Among the many stars in the sky, there's always one that shines brilliantly. But from this summer 2013 lineup, there's also series that shines among the group as well. Perhaps one series that might of slipped under some people's radar is Uchoten Kazoku. (also known as the Eccentric Family)
From P.A. Works comes forth a new anime this summer. Based on a novel written by Tomihiko Morimi (The Tatemi Galaxy), Uchoten Kazoku takes the setting to Kyoto with an eccentric family. Why is the family eccentric? Perhaps one of the reason is that none of them are not actually human. Rather, they are unique or more
...
specifically categorized as tanuki. The series details the family, and in particular one child by the name of Yasaburō Shimogamo - the main character and the third son of the Shimogamo.
To start off, the setting of the show takes place in Kyoto. As such, expect an old fashioned and traditional city in a modern life setting. There's the Japanese like atmosphere but combines that with elements of fantasy. That's because the characters of the show are tanuki; Japanese raccoon dog beings native to Japan. But in this story, we have this child named Yasaburo Shimogamo who stars as the main character. He has the ability to shape-shift and plays on a gender bender role in the some of the episodes. Even when we first meet him, he is in the clothes and body of a girl. Oddly enough, Yasaburo plays the role of an ordinary boy with abnormal powers. We also find out that exactly how he lives his daily lives ranging from observing human behavior, engaging in extended conversations with others, and even to warming his butt. Now, that is abnormal.
It's hard to be original these days in the anime industry. Many ideas have been explored but I find this show to be quite refreshing. It takes the Kyoto setting and transform it into an urban fantasy without violence, shounen battles, or a guy being the hero to save the day. Rather, we have dynamic character relationships with the eccentric family being a center of the plot. As for the plot itself, the majority of the series takes on an approach similar to a narrative. Yasaburo is the main character so naturally, we get to see his life from his point of view. The relationships he has with the other family and characters are explored throughout the series. Among one of these relationship that is most noticeable involves with Benten, a member of Friday Fellows. This relationship can be described as very peculiar as maybe on the lines of love/hate. From the surface, we can assume that Yasaburo has a crush on Benten even from the very beginning. On the other hand, Benten is a woman with a mischievous personality and hard to read. Most of the time, viewers will have a hard time figuring out what she's thinking. In one particular moment, she teases that Yasaburo will be her dinner all the while putting on a poker-like face with a noticeable 'smile'.
The show explores the eccentric family so naturally, we get to see their backgrounds as well as their past stories. Some of these stories could spawn emotions especially later on when some truth is revealed regarding Yaichirou and his generation. Perhaps most importantly though is how the characters deal with revelations. Eccentric Family takes on the approach of sadness and presents in a way that seems to be more natural. It's obvious that there are moments when characters wishes something that has happened never happened. However, it's too late now to change anything. Instead, the characters moves forward and accepts the truth but with a silent tone.
As with most family goes, there's also fun and comedy as well. Tomhiko Morimi's Tatemi Galaxy had plenty of comedy presented in an absurd yet very entertaining way. As for this show, it similarly has that style of comedy but presents it in a more sensational way. Yasaburo indeed has character relationships with many of the characters, some more striking than others such as Benten. On the comedy side though, Akadama is perhaps the guy that makes up one half of that duo with Yasaburo. The silliness can also be traced with the family origins in regards to their shapeshifting abilities. Yasaburo can shapeshift and takes form of a girl effectively making him a trap. But more figuratively, he likes to do so especially when visiting Akadama as a way of teasing. Speaking of Akadama, he also sometimes denies what's really there. It's silly in the way of comedy rather than being forced. There's no random scenes of awkwardness in terms of compromising positions to present its comedy. Instead, it's natural and fun. Now, that is effective comedy.
If we talk about dialogues though, this show has what it takes. The dialogues in this series can be taken in as impressive in the way of its style. The words being spoken can be taken with both a sense of realism and also fantasy. It also mixes in the a sort of complexity as family origins are explored that details to their generations. As such, viewers should absorb and take these dialogues for granted as they can be important to recall later on. Finally, the dialogues has a sense of maturity to it. At times, it might come out as silly but its presentation makes it dramatic to listen to.
The term 'fantasy' spells out many ideas. In recent years, anime series have taken on the fantasy to the virtual world, to ghost haunted schools, or to a dark age when Titans are the dominance of its land. However, Uchoten Kazoku takes on the fantasy theme and conveys it in a more traditional way. The tanuki is just one prominent example relating to traditional Japanese folktale based on its raccoons possessing the ability to shapeshift. In such legends, the tanuki uses such ability to cause mischief. This folktale legend can be seen as parallel to this series in the case of Yasaburo. Then, there's also Benten whose character spells out mischievous all over her face. There are also other mystical creatures such as youkai and tengu.
