savior and didn't look at what he was doing was evil, but only that he was saving and making the world equal. Last but no least, the soundtrack, really enjoyed that one, the opening is amazing, the ost in the end always kept you until it ended (which nowadays is kinda hard to do, since everyone just wants to jump in the next episode). They did a good job selecting the best tracks on the battle scenes, when the mystery was happening even the funny moments they got it right. Overall, I'm the kinda guy who gives lower ratings even to things I loved, I would say my 5 could be easily someone's 9, I like to people know that when I have something 10 is literally the perfection embodied. I'm giving this animé a solid 5. They made a good thing out of obvious low budget, and that got me attracted in 2021. Looking foward to checkout the 2nd season!

Decided I'd write my first review! Bear with me since it's been months since I've seen it, but everything is still pretty fresh in my memory. The reason I've chosen to write about this specific anime is because, so far, it's one of the few anime that I felt greatly disappointed by. I got interested in the anime from watching the intro to the second season on YouTube. It looked hype as hell, and after reading the synopsis multiple times on different platforms, I thought I'd give it a shot. Suffice to say that while I don't think that this is a horrible anime by any means, you're just better off watching practically anything else in the genres that this is listed as. Let's get started shall we? Art: This was probably the best part of the series. The vivid and vibrant colors used in the animation throughout the course of the show were AWESOME. The character designs of practically everyone in the cast are unique and intriguing, and make you want to become more invested in them. The battle sequences and the choreography are all fantastic and the color inversions that you see at various parts throughout different episodes provide a cool little addition that you don't see often in other shows. Almost nothing wrong with the art style. Story: Now we get into the negative aspects of the show. Hamatora seems generic enough, people who have powers hide it from society. Not like we've seen that anywhere in any show. However, this show takes a little twist on the whole idea of people born with superpowers also known as "Minimums". In this show, the titular "Hamatora" is the name of a detective duo known as Murasaki and Nice. Throughout the entire series, the detectives of Hamatora and other members that work out of a cafe work various jobs throughout the city. A good chunk of them are pretty trivial, but the overarching and foreboding theme seems to be a serial killer murdering Minimum Holders and giving their powers to other people. Seems like a cool premise right? That's what I thought. The first two or so episodes were pretty compelling and got me interested in the series straight away. I mean, not gonna lie, the show did seem eerily similar to the acclaimed "Heroes" franchise with the villain, ironically named Moral, killing Minimum Holders by lopping off the top of their heads and stealing their brains. Nonetheless, the suspense in the first few episodes had me hooked and I eagerly continued watching. Color me surprised when I find a bunch of pointless filler episodes littered throughout the series. Specifically episodes five and eight. Episode eight wasn't only your standard and cliche beach episode that you find in shounens, but the obsession with bitter melon in the episode was extremely bizarre. Nothing really happens aside from some minor competition between Murasaki and Nice. Oh and there's a gang too. Episode five. Oh LORDY episode five. You know that one episode of "The Office" where Michael promises a bunch of kids that he will pay for their college if they pass high school, only to reveal he doesn't have the money? Take the level of cringe from that episode and combine it with the cringe from the BDSM jokes in Kill la Kill and you have something not even remotely close to the cringe in this episode. The episode starts harmlessly enough, but morphs into an outrageous onsen plotline, if you can even call it that. Sitting through two or three straight minutes of a half-naked guy doing sit-ups while grunting and releasing a pheromone through his sweat was so uncomfortable that I can't even describe it. Episodes like this made me straight up quit the series. It's not that the idea of the show was even bad either. This show had so much promise in the premise and the storyline, both of which got muddied by poor writing and unnecessary filler. Serious and tense moments got sullied by nonsensical side-plots, which is a shame because, again, the plot wasn't bad alone. Taking this into consideration, Hamatora, along with it's sequel series, really doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a fantasy? Is it a sci-fi? Is it a thriller? A comedy? A mystery? There are so many different aspects of anime that are just thrown in without any real cohesion. I was so confused throughout the whole season because it couldn't find a niche. You could argue that it was trying to be a niche-breaking anime, but it does a poor job at doing so. Sound: I don't have too much to say about this. The sound really wasn't that bad, it just wasn't anything special. The sound behind the action sequences got your blood pumping, but that was about it. Find any typical shounen anime, and you'll probably find a soundtrack either similar or better to this one. Character: This part really stung. As I previously mentioned, I loved almost all of the character designs in the show. Each one was unique and you could pick them out almost instantly. Plus with names like Nice, Birthday, Three and Ratio, they