Ichigo Mashimaro

Azumanga Daioh was probably the first plotless comedy I ever saw, with Lucky Star coming second. I found both of them to be a great change of pace from the usual action/drama packed animes I normally watched and enjoyed them immensely. How they would make you laugh by putting the characters in normal situations and living normal lives and having funny things happen to them that were actually pretty realistic. Like being forced to go to school even though you spent the whole night gaming/watching anime and trying not to fall asleep in class, or writing a really long post only to have your internet die as soon as you press “Post” and have it lost forever. They’re all things most of us have experienced, hence we can relate with the character, and laugh all the harder. With Azumanga long over and Lucky Star coming to a close, I felt the need for yet another comedy with no plot, and I found a jewel called Ichigo Mashimaro.

Ichigo is based around 5 girls. The older sister (and my personal favorite) Nobue, the younger sister Chika, the best friend Miu, Matsuri the neighbor and Ana the foreigner who knows more Japanese then she does English. The five do things ranging from soccer games to New Year festivals. Each of the girls could also be labeled as matching certain types of moes, there’s the badass kind, the shy and quiet kind, the proud and pretty kind, the playful kind and the normal kind. It’s safe to say that each girl was tailored to some of the different kinds of girls, in order for the female viewer to relate to the characters more.

Click To Enlarge the Awesomness

The characters are simply drawn lolis, but no complaints here. Although the characters were drawn easily, the background detail was really well done, and fit the genre of laid back anime very well. The soundtrack was fun and effective, mostly with bells, xylophones and flutes.

Lesbian Lolis, In My Ichigo?!

Ichigo is definitely a good anime for those who enjoy plotless animes like Lucky Star, but for those people looking for amazing character development and plot twist, stay away from this one. It’s more of an anime to watch on a rainy day or a Sunday afternoon, it’ll make you laugh and certainly pass the time, I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope some of you consider watching it.

Ichigo Mashimaro Info:
Number of Episodes: 12
Originally Aired: July 14, 2005
Genres: Comedy, School
Personal Rating: 10/10