jena.donnelly - 2016-07-05 15:55:19

I put on Silver Spoon because I had heard it in my search of new anime to watch. It was on Netflix and I remembered seeing good reviews, but I hadn't expected to become so attached to what it could be plainly called: a farming anime. Enter Ezonoo school, an agricultural school for those who aim to uphold their family businesses. Hachiken is simply there because he has no goals, as far as he is concerned. This show truly captures what it means to be lost and what it means to just go living another day. This was Hachi before he decided to transfer to Ezonoo. It's almost bittersweet as I myself wade through college.

Of course, this doesn't only mean that Hachi's the only one with issues. The other kids in Ezonoo struggle with predetermination and a strong loyalty to their families, enough that they're to a fault. The family culture is different in various places, but Japan's really upholds the importance of giving back to the family no matter what. I feel for these kids; basically everything these kids go through, I could feel as well. I think this show wraps up these sorts of emotions nicely. Not all the episodes were lighthearted and comedic, but are serious enough to say what needs to be said, even if there doesn't seem to be an answer in sight. Knowing there is a problem is the first step: Hachi learns that eventually.

Animation wise, liberties were made for the comedic parts but the food. Oh. My. God. The food. It looked so good! From the corn to the ramen to the way these kids mixed their rice with an egg, it was enough to make me hungry. Other than that, the animations for the animals was top notch. Horses looked scary and the cows looked lovable. What more could you ask for?

Romance wasn't a big part of the show (you can think of it as an added bonus), and it was nice to see Hachi's journey through understanding pets as animals and pets as food. It's easy to feel sorry for the animals just destined for slaughter, but he understands that the animals weren't treated unfairly before their time. Some say that that's how their meat tastes better, but I digress. All in all, this anime was an A+ in my book.

The only undersides were how short it was: just 11 episodes a season. As far as I know, there's 2 seasons out, but 3 years of Ezonoo for Hachi to go through. I'd also like to see what comes out of their baseball team as well. Also, what is up with Mikage's character design ? Everyone else looked like your basic, slice-of-life character models but her eyes kinda freaked me out. The little things aside, this show really opened my eyes to how much work is put into the food we eat at our tables. Like Hachi said, how much of their earnings really go back to farmers?

rogahn.koby - 2015-02-22 11:07:23

fpacocha - 2014-02-08 07:17:48

If you've ever felt like the world is closing in on you, like time is slipping away, and sooner than later you're going to have to make a choice about the direction your life is going to take, but you just don't have an answer, you know how Yugo Hachiken felt when he decided to go to Ezono Agricultural High School.

Silver Spoon (season 1, and probably season 2, but this is a review of season 1 only) is the story of a boy who doesn't know what to do with his life. Under pressure from his parents, he decides to flee from city life and enroll at an agricultural school out in the country, thinking it will be easier for him, a star pupil, to cope with his schoolwork and prepare for college.

Well, for a smart but not-so-physically-able guy, he underestimates what will be in store for him and receives a bit of a shock when it's revealed just how much effort it takes to work a farm, take care of animals, and balance your studies and relationships.

An agricultural school is a great place for a slice of life show. It's a nice change from typical high schools and other overused settings. I personally have never been particularly interested in how farms work, but I thoroughly enjoyed Silver Spoon, and learned a bit in the process.

At the school, Hachiken meets a pretty wide range of people all with different plans and dreams for the future, be they taking over the family farm, becoming a vet or going pro in baseball. As he himself has no idea what he wants to do, this is a little dismaying, and it's easy to empathise with him.

Hachiken also meets Pork Bowl, a piglet at the bottom of the chain. He resolves to take care of Pork Bowl and help him become big and fat (which is good for pigs). What comes of this relationship is both interesting and touching, and I think it was handled very well and realistically.

Speaking of realism, I found Silver Spoon to be pretty down-to-earth in relation to it's characters, setting and story.

Hachiken obviously has the spotlight, and he is a great character who goes through some excellent development as the season progresses. I found him relatable, realistic, and funny. After him, the next most prominent character is Aki Mikage, a girl part of the equestrian club and the heir to her family farm. She is a nice girl who also has her own concerns and worries, and helps Hachiken adjust to rural farm life.