aren't too hard to remember. What sucks is that there is almost zero character development and almost zero backstory aside from Nice attending an academy for Minimum Holders, Honey and Three having a sweet and emotional past and the relationship between Ratio and Birthday. But that's about it. You get close to no insight onto any of the characters until the next season, but that's besides the point. I was so disappointed by Hajime that you don't even know. I was under the impression she was going to be this secret bad-ass that could deck villains across a city block. But nope. Aside from episode five (gag me), she doesn't reveal anything about who she is. The only thing you get to know is that she squanders Nice's money on hamburgers like a leech. Koneko and Master are the same way. Neither of them are even remotely compelling or relateable due to them having a near-absent presence in the show. Moral's drive is also pretty generic too. I mean, it's very clear that he's a villain, and does a good job at it, but there's nothing creative beyond his design. His motives are pretty cookie-cutter to put it lightly. The only character that I found remotely compelling was Art, who strives to live and bring down tyranny through the memory of his deceased brother. There are also two great plot twists involving him in the last few episodes, but I won't go into that as to not spoil anything. Overall, I wouldn't say that Hamatora is "bad", just overwhelmingly disappointing. I'd like to refer to Hamatora as a "background-music anime", as in you'd be better off watching this show while you're doing something else like chores. Just have it on in the background. You don't have to get invested in the show at all, and if you miss a detail, it usually isn't too hard to pick up on it later. Want a superhero anime? Watch My Hero Academia or One-Punch Man. Want a suspenseful detective plotline? Watch Psycho-Pass. Want to watch an anime based on a video game with vivid colors, clean animation and blood? Danganronpa's the anime for you. Again, it's not a "horrible" show, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a fresh spin on a fantasy-detective series, but there are just so many other better shows that you could watch that it almost doesn't seem worth your time.

Hamatora appeared to have a major issue in what exactly it was trying to be in its focus on superpowered humans called Minimum Holders. Focused on a pair of Minimum Holder detectives consisting of Nice and Murasaki, the two are involved in a number of mysteries involving ordinary humans who are somehow able to gain Minimum powers and a string of Minimum Holder murders are seemingly connected to these events. As mentioned, Hamatora has some major issues in exactly what sort of anime it wanted to be. It starts off as a mystery-comedy with Nice, Murasaki, and other Minimum Holders going through with their everyday routines and getting into their fair share of comical shenanigans. The series was trying to pass itself off as cool and full of attitude with the antics and actions of its characters, and occasionally poking fun of elements to anime and otaku fandom in general. However, character depth is heavily lacking in the series as the majority of characters are reduced to one-dimensional archetypes and in spite of being the show's lead, Nice can usually not be the most easiest character to connect with thanks to his brash, self-righteous persona and being seemingly perfect in all his actions. Due to this, it makes connecting with most characters rather difficult throughout Hamatora's run. By the anime's second half, it tries to become something comparable to Marvel Comics' X-Men by exploring how those with differences from others in regular society face prejudice and the outcasts wanting to be just like everyone else. However while X-Men explored this with a clear purpose and having its morally ambiguous story elements, Hamatora's approach is a bit sloppy in execution as it resorts to shallow storytelling cliches in exploring how humans and Minimum Holders react to one another at this point. Plus for Hamatora's version of Magneto, Moral is your typical anime crazed psychopath dabbling in megalomania and thinking how brilliant he believes his plans are to stir chaos up between humans and Minimum Holders. The anime tries to throw a twist for its ending to tease its second season, but this comes off feeling abrupt with how it plays out. Visually, Hamatora's a mixed bag. It sports some slick-looking character with detailed clothing designs and sporting bright colors to stick out. Also, the fight sequences between Minimum Holders had their moments of looking pleasing to see unfold thanks to careful editing and nice fluidity in spite of not sporting a high-quality budget that TV titles like Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works or Parasyte had on hand in 2014. However, a major annoying quirk with the anime is that it gets in the habit of applying a filter of psychedelic colors to the visuals whenever Minimum Holders make use of their powers. While this seemed to be an attempt by the animators to show the abnormal nature of Minimum Holder powers, this effect often took me out of the action since the effect became the primary focus of the scene instead of any animated action that was supposed to play out in specific scenes. Overall, Hamatora was quite a bit messy in the execution of its themes and storytelling as it suffered from a shallow and usually unlikable cast, some questionable style choices with artwork, and not seeming to have a clue in what kind of series it wanted to be with its hodge-podge elements of mystery, comedy, action, and drama. Based on my underwhelming reception to it, I would be in no rush to check out its sequel, Re: Hamatora.

