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「世界で一番パパが好き」 (Sekai de Ichiban Papa ga Suki)
“I Love The World’s Best Papa”
I don’t know where PapaKiki pulled this one from, but this week’s episode may have been the best of them all. There was a lot of Hina, a bit of Sora, a pinch of Raika, and a whole lot of touching family moments.
With tensions looming from last week’s episode, it was pretty tough to watch Sora try to explain to Hina why her mommy and daddy weren’t going to show up for her performance. Just like in real life when you try to explain something difficult, especially to someone who’s younger, it was like a train wreck waiting to happen. And as soon as Hina somewhat understood what was going on, I was having some trouble trying to keep my eyes on the screen. There’s just something about watching a little kid try to face a harsh reality and losing it that’s just a little too painful to watch.
But even after being derailed, this train wreck just kept on chugging along. After watching Hina breakdown, I don’t think I was ready to watch Yuuta get his dreams ripped out from underneath him — especially from Raika of all people! Seeing how she’s been on Yuuta’s side ever since their first encounter, it must have been especially tough for Yuuta to hear from her that he couldn’t become his nieces’ “father”. Throw in the letter from his uncle about wanting to take responsibility for Hina, Miu, and Sora and it felt like things were about to head down a really depressing path.
Except, in true PapaKiki fashion things manage to turn around just at the very last second. For starters, if I hear anyone in the comments mention that they knew that Yuuta wouldn’t have given up his nieces for anything I’ll make sure to meet you in a dark alleyway somewhere! Honestly though, I was ecstatic the moment Yuuta revealed his plans to Sora. Besides sounding like a real father at a crucial moment, I loved how he followed up with a plan to save Hina’s first performance. While it may not have been as cute and embarrassing as Yuri’s, it was awfully sweet to see everyone cheering for Hina which in turn gave me some of the best shots of Hina I’ve ever capped. And let’s not forget along the way his impressive “confession” to Raika! Which was so surprising that I’m sure we all had the same speechless face as Nimura. That said, I need to make sure to take the same approach when I find my future wife — no talking and no questions and just a simple “Become my wife!”
End Card
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Final Impressions:
It’s been a long time since Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai! started. In that time, it’s been quite a whole since an anime has made me hnnnngggggg so much. Seriously, with someone as cute as Hina who obtained an amazing voice from Igarashi Hiromi, how can you not love it whenever she appears on screen?!
But even without Hina to give you a false heart attack there’s still a good comedy hiding amongst all the drama the show attempted to build. Especially with only 12 episodes to work with, I honestly believe that the story was adapted quite well. Following a pretty good formula of building the story up and introducing some sort of problem every few episodes, there was never a point where it felt like the story was just standing still. And with the few episodes that didn’t really focus on the main plot, there was either some classy fanservice or ridiculously funny moments. Not too bad for a show that people have said has “absolutely no plot.”
But if having plot wasn’t your thing, since a show like this wouldn’t normally have one this good, there’s a wide cast of characters that help push things along the way. You had great side characters like Sako who was trying to get his hands all over Hina and Miu, Raika to beat him up and show off her own unique personality, and Nimura to help calm things down from the shadows. Then you had side-side characters like the landlord’s mother and Kurumi who had their own unique personalities and contributed to the story — something you just don’t get from most shows these days!
However, before even considering the Hina or the plot, this show had one big thing going for it — its strong seiyuu line up. Recently, I’ve been giving shows a lot more consideration when they have a balanced mix between new and veteran seiyuu. Since hearing the same people over and over can quickly get old, I’d like to say that when powerhouses like Kitamura Eri, Horie Yui, and Ono Daisuke backing up newbies like Uesaka Sumire and Nakamura Sakura it gives them both the an audience who’ll listen to them and the chance they need to become successful. Hopefully leading to people adding new seiyuus to their list and possibly giving other shows a shot they may not have originally had.
Luckily, this show never crossed the boundaries between what most people consider moral and immoral — something I knew before I even started covering this show and have constantly said to try to get it a larger audience. While it’s hard to quantify my efforts, I hope that at least one person gave this show another shot and hopefully enjoyed it to the fullest. With that said, I definitely give PapaKiki the Takaii seal of approval of being-apparently-no-good-to-the-world-but-actually-being-really-good.