Beyond these two characters, the rest of the cast is given fairly equal screen time. They are all entertaining in their own way, whether they be platforms for alternate points of view or purely comic relief. No one particularly stood out, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Silver Spoon has a bit of a different art style to other shows I've watched recently. In some ways it has a slightly simpler style, resulting in some characters that look a little different, and others that look very 'normal'. Again, not a bad thing, but not what I'm used to with anime. It makes the series unique and is good in its own way, although I did for a couple of episodes think that two different characters were the same person, despite them being shown together in the opening.

One thing I congratulate Silver Spoon for is having some fat characters. Not everyone is a slim-built schoolgirl in a short skirt or an athletic or thin, nerdy guy, and this definitely added to the realism factor. There's also not an ounce of sexual fanservice, which I always like, but that's down to your own preference.

Soundwise, Silver Spoon is solid. The opening and ending are both good and very fitting. They reinforce the series' relaxed, warming tone while visually reminding you of some of the dilemmas faced by the characters. The rest of the soundtrack didn't really stand out to me, and neither did the voice acting, but it's generally hard to judge a show you watch subbed.

I'm really glad I watched Silver Spoon when I did. It was a funny show with heart and a good realistic spin. Its abnormal setting really makes it stand out and the issues it tackled through the internal conflicts that Hachiken (and a couple of other characters, but with less depth) went through made it very enjoyable and leaves a lasting impression. Silver Spoon is a great slice-of-life albeit a little short (11 episodes), and for that reason I'm very much looking forward to starting season 2.

metz.mireya - 2014-01-22 21:09:15

Story: It depicts the daily life of Yugo Hachiken, a student from Sapporo who enrolled into Yezo fleeing from the demands of his strict father. However, he soon learns that life on an agricultural school is not as easy as he initially believed. Unlike his new classmates, he has no intention of following an agricultural career after graduating, although he envies them for already having set goals for their lives and the pursuit of their dreams, unlike him. I would say the story is a typical slice of life story set in an agricultural school. Overall the story of the first season really doesn't bring anything new to the table.

Animation: The animation was average and very consistent through the series. Compared to some of the other shows that were released during the same time frame it did seem to be lacking.

Sound: Nothing really note worthy about the sound in my opinion.

Characters: The characters overall were not to interesting. They did give some back story to some of them but overall you really don't learn a lot about the majority of the characters. The focus on two or three characters more than the others which is ok but with such a large cast it would have been nice to learn more about some of the others.

Enjoyment: Overall i did enjoy the show. The one thing it has going for it is that it does teach you a lot about farming. A lot of slice of life really don't teach you anything but i felt i learned some interesting facts about this show.

Overall: It was a good show to past the time. It really doesn't bring a whole lot to the table.

ila99 - 2013-11-14 02:42:12

I never tough that a show about farming could be so good. The story is about a boy that is trying to escape from everything and ends up in a farm school when he will learn a lots of things about life and maybe change his view about the world. Awesome character and awesome comedic moments makes a really good and enjoyable anime

PS. Never Forget Butadon

vallie16 - 2013-09-24 04:06:49

The lineup of anime I kept up with this season was long and varied, but Gin no Saji came out of nowhere for me and made a lasting impression. Gin no Saji takes place at Ezonoo high school, an agriculture specialist which focuses on teaching students how to raise farm animals and grow crops and all the other things you'd need to learn to run a farm of your own. The show does an excellent job of making something many people would not normally consider a promising premise and making it not only watchable but enthralling. Absolutely feel-good anime of the season.

Story

The story in this show is a little lacking, Hachiken doesn't like it at home so he decides to go to highschool as far away from home as possible. Seems simple enough, not every anime needs an incredibly deep story to be good. The most interesting things about it come from the development of Hachiken as a character.

When Hachiken moves out to attend Ezonoo his mind is set on one thing, and that is getting away from home. As time passes at school however, different life experiences and choices confront Hachiken and make him ask questions of himself he never thought he would ask. Things like being able to clean a deer hit in a car accident, trying to find what he wants to do/his dream, raising a farm animal for the first time and sending it off to slaughter. Everything Hachiken experiences at Ezonoo helps develop him as a person, and its interesting to watch these things unfold week after week.

Story-wise Gin no Saji gets a 7 from me. Even though its a show that doesn't require or benefit from an amazing story, having such a simple premise dropped it down a few points.

