19 January 2009: Hyakko is Torako porn
Torako torments Amagasa again.
I'm so relieved Hyakko focused on Torako instead of Ayumi. With all the pre-season Hirano Aya buzz and the first-episode focus, I was afraid Hyakko was going to turn out to be All Ayumi All the Time. Not that this would have been a disaster, but Ayumi is the least-interesting of the characters. Thankfully, pretty much every episode is about Torako fucking with people.
Suzume, Nene, and Ushio.
I especially like the sub-plot about the guy who has a soul-consuming crush on Torako. The intensity of his obsession is especially amusing since the Hyakko character designs are somewhat non-specific regarding pulchritude. That is, there's no good indication as to which characters are supposed to be the attractive ones; they are all uniformly non-distinct.
Don't fall for it, guy.
I say "sub-plot," but this implies Hyakko has a main plot. It does not. It is entirely slice-of-life with minor recurring diversions. The closest thing Hyakko has to a unified plot is the bit at the end about Torako's family. In my view, that was rather unnecessary, although I can understand the desire to at least pretend to wrap things up before the end of the series.
Hitsugi's studies are a little advanced for a kid in grammar school.
It turns out Hyakko doesn't need a plot because it can get by just fine with episode after episode of Torako fucking with people. It has a charming cast of characters, and while I'm probably a little overzealous in how much I enjoyed the series, I suspect most people who gave the series a chance after a few initial slow episodes wound up as I did—wishing there would be another season and more escapades to enjoy. At least there's the manga.