P.S. I hope I wasn’t the only one who was about to die from laughing so hard during the last scene — Hina knee bump wins the ribbon for funniest scene in the whole series.
Thank you Takaii for blogging this amazing anime.
I fully support your Takaii seal of approval as I myself really enjoyed this anime this season. I say give me more HNNNNGGGG, give me more Hina, give me more Raika, give me more…. well you probably get the point.
Well, feel really blew my mind with this one. Especially since… it’s feel. Who would’ve thought the most fanservicey animators of all time would bring forth such a sweet story about family? This was definitely worth a watch.
This is why I don’t automatically judge a series by it’s studio, but instead by the people working on it. Just because it’s a certain studio doesn’t mean that all the works by them have the same style, merit and budget. (Unless it’s SHAFT)
I mean, look at Production I.G. Surely one of the best studios in the business, but look at GC.
Props to Takaii for the your ever so entertaining blogs!
This anime has had had a perfect blend of comedy, drama, and slice-of-life scenarios that we can really relate too. I really hope the continue this as I can see them living in their old home the start of another adventure! Very nice job Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai!
I have to say this has been one of the better series so far this year.
It had a even story and a very good ending(?) Or is it a beginning for a sequel…
I think the plot was basically to win the hearts of the girls and become their father.
Hina being the tough sell, until the end when she announces that he’s no longer an
uncles but the Papa! So, while not Another’s plot, the show had direction and achieved its
goal quite well with good character growth and an overdose of cute throughout.
I thought it very significant that the closing credits show (what I believe to be)
the aunt/uncle deeding his sister’s home to him, possibly custodianship of the girls, too?
So, I assume all of the real-life things went along as well – any money, wills, etc.
were probably taken care of too.
This seem true and consistent with the series in that it was fundamentally a test for
him to see if he could really walk the walk of being a responsible parent for the girls –
to truly become their father.
For me, had they not shown those images, this series would not have had the depth that
it did.
With great OP/ED themes, this series rates about an 8.5/10 for me. I really enjoyed it.
this season, only papakiki got the satisfying feeling for ending episode and somehow not disappointing.
Yuuta: Raika-san please become my wife!!
Raika: O *DING*
^ This make my day! Take that Sora!! I hope we can get season 2!! More Miu, Hina, Raika, Yuuta, and less Sora (too many “sora” episode this season, I want to see more Miu, Hina and Raika!)….
Well Sora never did have a chance in hell as not once did Yuuta ever see Sora as a romantic interest (except for the obvious family love type love). Sure looked like he was gunning for Raika the whole way.
Raika said she was glad that she became his wife even for just a day. Just become his legal wife then! I bet nobody would disagree(except maybe Sora and her fans).
I wanted Raika to be his legal wife so bad throughout the series, and I wish she could have gotten a little more time in some episodes. Honestly she’s pretty much perfect for Yuuta.
There is still hope for the future! Don’t give up.
Our RaikaXYuuta ship will not sink!
if u have not stated posted the link ti hina’s seiyuu i would never have guess she is also misaki from Another :/ seiyuus are scary O_o
think i might have to pick up the manga now… i want to know how they can afford the house is ikebukuro… think its highly unlikely that the mortgage has been paid off… since its japan.
If Japanese banks work like US ones, the mortgage holder has to carry life insurance to cover (at least) the balance of the mortgage. It probably took those few months for Shingo and Yuri to be declared dead and the insurance company to pay up.
oh ye, insurance… havnt thought of that…
and i just realised the english in my post was incredibly broken :/
No regrets picking up the show. Period.
well this one series really quite really worth my watching it.
indeed time to tell hina about the parents & well drama emotion crying come in on it.
sora on swing here nimura to check on sora give also mention of yuuta & raika.
walking on rain 3 sisters with hina look ok give miu mention hina promise bunny that hina won’t cry anymore.
sora still hmm on letter seeing yuuta heading out so follow yuuta on cemetery.
with sora assume yuuta might but relax yuuta want all 3 to stay.
oh here aunt & glasses famliy member here to say yuuta & 3 sisters can stay together.
yet the aunt said it “atonement” from 15yrs ago after all ok.
