Shirokuma Cafe (Polar Bear Cafe)

Situated near the local zoo and owned by the charismatic polar bear Shirokuma, Shirokuma Cafe is a popular spot for animals and humans alike, allowing them to sit back and relax after a hard day of work. Whether it's a cold beverage or the latest item on his menu, Shirokuma finds joy in being able to serve his customers, often striking up conversations about various subjects.

Together with the sarcastic Penguin and the clumsy Panda, they form an odd trio who get themselves caught up in all sorts of misadventures with their other friends such as Grizzly, a bar owner, and Sasako, a human who works at the cafe. From dealing with unrequited love, outdoor camping trips, karaoke sessions, and even the secret to brewing delicious coffee, there's always something bound to be happening in Shirokuma Cafe!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Shirokuma Café

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Characters & Voice Actors

Shirokuma

Main

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Panda

Main

Fukuyama, Jun
Japanese

Penguin

Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

Grizzly

Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi
Japanese

Llama

Supporting

Ono, Daisuke
Japanese

Sasako

Supporting

Endou, Aya
Japanese

Namakemono

Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou
Japanese

Full-time Panda

Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki
Japanese

Alpaca

Supporting

Miyano, Mamoru
Japanese

Adelie Penguin

Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki
Japanese

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Staff

Fukui, Youhei

Assistant Producer

Masuhara, Mitsuyuki

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kikuta, Hiromi

Sound Director

Kosaka, Harume

Episode Director, Storyboard

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Opening Theme

	1: "Boku ni Invitation (ボクにインビテーション)" by JP (eps 1-26)
	2: "Rough & Laugh" by Clammbon (eps 27-38)
	3: "You&Me" by Saki & Rie fu (eps 39-50)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Bamboo☆Scramble" by Jun Fukuyama (eps 1-5)
	2: "Grizzly-san no G★ROCK (グリズリーさんのG☆ROCK)" by Yuuichi Nakamura (eps 6-9)
	3: "Mizuiro (みずいろ)" by Aya Endo (eps 10-13)
	4: "ZOO tto ne! (ZOOっとねっ！)" by Katsuyuki Konishi (eps 14-17, 44)
	5: "Michinoku Shiiku Blues (みちのく飼育ブルース)" by Wataru Hatano (eps 18-22)
	6: "Zokkon! Penko-san (ぞっこん！ペン子さん)" by Hiroshi Kamiya (eps 23-26)
	7: "Kimama ni Panda Mama♥ (気ままにパンダママ♥)" by Toshiyuki Morikawa (eps 27-30)
	8: "Llama-san no Llama Mambo (ラマさんのラママンボ)" by Daisuke Ono (eps 31-35)
	9: "Largo (ラルゴ)" by Kishou Taniyama (eps 36-38)
	10: "Bamboo rendezvous ♥ (バンブー・ランデヴー♥)" by Kana Hanazawa (eps 39-42)
	11: "PANDAHOLIC!!" by Tokuyoshi Kawashima (eps 43, 45)
	12: "My Dear" by Takahiro Sakurai (eps 47-50)

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Reviews

Jan 14, 2024

mds1444

Recommended

Shirokuma Cafe is an excellent slice of life anime. It is perhaps one of the most wholesome shows in existence, and is a must-watch for any slice of life fans, animal lovers, and people who want to relax and get away from worldly concerns. It is also essentially family-friendly, and is free of violence or inappropriate content. Finally, it is a good anime for people trying to learn Japanese, since the voice acting is clear and easy to understand.

Visuals: 8.5/10
Visuals are pretty good. Like some other slice of life shows, the art style is on the simpler side, but it fits the wholesome tone ... of the show very well. Animals and humans are drawn accurately, but not so realistically as to be off-putting. The art style contributes to the personality of each character -- Panda looks cute, Sloth looks lazy, Polar Bear looks playful, Penguin looks a bit more serious, and so on. Backgrounds are nothing special, but there are some moments of visual beauty that occasionally stand out.

Music: 7.5/10
The music is pleasant and fits the show well, but doesn't really do anything to stand out enough to be an 8-10. OPs are consistently strong, although a bit cheesy, while EDs range from strong ("Llama Mambo") to weak. While there are some great and memorable BGMs, they are not so amazing that I would go out of my way to listen to them.

