Hidamari Sketch

Hidamari Sketch (ひだまりスケッチ) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip by Ume Aoki, which revolves around the daily lives of a group of young girls, all living in the same apartment where artists gather. It was first serialized in the seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat in April 2004, published by Houbunsha. Yen Press licensed the manga for distribution in North America under the title Sunshine Sketch and released the first volume on May 27, 2008.

A 12-episode anime adaptation, produced by Shaft, aired in Japan between January and March 2007. Two more special episodes were aired on October 18, 2007. A 13-episode second season entitled Hidamari Sketch × 365 aired in Japan between July and September 2008. An original video animation (OVA) episode for 365 was released in March 2009. Two special episodes for the second season were aired in October 2009. A third season, titled Hidamari Sketch × Hoshimittsu, aired between January and March 2010. Two special episodes for the third season aired in October 2010. Two additional episodes titled Hidamari Sketch × SP aired in October and November 2011. A fourth anime season, Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb, aired between October and December 2012. An additional OVA will be released on November 27, 2013. The anime series, as well as their specials, are licensed and distributed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. Two light novels based on the series, written by Chabō Higurashi with illustrations by Aoki, were released in 2007.

Plot
Hidamari Sketch centers around a young girl named Yuno who finally is able to get accepted into Yamabuki Art High School, which she has longed for. To attend the school, Yuno moves and starts to live in a small apartment building named the Hidamari Apartments (ひだまり荘) located across the street from the school. Once there, she quickly becomes friends with three other occupants at the apartments, including her classmate Miyako and two second-year students: Hiro and Sae. The events of the characters' everyday lives are shown as they attend the school together and get to know each other better. After a year has passed, the girls move up a year and two freshmen, Nazuna and Nori, arrive at Hidamari Apartments.

Hidamari Apartments

 * Yuno (ゆの)
 * Yuno, sometimes called "Yuno-tchi" by Miyako, is a young girl and main character in the story. She has fairly short hair, slightly above shoulder length that is light-brown. She is also the shortest of the six girls, and her stature is the subject of many jokes in the series. She lives in the Hidamari Apartments, along with her close friends and neighbors Miyako, Hiro, Sae, Nori, and Nazuna. Her friends think of her as a very nice person. Yuno dreams of being a great artist someday. Although she is a skilled artist overall, she considers painting and drawing her specialties. She is constantly seen wearing a pair of black, cross-shaped hairpins on her head, which she rarely takes off. She is also an only child in her family.
 * Yuno, sometimes called "Yuno-tchi" by Miyako, is a young girl and main character in the story. She has fairly short hair, slightly above shoulder length that is light-brown. She is also the shortest of the six girls, and her stature is the subject of many jokes in the series. She lives in the Hidamari Apartments, along with her close friends and neighbors Miyako, Hiro, Sae, Nori, and Nazuna. Her friends think of her as a very nice person. Yuno dreams of being a great artist someday. Although she is a skilled artist overall, she considers painting and drawing her specialties. She is constantly seen wearing a pair of black, cross-shaped hairpins on her head, which she rarely takes off. She is also an only child in her family.


 * Miyako (宮子)
 * Miyako is Yuno's close friend, classmate, and next door neighbor in the apartment building where they live. She has very blonde, yellow hair and eyes. Her hair is especially beautiful and "mature", but only right after she washes it. She has an older brother who is a gardener, who is responsible for cutting Miyako's hair before she starts going to Olive, a beauty salon. Yuno refers to her as Miya-chan. She has an active personality and is always trying to have fun with her friends. Her exuberance frequently borders on the childlike, but she is undeniably creative. She is very spontaneous and claims the word "plan" does not exist in her dictionary. She loves to eat and has frequently asked for Hiro's leftovers when she is on one of her diets. She sometimes points out that Hiro may be gaining weight, which earns her a punch on the head by Hiro. Miyako's energy is frequently excessive and misplaced. Her rent is 5,000 yen cheaper than that of the other girls because her apartment is in poor repair, which is fortunate because she has less money than the other girls most of the time.
 * Miyako is Yuno's close friend, classmate, and next door neighbor in the apartment building where they live. She has very blonde, yellow hair and eyes. Her hair is especially beautiful and "mature", but only right after she washes it. She has an older brother who is a gardener, who is responsible for cutting Miyako's hair before she starts going to Olive, a beauty salon. Yuno refers to her as Miya-chan. She has an active personality and is always trying to have fun with her friends. Her exuberance frequently borders on the childlike, but she is undeniably creative. She is very spontaneous and claims the word "plan" does not exist in her dictionary. She loves to eat and has frequently asked for Hiro's leftovers when she is on one of her diets. She sometimes points out that Hiro may be gaining weight, which earns her a punch on the head by Hiro. Miyako's energy is frequently excessive and misplaced. Her rent is 5,000 yen cheaper than that of the other girls because her apartment is in poor repair, which is fortunate because she has less money than the other girls most of the time.


