Hakumei and Mikochi is a series I initially skipped out on when it first aired. Not for any reason as the premise did appeal to my tastes and I put it on my list of anime I planned to watch but at the time it came out I was burnt out on anime. From 2010 to the end of 2015 I watched a ton of anime...but after I graduated college I felt myself unable to watch even a single episode per month unless it was a new episode of Pokemon. A number of things contributed to this for me: Too much time on my hands too many titles that had elements that turned me off job hunting with no success cyberbullying in one particular fandom having seen too many shows and so on. Anime always brought me joy and I honestly tried to get back into it but I couldnt muster up the motivation to go back to what I did before. I just couldnt get myself in the frame of mind to watch anything anymore even the shows I really loved. Then the crapshow that was 2020 happened and one day I watched an episode of an anime. And another. And another. Slowly but surely I found myself going back to the old routine that sustained me throughout my school years. I think I finally managed to claw myself out of it. Not completely but Im feeling a lot better and more motivated than I was before. To think it actually took a pandemic for me to get back into the medium that brought me so much joy throughout my life. In that regard I finally managed to watch and finish shows I was interested in watching with Hakumei and Mikochi being one of them. God this series is so cute and sweet and deserves way more love than it gets But what is Hakumei and Mikochi about anyway? In an unnamed fantasy land talking animals and people reaching only a few inches tall coexist in peace. Two such tiny people Hakumei and Mikochi live together in a house built into a tree. Hakumei is a tomboyish energetic carpenter while the more feminine reserved responsible Mikochi is a tailor and cook who sells her work to nearby establishments. The two are pretty different but they get along well and spend every day together in harmony. They work go on sightseeing adventures take shopping trips and interact with the various people and animals in their hometown Makinata. Basically its a low key fantasy sliceoflife story about two women who live together and if youre confused as to how old Hakumei and Mikochi are the series makes it pretty clear that even though their character designs are deliberately chibiesque and childlike theyre fully grown adults. One thing Hakumei and Mikochi really excels at is making use of its setting. Since the main characters and other tiny humanoids like them are only a few inches tall smaller than most animals even the series takes great pains to show how much bigger the world would seem to their perspective. A mouse would be small to us but bigger than our two main characters. In fact the series really has an incredible sense of detail. Both Hakumei and Mikochi are shown doing tasks that most other shows would take for granted like acquiring food cooking sewing clothes using different types of dye and what conditions create certain colors sharpening their tools and so on. Most anime would only show just one or two scenes like this but for Hakumei and Mikochi its part of their daily life as it would be for other people in real life. Theyre always doing something meaningful that even if it may not impact the story brings a lot of life to both them as characters and the world they live in. Granted there are other shows that have done this better but since most anime tend to take a lot of these things for granted Im giving Hakumei and Mikochi an A+ for this one. This extends to the characters as well namely our main duo. The show also takes great pains to show what these two girls are like their hobbies their personalities and just how they manage to live together in spite of their differences. Hakumei is an energetic tomboy who eats a lot but shes also a hard worker and takes her jobs very seriously something one wouldnt expect out of characters that follow that archetype. Mikochi is more feminine and often keeps her in life but the series treats her as very proactive and her hobbies and talents are treated with just as much respect as Hakumeis. Both have their strengths weaknesses and talents and compliment each other perfectly. It helps that the side characters are pretty good as well even if I wish more had been done with them. The only character I admittedly dont like is Conju mainly because shes kind of a stuckup brat who frequently causes trouble though even shes fairly mild compared to other far worse and more meanspirited characters in other anime Ive seen. The artwork and animation was done by a newer studio called Lerche who previously animated shows like Astra: Lost In Space ToiletBound Hanakokun Monster Musume and Radiant. While the characters dont display much in terms of movement and motion Though Hanakokun is a lot worse about this the series makes up for it with lush backgrounds and a subdued low key artstyle that perfectly conveys the sheer beauty of the world around our two leads. Ive heard that some people took issue with Lerches usage of mangastyle panels for certain parts but I personally wasnt bothered by them. I thought that they worked just fine for the scenes they were used for and werent overused. The soundtrack is also a joy to listen to with every piece fitting the feel and atmosphere of the series from loud energetic cowboy fiddles to soft soothing piano music for the quieter parts. Honestly the only thing I can see people take issue with is that its deliberately slow paced and lacking in action. This isnt a series for people who want to see bloodpumping fights or guys screaming at each other constantly. Hakumei and Mikochi is a sliceoflife through and through and knows what its supposed to be. That being said Im admittedly not a fan of episode 8 because its whole tone and premise felt jarring and out of place for a series like this. Its not a bad episode or anything but it just seemed to come out of nowhere and really clashed with the rest of the series. But its just one episode out of twelve so I think I can let it slide. In terms of iyashikei series Hakumei and Mikochi is one of the best the genre has to offer. Its a sweet charming little timekiller thats perfect for when you want to wrap yourself in a blanket sit by the fireplace drink hot chocolate and relax on a snowy winter day. Its sweet its wholesome and definitely worth your time if youre willing to give it a chance.