DVD REVIEW: MICHIKO AND HATCHIN PART 2 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: VARIOUS / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING; TERRI DOTY, TORU KUSANO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Michiko and Hatchin is a Japanese anime set in a fictional Latin-American nation that seems to be a hybrid of Japan and Brazil. In the previous eleven episodes (previously released and reviewed here), we meet the two title characters: Michiko a beautiful diva with a bad temper, and Hatchin, who she kidnaps/rescues from her strict Catholic foster family.

Created by the same team behind Cowboy Bebop, it is impossible to quit the series halfway through. The two-disc DVD set includes the last eleven episodes from the escape caper and picks up where the first DVD set left off; with Michiko still at death’s door and Hatchin forced to find alternative treatment for her accomplice that won’t alert the authorities.

It is not entirely clear whether Michiko and Hatchin are biologically related or not, and a big part of the appeal to keep watching is to find out whether they really are mother and daughter as implied in the first episode. This question loses its important as the series progresses, though, and the two form an unlikely bond regardless. The relationship is often played for laughs, however, as often it is the younger Hatchin, who has to take the parental role. In the one episode Hatchin is even forced to get a job to pay for Hatchin’s medical treatment from an alleged faith healer. The eleven-year-old Hatchin even calls Michiko “a baby” in this episode then she refuses to get out of bed to see the religious huckster.

You can enjoy Michiko’s temper tantrums and shooting sprees in both English and the original Japanese dub, which is also included. There are also new documentaries which include interviews with the cast.