Impression:

Well, here is something that I was very unsure about. Gin no Saji is a farming anime from A-1 Pictures. That is right, I said farming. More specifically, an anime about a guy that is at a farming school. I was confused because that sounded pretty odd to me, but I was happy to see people trying new things. I will say that there is some graphic imagery in this series, so prepare yourself. I guess the only thing left to do is go over it.

I am happy about that censor.

Not a lot actually happened in the first episode of the series. Our main character ends up at a boarding school that specializes in farming sciences. For those of you that think such a thing is stupid, then you obviously don’t know how much stuff goes into running a farm. I used to live in Oklahoma and that stuff is not for simpletons. It is obvious that the guy does not want to be there and the fact that everyone else seems to be excited to attend the school is starting to get to him. It is almost like a trade school because it trains people to do things like become veterinarians and run farms. The school gets you ready for this by putting you on an early schedule and having the kinds do manual labor. There is a farm mixed in with the school, so a 5:00am alarm is nothing abnormal. I stay up until then on some nights. Aside from all of the crazy farm work, it seems like we are going to get a look into a troubled past that our main character probably has. I don’t know if I like that or not.

That “A” does not stand for Avengers.

Characters:

We actually got to meet a lot of characters in the first episode of this series. I guess you can credit that to the fact that the class was divided into teams that will be doing tasks together for the rest of the year. Aside from that, we have teachers, roommates, and a girl who is going to be the main love interest for our guy.

Yugo Hachiken is our main character. He obviously has no business being at an agricultural school, but he did not want to go home. A possible shady past that forces Hachiken into boarding schools may be revealed soon. He is your classic city boy with a lack of animal knowledge, but a great wealth of technical intelligence. The guy is really good at math. Look for a shift that will have our main character at least tolerating farm life.

Aki Mikage is probably going to be the main love interest in the series. She is a big fan of horses and is a member of the equestrian club. All we know so far is that she has your typical bright attitude that draws in protagonists. Aki is at the school in order to take over the family farm.

Keiji Tokiwa is a member of Hachiken’s group. He may not be the brightest bulb out there, but Keiji knows a lot about chickens. He plans to take over the family chicken farm after he graduates.

Shinnosuke Aikawa is a member of Hachiken’s group. He is a very nice guy with a ridiculous knowledge of animals. His purpose in being at the school is to train to become a veterinarian.

Tamako Inada is a member of Hachiken’s group. She is very strong-willed and she’s not afraid to do things her way. Although we have not heard her say much, Tamako is a very business-oriented person and she plans on running a very successful farm in the future.

Ichiro Komaba is a member of Hachiken’s group. The guy is very good at what he does and that includes baseball. Even though working the fields is very tough, the guy always has the energy to go to practice. Ichiro is also Aki’s childhood friend. That spells bad news for his relationship with Hachiken. Ichiro wants to be a professional baseball player and use his money to improve the family farm.

We only really met a few teachers and some other guys that will be hanging around Hachiken. Their roles aren’t important yet and I assume that they will never be huge players in this series. We kind of have a crowded field as it is.

That is not appetizing.

Current Opinion of the Show:

I was decently surprised by this series. I had no idea what to expect from a series that takes place at an agricultural school, but I am very happy with what we got. There is a decent amount of science in the story that I find very interesting. I am a nerd that likes fun facts. Then there is the realistic depiction of farm life. People need to know that it isn’t a bunch of hicks that are running these things. There is a lot of science, business, and hard work that goes into a farm. The days are long and they start early. I don’t know how much I like the characters yet and that is what may get to me. Right now, I think I only like Keiji for sure and that is because I see him as a funny character. I can honestly see myself possibly disliking a good portion of the cast and that scares me. I just hope that I am wrong because they already announced that this will be getting a second season in January of 2014. I guess that I am looking forward to seeing which club Hachiken picks. Although, he is probably going to at least try out the equestrian club.

That is a buff horse.