 * Hiro (ヒロ)
 * Hiro is a year older than Yuno and Miyako, living directly under Yuno's apartment. Although she tries to be a supportive senior to the girls, she tends to worry excessively about her weight, causing her to go on diets for periods while occasionally binging on sweets. A violent side of her will come out whenever Miyako makes a comment about her weight, diet, or eating habits, which always result in Miyako receiving a good beating. Hiro is not a morning person; it is very difficult to wake her up in the morning and, when she does, she will first enter a state of daze and utter nonsensical gibberish to the other girls before being fully awake. A close friend of Sae, she is one of her neighbor's principal sources of support when she is involved with a deadline or other crisis. She lived in room 203 during her first year, but moved over to her current room, next to Sae, in order to better take care of her. Hiro is a great cook. The girls frequently get together at her apartment, where Hiro will cook for all of them. She is left handed. She has curly, salmon colored hair that she wears in a double bun, odango style. Her hair moves on its own in the anime.
 * Hiro is a year older than Yuno and Miyako, living directly under Yuno's apartment. Although she tries to be a supportive senior to the girls, she tends to worry excessively about her weight, causing her to go on diets for periods while occasionally binging on sweets. A violent side of her will come out whenever Miyako makes a comment about her weight, diet, or eating habits, which always result in Miyako receiving a good beating. Hiro is not a morning person; it is very difficult to wake her up in the morning and, when she does, she will first enter a state of daze and utter nonsensical gibberish to the other girls before being fully awake. A close friend of Sae, she is one of her neighbor's principal sources of support when she is involved with a deadline or other crisis. She lived in room 203 during her first year, but moved over to her current room, next to Sae, in order to better take care of her. Hiro is a great cook. The girls frequently get together at her apartment, where Hiro will cook for all of them. She is left handed. She has curly, salmon colored hair that she wears in a double bun, odango style. Her hair moves on its own in the anime.


 * Sae (沙英)
 * Sae is an upperclassman and good friends with Hiro. In the anime version, she has a younger sister, Chika. Her artistic specialties are photography and fiction writing; she writes fiction professionally under the pseudonym "Aya Tachibana" (橘 文) and enrolled at the school specifically so she could learn how to illustrate her own work. Sae, who is tall, athletic, and generally mature, has a playful side that can be at the same time enigmatic and cunning; she has a habit of giving Yuno just enough warning about potential problems for the younger girl to fail to avoid them. She also has a fondness for playing detective when faced with such anomalies as Miyako's apartment. She tends to get upset when Miyako refers to her as having masculine qualities. She also gets very uncomfortable when asked about her love life, frequently inventing a history for herself that even cursory examination would show to be absurd, while blushing furiously. Sae is also very shy about her feelings towards her friends and especially her sister. She is much more comfortable chiding and scolding her little sister whenever Chika comes to visit. However, on the oft occasion that she expresses genuine concern for her sister, her face will turn beet-red.
 * Sae is an upperclassman and good friends with Hiro. In the anime version, she has a younger sister, Chika. Her artistic specialties are photography and fiction writing; she writes fiction professionally under the pseudonym "Aya Tachibana" (橘 文) and enrolled at the school specifically so she could learn how to illustrate her own work. Sae, who is tall, athletic, and generally mature, has a playful side that can be at the same time enigmatic and cunning; she has a habit of giving Yuno just enough warning about potential problems for the younger girl to fail to avoid them. She also has a fondness for playing detective when faced with such anomalies as Miyako's apartment. She tends to get upset when Miyako refers to her as having masculine qualities. She also gets very uncomfortable when asked about her love life, frequently inventing a history for herself that even cursory examination would show to be absurd, while blushing furiously. Sae is also very shy about her feelings towards her friends and especially her sister. She is much more comfortable chiding and scolding her little sister whenever Chika comes to visit. However, on the oft occasion that she expresses genuine concern for her sister, her face will turn beet-red.


