Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Michiko & Hatchin: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Father and child reunion?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 11, 2013

Did you ever fantasize as a child that your parents were not your actual parents, and that in fact you obviously had been adopted? There’s probably not a kid alive who hasn’t looked at his parents and wondered (to himself or actually out loud), “I came from you?” My own personal childhood fantasy involved none other than Elliott Gould and Elizabeth Montgomery, and I still am convinced at times that I am the unknown (even to them) progeny of a long forgotten affair. As that old adage goes, you don’t get to pick the family you’re born into, but sometimes you also don’t get to pick the family that adopts you, and so we come to hapless little Hana in the unusual and often wonderfully compelling anime Michiko and Hatchin. Hana has had the misfortune to have been adopted by a martinet minister and his equally outrageous family, and the poor little girl is regularly subjected to a variety of abuses that will probably have most viewers’ blood boiling by the end of the first episode. Not only is Hana subjected to Cinderella-esque demands that she keep the house clean, she’s beaten up by her step-siblings, including a really obnoxious older girl and an equally obnoxious younger boy. The parents have adopted Hana for the simple fact that they receive a child support stipend from the government, something which of course they don’t deign to spend on Hana. Meanwhile a female convict named Michiko has managed an elaborate escape from the prison where she’s being held, and after having robbed a bank in broad daylight, she sets off to find Hana. The minister and his wife think that Michiko might be Hana’s long lost mother, who is presumed to be dead, but that may or may not be the case, as this slowly unfolding story proves. Michiko does show up at the decrepit parsonage where Hana has more or less been held as a prisoner herself, and Michiko does free Hana from that life of servitude. But what happens next is a bit surprising.

Some of you who regularly read my reviews may already be aware that I am shall we say bat guano crazy for Brazilian music, having been oddly obsessed with Bossa Nova and subsequent Brazilian movements like Tropicalia and MPB since I was literally a toddler. My wife often jokes that “the stork” was supposed to have dropped her off in Long Island rather than Wisconsin, and I guess I could say the same, although this time the distance would be somewhat more dramatic, drifting from the climes of Utah to way “south of the border” to regions like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paolo. And so one of the first things that really fascinated me about Michiko and Hatchin was its apparently Brazilian setting. I say “apparently” for while many (maybe even most) episodes seem to be depicting elements of Brazilian culture and its wonderful people, there are also allusions to other South American places. One way or the other, Michiko and Hatchin is one of the few—and maybe the only—anime I can recall that has exploited these locales.

Once Michiko more or less abducts Hana, giving her the nickname Hatchin along the way, the series becomes an episodic tour through various locations as this decided odd couple attempt to track down a long lost man who Michiko claims was Hana’s father and Michiko’s long lost lover. All three of these individuals bear a very distinctive tattoo, though in different places on the body. Making life difficult is a female police detective whom Michiko derisively calls Jambo, a woman who has a bit of a history with Michiko herself, but who vacillates between wanting to bring Michiko to justice (she is, after all, an escaped convict) and allowing her to proceed on her quest.

Both characters here are consistently quite interesting, especially Michiko, who is like a grown up tsundere, spouting insults at a variety of people and having a rather unbridled temper most of the time. Hana (or Hatchin) is also wonderfully developed, showing her “true grit” early in the series when she’s finally had enough of the abuse she’s suffered at the hands of her stepsiblings (a moment which will probably have more than one viewer shouting in approval), but frequently playing the grown up to Michiko’s petulant child.

What tends to get in this series’ way is both its aimlessness as well as a certain repetitiveness. Over and over again Michiko and Hatchin find themselves chased or otherwise threatened, or they have little spats (or occasional major spats), only to either escape or regroup by any given episode’s end. The really odd thing about the series is how open ended it is, even with a capping episode that seems to give a hint of some resolution (more about this in the Michiko & Hatchin Part 2 Blu-ray review). A series about a quest needs to have the goal firmly in sight, or else it will soon devolve into, to quote a famous song about a famous quest, “The Impossible Dream”.

Michiko & Hatchin: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Michiko and Hatchin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This Manglobe Studios production (Samurai Champloo, a series also directed by Michiko and Hatchin's helmsman Sayo Yamamoto). This production may not have quite the visual ingenuity of some of the production house's other efforts, but it often comes close. Characters have an unusually realistic look to them, and line detail is sharp and precise. The locations, often fetid favelas and other crowded urban environments, are usually delivered with a nice degree of precision and at least occasionally beautifully popping colors. The series is a bit drab in the palette department, which keeps things from being overly vivid a lot of the time, and several flashback scenes are peppered with "grain" to differentiate them from the contemporary moments. There's also a tendency to artificially soften some scenes, especially those that take place in extremely hot environments (where faux heat waves and shimmer are added to basic animation). But generally speaking this is a great looking high definition presentation that, aside from a handful of very brief instances of banding, looks sharp, well detailed and artifact free.

Michiko & Hatchin: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Michiko and Hatchin features a rather good English dub delivered via Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and the original Japanese language version in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. While the English language version has a much more pronounced low end (as should be expected) and nice surround activity when for example Michiko and Hatchin tool around on their little scooter, curious fans may want to at least check out the Japanese language track since it features two fairly well known actresses, Yoko Maki (or Magi, as she's identified in an extra in the second volume), who starred in The Grudge and Suzuka Ohga, who starred in Memoirs of a Geisha. The series features an exceptional music score, which is opened up considerably in the 5.1 mix. Fidelity is excellent on both of these tracks, and dynamic range gets a workout courtesy of elements like gunshots and car chases.

Michiko & Hatchin: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Commentary on Episode 1 features Christopher Bevins, Monica Rial and Jad Saxton.


• Commentary on Episode 2 features Christopher Bevins, Monica Rial and Sametria Ewunes.

Disc Two

• Michiko: The Woman Behind it All (1080p; 14:56) takes a look at the character while also profiling voice artist Monica Rial.


• Unveiling Press Conference (1080i; 10:47)


• Live Action Promo Video (1080i; 00:32)


• Anime Promo Video (1080i; 1:49)


• Textless Opening Song (1080p; 1:22)


• Textless Closing Song (1080p; 1:22)

Michiko & Hatchin: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michiko and Hatchin is a really fun and interesting series that offers two incredibly distinctive lead characters and, perhaps just as notably, a really unusual set of locations for an anime outing. The series frankly may ultimately not completely fulfill its potential, but this is one series where the journey is probably more important than the destination. Recommended.