Minami-ke Review

Let’s take a break from all seriousness and have some Minami-ke!

I’ve overindulged myself in shows that are just too serious, bloody and depressing. To counter it all off, I’ve decided to watch a number of series including Minami-ke, which are known for their simple but ingenious hilarity in slice-of-life instances.

Basically, there really isn’t any main plot for the story as everything just revolves around the everyday lives of the Minami sisters. The Minami household comprises of the ideal Haruka (eldest) in her high school years, who takes responsibility in looking out for her sisters – spontaneous Kana (middle) in junior high school, who is yet to aggressively discover the fun things in life – and witty Chiaki (youngest) in elementary, who looks up to Haruka and insists that Kana is an idiot.

You will come to know these girls as they spend their school days, vacation trips, festival gatherings, Christmas as well as New Year. In other words: “Watch my experience points as they go up!” – lyrics in the first OP.

Focusing mainly on family values and genuine friendship, Minami-ke is definitely a fun watch. That is, for mundane laughs and in times of boredom. Just as the show warns you in every episode of season 1: “…Please do not expect much from it.”

Despite all that, the show is appealing enough for me to watch all 40 episodes of the 3 seasons, including the OVA.

What makes the series really fun and interesting are the assorted friends of all 3 Minamis from their schools. Varied with age ranges from elementary to high school, they certainly put up entertaining out-of-the-ordinary scenarios that make up for the show’s mundane-ity.

The show does feature bizarre fetishes (fan service included no doubt), such as unrequited lesbianism and cross-dressing. But those are all just for laughs, I guess.  Usually, the suggested scenarios save them from being labeled as such. Examples are the cross-dressing Makoto (to continue visiting the Minami household, he needed to pass himself off as Kana’s friend Mako-chan), and Touma, as Chiaki requested her to be the little brother she never had.

The other characters don’t usually know Makoto and Touma’s true sexuality (except for Kana), and that usually is the basis for some of the funny scenes in Minami-ke.

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