some walk then talking mention yuuta’s sister leading back yuuta’s parents days.
when yuuta’s sister arrive as mother-father-brother-grandfather-grandmother & sister.
after recalling that yuuta got idea while hina is drawing something.
yuuta & sora enter Street Observation Research Society when yuuta mention raika saying & that i’m their father.
raika said the hat is correct so next one yuuta ask raika to be wife?! yea the hat said yes.
parents day for hina with hina bit might be sad but here yuuta with raika-wife, sora, miu & everyone for hina.
more twinkle star (indeed it’s like arc words) after parents day done all ok.
now for cake give yuuta got lock-out like fred flintstone with doing wilma-saying on CAKE!!!
all wrap up & now moving back to 3 sisters house.
oh my indeed really give this is truly those must-watch anime to watch yea if even pull a s2 squee myself for it & hey pull a raika’s spin-off series (of course i know there those who want it) & yet i know if also get english dub thank you very much indeed.
overall this is really worth it to watch.
I am proud to say I absolutely loved this show. The art (something I am very finicky about) nearly drove me off but once I gave it a chance I completely forgot about it, and simply sat back and enjoyed a wonderfully told story.
I will admit that I (like Sora) misjudged a little the relatives, who when confronted with Yuuta decision were suddenly recalled of what happened a few years ago. That made the situation less clear-cut than I previously thought (we tend to forget that Yuuta also lost his last close relative in that whole affair, even if he had to put up a strong front for the girls). So in the end, the family decision to give everyone some time (Yuuta, the girls, and themselves too) to sort their feelings was probably not that bad an idea after all.
Lastly, I am convinced I was not alone in tearing up a little seeing Yuri’s awesome
one-man-armyone-woman-family declaration. Farewell Yuri, you will not be forgotten o7Takaii, thank you so much for covering this show which was far less popular than it deserved!
As final thoughts, I’m a bit torn about this series, though:
Its strengths for me were the heartwarming moments and the strong and mostly quite realistic personalities. Yes, I was moved by the last episode, as well! But I really would have preferred some other lighthearted element instead of the fanservice and the Otaku club president! In my book, either you make a show which is meant as loli fanservice (like Ro-Kyu-Bu) or you make a show which is intended for the viewer to immerse herself/ himself in it and then please leave out this stuff!
I loved Sora and Miyu and could pretty much emphasize with them. But – for the risk of getting blocked due to low approval ratings! – I could hardly stand Hina’s voice which to me sounded like the caricature of a kindergarten kid’s voice. I admit that I haven’t heard many Japanese kids speaking in my life but I’d be pretty sure that they may pronounce some words differently but not slur the whole sentence making it sound like being drunk. Usagi drop’s Rin didn’t do this at all, even when she was Hina’s age!
I don’t want to sound like a troll, but if I had to hear “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) one more time… bad things, my friends. Bad things would have happened to my computer.
Raika made my day with her funny hat. That was so cute.
I nearly cried, satisfying ending is satisfying.
I still miss Yuuta’s sister.
Leave it to Hina to have an entire shopping district for an extended family.And Yuuta, in true K.I.S.S. fashion, is the boss for going straight to the point. That proposal just came outta nowhere. Raika, say yes for real! Oh man, I miss this show already. I hear the family moving back to the house actually happened in the LN. Anybody care to shed some light? I second another season. And also thanks Takaii for blogging this all the way.
Beauty end~
This show didn’t turn out to be what I thought. I love that it was actually a very sweet series about family. It was pretty great.
Hina is still one of the most adorable things ever.
A nice little show that was somewhat mirror’s my own real life. A really good down-to-earth story that realistically deals with loss and the courage to continue living in with the memories of the departed.
I really like the direction of this last episode which gives the girls the chance to grief at their loss. It was very touching and realistic as they did not have the chance to do this throughout the series. Most animes would just chuck this part out the window, but Papakiki acknowledges the importance of loosing one’s parents and the need to be comforted and move on.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned that Hina is a strong character underneath her adorableness. Despite the fact that she somewhat knows her parents are not coming back, she takes it up the chin to remain happy and not cause any sadness to her sisters.