Despite the standard grade, this isn't really one of those 'meh' series that you rate indifferently. It's quite particular, with a set of pros and cons tearing at it in opposite directions that wind up making for a middling grade. Read on if you're interested in hearing what these strengths and weaknesses are so that you can figure for yourself if it'll be worth your time. The most potent thing about this show is its artwork: it uses very outspoken blends of colours with a particularly neat use of shading, and most of the action sequences feature an amazing, psychedelic change in the palette. Innovative stuff as far as I'm concerned, and it made any of the content very pleasing to watch on a visual level at the very least. Other things alongside this are the great soundtrack (OP and ED are only average though IMO) and a carefully-nurtured general atmosphere that prevails over the wild tonal shifts of the plot: it's a carefree, rebellious vibe that fits right in around the beggar-heroes of 'Café Nowhere' and makes each episode work within itself, even compensating a bit for the lack of linear storyline progression. It's undeniably stylish and though it has obviously been influenced by lots of other shows, it has plenty of its own flavour. Given that this is the first season only, most of the episodes focus on attempting to provide a background and some development for each of the major characters (there are quite a few). Your interest will be piqued by the case that will emerge for them to resolve, you may giggle a bit at some of the humour, the action will likely be fairly average by the standards of action-oriented anime, the adversity in each episode will be overcome in traditional manner, and then we'll be back with everyone at the Nowhere, before rounding off with a sinister glimpse of the villain's machinations in the mean-time (these short scenes are the main recurring factor that advances the over-arching plot in each episode). The individual episodes are not hugely engaging or intense, but they're entertaining enough to maintain interest, while the thing that really makes Hamatora particular is the way it trades tones like a politician trades policy: one second the show will not be taking itself seriously at all, whereas the next we'll be getting dark and violent twists, combined with grandiose monologues and such. Make of this what you will, I found that while it prevented boredom, it made things a tad incoherent and wasn't great at drawing you into the mood sought after (example: When an unexpected, serious twist comes out of nowhere, and then the next episode is a goofy beach episode). Finally we get the characters: these are the main meh point for me. I mean, it's pretty clear that the female characters were kind of thrown in cynically in order to placate the show's male fans: they settle for clichés that some might find cute but didn't really have an effect on me, and are basically left undeveloped for the whole runtime. As for the male characters, they're quite skilfully explored in their episodes, but the simple fact is that the creators tried to decentralize their focus too much and develop all of them in equal amounts one or two at a time, which made the development seem a bit artificial. Not only did the fleshing-out of each of them decrease the flow of the plot as I mentioned, but it makes it harder to bond with Nice or to endear him to us. The villain intrigued me at first, seeming a bit like a sillier and more eccentric Makishima (Psycho Pass), but he really gets a bit tiresome after a while, endlessly repeating the same monologue with his hands stretched towards the heavens. The finale was unfortunately pretty underwhelming, particularly given the cynical cliffhanger trick employed by the writers as a run-up to the sequel. Overall, it's well-worth trying the first episode out, which in my view can give you a pretty good idea of what you're getting. It draws inspiration from a lot of sources and so may seem unoriginal to some. However it's also good fun, and if you like the visuals, vibe and premise, you might find both this season and its sequel fairly rewarding. 5.5/10