Bananya

Bananya (ばなにゃ) is a 13 episode short form kids comedy series based on a set of stationary characters.  The anime was made partially through crowd funding and aired in Japan over the Summer of 2016.

    Bananya shows the daily lives of a group of cat like creatures who live in banana's.  From the main Bananya to his love interest, friends, rival and family.  They go through weird daily adventures around the house they inhabit, hiding their identity from the humans

    There really isn't much to say.  This quirky and cute anime is aimed at small children and is silly by its very nature.  The cute-ish unassuming Banana Cats just like to enjoy life.  The animation is looks to be done via Flash and is rather twitchy when it comes to the character movements.  It was an inexpensively made production but I'm pretty sure the preschool kids who care less for that!  It was fun and worth the time and at the end of the credits they would post images of cast members own cats, which my kids loved.

    Bananya, surprisingly, was streamed on Crunchyroll.  I would be even more surprised if it came out on disk in North America, let alone the product line that inspired the series.

Sweetness and Lightening

Sweetness and Lightening (甘々と稲妻) is a 12 episode slice of life anime based on the manga of the same name by Amagakure Gido.  The series aired in Japan during the Summer of 2016.

    Inuzuka Kohei is a widower single father and a high school teacher.  Life can be difficult raising his preschool aged daughter Tsumugi all by his self.  One night Tsumugi breaks down because all of their meals come from a convenience store, causing Kohei to rush around the neighborhood trying to find a restaurant for them to eat at.  He stumbled across a small diner and is welcomed in by a shocked looking teenager.  She tells him that her mom, the chef, isn't home.  Before he can leave she convinces them to stay and she makes rice porridge for them.

    Tsumugi's attitude instantly changes, the simple meal reminding her of home cooked meals from when her mother was alive.  The girl, Kotori, is a student at the school Kohei teaches at.  Her celebrity chef mother is never home and she convinces him that he and Tsumugi should use the restaurant as a facility for him to learn to cook better.  Kohei reluctantly takes her up on the offer, hoping to keep his their loneliness at bay and to create a more healthy environment for his daughter.  Kotori as well is using the opportunity to fight her loneliness as well and eagerly provides the hospitality.

    This is the one series I was most looking forward too this year and it did not disappoint.  I have been a fan of the manga for quite a while now and was happy to see it receive an anime.  For the most part the artwork is pretty fantastic, especially Tsumugi's tangle of hair.  The voice acting is spot on and I can't imagine it being done any other way.  Tsumugi was voiced by an actual child instead of some teenage/young adult trying to act like a kid, which tends to be really annoying in the end.  The series though seemed to really focus more on the drama aspects of the story than the manga, which is perfectly fine.  But so much of the manga its self is devoted to the preparation and explanation of the meals that the two are dissimilar in that way.  There is a lot of slice of life in the manga as well, but it is more prominent in the anime.

    The writing is pretty good, the characters are pretty realistic and the story moves between Tsumugi's issues with her peers, Kohei's concerns about his ability to be a good parent and Kotori's desires to have a normal family.  In the manga, past the point of the anime, there are minor hints that maybe Kotori is developing emotional attachment to Kohei and possibly even Tsumugi.  Perhaps she is beginning to imagine her self as a potential candidate as a new mother for the little girl.  But that is all speculation and not relatable in the anime.  In the end this is a heart warming slice of life tale about people coming together and working through difficult times with food.  Something we can all relate too, the warmth and comfort of those average daily meals that are so special when we are older and on our own.  The only thing that is really missing in this fantastic rendition of a fun and lovable manga is the recipes at the end of each issue.

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll (as is the manga) but there is no word on a physical or dub release in North America.

Ronia the Robbers Daughter

Ronia the Robbers Daughter (山賊の娘ローニャ) is a 26 episode anime based on the Swedish fantasy children's book of the same name by Astrid Lindgren.  This anime adaption was directed by Miyazaki Goro with CG animation by Polygon Pictures.