 * Nazuna (なずな)
 * Nazuna is a freshman introduced in the July 2008 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat and the third series of the anime after a year has passed in the story. She lives in room 203. She has sandy blonde hair, braids, and long side bangs. She used to live in the neighborhood, but after entering Yamabuki Art High School her father was transferred somewhere for work and her mother followed with him. She appears very quiet, reserved, and has an inferiority complex. It has been noted that Nazuna is very popular among the male student body because of her weak personality and that she can be quite a klutz, which makes others feel like they can't leave her alone. Nazuna is very fond of Nori, since they are both first year students living at the apartments, and Yuno, whom she sees as an older sister. She is not in the art department, but she shows interest in it.
 * Nazuna is a freshman introduced in the July 2008 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat and the third series of the anime after a year has passed in the story. She lives in room 203. She has sandy blonde hair, braids, and long side bangs. She used to live in the neighborhood, but after entering Yamabuki Art High School her father was transferred somewhere for work and her mother followed with him. She appears very quiet, reserved, and has an inferiority complex. It has been noted that Nazuna is very popular among the male student body because of her weak personality and that she can be quite a klutz, which makes others feel like they can't leave her alone. Nazuna is very fond of Nori, since they are both first year students living at the apartments, and Yuno, whom she sees as an older sister. She is not in the art department, but she shows interest in it.


 * Nori (乃莉)
 * Nori is another freshman introduced with Nazuna. She is called "Norippe" by Miyako. She lives in room 103. She has lighter blue hair with pigtails. She is in the art department and likes to play with computers. Nori has said that her hobbies are Computer Graphics, HTML, and Adobe Flash. She is honest and straightforward. She is generally the most level-headed one out of the main characters and is usually pointing out the others' weird ways. She frequently has some sort of outburst if Nazuna is being too timid, and has been known to lecture and even violently shake Nazuna when Nazuna refuses to speak what is on her mind. She can speak in a Kansai dialect.
 * Nori is another freshman introduced with Nazuna. She is called "Norippe" by Miyako. She lives in room 103. She has lighter blue hair with pigtails. She is in the art department and likes to play with computers. Nori has said that her hobbies are Computer Graphics, HTML, and Adobe Flash. She is honest and straightforward. She is generally the most level-headed one out of the main characters and is usually pointing out the others' weird ways. She frequently has some sort of outburst if Nazuna is being too timid, and has been known to lecture and even violently shake Nazuna when Nazuna refuses to speak what is on her mind. She can speak in a Kansai dialect.

Yamabuki High School teachers

 * Yoshinoya (吉野屋)
 * Yoshinoya is Yuno and Miyako's homeroom teacher and art instructor. She is buxom, exuberant, and a cosplay maniac. So much so, in fact, that she will frequently wear incredibly complicated things that are at times truly inappropriate. She has a fondness for modeling for her class, displaying her latest creations whenever she can, and showing off in general, often leading her to be scolded by the principal. Moreover, she is shown wearing a pair of squeaking sandals in the anime series. It is later revealed that Yoshinoya still resides with her parents, and would often be criticized by them for not being mature. She is an extremely skilled artist and cares about her students very much. And, despite her apparent immaturity, she is shown to be a great teacher and give great advices to her students from time to time, such as the case with Hiro and her career path. When asked her age, she will answer "eternally seventeen". She has an younger brother who is already married and has a child.
 * Yoshinoya is Yuno and Miyako's homeroom teacher and art instructor. She is buxom, exuberant, and a cosplay maniac. So much so, in fact, that she will frequently wear incredibly complicated things that are at times truly inappropriate. She has a fondness for modeling for her class, displaying her latest creations whenever she can, and showing off in general, often leading her to be scolded by the principal. Moreover, she is shown wearing a pair of squeaking sandals in the anime series. It is later revealed that Yoshinoya still resides with her parents, and would often be criticized by them for not being mature. She is an extremely skilled artist and cares about her students very much. And, despite her apparent immaturity, she is shown to be a great teacher and give great advices to her students from time to time, such as the case with Hiro and her career path. When asked her age, she will answer "eternally seventeen". She has an younger brother who is already married and has a child.


