Hinamatsuri is a story written by Otake Masao and has been serialized in Harta since 2010. It was long-awaited and made into an anime in April 2018. It is a sci-fi comedy that depicts the hectic daily lives of a psychic girl who suddenly appears in a house one day and an intellectual yakuza, and it is a work that sometimes brings tears to your eyes. This time, we will introduce the members of Asaga Shopping District, who are looked after by Hitomi and Anzu!
A Brief Introduction to Hinamatsuri
One day, while the intellectual yakuza Nitta was at home auctioning and browsing his hobby pots, a mysterious object fell on his head. Inside was a mysterious girl. Nitta dismissed the object for a day, assuming it was a mistake, but by morning the object hadn't disappeared. With determination, Nitta speaks to the girl and frees her from the mysterious suit, but it turns out she has psychic powers and they end up living together. And so begins Nitta and Hina's hectic days.
What is Asaga Shopping District?
This shopping district is home to the bar Nitta often frequents and the ramen shop he eats lunch at. It's a place of strong bonds, and when the shopping district suffers damage or when soup kitchens are held, the community unites.
Sakura Utako (voiced by Yoko Hikasa)
Sakura Utako is a supporting character in Hinamatsuri. She is the owner and bartender of "little song," a bar frequented by Nitta. Nitta likes her and often courts her, but Utako doesn't seem interested in her at the moment and brushes him off. Instead, she is very fond of Hina.
Utako's Personality
He's generally kind-hearted and straightforward, saying exactly what he thinks. However, he can also be a bit pushy, using underhanded tactics like forcing middle school student Hitomi to work at a bar and deceiving her during negotiations. He also sometimes acts without regard for his own dignity or shame. He also has a strong dislike for the police, likely due to a past history with them.
The Legend of Utako's Beloved Scumbag, Part 1
As soon as he saw Hitomi's talent, he forced her to work at his bar, even though he knew she was only a middle school student. And what's worse, he even resorted to threatening tactics during the negotiations.
Utako's Beloved Scumbag Legend Part 2
She ripped off Nakatani, Hitomi's homeroom teacher and a regular at the bar. She seems to be a total scumbag when it comes to money, and when they eat and drink at a restaurant together, she casually makes Hitomi pay. To a middle school student...
The Legend of Utako's Beloved Scumbag, Part 3
I let Hitomi do most of the work and slack off while I do. My goal is to earn money without working, so I never try to get Hitomi to quit. With Hitomi, the store thrives and I make money even if I don't work. So I tried to stop Hitomi from quitting many times. Eventually, Hitomi quit when she went to high school, but the way I tried to stop her was an unprecedented strategy and it was crazy. (Please check the original work for details, lol)
I'll just say it's not all bad
Since Hinamatsuri itself is a comedy, it's like, "We couldn't do without characters like this (lol)." But no matter what, he's always at the forefront of things happening in the shopping district, he campaigns to protect the homeless, he runs soup kitchens, he sometimes gives advice about chicks, he even finds homes for Anzu, so you see, he has a lot of good points, so he's not a real scumbag, but when it comes to money, he's a bit of a loser. But when you watch him, you can actually kind of like how trashy he is. Please continue to show off your trashiness (lol)
Tanaka CV: Junichi Yanagida
A drunk office worker who often visits Utako's bar, he always wears a tie around his head. He also has a relationship with Nitta and Sabu, and is affectionately referred to as Tanaka's uncle and dad. It was actually Tanaka who came up with the fundamental reason for Hitomi to work at the bar; when she happened to be at the bar, he mistook her for a new bartender and had her make drinks, which was Hitomi's first step on the path to becoming a bartender.
The Hayashis (voiced by Taro Yamaguchi and Chinatsu Makihara)
The owners of the Chinese restaurant Rai Rai Ken, who adopted Anzu, are both extremely kind and easily moved to tears. He is very emotional, crying when he hears about Anzu's situation and crying when he sees her willingness to help. From the beginning he has been very concerned about Anzu and comforts her with kind words, and both he and his wife treat her as their own daughter, with Anzu also starting to call them Mom and Dad over time. The couple actually have a son, but the husband's personality makes him harsh and he has been disowned.
Ya-san (voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji)
Although not strictly a member of the shopping district, Ya-san is a homeless man who sleeps in a local park. When he first appears, he offers money to inform Anzu of her whereabouts after she shoplifts and runs away. Feeling guilty about this, he offers to hide her, and they meet. He was the one who taught Anzu, who still didn't know common sense and was always doing bad things, common sense as a human being and how to survive. By meeting Ya-san, Anzu learned the value of various things in the modern world and the difficulties of life, and became a fine person. After parting ways with Anzu, he seems to be working with government support.
Shige (voiced by Banmu Furukawa)
Like Ya-san, Shige is a homeless man with an old-fashioned personality. He was initially strict with Anzu, but eventually came to love her like a granddaughter, and cried when they parted ways. Like Ya-san, he is another key contributor to Anzu's rehabilitation.
[Hinamatsuri] Summary: Residents of Asaga Shopping Street!
Well, with the exception of Utako-san's scumbag state, the shopping district members are all really nice people (lol). Many of the other minor characters are also nice, giving the shopping district a warm, humane, old-fashioned feel. However, this shopping district will change in many ways over time and with redevelopment, but as Hayashi-san told Anzu, even if they are separated, their memories will live on in their hearts, and they will remain connected by a bond. The relationship between Anzu and Hayashi-san is especially worth seeing, so if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out Hinamatsuri!