     Ronia is the only daughter of a feared robber chief, Mattis.  She is raised by the caring and loving robber clan who live in the hereditary Mattis Keep, in Mattis Woods.  They make their living by robbing the nobles that pass through the forest and fighting the rival robber gang, the Borka Robbers.  Ronia is a free spirit who has the entire woods as her playground.  Left to her own devices she learns the dangers and bounty of the woods, sometimes coming close to death in her escapades.  One day she meets a boy around her age who is the son of Borka named Birk.  At first she considers him the enemy given who his father is.  But as time passes the two become friends and consider each other siblings.  Their companionship remains hidden until a winter when the Borka Robbers end up moving into a separate part of the castle.  A war is brimming between both robber gangs and the two children decide they want nothing to do with their parent’s lineage and role.  Can the leaders of both gangs overcome their inherent hatred for each other for the good of their livelihood and their children's future?

    The story is mostly directed at a young audience and focuses on the fantasy world that Ronia lives in where there is little in the way of real conflict and danger.  The few times that Ronia's life is threatened are glossed over and she does a small amount of reflection on her luck.  The conflict between the robber gangs is mostly for show and there is very little violence.  There is a moment when Birk is beaten quite badly that leads to a turning point in the children's lives and helps to establish the closing arc.  Over the course of the story you get glimpses into the history of only some of the main characters but no real development occurs.  The majority of the characters are there for background and offer a fantastical reality.  The idea that 10 or so grimy men can happily live together as criminals is a bit strange.  Usually one would expect whores to show up every once and a while as the only women in castle are the wives of both robber gang leaders and Ronia.  But, this story is directed at children and creates an entertaining fantasy world filled with interesting personalities and a small if well developed world.  The forest contains a hand full of mystical creatures that offer unique experiences for Ronia, particularly the blood thirsty harpies, who have a thing for wanting to kill her that was begun when she was born.  The plot progresses smoothly, with quite a few jumps in time.  Over all it covers Ronia's live from birth to about 10 or 11 years old.

     The character animation is wire frame motion capture cell shade, which Polygon has been making their trademark style (Sidonia no Kishi).  The character animation can be jarring but they handle it well and add a surprising amount of life into the character movement, particularly the facial expressions.  While CG is not yet to the point of fluid natural movement like cell animation, it’s getting significantly better.  The backgrounds are classic Studio Ghibli natural scenery.  The forest is lush and all consuming, with a variety of tones and contrasts.  The backgrounds do well to smooth out any distaste for the character designs.

    This is a fun and enjoyable series that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.  I'm not sure what live lessons kids will ultimately take away from it, as the life the main character lives is quite comfortable and fantastical, but it can't hurt!  The opening theme song sounds like it was made on a late 80's Casio though...

    No word yet on this series ever being available in North America.  The original book is available though.
 

Yotsuba&!

Yotsuba&! (Yotsuba to!) Is an ongoing comedic slice of life manga by Kiyohiko Azuma who also created Azumanga Daioh.  The series began in 2003 and is published in ASCII Media Works.

    Five year old Yotsuba Koiwa and her father moved from the countryside to a city.  The interesting and unique Yotsuba is about to experience a world she is unfamiliar with. She quickly becomes friends with the family living next door who have 3 daughters of varying ages.  Yotsuba's father works at home as a translator but the curious girl continues to invite herself to her neighbors home, much to their delight.  The series shows the daily adventures of the odd girl and those around her as she explores the world and learns new things, many of which someone her age would already be familiar with.

    This is a really entertaining manga.  Very innocent, enjoyable and funny.  I have kids, so I can completely relate to the dumb shit Yotsuba does and the thought processes she uses.  Her father adopted her and they hint at her origins being from a foreign country, but so far have not explained how he ended up adopting her and where shes from.  The cast of characters are entertaining and memorable, especially the rivalry between Yotsuba and one of her dads friends.  This is very slice of life and the characters are larger than life just like in Azumanga Daoih.  Unfortunately it is released monthly and Azuma-sensei refuses to allow it to be animated.  Fortunately most of the tankobon are available in North America, licensed by Yen Press.  If you loved Azumanga Daioh this is a must, if you are a fan of funny slice of life stories add this to your list as well!

Wolf Children

Wolf Children (Okami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki) is the latest feature length film by Mamoru Hosoda whose previous works include The Girl who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars.