Animation

I'm not positive if its the same entire team or just a couple key artists, but the show is the exact same in terms of animation as Full Metal Alchemist. A lot of you will feel at home with how everything looks. That being said it obviously doesn't have as much flash as Full Metal, but still very nice to look at.

The smoothness of the animation which just the right amount of caricature moments and other little effects, as well as providing some very beautiful scenes, earns Gin no Saji a 9 in the animation section.

Sound

Being an anime about farming, there's a lack of really impactful and dramatic music that you can find in more action or drama anime, but other than that the actual sounds were well done. The sounds of cicadas and farm animals and the ambient noises of the surroundings were well done and really set the feel of each scene. I could almost feel the chill/moisture in the air for those episodes Hachiken was up and working at 4am, just because of the sound setting the mood so well.

Gin no Saji earns an 8 in the sound section for having beautiful ambient sounds and mood setting effects without having a lot of notable or impactful music.

Characters

There is quite a large group of important characters in Gin no Saji. Many more than in a typical show where there are maybe 4 or 5 important characters and the rest are side characters that rarely make an appearance. Or maybe its just that the "side characters" in Gin no Saji are given significantly bigger roles and appear more often than a side character normally does.

Regardless, the cast in Gin no Saji is incredibly varied as well as memorable. From the principal to the teachers to the classmates and even Hachiken's friend's parents. The show does a great job getting you to know each and every one of them and they all have unique personalities. Not only that but each has a well fleshed out backstory that isn't shoved in your face all the time. Every character has a story, and a reason for being there, but it may only be mentioned offhandedly in a side conversation, but the fact they all were built as characters and not just a space filler to further Hachiken's arc is something that doesn't happen too often.

Its because of those things that Gin no Saji gets a 9 in the Character section.

Enjoyment

There are a lot of anime fans who only like action or fighting or mech style shows, and to those people I say don't watch Gin no Saji its not for you. However, for everyone else who has a varied taste in anime or really prefers to relax with it I say this show is a must watch.

My taste in anime varies, I try to keep every genre I watch as in balance as I can, and I enjoy all of them. This show was one of the best and most relaxing Slice of Life shows I've watched. When the season began I wasn't sure how well an anime about farming would work, but I found myself looking forward to every thursday when I could sit back and relax with it for a number of reasons.

The characters are one of the reasons I enjoy this show so much. Every week was something new not only for Hachiken but for a lot of the side characters as well. We even got to see development and interaction with a lot of the teachers at the school who offered an entirely different viewpoint on problems the students would face thanks to their experience. I would have to say the part of the show that made me wrapped up in it the most was the food. The food they made looked amazing. There was an entire episode dedicated to making a pizza and I've never wanted a pizza more in my life. It was like the animation budget doubled when food was involved, and it was done so well I could almost smell it. From eggs on rice to pizza to pork curry on rice to home made bacon, you probably will drool and get pretty hungry watching this show. Which is why its so enjoyable to grab a nice meal, a cold drink, and to sit back and relax while watching this show.

I give Gin no Saji a 9 out of 10 for Enjoyment.

Overall

There is nothing done badly in Gin no Saji. The story is probably its weakest point, but honestly a show like Gin no Saji doesn't need that much of a story. Besides, there is ten times more character development than most other shows, even with ten times more characters being developed, and if you group that in with story then it more than makes up for it. The animation is not only well done but comfortable and familiar, the ambient sounds almost suck you into the setting to the point of feeling the weather, and the characters are all unique and actually characters instead of placeholders. All of this make Gin no Saji not only feel-good anime of the season but potentially the best feel-good anime in a long time. I look forward to season 2 this winter.

Story: 7

Animation: 9

Sound: 8

Character: 9

Enjoyment: 9

Overall(Average): 8.4

balistreri.travon - 2013-08-15 13:17:17

This is pakoko's review from MAL i never expect him to switch on Hummingbird follow him if you like this review i was just going to get some idea on pakoko's review but i end up copying the whole thing

Silver Spoon tells the story of Hachiken Yugo, a boy that decides to go to an agricultural boarding school far away from home after getting rejected from the high school he was aiming for. Hachiken’s tunnel vision to get into the high school causes him to lose sight of what he really wants to do, and so he chooses the agricultural school to get away from being considered a failure. All of us, especially in our teenage and early adult years, can relate to this experience one way or another: the fact that you work diligently towards a goal and realize soon after that the goal can never be reached is a daunting and depressing thing. To make matters worse, you are forced to see your peers achieve that same goal and become afraid of them lest they judge you for failing. We’ve all been there. You want to escape, but sometimes the pressure from society, from your family and your friends, all chain you down to sometimes lead the life that you don’t necessarily want.

