Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - Episode 1

Anyone who follows my online persona around will probably not need to be told twice of my love for all things Hidamari Sketch, so am I pleased to see it return for a fourth season this autumn?  You bet I am!  As Honeycomb begins, we find Yuno feeling a little homesick - not for long though, as she's soon surrounded by the comforting sounds of her current home.

There is one oddity at Hidamari Apartments however, and that's a commotion coming from Sae's room - it seems as if she have guests, but just what is going on?  Instead of just straight-up asking, Miyako decides to try and find out using other means - an ultimately fruitless effort that nonetheless does eventually lead to Sae and Hiro introducing some of their classmates as they prepare for a senior class trip to Hokkaido.

With the entire senior year off on their trip (and very much without Yoshinoya in tow), just who is going to take on the role as "leader" of Hidamari Apartments?  It certainly isn't likely to be Miyako, and despite Yuno's assertion that it should be Nori it seems that she ultimately becomes the "mother" of the group - the go-to person when problems of a culinary nature occur in Hiro's absence, even if nothing can save Nazuna's attempt at stew.  Meanwhile, the senior girls are enjoying culinary delights of their own, taking in Hokkaido's local foods such as..... err.... omurice.

So begins a pretty solid start to Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb - a few funny moments, the relaxing sense of fun which this series has always held and a lovable bunch of characters, worked into an ever more grandiose (for want of a better word) visual framework as SHAFT's production budget increases every series.  Hidamari Sketchis back, and I won't hear a bad word said about it, even if this isn't one of its classic episodes.