 * The Principal (校長)
 * The Principal is a thin, aging and balding man who appears frail, as he constantly shakes. Although he sometimes exhibits inexplicable behavior, when he appears it is most frequently to chastise Yoshinoya over her latest excess. In the third episode of the first season, it is also revealed that Miyako can do a frightening effective imitation of him. His name is unknown, but in one episode of the anime, Yuno was writing the names of people on pictures as part of an exam. When she got to the Principal, the whole class thought his name was "Moai".
 * The Principal is a thin, aging and balding man who appears frail, as he constantly shakes. Although he sometimes exhibits inexplicable behavior, when he appears it is most frequently to chastise Yoshinoya over her latest excess. In the third episode of the first season, it is also revealed that Miyako can do a frightening effective imitation of him. His name is unknown, but in one episode of the anime, Yuno was writing the names of people on pictures as part of an exam. When she got to the Principal, the whole class thought his name was "Moai".


 * Kuwahara (桑原)
 * Kuwahara is the school nurse at Yamabuki High. She generally acts as a comic foil to Yoshinoya, who is almost always using her nurse's office to nap in.
 * Kuwahara is the school nurse at Yamabuki High. She generally acts as a comic foil to Yoshinoya, who is almost always using her nurse's office to nap in.


 * Mashiko (益子)
 * A male teacher who wears glasses and is the teacher of Class 2-B.
 * A male teacher who wears glasses and is the teacher of Class 2-B.


 * Ikezawa (池澤)
 * A female teacher with glasses.
 * A female teacher with glasses.

Yamabuki High School students

 * Natsume (夏目)
 * Natsume is a student from class B who has great feelings for Sae, whilst still maintaining a generally antagonistic attitude. During her first day at Yamabuki, she faced a lot of troubles and was touched by Sae's kind nature, developing strong feelings for her, only to later discover she was already quite close to Hiro. Ever since, she has been trying to hide her feelings in Sae's presence by acting nonchalantly, initially declaring herself to be her rival, though she becomes a lot more bashful around her as time goes on. She is also one of the few people who knows of Sae's pen name and is an admirer of her books.
 * Natsume is a student from class B who has great feelings for Sae, whilst still maintaining a generally antagonistic attitude. During her first day at Yamabuki, she faced a lot of troubles and was touched by Sae's kind nature, developing strong feelings for her, only to later discover she was already quite close to Hiro. Ever since, she has been trying to hide her feelings in Sae's presence by acting nonchalantly, initially declaring herself to be her rival, though she becomes a lot more bashful around her as time goes on. She is also one of the few people who knows of Sae's pen name and is an admirer of her books.


 * Mami (真実)
 * Yuno and Miyako's classmate.
 * Yuno and Miyako's classmate.


 * Nakayama (中山)
 * Yuno and Miyako's classmate.
 * Yuno and Miyako's classmate.


 * Arisawa (有沢)
 * An upperclassman two years above Yuno who she meets and becomes friends with one day. After she graduates, she stays in contact with Yuno. Later on, she suggests to Yuno that she call her 'Arisa', as her fellow college friends call her that.
 * An upperclassman two years above Yuno who she meets and becomes friends with one day. After she graduates, she stays in contact with Yuno. Later on, she suggests to Yuno that she call her 'Arisa', as her fellow college friends call her that.

Other characters

 * The Landlady (大家)
 * The Landlady is the female owner of Hidamari Apartments. She has quite a few masculine characteristics as she often wears a baseball cap, goes out for a fishing in her spare time, and is a heavy smoker. Although she has a very laid-back personality, she is often seen very busy doing various part-time jobs.
 * The Landlady is the female owner of Hidamari Apartments. She has quite a few masculine characteristics as she often wears a baseball cap, goes out for a fishing in her spare time, and is a heavy smoker. Although she has a very laid-back personality, she is often seen very busy doing various part-time jobs.