So for all those that are troubled like Hachiken, I recommend this slice-of-life anime series. One of the core things that Silver Spoon teaches the viewers is to take a break from all that unhealthy pressure for once and reflect upon what is most important for you in life. Luckily for Hachiken, he is surrounded by classmates that are all passionate about what they want to do in life. For someone without a goal, seeing determined people who constantly pursue their goal may be discouraging but motivating at the same time. This indirect pressure encourages Hachiken to think earnestly about what he wants to do in life. The new experiences and fun memories made at this new school start to bring out a new side of Hachiken that surprises those that have known him in the past.

The magic of the character of Hachiken is that he came in knowing absolutely nothing about the agricultural high school. At least for me, I could personally relate to Hachiken, only because I had to face the same amount of pressure to do well in school. But not only that, just as Hachiken felt bad for the farm animals being killed off out of obligation, I did too; just as Hachiken had to wake up every morning around five to do work, I could relate to how painful that would be; and just as Hachiken felt indirectly pressured by his passion-driven friends, I did too. That’s why this character is really dear to me, and his development as a person is all the more exciting as this series goes on.

But if the story of Hachiken Yugo and his friends don’t appeal to you, Gin no Saji has high educational value. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the agricultural businesses and farms, then this anime gives you a glimpse of what it’s like. And in addition to the fun facts about farm animals, equipment, and techniques, the anime takes on philosophical views on what the animals teach humans, and how the animals should be treated. For one thing, everyone in this anime has deep rooted respect for livestock. There are owners that hold extravagant funerals for horses to honor them; there are people who appreciate the animals for providing them a new insight or viewpoint in life; and there are people who make the necessary killing of farm animals as quick and painless as possible. Finally, this anime touches upon not only the future of the agricultural and farming businesses, but also sensitive topics such as animal cruelty and cloning. I value this anime highly because of what it teaches me, each and every episode.

Since Gin no Saji was in an entirely different setting, background, and pacing from Fullmetal Alchemist, I laid off the manga after two chapters or so. But the anime brought me back to the manga, and what a delight it’s been. As a fan of the slice-of-life genre, Gin no Saji is without a doubt a fresh addition to my list. I look forward to more heartfelt and warm moments awaiting Hachiken and his friends at Oezo Agricultural High School!

Story: What gives the story an overall 10 is the number of characters that have very relatable and realistic problems and backgrounds. In addition, as mentioned before, the anime has educational value, as it teaches the viewers about farm animals, equipment, techniques, and the logistics of agricultural and farming businesses. Rarely do we consider a slice-of-life anime with educational value anything from interesting, but Hiromu Arakawa manages to pull it off.

Sound: The opening song “Kiss you” by Miwa is a sweet and carefree song, but nothing too memorable. The ending song “Hello Especially” is sung by Sukima Switch, who also sang “Golden Time Lovers” from the third opening of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I mention this because Sukima Switch chose to sing a country song for this anime (rather than rock), and no doubt, the song is catchy and fits perfectly to the anime. Besides that, the soundtracks introduced thus far are nothing too special, but they often give you a very warm countryside feeling when you hear them playing at certain parts.

Art: As the anime is in an agricultural setting, the scenery is pastoral and soothing. Not to mention the use of warm and bright colors to emphasize the warmth and homeliness of the environment.

As it is a Hiromu Arakawa work, you will see similarities between Gin no Saji characters and Fullmetal Alchemist characters. The depiction of the characters stays true to the manga, and you’ll notice the similar reactions that Hiromu Arakawa likes to use. Great detail and personification of animals, and overall fluid animations.

Character: With only a few episodes of the anime in, I can’t say much about this topic. As someone who did read the manga, however, I can say that you will sympathize with each character as he or she goes through his or her own problems. I won’t spoil anything in this review, however. But already we start to at least see a development in Hachiken’s character from being gloomy and sulky to being more bright and confident. I can’t wait to see him develop more and more, until the moment he figures out what he wants to do in life.

Enjoyment: On behalf of those who love this anime already, let me say to those reading this review that you’re missing out!! I can’t guarantee everyone will enjoy it, but I hope you do!