Follow me back to 2004 for a moment and let's look at one of this weeks curiosities. Midori no Hibi.

Midori no Hibi. The basic premise of this show is... well, it's basic. Guy wakes up with a cute girl for a right hand. I know right? That's what I thought to. Follow me for a minute here, it's not as dumb as it seems.

Seiji Sawamura is your average high-school hooligan. He's a loner who likes to beat people up. At least this is what some people would have you believe.

Trash talk is always easy when you have no idea what you're talking about.

The truth of the matter is that, yes, Seiji is a complete bad-ass but no, he doesn't just like to show off his brute strength in order to impress and no, he doesn't just beat up on people to make himself feel good. Seiji is a nice guy, he protects people when they need help. Sadly though, this isn't how the world sees Seiji. They just know about his demon right hand and how good it is at pulverising people. No-one ever mentioned how it only pulverises ass-holes who like to beat on people for their own fun. This has led poor Seiji to a small problem. Every girl he asks out is afraid of him.

Mad Dog Kawamura. Don't beat up his friends.



All Seiji wants is a nice girl friend to spend his time with.

Enter Midori. Midori is the girl that has been crushing on Seiji from afar since middle-school. She knows that he only fights to protect. She understands that all he really wants is to help people and she knows that he has a good heart. Imagine her surprise (and also excitement) when she woke up one day next to him, albeit as his new right hand. Now this turn of events isn't just strange, it's a serious issue.
Being as it is that Seiji has spent most of his life beating back the bullies he has a fair share of enemies to fight off from day to day. How can he do that without his right hand?

This is Midori. She made quite the entrance.

Of course Seiji isn't completely a loner. He does have one friend. An underclassman who looks up to him and sees him as the protector he really is. Unfortunately for him, being friends with someone who likes to beat back the bilge can get you into your fair share of sticky situations.

This poor guy doesn't have the best of luck.

All of this being said. While it might sound a little weird, having a cute girl on your right arm can lead to some funny moments, like trying to hide your whatthefuckohmyfuckinggodwhatisthatness from the rest of the world. It can also lead to some strangely romantic moments.

Whoever thought that a monorail station bench could seem sweet?

All in all, Midori no Hibi, contrary to my preconceptions, seems to actually be a fairly decent anime. It has a seriously whacked out basis but it's well executed and it has some deeper plot points like Seiji's wish to be understood and the general shitty demeanour of humans which come through pretty well from the first moment. Even if you don't think that the plot points are worth following, there is the occasional interesting fight scene and some nudity to quell your boredom. In the end, Midori no Hibi seems to be a decent anime and definitely worth the once over.

Even Seiji has a good side.

Animation: 9

Plot:7

Voice Acting: 8

Soundtrack: Umm?

Overall: 8

Halo


Mamiko Noto: No