 * Chika (智花)
 * Chika is Sae's 13-year-old younger sister. She is more spontaneous and energetic than her older sister. She enjoys cooking and has an infatuation with a kabuki actor. She has no artistic talent and prefers music and home economics to art. Initially only appearing in the anime adaptation, she made her first appearance in the manga in the June 2012 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat.
 * Chika is Sae's 13-year-old younger sister. She is more spontaneous and energetic than her older sister. She enjoys cooking and has an infatuation with a kabuki actor. She has no artistic talent and prefers music and home economics to art. Initially only appearing in the anime adaptation, she made her first appearance in the manga in the June 2012 issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat.


 * Yuno's father (ゆののお父さん) Yuno's mother (ゆののお母さん)
 * Yuno's overprotective parents who are particularly weird in their own right.
 * Yuno's overprotective parents who are particularly weird in their own right.


 * Misato (みさと)
 * The former occupant of room 201 prior to the arrival of Yuno. She was an eccentric upperclassman, 2 years senior of Hiro and Sae, who likes to pull various pranks on the tenants. She was very talented in art, which won her many competitions, and wished to travel the world during college despite the lack of funds.
 * The former occupant of room 201 prior to the arrival of Yuno. She was an eccentric upperclassman, 2 years senior of Hiro and Sae, who likes to pull various pranks on the tenants. She was very talented in art, which won her many competitions, and wished to travel the world during college despite the lack of funds.


 * Lily (リリ)
 * The former occupant of room 101 prior to Hiro moving into it from room 203. She was an mature upperclassman who was in the same year as Misato. She was shown to be a very diligent and reliable person, who was always smiling and was respected very much by Hiro. In many occasions, she acted as the voice of reason for Misato.
 * The former occupant of room 101 prior to Hiro moving into it from room 203. She was an mature upperclassman who was in the same year as Misato. She was shown to be a very diligent and reliable person, who was always smiling and was respected very much by Hiro. In many occasions, she acted as the voice of reason for Misato.


 * Ume-sensei (うめ先生)
 * The metapod persona of the series author, Aoki Ume, who appears at various points in the anime without directly interacting with the other characters.
 * The metapod persona of the series author, Aoki Ume, who appears at various points in the anime without directly interacting with the other characters.

Manga
The four-panel comic strip manga is written and illustrated by Ume Aoki, and was first serialized in the seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat in April 2004, published by Houbunsha. As of December 19, 2012, seven tankōbon volumes of the manga have been published in Japan by Houbunsha under their Manga Time KR Comics imprint. The second volume was released in a regular edition, and a limited edition which included a calendar. The manga is licensed in English by Yen Press under the title Sunshine Sketch, and the first six volumes have been released as of June 2012.

Anime
A 12-episode anime was produced by the animation studio Shaft and aired in Japan between January 11 and March 29, 2007. A two-episode addition aired on television on October 18, 2007. The first 12 episodes were released on six DVD compilation volumes containing two episodes each between March 28 and August 22, 2007. A DVD containing the two special episodes was released on October 24, 2007. The anime is not presented in a chronological sequence though episodes do build upon each other thematically, with details shown in earlier episodes becoming important in later ones. The first season of Hidamari Sketch was licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks and distributed by Section23 Films; the first season collection was released on DVD with English subtitles on January 12, 2010.

A second season entitled Hidamari Sketch × 365 aired in Japan between July 3 and September 25, 2008 and contained 13 episodes with the 14th episode being bundled with the final DVD volume. Two special episodes for the second season were broadcast on October 17 and October 24, 2009. The second season has also been picked up by Sentai Filmworks, with Section23 Films as distributor. The complete collection was released on DVD, April 6, 2010. A third season, titled Hidamari Sketch × Hoshimittsu (ひだまりスケッチ×☆☆☆), aired between January 8 and March 26, 2010 and contained 12 episodes. Two special episodes for the third season aired in October 2010. This season was also picked up by Section23 Films and was released in North America on July 19, 2011.