    The story is narrated by a girl named Yuki.  She tells the story of her mother, Hana, who falls in love with a mysterious man while in college.  The man confesses to her that he is half man and half wolf, the last descendant of the Japanese wolves.  He hides his wolf form from others for fear of being killed.  When Hana finds out she is pregnant with his child she starts to realize just how dangerous this secret is.  They live a happy and self contained life together, though, with their daughter Yuki, and soon welcome a son, Ame.  For fear of anyone finding out the families secret both children are born at home without any outside help.  Everything works well until one day, shortly after Ame is born, the father ends up dying.  Now Hana is alone, faced with raising two children who are part wolf, when she still understands too little of her late ‘husbands’ life experiences.  She is forced to drop out of school and leave her job to provide for her children who cannot be left in anyone’s care.  As toddlers they have little control over being human or wolf and Hana fears the worst if their secret is discovered.  They are able to survive a meager existence on her late ‘husbands’ savings but as the children grow it is becoming more difficult to hide their secret in the city.  Hana moves them to the countryside, far removed from other people, to raise her children more freely. 

    At first Hana and her family are the talk of the small town; the mysterious young family that avoids contact and lives as far as possible from anyone else.  With only the meager savings to survive on, they have to try and provide as much food as possible from the land.  When her crops keep failing and a gruff neighbor offers her advice, she begins to lower her guard with those around her.  Still weary of her children’s secrets being exposed, she begins to have regular interactions with the elderly farmers that surround her.  Eventually Yuki forces her mom to allow her to go to school like a normal kid, promising to keep her wolf form hidden.  After some slight adjustments getting used to being around people Yuki does her best to be a normal human child.  Her brother Ame on the other hand, who has always been less energetic and timid, is unsure if he can adapt to life as easily as Yuki when he enters school.  As they near adolescence each child must decide what their heritage means to them and how they plan to live their lives.

   I was warned beforehand that it was a somber and depressing movie.  I was expecting a really sad and tragic ending, but there wasn’t.  It ended on a somewhat light note; a note of hope for the future.  After I had watched it and was pondering the themes of the movie I realized that it dealt with loneliness, difficulty adjusting to life’s challenges and loss.  It really is a sad and bittersweet story.  While the story is somber, there are really enjoyable and light hearted moments too, especially with the sequences of Yuki getting into trouble as a toddler.  Another fun scene involves Yuki attempting to expose their family secret to two visiting neighbors.   

    The main focus of the film is Hana and her children.  Side characters come and go with only minor impact, they are there as catalysts for change and once their role is done they move on.  The timeline of the movie moves through a few key phases in their lives; the beginning of Hana and the wolf mans relationship, his death, the difficulties immediately following his death, their first few months living in the country, Yuki entering school.   It skips ahead rather creatively a few years later and concludes in that time frame.  I really loved how the transition from Yuki being a 1^st grader to her being a 4^th grader was done, I didn’t catch what was going on at first and had to back the video up to re-watch the process to get the scope of the transition.  The animation is the same quality as found in his two previous features, as well as similar character designs; simplistic and expressive.  The real detail is in the backgrounds and landscapes. 

    Since The Girl who Leapt Through time, Hosoda has been on my hit list for directors to watch.  His follow up Summer Wars was equally as welcomed.  I have been sitting on this one for a bit but figured it was time to watch it prior to the DVD and film being released widely in America.  While it doesn’t replace The Girl who Leapt Through Time on my favorite list, this is an excellent film.  Hosoda continues to prove his self as an in depth visionary.  Much to the beguiling nature of past works…he helped worked on Digimon and One Piece.  Many people are naming Makoto Shinkai (5cm per Second, Children who Chase Lost Voices) as being the one to carry on the mantel of Hayao Miyazaki; bringing depth and scope in storytelling and amazing attention to details of the world.  With Wolf Children, I really feel that Hosoda should be considered the legitimate heir to that throne.  This movie is exactly something you would expect from Studio Ghibli.

    This is an excellent movie and I recommend it highly.  It’s not an action film, its pace is slow, driven less by dialog and more by scenery and narration.  Anime fans who mostly watch fan service harem titles and shonen adventure stories will probably want to pass on it, unless they love Miyazaki films. I am concerned though about the quality of the English dub that is soon to be in theaters, but if that brings this to more people, so be it.  The qualities of the dub in the trailers that have come out leave something to be desired.  I look forward to the next movie by this creative and talented director.