Voice Acting: 10/10
Shirokuma Cafe has some of the best voice acting I have seen. The cast is filled with talented voice actors, and while this show might not be as well known, many of these VAs are famous for their parts on other shows. Each VA fits their character very well and consistently delivers high quality, energetic, and entertaining performances throughout the show's 50-episode long season. Dialogue is energetic and entertaining without being ridiculous or over-the-top like some shonens, which makes the show good for language-learning.

Story/Worldbuilding: 6.5/10
Each episode is usually split into two independent halves, although some stories are longer than a half-episode. Since the show is slice of life, there is no overarching plotline, so slice of life haters should not watch lest they become bored! There are some recurring gags and themes, but the main focus is on the daily experiences of the cast. The worldbuilding is decent, but the setting and lore is not really the focus of the show.

Writing/Characters: 9/10
The episodes and characters are quite well-written. While some episodes are better than others, most episodes are consistently strong in this department. The writers do a good job of creating entertaining, humorous, and heartwarming stories that engage the viewer without making him anxious. Most plot conflicts are the mundane problems of daily life -- work, relationships, family, and friends -- and yet the viewer still becomes invested in these silly characters as he gets to know them and their personalities and routines. Each character is unique and likable in his own way, and I found myself growing to appreciate their different quirks, such as Polar Bear's puns, Mandrill's disregard for personal space, Panda's laziness, and the like.

Creativity: 6.5/10
The characters are pretty creatively written. However, the plots are a mixed bag, with some decently creative stories and a few less inspired tales. Entertainment and emotional experience is prioritized over plot developments and intrigue, so viewers who are seeking the latter should look elsewhere.

Entertainment: 10/10
Every single episode was consistently relaxing, heartwarming, and engaging, providing a fulfilling emotional experience. We follow the relatable ups and downs of daily life with cute, funny, wholesome animal characters (as well as a few humans), growing more attached to them with each episode. There is also enough variety to keep the show interesting, with different episodes focusing on different settings, activities, events, and characters. While the show sometimes takes a more serious tone, everything works out in the end for the animals of Shirokuma Cafe.

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Gift

Sep 9, 2023

Seregosa

Mixed Feelings

To me, this wasn't really worth watching, not even as background noise. Yet, I can't bring myself to hate it, it's just so incredibly unremarkable. It's not funny, it's not exciting, it's not interesting, it's not annoying, it's not irritating, it's just dreadfully monotone. Everyone talking in slow motion, nothing even remotely creative happening, the low-quality animation...

It has literally nothing whatsoever to offer to my tastes. It's supposed to be a relaxing comedy or something along those lines, but I personally simply do not understand how the jokes are supposed to be funny. I can see where the jokes are told, but every single one ...

Open

Gift

Apr 4, 2023

Deducted_Duck

Not Recommended

Preliminary (25/50 eps)

I would never watch it if not for learning vocab and grammar.
The show has lots of high frequncy words so it is worth mining if it is your first anime.
After Clannad it was like a 10/10 anime but after 25 episodes (10 of which watched twice) I understood that we go nowhere.

It is good for learning language, but apart from that it is... it is not bad. It's just. I can't even rate it and don't remember anything beside characters' main features. Panda eats bamboo, Shirokuma does feeble jokes, Anteater intimidates.

If you learn language, go for it! Mine your first thousand! Mature 500 cards! ...

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Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 10 Discussion greenmush - Jun 7, 2012	27 replies	by tingy »» Mar 5, 10:16 PM
Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 50 Discussion HybridMBL - Mar 28, 2013	45 replies	by nelcalb »» Oct 27, 2023 3:21 PM
Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 7 Discussion Eudaimonia - May 17, 2012	29 replies	by tingy »» Sep 27, 2023 4:47 PM
Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 5 Discussion deex - May 3, 2012	29 replies	by tingy »» Sep 25, 2023 4:31 PM
Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 4 Discussion gohdan - Jun 9, 2012	45 replies	by tingy »» Sep 24, 2023 12:42 AM

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