Though the show has an impressive stance and presentation, there are sometimes I scratch my head and wondering what's really going on. The drama around the show sometimes also becomes almost overdramatic and focuses too much on Yasaburo. Additionally, there's a certain lack of diversity in terms of its mythological creatures. Along with that, some of purpose relating to the characters are also vague as a narrative often explores them in concrete details. In this case, narrative takes on a more textbook approach where we sometimes have to go deeper with what Yasaburo sees the modern world as. Finally, there's bits of fan service showing in the case of Benten as a form of tease. Heh, maybe she' just a femme fatale or something but good luck reading her. She's not a textbook with an answer key.
Uchoten Kazoku is adapted from P.A. Works. As a production studio, fans should be aware of their works by now. Their most recent project, Red Data Girl also takes on some Japanese traditional themes and transformed it into anime form in modern era. As for this series, P.A. Works once again puts their talents at work. It does look a bit different though with the character designs looking more simple with nothing breathtaking. The raccoons of the show has an innocence to them while Benten is designed with a mischievous figure. Masayuki Yoshihara's direction of the series also takes on that narrative style so some characters talking might give them a more direct way of speaking; sometimes as if conveying to the audience of their feelings. The backgrounds looks interesting enough though to convey the modern setting of a Japanese folktale lore.
A less noticeable factor of the series could be the soundtrack. As far as music goes, Uchoten Kazoku takes on a natural style of tone with its smooth OST. Yoshiaki Fujisawa coordinates the music and makes it calm to listen to but at the times forgotten since the dialogues and comedy dominates the music base. The OP song also presents an odd feature of an opening while the ED song ("Qué Será, Será) has a more catchy tone. But for all else being said, I give praise to Yasaburo's VA Takahiro Sakurai for voicing the main character. With over a decade of experience, we can clearly see a talent in his character as Yasaburo as whether being a guy or a girl. Additionally, Benten's VA Mamiko Noto gives her character that mischievous tone of voice.
Overall, I would describe this series as fascinating in the sense of its narrative. It's not every day where we see raccoons running around in a human community. But more importantly, we can see a main character's point of view in a modern Japanese city. The dialogues spoken in this series may be difficult at times to interpret or absorb. However, make no mistake as they tie in with a lot of the themes together. As one of the underrated series, I definitely recommend giving Uchoten Kazoku a try especially if you're a fan of comedy-drama or if you've previously enjoyed The Tatemi Galaxy. It's a tale of family fun, storytelling, relationships, and brilliance.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Uchoten Kazoku
Japanese: 有頂天家族
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 7, 2013 to Sep 29, 2013
Premiered:
Summer 2013
Broadcast:
Sundays at 22:00 (JST)
Producers:
Bandai Visual, Yomiuri Telecasting, Lantis, Kids Station, Magic Capsule, Good Smile Company
Licensors:
NIS America, Inc.
Studios:
P.A. Works
Source:
Novel
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#9422
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1403
Members:
168,052
Favorites:
1,500
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 31 / 39
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Sep 29, 2013
Among the many stars in the sky, there's always one that shines brilliantly. But from this summer 2013 lineup, there's also series that shines among the group as well. Perhaps one series that might of slipped under some people's radar is Uchoten Kazoku. (also known as the Eccentric Family)
From P.A. Works comes forth a new anime this summer. Based on a novel written by Tomihiko Morimi (The Tatemi Galaxy), Uchoten Kazoku takes the setting to Kyoto with an eccentric family. Why is the family eccentric? Perhaps one of the reason is that none of them are not actually human. Rather, they are unique or more ... Nov 25, 2013
Uchouten Kazoku opens with Shimogamo Yasaburou, an energetically laid-back shape-shifting tanuki, giving us a quick rundown of his hometown of Kyoto. This is a city with a storied history of mostly-regular humans, proud tengu magicians, and oh, playful tanuki shape-shifters, of course and here, he tells us, there are endless quantities of amusement to be had. As the camera follows him deftly navigating the beautiful cityscape, he declares with conviction that while he is a tanuki, he's far too proud to be a mere tanuki and is instead one who passes his days admiring tengu and imitating humans. He assures us that he is so
...
Sep 29, 2013
In this day & age it's sometimes very hard to find something original, the anime as a form of art has now become so generic & predictable with typical shounen & typical ecchi spewing around us from all direction that it is really hard to remember sometimes that this is not only a form of entertainment (or rather shameless fan service) but it is also a form of art. And fortunately there are still anime's like "Uchouten Kazoku" still being made to remind us just that.
Story This was actually based on a novel by Tomihiko Morimi which is the story of a family, of a certain ... Mar 2, 2014
I frankly admit that I enjoy every single anime I watch. In fact, I will go one step further and admit that I enjoy every single thing I experience, regardless of what it is or what its outcome turns out to be. But when I rate something critically, I shrug off my sense of enjoyment and I try and look at things from an objective perspective. In Uchouten Kazoku's case, I will gladly say that I am neither surprised nor unhappy about the fact that this anime receives full scores across the board.
To begin with, Uchouten Kazoku is the rather meandering story that follows the ... May 11, 2020
On saying goodbye, our great father split his blood into four. The eldest inherited only his sense of responsibility, the second inherited only his easy-going personality, the youngest inherited only his innocence, and me, well, and I inherited only his idiocy. What held us, diverse brothers together was the love of our mother, deeper than the seas. The farewell we bid our great father, sometimes, one heartfelt separation can unite the ones left behind.
- by Shimogamo, Yasaburou, 3rd Son of the “Great Tanuki of Kyoto”, Shimogamo, Souichirou Uchouten Kazoku or Eccentric Family is a story about a strong family bond that is pure, heartwarming, and inspiring ... Sep 29, 2013
Coming into the summer season, Uchouten Kazoku was undoubtedly my most hyped up anime. With source material coming from a novel written by the author of the Tatami Galaxy and being directed by PA Works, who have recently been on a slump in terms of producing any semi-enjoyable show as of late, I had much reason to eagerly await its airing debut while nervously hoping that PA Works would throw its budget at something more than just its production values. What resulted after a satisfactory 13 weeks was undoubtedly the best summer season had to offer.
Story (9/10): Shimogamo Yasaburou is the third of four sons in ... Sep 30, 2013
2013's summer season was highly dominated by some big name series with vast popularity, so much so that more than a few series slipped under the radar. Uchouten Kazoku is one of those series, which I think is a real shame for everyone, since I truly believe that this was the anime of the season and not to be missed.
This anime is, in many ways, a truly unique experience. I honestly can't say that I've ever seen anything even vaguely like it, and that it in itself was a breath of fresh air. From start to finish, there's a definite sense of originality that strives ... Nov 19, 2014
Uchouten Kazoku is a bizarre show. In fact, as you watch the show, you realize that the shape shifting Tanuki (originating from Japanese folklore) is the least bizarre aspect of the show. However, note that I’m using the word ‘bizarre’ as a compliment. In fact, the bizarreness is the true allure of the show.
Adapted from a novel by Tomihiko Morimi’s (the guy who blessed us with The Tatami Galaxy), the foundations of the unconventional plot is laid by the setting itself. Humans, tanuki and tengu all residing in the bustling city of Kyoto is a pretty intriguing setting, not least the tanuki being the main ... Feb 18, 2014
Story:
You are put into the amazing world of Kyoto where humans live in the city, while Tanuki roam the earth and Tengu, the sky. You follow the adventures of a young tanuki (raccoon) Yasaburou Shimogamo and his family. I wont tell you much about him or his family not to ruin your fun. The important thing is that humans eat tanuki, every year a group named "Friday Fellows" eats a tanuki pot, so roaming through the city is dangerous for the tanuki. They have a society and have a ruler. I wont tell more about the story, but I was really amazed with ... May 11, 2020
Adapted from greatly talented author Tomihiko Morimi's novels with the same names, comes this show which tells a story of Japanese raccoon dogs rather known as "Tanukis". Tanukis have been significant in Japanese folklore since ancient times. The legendary tanuki is reputed to be mischievous and jolly, a master of disguise and shapeshifting, but somewhat gullible and absentminded.
The author having all of the above traits of this animal in mind wrote a peculiar and entertaining tale that is sometimes heartwarming and fuzzy, or sometimes is supreme and anarchic. The story surrounds a family of tanuki, the Shimogamo family. They have the ability to transform into ... Jun 24, 2015
Where to even start! Welcome to Uchouten Kazoku, set in Kyoto where humans, tank and teenage coexist in a weirdly wonderful dance of living. This show is all about living, living in the here and now and enjoying all of life's wonderful little moments. This is a show about family, adopted or biological, and how family should be cherished and understood, and how brothers should never drift away.
Man, this is a show. Let's start with the art, shall we? Kyoto lives and breathes in Uchouten Kazoku, with every background watercolored and alive and telling us a little more about the world the show has unceremoniously ... Sep 13, 2016
Good coming of age stories are hard to come by in any of today's traditional mediums. However the Eccentric family deserves full praise for weaving together a touching story about the growth of an entire family.
Let's start with the story. The eccentric family starts off pretty mild in terms of the narrative, giving the view bits and pieces of a larger overarching plot for the first few episodes as we get to know the characters. It takes place in a fictional version of Japan where 3 species; tanooki, human and tengu all live together (although its implied that the humans do not know about ... Sep 30, 2015
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Tolstoy's quote could have been written about the Shimogamo family (and their close acquaintances.) Uchouten Kazoku's focus is relationships - between the brothers and their mother; between the Simogamo and their Ebisugawa cousins; between Yasaburo and his teacher; and between the different factions of intelligent beings living in Kyoto. It was thought provoking, bitter sweet, funny and strange. It has a bit of a surreal quality about it. The character of Benten can fly and use other Tengu magic despite being human, but no one seems to find this strange. The tanuki are weirdly ... Oct 2, 2013
I have to say, I did not expect this anime to be so fantastic. It's one of those that just pulls you in. It's an anime where you fall in love with the characters, find yourself screaming at the screening, "D'aww"-ing at some points, and outright relieved at others. This was my favorite anime of the summer, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The fact that it had to end felt bittersweet. You're happy it's over, because all good things have to end, but you're sad because you know that the feelings you had towards the characters and
...
Feb 7, 2017
I pick this series up as I saw there is going to be a second season coming in the spring 2017 season and BOY!!! I GLAD THAT I PICK IT UP!!!!
Story: The story is mainly the struggle on how the characters trying to get over the father's (Don't worry their Tanuki) death as he has been cook in a stew. We mostly follow the third son, Yasaburou but I'm glad that we get to see all of the boys struggle. From the shy youngest son, Yashirou to the oldest son, Yaichirou trying to be the leader of the Shimogamo clan and that's basically it. From ... Mar 25, 2015
Story (8)
Uchouten Kazoku, Eccentric family, follows the life of the Shimogamo family. At first I thought it was going to be another one of those animes that are about a high strong family protecting its honor, but it seemed just the opposite. It was about a family that takes pride in their "idiot blood" and doesn't care about what others think. There were points when I wanted to laugh and parts that made me bite down on my nail wondering what would happen next. Art(7) The art fit perfectly with this anime. I didn't think there was a scene that was too overly colorful (Opposite of ... Apr 9, 2017
OVERALL: 7
In short, simply put, Uchouten Kazoku has a beautiful world setting, art style and well established characters. And these aspects I like alot, however, it is such a shame that overall these elements when tied with the plot it presented, never really drive to a satisfying end or resolution as beautiful as it's small moments are. I really really want to love Uchouten Kazoku, because I love it's characters, but it does not refine itself equally overall. STORY: 6 When you take an overall glimpse of the plot, it's pretty shallow and petty. But the shows does a great thing of overlaying that with ... May 15, 2014
"I guess its just a reflection of my idiot blood." The one sentence that will ring through your ears for a long time to come. But even then when idiots gather, it's near impossible to stop the on coming train wreck that will follow in their wake.
Uchouten Kazoku has a much deeper meaning to it that it looks. It's almost like a wise mans words about a feud of gods, writen in a slice of life type story of a modern style society. While its a little confusing at the start, it quickly gets interesting a base sense of the anime is quickly established which ... Jun 20, 2015
Review Summary: Humans live in the city, tanuki crawl the earth, and tengu fly the skies. But this show carves out a place in your heart.
* * * * * "Take a moment and enjoy." Ever heard someone tell you that in some fashion? The idea of savoring the act of simply living, experiencing life. It was pounded into my brain in the last year of my high school life. "Enjoy this," they would say. "Things like this cease to happen when you get older." It seems common to have that sentiment. The teen years stand at the threshold between childhood and adulthood, the conceptual juxtaposition of freedom ... May 21, 2015
Well, this anime is superb. It certainly can be compared to those Studio Ghibli ones. It's a pity that it is so underrated. The storyline of Uchouten Kazoku is very original. An anime about Tanuki? That's the first I have heard of it. The anime is about a tanuki (a type of Japanese traditional Tokyo) Yasaburou. He is the one that has inherited his deceased father's idiot blood the most among his brothers. His father was the leader of the tanuki but had unfortunately become a hot pot for the Friday Fellows. The truth of his capture was revealed in the middle of the anime.
...
|