Happy Lesson
Synopsis
Happy Lesson is the story of a troubled young man named Chitose Hitotose. After inheriting a massive house from his parents, Chitose found himself living a very lonely life, and he was on the edge of dropping out of High School. That’s when five of his teachers decided it would be a good idea to fill the role of Chitose’s mother. Suddenly Chitose’s life is turned upside-down as he finds himself living with five teacher/mothers.
Review
While it’s true that it is similar to many other animes that star a single male lead and a ton of girls under one roof, Happy Lesson separates itself from the others because none of the girls are in any way love interests to Chitose. Quite the opposite actually. Each of them takes their role as a Mother very seriously.
The relationships between the characters in Happy Lesson are very well developed. In addition to the mothers, Chitose’s older and younger sisters play important roles, and there are several other characters that have a strong impact on the storyline. Perhaps too many. There are no less than 9 female characters in this anime, and each one of them has an episode that is practically dedicated to them. With only 13 episodes, this leaves the main plot a little thin–if a main plot can even be established. In fact, the sudden ending screamed for a sequel, and thankfully, that sequel has been made. Still, on its own, Happy Lesson feels rather incomplete. Fortunately, the excellent character development keeps things interesting.
Visually, Happy Lesson is a fine display of modern animation. The character designs are for the most part creative, and the artwork is often worth taking a moment to pause just to look at. Bright colors and comedic antics make certain that there is always something worth looking at.
The music is also very good. I especially enjoyed the intro theme which was good enough to stop me from skipping the intro before every episode like I normally do. The harmonies in that particular song just ring true to me.
Most importantly, the main appeal of Happy Lesson is its sense of humor, which will either hit or miss. There are lots of visual gags that you’ve probably seen a million times before. It’s the way they are blown out of proportion that keeps things funny. It will only take one episode for you to know whether or not you want to watch it through to the end.
The Breakdown
The bottom line is that I truly enjoyed this anime. It didn’t have the greatest story in the world, but there was a lot to enjoy. It was definitely too short, but if that’s my biggest complaint, it only proves that it was good enough for me to want more. There is a ton of potential for the sequel, Happy Lesson Advance, which I am greatly looking forward to.