Genres: Comedy, Fantasy

.

Kobato Hanato has come to Earth fulfill a mission in order to win herself the ability to go somewhere she needs to go. We are not yet informed of her destination, nor how she will be getting there. Hell, we don’t even know where she is from. Is she an alien or angel? Whatever the case may be, she is on Earth to mend the broken hearts of people she comes in contact with.

But not so fast! Before Kobato is allowed to begin, she is given a day long trial to see if she will be able to fit in with humanity. Her overseer, an animated stuffed dog named Ioryogi, constantly criticizes her shortcomings. He also blasts her with fireballs when she messes up bad enough. During her day she meets sleazy men who try to escort her away to some secluded place; she accidently creates an awesome hot-pot out of veggies, meat, chocolate and milk; and shows off her singing ability to calm a crying baby, which draws a crowd of people around her.

It is when an old woman come to thank Kobato for singing her grandson to sleep in the park that Ioryogi gives her tragically bumbled day a passing grade. With this he bestows her a glass vial that will hold the tokens representative of the repaired hearts she creates. She sets off bugging every person she meets to allow her to help, with predictable results.

Kobato ends up at a kindergarten with a man named Kiyokazu Fujimoto, who rescued her from punks in episode one, and a woman named Sayaka Okiura. She is allowed to work there and starts to bond with the kids due to her slightly naive and innocent nature. One boy in her group opens up to her about his absent father when she reveals that she does not know her father either. When Kobato praises him and his hard working mother the boy’s heart mends, gaining her a small candy-like token in her bottle.

While the series is cute and slightly unique in its implementation, I do not know if more details are forthcoming. The pace is very slow and fortunately the comedy helps bridge the portions where you want some progression. I grade it “B” in hopes that this will get rolling now that she is actively seeking hearts.

Overall Hook Rating: B