Dec 17, 2021
"Namakemono ga Miteta" is a 2-episode OVA that consists of a rapid-fire series of gags and comedic skits with an all-animal cast. (Contrary to what MAL says, the genre is "comedy" and not really "slice of life," and the theme is definitely not "music." I guess whoever put that in inferred that from the cover image.)
Many of the skits are done in the manzai style of Japanese comedy, and some of the characters are voiced by comedians. A lot of the skits feature the same set of characters and setting: in the "Raccoon" ones, for example, a destitute raccoon family repeatedly experiences their house falling
...
apart or being torn down, and they also have to deal with their innate urge to wash every food item before eating it (they're raccoons, after all). There's also a classroom setting, called "Animal School," in which a goat teaches a rowdy bunch of students who often like to show their private parts and do other such naughty things; a setting with a family of some other kind of animal (not sure what; maybe moles?), where the son of the family likes to imagine himself as a famous singer and gets a little too carried away; and skits revolving around Josephine, a high society girl who happens to be a wild boar.
The animation is all right, but there are several instances where frames are recycled, and lips keep flapping even when the characters aren't saying anything. Voices are pretty good; there are lots of well-known voice actors and comedians in this. The ending theme is kind of catchy, but forgettable.
The skits themselves are hit and miss. If you like manzai comedy, there will probably be more hits than misses for you. Some of the skits also parody Japanese folk tales and pop culture ('80s pop culture), so an understanding of those subjects would be helpful to fully understand the jokes presented. As mentioned above, some of the male characters will sometimes show their private parts as part of a joke. There is also exaggerated blood and violence at times. (Examples: An alligator couple tries to kiss, but they end up biting on each other's heads. Instead of hitting a shell on its chest with a rock to crack it open, an otter mistakenly hits its baby with a rock.)
Due to the aforementioned violence and gross-out humor, as well as skits that kept making fun of the poor raccoon family that was just trying to get by, the humor in this one did not work for me. However, the humor is not as distasteful as it is in, say, "What's Michael?," a similar '80s OVA. It is more akin to that of "Geba Geba Show Time," yet another '80s OVA full of short comedic skits.
Overall, I'd say that this OVA is watchable, with caveats. If you like manzai-style comedy and seeing animals in surreal comedic situations, this would be worth watching. If you don't like that style of comedy, or if humor based on violence, other people's misfortune, or nudity is something you don't like, then this anime is probably not for you. That being said, there are much, much worse ones out there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all