    The dubbed movie is slated to be released in select theaters across North America and will be available on Blu Ray and DVD November 26^th, 2013.

Usagi Drop - the anime

Usagi Drop is the slice of life anime retelling of the manga by the same name.  The series aired 11 episodes in during the Summer-off season in Japan in 2011.

   Daikichi Kawachi is a 30 years old single company worker in Tokyo.  He lives a solitary Spartan existence in which the majority of his time is spent working his high stakes sales accounts.  Upon returning to his home town to attend his grandfather’s wake he discovers that his grandfather, a widower, had fathered and was raising an illegitimate child.  The quiet six year old girl named Rin is causing a rift with the family.  None of the relatives are happy about her existence and want to see her disappear now that the family patriarch is deceased.  As they all agree to let the child’s care be taken up by the governments orphan system, Daikichi, disgusted with his families lack of compassion, announces that he will foster the child.  Now Daikichi must figure out how to care for he’s illegitimate aunt and adjust his life to being responsible for more than just himself.  Rin, must deal with being uprooted from the peace and attention provided by her octogenarian father and being under the care of this relative stranger.

    This touching slice of life series is steeped in reality and plays on the idea that blood is thicker than water.  The episodes deal with such mundane and everyday issues as finding the right nursery school for Rin and how to deal with a baby tooth coming out.  Things that every parent and every child deals with and offer nothing of the fantastical sort.  This is incredibly refreshing, especially among the typical anime titles that delve varyingly in the realm of fantasy and pseudo-fantasy.  The animation is simple, sometimes a bit odd and captures the style of the manga well. 

    There is not much more I can say about this excellent series.  It is well worth the watch if you are a fan of slice of life titles.  While some of the subject matter can be serious the overall feel is light hearted.  I was happy to see that this series saw the light of day as I greatly enjoyed what I was able to read of the manga right before it was licensed in North America.  Unfortunately I only got a little past where the anime ends.  The anime ends at about the half way point in the manga, which works well, but I would have loved to have seen the second half told as well.  The first half deals with Rin at 6 and 7 years old.  The second half deals with her 10 years later.  Perhaps the second half of the story will be told at a future time.  But, don’t worry the manga is available to read as well!  There was also a live action movie made in 2011.  This series will work well in you’re collection if you are a fan of titles such as Ichigo Mashimaro.

To read my initial review of the manga go here ---->  Usagi Drop manga

Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh is a 26 episode slice of school life comedy about the misadventures of a group of female high school students though their 3 years of school. It is based on a manga by the same name. The series aired on TV around the turn of the century and spawned 2 short OAV’s. Each episode is comprised of a number of small vignettes that are either stand alone or part of a larger plot arc.

   The series follows a small group of friends who are in the same class together. Arguably the main character, if not the most memorable, is Chiyo-chan. Chiyo is a prodigal genius who has tested into high school at the age of 10. While she is young and inexperienced she tries her hardest to keep up with her classmates on a social level. Her intellect inspires awe and her friends continuously try to see what she is capable of accomplishing. At the opposite end of the mental spectrum is the 'Idiot Trio', comprised of Tomo, Osaka and Kagura. The three band together under the proud banner of idiocy and revel in their lack of wits. Tomo; loud, obnoxious, rude, crass and childish, is the most rambunctious of the friends. Osaka, named so due to her city of origin, is best described as being a space cadet with an lively and active imagination. While she is slow of wit she more than makes up for it in imagination. Kagura, who joins the class during the second year, is an athletic tom boy who doesn’t really comprehend much beyond her scope of reality. Tomo's childhood friend, Yomi, is the most mature and serious of the friends. She attempted to get away from Tomo by enrolling in a school that was known for its high academics but Tomo studied her brains out trying to get in. Stuck with her for another 3 years she has become resigned and hopeless. The other mature character in the group is the tall and silent Sakaki. She does not interact with others much and keeps to her self, favoring the company of cats. The problem with this is all cats, for some unexplained reason, hate Sakaki and either run or attack her on sight. The final member of the group is Kaorin, who ends up leaving the class during the 2^nd year. Kaorin is more of a sideline character but is still a part of the group. She is an average student but is completely obsessed, sexually, with Sakaki.

