Hamatora Episode 1: Egg of Columbus

At the outset, one can already see that the anime has great style, vibrant colors, humor, and cool action. The first episode centers around three separate jobs which are in fact interconnected. It also manages to introduce many of the characters and terminologies.

Characters:

1. Nice

He really is quite the good guy and is quite poor as he does jobs not for the money but rather to do what he thinks or feels is right. His partner is Murasaki. His power seems to involve sound with the condition of having to wear his headphones.

Nice at the opening sequence

Nice wearing his headphones

Nice activating his Minimum

Nice activating his Minimum

Nice snapping his fingers

Nice’s powerful punch

2. Murasaki

He is a glasses-wearing serious person. His partner is Nice. His power seems to involve strength with the condition of having to remove his glasses.

Murasaki at the opening sequence

Murasaki removing his glasses

Murasaki activating his Minimum

Murasaki’s strength

3. Hajime

She is a stoic girl who is very much obsessed with food and is mostly taken care of by Nice.

Hajime at the opening sequence

Hajime thinking about raining hamburgers

Hajime at the ending sequence

4. Koneko

She is a girl with a cat’s tail who manages and gives out jobs.  It would seem that it is quite often that she says something but is ignored by the other characters.

Koneko talking about money

Koneko helping out at the cafe

Koneko giving out jobs

5. Art

He is a reserved guy who is part of the police but seems to know and is familiar with the other characters.

Art realizing Nice took care of the robbers

Art helping Nice pay for information

Art worried about the serial killer case

6. Ratio

He is also a bit of a stoic person who seems to be a doctor or at least someone who knows much in the medical field. His partner is Birthday. His power seems to involve seeing the weakness in the physical form of someone or something with the condition of having to remove his right eye patch. He also makes use of a pair of gold gloves.

Ratio sitting at the cafe

Ratio removing his eye patch

Ratio activating his Minimum

Ratio analyzing his opponent

Ratio’s gold gloves

Ratio’s strength

Ratio’s strength

Ratio winning against the enemies

7. Birthday

He is probably the joker and may border in being annoying as he quite often teases the other characters. His partner is Ratio. His power seems to involve the ability to use electricity with the condition of having to Taser himself at the mouth.

Birthday teasing other people

Birthday using the Taser on himself

Birthday activating his Minimum

Birthday using electricity

8. Honey and Three

They are only included in the opening and ending sequences as of yet. They seem to be the partner of each other.

Honey and Three at the opening sequence

Honey and Three at the ending sequence

9. Master

He is the mature owner of Café Nowhere and lets Hamatora rent one of the café’s tables.

Master talking to Nice

Master managing the cafe

10. Gasuke

He is a member of the police who works with Art.

Gasuke researching about Minimum Holders

11. Informer

He is an unnamed person who Nice goes to in order to buy some information.

Informer talking to Nice

Informer

12. First Minimum Holder enemy

His name is not mentioned. He is part of the enemy group which aims for the vault of the Toyosaki’s patriarch. His power is called Gravity Minimum which grants him the ability to make anything weightless for him so long as he touches it with the condition of having to chew a gum and/or to blow a bubble using it.

First Minimum Holder enemy

Explaining his Gravity Minimum

Last resort

Terminologies:

1. Cafe Nowhere

It is the cafe that serves as Hamatora’s headquarters and where most of the characters usually are.

Cafe Nowhere

2. Hamatora

It is a Private Investigations Office whose headquarters is at Café Nowhere and is known by the police.

Hamatora Private Investigations Office

3. Hamatora Agents

They are the people who act as the employees of Hamatora and the ones who do the jobs. They usually work in pairs.

Nice and Murasaki

Nice and Murasaki at the ending sequence

Ratio and Birthday at the opening sequence

Ratio and Birthday at the ending sequence

4. Minimum

It is described as an extraordinary power beyond the understanding of man that manifests whenever a specific condition is met in the form of an action.

5. Minimum Holder

It is a person with the ability to use a Minimum.

The cases are somewhat easy and the interconnection a bit obvious. What are a bit unexpected are the places where humor is inserted and the ending to the case.

Informer refusing to sell info for 30 yen

Being overtaken by a kid on a bike

Vault of Toyosaki’s patriarch

The unexpected treasure inside the vault

The anime may initially look episodic but seems to have one main plot involving a serial killer who targets Minimum Holders.

Serial Killer

Opening theme: Flat by Livetune featuring Yuuki Ozaki
Ending theme: Hikari by Wataru Hatano