The same Hidamari Sketch goodness, just without the SHAFT touch.

I picked up the first volume of the Hidamari Sketch manga last week, but didn’t have a chance to really read through it until this week. I adored the first season of the anime and am looking forward to the second season starting next week, yet I had not experienced the 4koma is was all based upon.

First of all, all the good feelings and laid back nature of the anime is fully retained in the manga (from here on referred to as “Sunshine Sketch”). Cover to cover it was solid Sunshine Sketch from Miyako’s craziness to Yuno’s wholesomeness. If anything, I have more of an appreciation for the anime having read volume 1 of the manga. ach of the characters are distinct with personality; probably more so than in the anime. Miyako works with no restraints, Yuno goes at “my own pace,” Hiro is more womanly, Hiro seems a bit more mature, and Yoshinoya-sensei is of course, still hot. Yoshinoya-sensei on the other hand seemed less clumsy and much more witty. The wittiness in particular was nice because it wasn’t like she was getting walked on all the time like in the anime.

Surprisingly, Sunshine Sketch felt a bit like a slightly less silly (in a good way) Azumanga Daioh. The anime definitely had comedy, but the relaxed slice-of-life aspects at times took over, as did some of SHAFT’s zany/wacky unique touch. With the manga (as expected of a 4koma), it’s all about the laughs. Scenes like Yuno and Miyako jumping down to the first floor or finding crackers under the floor or them finding the statue in the bamboo work a lot better on paper mainly because the jokes are straightforward and not tossed into a 24 minutes episode. The humor undoubtedly works better in this format. While there are definitely more laughs more, the relaxed slice-of-life feel remains. Each of the characters has certain comedic aspects, but put them all together and it all balances out. Miyako definitely provides the majority of the laughs, but without Yuno and Sae it would become overwhelming. It’s never the same thing over and over.

Another welcome difference is the movement of time. While the anime was presented in anachronic order, the manga follows Yuno from her testing to get into school, moving into her apartment, and then starting her first year in school. The order of the anime was actually a positive for me because it made each episode feel unique. However, with the manga, chronological order works better. Instead of having 1 episode focused around a group of similar events, the manga moves continuously minute to minute, hour to hour, and day to day. Whereas one idea (e.g., eating in the cafeteria) would net you a few minutes and a few jokes in the anime, it stretched out a bit more in the manga. Also, chronological order gives you a more complete feeling. The anime often times seemed like you were following 1 day (or a few days) in Yuno’s life, but the manga nails it much better because you are going moment to moment with the panels.

As for the aesthetics and technicalities, the book itself is nice. Everything is clean and clear. No awkwardness in the translation that I saw and we get a full page (and I mean full) of translator’s notes as well as a few notes in context. Signs and sound effects are pretty much all translated either within the panel above the text or just below and never look obtrusive or distracting. Honorifics are intact throughout. The book is wider than your usual US-released manga and the first few pages are in full color. Really no complaints about Yen Press from me.

Although $10.99 is a buck more than you’d pay for most manga, Sunshine Sketch is worth it, especially if you dug the anime. The two are different in a number of ways, but at the end of the day is still Yuno, Miyako, Hiro, and Sae, and it’s those characters that make Hidamari/Sunshine Sketch enjoyable. And yes, Yoshinoya-sense is (still) hot.