Shirokuma 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]

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

Iizumi, Tomokazu Producer

Shiraishi, Makoto Producer

Matsui, Shouji Producer

Fukui, Youhei Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jun 11, 2024

Suwanaide

Recommended

I watched the sub. It took a maybe 4 or so episodes to really get into the flow of it, but it became one of my absolute favorite anime (which should be obvious by my name).

It's easy to be fooled by the style and some of the tone and think this is simply an anime for children. It's not. And by that I don't mean it's a complete trick, the way the opening to Asobi Asobase gives you a false impression. A lot of the humor in Shirokuma Cafe is puns and a lot of it (especially in the ... second half of the series) is absurd. But most of the characters are adults, so a lot of times episodes revolve around workplaces and adult friendships. The best example is probably with Shirokuma (who runs the cafe) who has been best friends with Grizzly (who runs a bar) since childhood, and while they have very different personalities you get to see how that developed and how much it means to both of them... neither of whom are great at expressing it directly in words but make it clear in their actions. At heart it's a show about relationships, with a group of imperfect but still good, well-meaning humans and animals who try to look out for each other.

It's not all warm-fuzzies, though. A lot of the humor is great. But it is a lot of puns, a lot of absurd stuff, and a lot goes for "clever" or "well-crafted" more than slapstick or over-the-top usually. There's a lot of subtle and understated humor, and I'm sure I'm missing a ton of stuff and additional nuance that I'd get if I spoke Japanese as well.

It's also definitely one you have to be in the right headspace for, too. If you're in the mood for Saiki-K style humor, this isn't going to fit the bill.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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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 ... falls flat to the super slow paced, monotone story and voices. Nothing happens, even compared to other slice of life stories, this one is so incredibly uneventful, filled with cheesy and unimaginative jokes at best.

I can't bring myself to recommend this to anyone, but at the same time I believe some people out there will enjoy this complete lack of pace and it's so damn unoffensive, or rather just unremarkable in every way, that I won't give it a lower score than this. It's bad, but I managed to power through it as background noise.

What makes me most surprised is how they could possibly make 50 episodes of this. Maybe they just went on with it since it was relatively easy work with all the super stiff animals and often simple animals, they barely even move even compared to other anime and a lot of them look the same.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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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! ... If not, and you are like me always thirsty for at least some story and character depth, don't waste time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Manga 'Shirokuma Cafe' Gets Suspended Due to Dispute over Its TV Anime

Mangaka Higa Aloha has announced in her official Twitter account that the serialization of "Shirokuma Café" on Monthly Flowers magazine has gone int...read more

May 29, 2012 6:17 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (43 comments)

	Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 5 Discussion deex - May 3, 2012	30 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jul 22, 10:23 PM
	Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 4 Discussion gohdan - Jun 9, 2012	46 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jul 22, 10:13 PM
	Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 3 Discussion Luna - May 14, 2012	46 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jul 22, 10:03 PM
	Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Eudaimonia - Apr 12, 2012	70 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jul 22, 10:01 AM
	Poll: Shirokuma Cafe Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Eudaimonia - Apr 5, 2012	117 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Jul 22, 9:50 AM

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