If you have any interest in Slice of Life anime especially of the Cute Girls Doing Cute Things variety you may have heard the phrase show about nothing before. These are shows without any meaningful plot no real action and no suspense or mystery. In essence shows where nothing happens. Whats fun about a show like that? With no plot no tension nothing of anything what point is there in watching a show about nothing? Well its because its not just a show about nothing is it? In the absence of all these other things the remaining actors can take center stage: the characters. Slice of Life media to me has an almost unparalleled ability to make its characters feel not only wellwritten but real. You can truly begin to relate to and empathize with these characters as they go through their daily lives as they interact with the world and the people around them and as they struggle through the hardships in their lives. Thats why when I was in high school and bawling my eyes out to KON s second season a spark hit me and I realized Id found something truly special. It wasnt a show about nothing it was a show about characters about people going through the same things I was and that I could relate to. It would take a long time before that spark hit me again. It finally did when I decided to watch Hakumei Mikochi on a whim one night though this time for a slightly different reason: Not only did its characters strike a chord with me but I also fell for its remarkable ability to turn the mundane everyday lives of its cast into something truly magical. https://files.catbox.moe/gv9ton.jpg Premise Hakumei Mikochi follows the titular characters Hakumei and Mikochi as they live their daily lives in the small town of Makinata. They go to work they go shopping they hang out with their friends and they do all the same things we do every day but with some crucial differences: theyre 9 centimeters 3.5 inches tall and they live in a whimsical forest wonderland full of talking animals and other oddities rather than Earth. Hakumei Mikochi is a pure Iyashikei work. The show is here to do one thing and one thing only. Its here to heal you and relax you through the heartwarming adventures of its two lead characters. https://files.catbox.moe/s518tu.jpg Narrative Worldbuilding Hakumei Mikochi runs on an episodic format. Theres no real overarching story to speak of and each episode is usually split into 2 or 3 separate little chapters each with a selfcontained plotline. These range from a day at Hakumeis workplace to the pair going to a festival and getting roped into a singing competition. Its all very mundane very podunk. Thats not to say theres no tension or action. Quite the opposite. In between all the fluff Hakumei Mikochi does a very good job of showing that conflict and danger exist even in this idyllic world. In the first couple of episodes alone Hakumei and Mikochi nearly die several times. Beyond the narrative the true strength of the show lies in its worldbuilding and its what made me fall truly in love with it from the first time I watched it. Theres a sort of magical whimsy to the setting that makes it stand out from just about anything else Ive seen in the medium. At first glance it might seem like the sort of pseudomedieval fantasy landscape thats commonly seen in anime but theres one crucial little detail Ive mentioned that propels it straight into fairy tale territory: the world is tiny quite literally. This changes everything and its what makes the show excel at its craft. Its what makes me genuinely happy to watch Mikochi do household chores and to watch Hakumei go to work. Despite how whimsical and slapdash the world feels or perhaps because of it everything makes perfect sense as you watch it. The general tech level seems equivalent to the late 1800s as cameras and trains exist but at the same time theres no visible industry anywhere. No cars or other vehicles seem to exist beetles and larger animals like raccoons instead act like taxis and buses. People are selfsufficient and often live off the land and Hakumei and Mikochi are shown foraging for food and wood several times. Its an odd and interesting blend of an industrial society and a fairy tale forest realm. Theres also a hint of spirituality and possibly magic to the world. Spirits like tsukumogami are clearly shown to exist and Sen can reanimate the dead through the power of music. Hakumei Mikochi takes a lot of care to show how life is different when youre 9cm tall in an otherwise normalsized world. Things that wed never think to worry about can be lifethreatening for Hakumei and Mikochi. An orange falling on my head would be a mild inconvenience at most but for our protagonists itd mean instant death. An owl is just an owl to us but for our protagonists its a terrifying monster ten times their size that could swallow them both in one bite. Its not all danger though: A normal watermelon for instance is shown to be enough to feed an entire crew of hungry construction workers and we see how the small folk can comfortably live inside cute little tree stumps turtle shells and even eggs. A single peanut is enough for a snack for both Hakumei and Mikochi. The small folk and the talking animals also seem to live in harmony and society in Makinata is designed to accommodate even the larger animals. Larger animals do the heavy lifting that the small folk arent strong enough to do and the small folk do the detail work that the larger animals dont have the dexterity for. https://files.catbox.moe/kxuw32.jpg