In the end, it is a cute and heart-warming show which stays true to the LN. Though most slice-of-life animes rarely gets sequels, hopefully this series would be an exception and I would really like to see all 9 volumes of the LN gets animated.
It was a decent series to watch.
I was wondering just how should you convey to a 3 year old girl something as abstract as death? But Hina, you are such a brave girl, to hold back your tears for your sisters’ sake.
Maybe I’m just cynical from being too old, but like Yuuta’s uncle and aunt, it was just painful seeing him working his arse out just to make meager sums in order to support the three girls at the expense of his own academic life.
So it was at least good to see that the adoption side of things is resolved at the end, and I’m guessing Yuuta’s uncle and aunt would help shoulder some of the financial burden of supporting the girls and arranging for them to move back into their original home in Ikebukurou, which is much closer to the girls’ schools?
BTW, I wouldn’t mind having someone like Raika as my wife even for a day too. 🙂
Yeah, I kinda thought about that too. But they didn’t really know him,
and it looked like he was in a position to gain a considerable amount
with the house and (I would assume any of his sister’s money – I don’t
remember if her husband was represented at all?)
So, IMHO, in hindsight, I think they wanted to test his metal and see if
he was true. And, I’m sure, to see if the girls would accept him. The final
test was to offer to take all 3 girls, now that I think about it.
My impression is that he inherited his sister’s home. It’s possible this
could have been the plan all along – but his knee-jerk reaction of taking the
girls put off that discussion with the aunt and her husband.
Others have mentioned that offering “charity” is a huge insult, so I suspect
those ending credits scenes were significant – house deed and/or custody papers?
If there was insurance he wouldn’t have a mortgage payment; in fact his expenses
could be about the same as his apt rent, etc. They’ve all learned to be frugal.
This really was a sleeper series, very, very well done.
Good history, good characters, good end, this is a decent anime of this year.
Nice, really enjoyed the show.
However, as a reader of LN, I’m kind of disappointed that they didn’t follow the plot and went with “anime-only” plot. I was expecting the director to follow the storyline but yeah… looks like this was not the case.
Nevertheless, the series is amazing and definitely recommended for people who likes warm-hearted family material + fan service.
Aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww….
Definitely the ‘surprise’ hit of the season for me. I was expecting something more along the lines of Kodomo no Jikan, but I am glad it turned out to be anything but. The strong family theme present is a standout, and considering that Usagi Drop was just a few months ago, I was not expecting another family focused anime for at least another year.
The thing that stands out for me is the realism of the struggles of each character. The problems that arose during the series was something that the viewer can either relate to or one which the viewer can understand. In addition, almost all the characters were likable. If I were to pick one flaw in this series (and this is being very nitpicky), it is how everything conveniently comes together and each problem is solved.
I will miss Hina and Raika 🙁
Yeah, anime tends to constantly have younger kids actually being A LOT more mature than they are and vice-versa for adults (like Sako, lol).
Here, people actually act their age outside of usual quirkiness like Raika, lol. Like Sora and Miu TRY to act mature and responsible given their current situation and how they are at school, but it’s made clear quickly that it’s all just a (pretty obvious) front to hide their own insecurities while Hina, being the innocent child she still is, is pretty much oblivious to a lot of what’s going on and not able to understand in an adult way.
This series would be considered “the most deceptive” as it premiered with a good number of fanservice, you won’t think of it to be in the lines of a family centered show (Usagi Drop “rolled around” in my mind again).
Considering that the Light Novel version is translated in a nice pace, the comparison between the 2 (or 3 if you count the manga(s)) was inevitable. Personally, I think the anime got most of the key points from the LN across intact, with the exception of the store owners – the writers written themselves into a corner trying to get them more screen time (along with various other similar shuffling, but that’s another story).
And to finish, a fun nitpick: Why Sora wearing a cap just to protect/hide her ahoge?
So, in the end: Watchable? heck yes. Recommended? yes.
Yup, really sweet. Turned out to be so solid and satisfying!
And now I’m interested in the original plot
I was shocked that this was the finale.. I though it would be around 20+ episodes.. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention too much, my mistake.. But indeed a a good anime for a family/friends bonding, were your friends are like always there to help and support you, and a family that not blood related but feels like a family.. Life is rough but with those kinds of fellow around you, everything will be fine and the journey would be worth it..