Two special episodes titled Hidamari Sketch × SP (ひだまりスケッチ×SP) aired on October 29 and November 5, 2011, respectively, and were released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on November 23, 2011 and has yet again been licensed by Sentai Filmworks. A fourth anime season titled Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb (ひだまりスケッチ×ハニカム) aired on TBS and BS-TBS between October 5 and December 21, 2012 and has also been licensed by Sentai Filmworks. The series was simulcast by The Anime Network in North America and Anime on Demand in the United Kingdom. An original video animation, titled Hidamari Sketch: Sae & Hiro's Graduation Arc (ひだまりスケッチ 沙英・ヒロ 卒業編), will be released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on November 27, 2013.

Music
The first season anime, along with the two-episode addition, used two pieces of theme music, one opening theme, and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Sketch Switch" (スケッチスイッチ) by Kana Asumi, Kaori Mizuhashi, Ryoko Shintani, and Yuko Goto; the single containing the opening theme was released on January 24, 2007. The ending theme is "Mebae Drive" (芽生えドライブ) by Marble; the single containing the ending theme was released on February 21, 2007. The first season's original soundtrack was released on April 25, 2007. A character song mini-album named Hida Chara was released on September 5, 2007 containing songs sung by voice actors from the anime. A maxi single entitled "Yume Delivery" (ゆめデリバリー) was released on June 4, 2008, featuring the opening theme to the Hidamari web radio show sung by Kana Asumi.

For the second season, the opening theme is "Hatena de Wasshoi" (?でわっしょい) by Asumi, Mizuhashi, Shintani, and Goto; the ending theme is "Ryūsei Record" (流星レコード) by Marble. The opening theme single was released on July 23, 2008, and the ending theme was released on August 6, 2008. The second season's original soundtrack was released on October 8, 2008. Four character song singles were released on September 10, 2008 for the four main female characters. An image song collection by Marble entitled Hidamarble was released on September 26, 2008. Two more character songs for the character Yoshinoya (voiced by Miyu Matsuki) and The Principal (voiced by Yūichi Nagashima) was released on November 5, 2008, and the character song single for Ume (voiced by Ume Aoki) was released on January 21, 2009. All albums were released by Lantis.

In the third season, the opening theme is "Dekiru Kanatte Hoshimittsu" (できるかなって☆☆☆) by Asumi, Mizuhashi, Shintani and Goto; the ending theme is "Sakura Sakura Saku: Ano Hi Kimi o Matsu, Sora to Onaji de" (さくらさくら咲く ～あの日君を待つ 空と同じで～) by Marble. For Hidamari Sketch x SP, the opening theme is "Kimagure, Jan Ken Pon!" (気まぐれ、じゃんけんポンっ!) by Asumi, Mizuhashi, Shintani and Goto; the ending theme is "Nora" by Marble. For Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb, the opening theme is "Open Canvas" (おーぷん☆きゃんばす) by Asumi, Mizuhashi, Shintani, Goto, Chiaki Omigawa, and Hitomi Harada; the ending theme is "Yume Gumo" (夢ぐも) by Marble.

Light novels
Two light novels written by Chabō Higurashi and illustrated by Ume Aoki were released by Houbunsha under their Houbunsha KR Bunko label. The first novel was released on March 31, 2007 entitled Hidamari Sketch Novel: Yōkoso Hidamari-sō e (ひだまりスケッチノベル ようこそひだまり荘へ), and the second followed on September 30, 2007 with the title Hidamari Sketch Novel: Hidamari School Life (ひだまりスケッチノベル ひだまりSchool Life). The novels are not a new adaptation of the manga series, but instead draw directly from the manga's material.

Video game
A Nintendo DS video game entitled Hidamari Sketch Dokodemo Sugoroku × 365 (ひだまりスケッチ どこでもすごろく×365) was released on February 12, 2009. The game primarily plays like a normal board game (sugoroku) with consecutive boards, each representing a month during Yuno's first school year. Depending on the square landed upon, characters may play one of numerous mini-games, experience mini-events—dialogue and sometimes imagery relating to minor occurrences around Hidamari apartments or the school, or encounter major events which play out similarly to the episode of the anime on which they are based. Points are accrued throughout the year to determine a winning character, and the points can then be used to unlock items in the extras menu.