    The other main characters of the series are; Ms. Yukari, the classes homeroom teacher; lazy, childish, jealous and demeaning. Yukari’s best friend, Ms. Kurosawa, is also a teacher at the school and does her best to protect the group of friends from too much damage at Yukari’s hands. The final faculty member that plays a role in the story is the creepy and misunderstood literature teacher, Kimura. He is bizarre and perverted, continuously wanting to teach gym class when it is swimming season and fawns over Kaorin.

    The story follows no set goal or plot line. The only continuity with the series is the progression of time as they go from being 1^st year students, to 2^nd year students, to 3^rd year students and then graduation, at which point the series ends. The series shows the cast of characters living their carefree student lives as they enjoy their time with each other. They develop rituals, such as spending time at Chioyo-chans ocean front cabin during the summer, a tradition Yukari and Kurosawa also take part in. The story continues at an easy pace and never gets too serious.

    This is one of my all time favorite series. I use it as the benchmark for other similar anime; endearing comedies about the misadventures of female school friends. The series is funny and entertaining, odd-ball and goofy. One of the most bizarre examples of the oddity is with Chiyo-chan’s imaginary father, dreamed up by Osaka. This imaginary parent is a bizarre, amoeba like cat-shaped creature that dispenses skewed wisdom and changes color like a mood ring. The animation is fun and bubbly, with thick outlines and a comfortable palette of colors. The music is playful and goofy, with the opening theme song being one of the catchiest in existence. Aside from it slowing down a bit in the second half, most notably during their class trip, I can’t find a fault for the series. As with all school series, Azumanga follows the same patterns of the school festival, sports festival, summer vacation, winter vacation, class trip, etc, etc. While these events tend to be laborious episodes to trudge through due to over exposure and repeated themes in most other series’, they never wear thin in this one. The episodes I looked forward to the most were the ones showing them going to Chiyo-chan’s cabin during the summer. The end of the series, their graduation, was bitter sweet and I was almost in tears, not because the characters were, but because I didn’t want to say good bye to them. If you have not seen this and you enjoy fun easy going comedies, this is one of the finest out there, you will not be disappointed until it ends, leaving you wanting more time with all of the lovable personalities.

 

Nanami-chan - RePost

In the on going search for entertaining anime for my children I stumbled upon a fun little series from NHK called Nanami-chan. It is the story of a little girl named Michi and her parents who have come to live in an apartment that is part of a number of properties that are built on and in a tree. The tree and all of its buildings are known as Happiness House.

    Upon arriving Michi goes to check out her new bedroom and stumbles upon an acorn shaped jar. Out of the jar pops a similarly shaped creature. Michi gently coaxes the frightened pork-bun like creature out of hiding. Michi tells the creature her name in which it replies that its name is Nanami. Soon Michi’s parents come upstairs to find out what the racket is, causing Nanami to go into hiding again. Michi coaxes the creature out one more time and it warms up to the rest of the family. The shock of living with a bizarre, somewhat talking, creature quickly wears off and Nanami becomes a valued member of the family, less like a pet and more like a child. Michi and Nanami grow and learn together as they run into different situations and meet the other residence of the Happiness House. Not only are lessons learned but Nanami’s vocabulary slowly grows as well, much like a toddlers.

    Ok, this is a NHK show aimed at young children that is supposed to teach them life lessons. The show is aimed at about 3 to 5 year olds and deals with such things as friendship, trust, responsibility and so on. Each episode is only about 4 or 5 minutes long and each episode is one contained story. Other characters do continue to show up again but it isn’t necessary to know them in the order the show was created. The only episode whose order would really matter is the first one where Michi and her family move into the house and meet Nanami. In the second episode you find out the story of how the Happiness House came to be and you find out that Nanami is the spirit creature of the tree. The character designs are a little odd, super deformed with exaggerated features, especially the women, they all have bold colored lips and rosy cheeks.