Characters In the absence of any real plot Hakumei Mikochi like many Iyashikei relies entirely on its cast of characters and how they interact with each other to keep the viewer engaged. Luckily this particular cast is filled to the brim with a variety of colorful characters both human ? and animal to enjoy. Hakumei and Mikochi are of course our leads that the show centers itself around. Hakumei is a cheerful energetic tomboy who loves the outdoors. She works as a carpenter and handyman doing odd jobs fixing stuff around town for money. Mikochi on the other hand is more traditionally feminine being kind and caring but more reserved than Hakumei. Shes also an incredibly skilled cook singer and seamstress. They complement each other very well: Hakumeis adventurous nature helps bring Mikochi out of her cowardly shell and conversely Mikochi helps keep Hakumei grounded when things dont go her way. Honestly the chemistry these two have with each other is CRAZY. Theyre always supporting each other in everything and theyre both a total delight to watch no matter what theyre doing. Other characters mistake them for a married couple and you wouldnt be wrong for thinking so yourself. You could very easily make a yuri ship with these two. I ship it personally. The supporting cast is large and varied and several characters become reoccurring friends of the main pair and appear throughout the shows runtime. The most prominent of these are Konju a klutzy but skilled songstress Sen a shy necromancer and Iwashi a weasel whos also Hakumeis boss. Other highlights include Narai the chief of the local construction guild Jada the hairdresser and the Master of the caf Kobone. https://files.catbox.moe/n5x1wt.jpg Audiovisuals Ill be honest Hakumei Mikochi isnt exactly what I would consider a masterpiece of animation. It doesnt need to be either. Its not trying to wow you with extremely fluid character movements awesome fight choreography or breathtaking special effects. Fundamentally this show is trying to relax you. Lerche does a fine job of that They adapt the chibi artstyle of the manga perfectly the characters are consistently onmodel even the animal characters and the movement is generally smooth. One interesting and quite unique part of the visuals is the way the show makes use of paneling which seems to be a trademark of director Masaomi Andou to keep the momentum going and to always have something moving on the screen. The real strength of Hakumei Mikochi to me though lies in its aesthetic. By aesthetic I mean colors designs lighting and just the general mood of the show. This is where the show really excels at making you feel relaxed and comfortable as it makes excellent use of warm vibrant colors and warm lighting to make each scene as cozy as possible. Many scenes are bathed in the golden glow of the sunset which when contrasted against the green of the forest or the rooftops of Makinata makes for a soothing vibe. The characters evoke this feeling as well through the way they dress. Most of the small folk including Hakumei and Mikochi themselves wear long flowing robes dresses and skirts in various vibrant patterns and colors. One huge part of what makes the aesthetic pop and the REAL standout in terms of visuals is the background art done by Studio Kusanagi. I have never before or since seen an anime with such beautiful background art as Hakumei Mikochi. Kusanagi truly outdid themselves here. Every single scene whether its the hustle and bustle of Makinata itself or the lush greenery surrounding the town is a painting exploding with colors and watching the characters interact with these gorgeous environments is a delight. https://files.catbox.moe/bzs24o.jpg The voice acting is superb across the board and there are some real allstars in this cast for the seiyuu enthusiast. Standouts include Aoi Yuuki Kenjirou Tsuda Rie Takahashi Junichi Suwabe and Megumi Ogata. Risae Matsuda and Shino Shimoji the voices of Hakumei and Mikochi respectively do a fantastic job of making their characters come to life and reflect their personalities well Hakumei sounding more upbeat and cheerful and Mikochi being a little more subdued and elegant. The music ties the whole package together being composed by Evan Call who also composed the soundtrack for the Violet Evergarden franchise. Calls music enhances every scene its played in no matter the mood: tensions run higher sad scenes get sadder and that warm fuzzy feeling gets even warmer as his genius serenades you. The OP and ED as well urar by Chima gently sets the stage for the adventures to come. The ED Harvest Moon Night sung by the VAs of Mikochi Konju is instead a jaunty tune about food drink that closes out each episode on a lighthearted note. https://files.catbox.moe/xln60b.jpg Conclusion There are many words Id use to describe Hakumei Mikochi an anime that quickly became one of my favorites of all time. Cozy warm fuzzy heartwarming the list goes on. Cottagecore Propaganda is an apt description. To me its the ultimate Iyashikei that embodies everything the genre wants to be: soothing healing and relaxing. There are no grandiose action scenes no thrilling murder mysteries and no whirlwind romances. If thats what youre looking for in an anime you wont find it here. Instead all the moving parts the characters the worldbuilding the visuals the music they all come together to create pure unfiltered Comf. Hakumei Mikochi is a tiny little show with a very big heart trying its very best to make the mundane into something magical.