Binbou Shimai Monogatari is your typical slice-of-life series. Kyou and Asu are two sisters. Their mother died when Asu was born, while their father ran away and left a huge debt. This means that they’ve been living most of their lives together. And that’s basically it. The ten episodes of this anime basically follow these two girls, as they live their daily life.
While it definitely isn’t anything special, I have to give this series credit for being the first slice-of-life show to actually catch my interest. The fact that the girls are alone didn’t only make them independent, it also made them very emotional towards each other. The two girls love each other, but at the same time, they worry about each other way too much, which makes sure for a couple of very cute scenes.
The anime certainly has a few very cute moments. There are some light attempts at comedy which really contribute to these scenes. It’s also one of the few series in which the different eye-catches are very amusing. The character designs look very good, and both sisters look very cute. Still, the fact remains that this is a slice-of-life series. During the majority of the airtime, it’s just boring. It also contains a couple of moments which don’t really make any sense, with the most notable one being an extremely rich girl who insists on buying all kinds of bargains.
Overall, it had its cute moments, but Binbou Shimai Monogatari will never be anything memorable. Only check out this series if you are really, really bored.
I actually watched it so many times, I got the theme song stuck in my head and can’t get it out! If I do, I start to get “Bye Nikki Bye” stuck. That’s how much I like that Binbou Shimai Monogatari theme. I don’t think that anime is boring. I think it’s actually kind of funny and sad at the same time. I laughed on some parts and cried on others. I sometimes even rewind just to see those funny parts again. I remember the fist third of the first episode.
Ah, yes. Everyone has a different taste. I’m not really fan of pure slice-of-life series, which is why I couldn’t enjoy this one. If you are fan of these series, however, I can imagine that it’ll be a great series to watch. 🙂
I just watched all of it. It wasn’t anything super special, but it was reaaaaaally sweet. Some parts made me cry too. :]
Yes the sisters are super-clingy but that makes it even more amusing to watch. One thing I’ve always wondered, was why orphaned children living alone is such a popular theme to use. Its used so often in anime.. ( or more than you realize at least)
And how the heck does a 15 year old get an apartment like that??
Can 15 year olds really live on their own in japan??
Thats kinda amusing when you think about it, but not so much for the kid. In japan real estate is priceless.
Hmm, interesting. I never really knew that. If I had to guess, then she found a really cheap place somewhere (like, a student apartment or something).
I also believe that the reason for the overuse of missing parents is that they give a great excuse of involving the main character with a certain storyline. Most anime is about humans who are special in some way, and most of them became special because their parents were special.