    This is your typical education series that uses cuteness to try and convey important life lessons to little children. My children are incredibly addicted to this show, they can sit down and watch all 4 seasons that we have in one crack and they do regularly. They have minimal understanding of Japanese and they are still incredibly drawn to this cute show. Unfortunately my attempts to find a stuffed Nanami for my oldest child have proven fruitless. They had produced the stuffed Nanami’s for a short period of time and the products are now unavailable through both NHK and the manufacturer. There is plenty of other series merchandise that is available though, but I will keep trying.

    The series is simply drawn and simply written, again the audience is supposed to be toddlers and kindergarteners. There is just one problem I have with the series, and it might just be my adult understanding causing this; some of the messages the show tries to bring across might not be the best ones when looked at with an adult view on the world. The most obvious case that I noticed is thus;
After being scared by a program on aliens, Nanami and Michi end up running into one of the Happiness House residents who is an alien otaku. The guy looks like a giant onion and sports tiny glasses, he looks pretty much like a typical otaku caricature. This alone should be a warning to children to generally stay away from the creepy otaku as many now a days have an unhealthy preteen fetish. Anyways, they follow the otaku into his house to help Nanami understand that aliens are not essentially a bad thing. The otaku shows them his alien website he has and all of his paraphernalia. The otaku happily asks Nanami is he/she wants to have his/her picture on his website.

    OK, so here is my problem with this, essentially the series is telling you that it is ok to follow the incredibly creepy otaku neighbor into his house and let him take pictures of you for his website. This may just be my bend on reality drawing this conclusion and understanding of this episode, but you see what I mean. Yes, I still do let my kids watch this episode; I’m not really worried about it giving them the wrong message.

    All in all this is a fun series for both children and their parents, my kids are incredibly addicted to it and I have fun watching it, even my wife is mildly entertained by it. It’s a fun, light hearted and semi-educational series.

 

Chi's Sweet Home

In the beginning of summer a very sweet and endearing anime began airing called Chi’s Sweet Home. I thought this was perfect for my children, as I am always looking for good anime for them to watch. This 3 minute per episode series ran for 104 episodes and ended recently.

This anime follows the daily life of a kitten named Chi who, having gotten separated from her family, was adopted by a human family until they could find a place for her to live. The story follows all of the trials and tribulations cats and cat owners go through with the humans trying to figure out what the cat wants and the cat trying to figure out why the humans can’t understand what it wants. From things like visits to the vet, litter box training, scratching on the furniture, etc. Mundane things that cat owners go through every day. So you would think to your self with this vague description that this is a pretty boring show…woo, a show about a cat, which are lazy, doing normal things that cats do. I mean it doesn’t talk, it isn’t magical, it doesn’t go and fight demons or teach the young child of the family it lives with that he is the greatest martial artist in existence. The series is just about a cat and a family and them living together. Yet, after watching all 104 episodes, a number of them multiple times, I would have to say this is an entertaining show.

First off, Chi is pretty damn funny, as kittens tend to be. She does pretty stupid stuff and explores to her hearts content. She’s also pretty feisty and holds grudges. Out of the family, the father is the next most entertaining characters. He represents one of the typical Japanese male stereotypes; easy going, humble, apologetic, pathetic and not really in control of anything. The mother of the family is the one known for discipline and decision making. While the child, Yohei, is a 4 year old, doing what 4 year olds do. Chi runs the house and the humans try their best to contain her wild spirit as much as possible, especially since their lease forbids them to own any pets.

The animation is cheap, but works well with the premise and delivery. The story is mundane and the situations are all normal. What really works with this series is how they show the mundane and normal. Nothing is out of the ordinary but some typical anime techniques are used, like the blurry feet for speedy running. What really impressed me was the attention to detail about the every day life of a cat and the characters facial expressions, most notably with Chi. Chi’s dialog along with the way they drew her went perfectly well in expressing the situation and even emphasizing it.

If you have young children, are a cat owner or just like nice slice of life stories, this is a good one to get. With full episode length, including opening credits (which my kids sing to), the total running time for the series is a bit over 5 hours. I don’t see this series ever coming to America, or probably any where else, but a DS game was released recently…I’m, just glad my daughter doesn’t know about it or I would never hear the end of that. This was a fun series, I enjoyed it, my kids love it, I have recommended it to a number of people I know and I will still play it for me and the kids.

UPDATE: Both this series and the second series are currently streaming on Crunchyroll.