I loved this series from beginning to end. It was especially good that it aired the day after Another so I was able to get my spirits back up. Loved Yuuta’s “confession” and Raika’s hat. He’s got a lot more balls than most protagonists in these types of shows even if it wasn’t what most people thought.
Hina and Yuuta were both great characters Hina was especially endearing and Raika was just wierd enough to keep her from being another typical semi-stoic character.
Sora and Miu however were pretty forgettable cookie-cutter characters that we’ve seen just a little too often.
STill I loved this series and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good bit of heartwarming.
They even managed to fit in a cute anime-original(?) character like Kurumi into the mix without it messing with the story. If anything, it improved it if her time with Sora was any indication.
Too bad Yuuta’s “become my wife” “confession” was merely for the Parent’s Day bit of Hina’s musical…damn anime trolling… XP lol
You know I never saw myself as someone who would like a cutesy show like this, but it had me from beginning to end.
A great way to end the series. My Lord Hina takes the spotlight at the end for very obvious reasons. She is just too cute. I will miss you my Lord! Stay strong, and I hope for a second season. Thanks Takaii for the covering this anime!
Everybody already praise the series, Hina and Raika enough…So let me praise :
1. Sora, to be a reasonable and likeable tsundere who matured a lot during the story…And seeing her had shown much less tsun toward the end of the show is very appealing.
2. Miu, to be a decent sister who are pretty matured for her age. I also liked her decision to give the show a balance (three sisters in the same portion for 12 episodes will be hard to be balanced)
3. Yuuta, to be a very likeable, naive but responsible protagonist…And a good “father” in the end. I hope you can get Raika for your own wife in the end.
First, a thank you to Takaii for blogging this since it usually isn’t the type of show I’d watch, but the coverage convinced me to pick it up. This was my good surprise of the season.
I agree that the secondary characters were strong in this series. I thought this was going to be a 24 ep. series and it did feel a bit rushed and “convenient” at the end. More eps. would have let the story breathe a bit more and we would be able to learn more about everyone.
The main group of characters were all strong as well. Two that stood out to me were Raika and Sora. Raika is very intelligent, athletic and beautifully quirky. More important, she is a good mother. Did you notice how she just fit in dealing with the girls? Knew what to do and what to say. Even with Yuuta. A natural and a once-in-a-lifetime catch.
Sorry, Sora. You lose to Raika, but I’m not worried. It was an innocent teenage crush that she’ll grow out of and, of all the characters, I thought Sora matured the most. Unsure and not confident in herself for most of the series, it was Sora that stood up and explained to Hina about their parents. It was the 20-ton pink elephant in the room that no one wanted to deal with it. When it, by chance it seemed, fall to Sora, she didn’t back down. If Raika is brought in as the mother figure, I think all the girls will do just fine. And they’ll be able to make and swing a mean “Paper Fan of Doom”. Hoping for a second season of show that seems to have some strong family values.
@Kanade (or anyone else that read the LN or manga) – How much did the anime differ from the print versions? TIA.
This was definitely my top pick of the season. Great characters and a very sweet story about family. Raika is a fun oddball character and I liked that Yui Horie voiced this type of character that’s different from what I’m used to. Heh, we were just missing Rie Kuguimya and you would’ve had the female seiyuus from Toradora.
Hina, absolutely adorable. ‘Nuff said.
Hoping for a Season 2 and now I’ll have to go find the manga. Although I’m happy with the ending, wouldn’t mind a Season 2. Besides, Raika and Yuuta haven’t gone out on a date yet.
“I hope that at least one person gave this show another shot and hopefully enjoyed it to the fullest.”
I don’t have a Raika-hat, so allow me to just say: Correct.
OMG great Blog Takaii! Just finished watching the episodes a few minutes ago and I’m already missing it. Has there any announcement that Papa no Iukoto.. will have a second season or an OVA??
According to Wikipedia, there will be an OVA on the 5th Blu-Ray which will be released around July 11th. More Hina love!
Thank you for blogging the show. I was hesitant at first to give it a chance, but after reading your comments I checked out the manga and fell in love with the characters.