“Mitchiko and Hatchin” was provided as a review sample by Funimation. You can pick up your copy using the following links:
STORY
“Mitchiko and Hatchin” tells the tale of two unlikely female companions. Mitchiko and Hana (Hatchin) set off on a journey to reach the same goal, but each gal has a different reason.
Mitchiko is a foxy female who finds herself in jail due to the murder of a gang leader. Hana is a young girl living the Cinderella lifestyle; her adoptive family is constantly bombarding her with housework and humiliation.
After breaking out of a high security prison, Mitchiko rescues the unfortunate Hana, whom Mitchiko begins calling Hatchin. Then the two set off to find the only thing that links these complete strangers: a man by the name of Hiroshi; he is the father of Hana and Mitchiko’s true love.
But things are not smooth sailing ( or in this case, smooth moped-ing) for the duo. What awaits the two is a very eventful trip through Brazil. Mitchiko and Hatchin get involved in all sorts of trouble with the local low-lives, con artists, the Monstro and Phantasma gangs, and the police.
While Mitchiko and Hatchin are involved in their share of action, the pace of the show can sometimes feel quite slow, but not in a boring way. The show uses its sometimes-leisurely pace to portray the slower lifestyle one can experience in South American countries. More importantly, quite a bit of character development occurs during slower portions of the show. It is thanks to these moments that the relationship between Mitchiko and Hana (Hatchin) blossoms beautifully.
The show runs an odd number of episodes, only 22. I felt that an episode or two (definitely the bullfighting episode) could have been dropped from the show’s run. These filler episodes were probably made to showcase the Brazilian culture to the audience, but in the end they feel a bit forced into the story. Furthermore, there was one loose end that I would have liked to seen resolved before the show’s end.
Audio
The soundtrack is also quite good. While the show can be quite slow at times, the background music can liven up the scenes and help the viewer enjoy the slower bits of the show. The music also does a great job at punctuating the action scenes of the show. The intro of the show is a catchy samba song that plays to a very stylized intro animation sequence. Right off the bat, the intro reminded me of Cowboy Bebop. It is no accident that the music may remind viewers of music that played during Shinichiro Watanabe’s space cowboy anime. As it turns out, Watanabe produce the music for Mitchiko and Hatchin, which was composed Alexandre Kassin. Since Kassin is a Brazilian composer, the music feels authentic to the setting of the show.
Animation
The animation is pretty decent, though the budget of the show becomes apparent during some of the action scenes and even during some of the non-action sequences. But the story of the show is pretty captivating, so one can easily forgive the show for its animation shortcomings.
Final Thoughts
All in all, “Mitchiko and Hatchin” is a good road trip anime about a girl and a woman learning about who they are and what they mean to each other. This show was produced with a female audience in mind, which is obvious due to its strong female cast and focus on relationships. But that doesn’t mean that guys will not be able to enjoy the antics of Mitchiko and Hatchin. It is a great show with tons of heart, peppered with action, humor and interesting characters.
“Mitchiko and Hatchin” was provided as a review sample by Funimation. You can pick up your copy using the following links: