Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Bears Bear a Bare Kuma

Japanese: くまクマ熊ベアー

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 7, 2020 to Dec 23, 2020

Premiered: Fall 2020

Broadcast: Wednesdays at 21:00 (JST)

Producers: Nippon Columbia

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: EMT Squared

Source: Light novel

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.14¹ (scored by 30,149 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #3024²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1794

Members: 72,373

Favorites: 489

7.14

Ranked #3024Popularity #1794Members 72,373

Fall 2020TVEMT Squared

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

After fanatically playing the VRMMO World Fantasy Online for almost a year, the shut-in yet relatively affluent fifteen-year-old Yuna receives a bear costume from the game's administrators. The outfit, while somewhat embarrassing to wear, turns out to have overpowered stats and effects that make her character significantly more powerful. After accepting the bear equipment, she finds herself transported to another in-game world that prevents her from returning to reality.

Confused and unable to log out, Yuna sets out to explore this new environment. She rescues a girl named Fina from wild wolves, who then guides her to the city of Crimonia. With her eccentric bear attire, however, Yuna stands out wherever she goes, and alongside her boosted fighting prowess, her reputation quickly rises—to the point that people give her the nickname "Bloody Bear."

Undeterred by this change in her life, Yuna decides to take on the role of an adventurer and fully enjoy herself in her new world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
Other:	Bear Bear Bear Kuma!
Sequel:	Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 2nd Season

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Yuna

Main

Kawase, Maki
Japanese

Fina

Main

Waki, Azumi
Japanese

Foschurose, Noire

Supporting

Hidaka, Rina
Japanese

Shuri

Supporting

Tomita, Miyu
Japanese

Kumayuru

Supporting

Miyajima, Emi
Japanese

Kumakyuu

Supporting

Kurose, Yuuko
Japanese

Farrengram, Misaana

Supporting

Amano, Satomi
Japanese

Foschurose, Shea

Supporting

Minase, Inori
Japanese

Sanya

Supporting

Gentz

Supporting

Tsuruoka, Satoshi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Nobuta, Yuu

Director

Ishii, Hisashi

Director

Morishita, Hiroto

Sound Director

Waki, Azumi

Theme Song Performance

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Opening Theme

"Itsuka no Kioku (イツカノキオク)" by Azumi Waki

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Ending Theme

#1: "Ano ne. (あのね。)" by Yuna (Maki Kawase)
#2: "Ano ne. -loved ones ver.- (あのね。-loved ones ver.-)" by Yuna (Maki Kawase) & Fina (Azumi Waki) (ep 12)

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Reviews

Dec 23, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 4

SanaeK10 (All reviews)

65 people found this review helpful

Sunk cost fallacy is a peculiar thing. When presented with a show I know wasn't going to get better, somehow some psychological effects in my brain kept telling me to soldier on and to see it to the end of this frankly mediocre as hell show. And by the tail end of it I was exhausted by it all and I'm here right now to tell you why you shouldn't be like me and waste your time on this. After reviewing so many shows for close to a decade, I've found it most difficult to articulate why a show is boring or mediocre as opposed to being plain bad. And that's the thing, on the surface Kumax3 Bear is reasonably competent. The artstyle is fine, the girls are cute, nothing is particularly wrong about any aspect of it, and I'm the person who's willing to find some value in even the most broken of shows. Kumax3 Bear doesn't give me any material to work with at all.

Kumax3 Bear is an isekai, but one more focused on SoL than adventure or existential dread. I do enjoy slow paced SoL shows, but even if we do focus on that one aspect of Kumax4, it's still unable to deliver since the show does go out of its way to intersperse poorly written and very tonally contradicting drama into its show. It really reminds me of last year's Average Abilities Show (which by the way was below average) where the show wants you to care about its characters and world, but no one is particularly likable in the slightest when all of the show's conflicts can be solved easily with Yuna's bear powers (which the show also never shuts up about even after the nth time it's established). This is not to say drama or conflict has no place in an SoL, but it's just handled so poorly here. In order to have good drama and conflict, the viewer has to bond with at least someone from the main cast in order to empathize with the cast's plight, otherwise everyone comes off as some whiney jackass who needlessly antagonizes our main character for no good reason.

There's no real reason to be particularly connected with the main character or anyone else for that matter in the show. Yuna is your typical trapped in isekai protagonist with OP powers (just bear themed this time) and no real gimmick beyond the bear theme. She's bland as bland can be, bringing in her modern world knowledge and OP bear powers to solve whatever problems she meets or is tasked with. Alongside her is Fina, her companion of sorts who occasionally follows her to bear witness to her impressive feats and do very little otherwise. Apart from that out of nowhere and definitely unearned yuri confession at the very end of the series, I see no reason why Fina would suddenly be so infatuated with her. The character interactions, or lack of thereof, is really poor in comparison with other similar Girl meets Girl show, and that scene right there at the end just shocked me for how sudden it was. There is no buildup, no development, no growth in characterization for these two.

To paraphrase internet superstar Rich Evans, I will use the following quote to describe the comedy in this series.
"There are jokes that make you laugh, okay? And then there are jokes that you have no reaction to. But every now and then there's a joke so bad, it makes you less laugh. Like, you'll just be sitting there normal, and then the joke will happen, and then you'll slightly less smile, even though you weren't smiling. And that is called Non-medy."
But really the attempts at humour are abysmal. The "Oh look is that a bear?!" joke was never funny the first time and it sure isn't funny the 100th time. As is the required by law "Isekai Culture Shock" gags and the "Soy sauce? Miso? GOHAN?" food observations that really make you wanna pause the show and ponder what went wrong with your life choices to be watching a show this mediocre 10+ episodes in just to bear witness to that observation.

Kumax4 isn't the worst thing I've watched this season (that dishonour goes to Maesetsu, a show so boring I actually had to physically stop myself from watching it), but given I had to sit through its mediocrity for about 5 of my Earth hours, I leave with this warning to not touch the show in any capacity unless you have a penchant for boring shows or if you need some sleeping aid.

4/10 (How the hell is this getting a second season)

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Dec 23, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

Stark700 (All reviews)

38 people found this review helpful

With the global pandemic going on around the world right now, there’s one form of entertainment that is satisfying for millions and millions of people around the world: video games. Specifically, RPG of the MMORPG genre are real time sinks. We find out the easy way once 15-year old Yuna is introduced to the show. As an adventurer in the online game, World Fantasy Online, she is best described as the typical nerd at home.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear is exactly what it sounds like. What it advertises is what you get and that is our main character dressed up in a bear outfit. It may seem like a peculiar trend but with the countless amount of fantasy shows in recent years, nothing surprises me anymore. Coming into this anime gave me the impression of playing a video game as we follow Yuna on her fantasy adventure. And here’s the catcher: Yuna enjoys her life in this new world more so than the real world.

World Fantasy Online is perhaps the most generic sounding game I’ve ever heard of. It’s taking the three most oversaturated words of the isekai genre and put them all in one basket. And as expected, the game itself has a colorful world setting of creatures, NPCs, characters, and of course, Yuma in a bear outfit. Despite the anime seemingly throwing everything to you at once, it’s actually pretty easy to figure out where Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear is headed. The premise follows the plot and doesn’t take deep understanding to figure out the show altogether.

First off, there’s Yuna, the 15-year old poster girl who is carrying this show in her bear outfit. Like most teenagers, gaming is part of her hobby but she takes it to an obsessive level. There’s charm about her character despite this unhealthy hobby because let’s face it, she’s nerdy on the outside but adorably cute on the inside. Watching Yuna solving problems such as dealing with roaming monsters in the wild, discovering treasures, or collecting certain objects reminds me of modern JRPGs. Only here, Yuna doesn’t have a main questline to get through to beat the game. At least from this anime’s plot, she’s free and builds her own life in this virtual world. And because she is so free, Yuna has come to love World Fantasy Online and the gaming culture.

Make no mistake. Yuna’s no pushover when getting work done especially when judging on her combat skills. It’s actually amusing once you witness her feats in the show. Fighting monsters seems more like an annoying chore for her than an actual challenge. The anime built her character to be powerful, and by powerful, she is pretty much unrivaled throughout all her fights. I could go on to list her achievements but you’ll have to see to believe it. The bottom line is, Yuna is more than just unbearably cute. She’s a selfless girl that has the personality of a teen but also with heart of gold. She even forms some important relationships with others such as Fina and Noire. While on her adventure, you can see more of Yuna’s real personality when she interacts with these characters.

With the show’s cour length being just 12 episodes, there’s concern about how the studio would handle the adaptation. Honestly, stuffing over 15+ volumes into a single cour is never a favorable impression when you know the juicy part of the franchise lies in the light novels. That being said, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear does have a smooth pacing and flows on its own as a story. With every episode, we discover that World Fantasy Online can be a dangerous place to other adventurers. There’s monsters, bandits, and other creatures roaming around that can kill, rob, eat, and commit all sorts of sins you can imagine. Remember, it’s a fantasy story and common logic is often thrown out the window. Yuna herself represents a defiance of common sense. I mean, just asking yourself this question: how can a little girl of her size in a beat outfit be so damn overpowered?

Limiting the anime to 12-episodes did set off red flags but thankfully is tolerable as you can enjoy the show for more than its length. Comedy wise, this show loves its recurring gags specifically with other characters making fun of Yuna’s bear outfit. She herself even realizes how ridiculous it looks despite the overwhelming stat advantages. Studio EMT Squared and the director designed her in such a way to sell the show’s appeal. It creates many moments of charming chemistry between the cast. The world setting itself is designed to reflect fantasy elements with the castles, dangerous creatures, and oversized bears. Even if you’re not a bear fanatic, there’s no doubt the show wanted you to experience its world.

I’m sure everyone can agree that we have way too many fantasy anime every season. Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear may seem like a clone with some added twist but deep down, this is still a charming anime. Without a complex story or characterization, we are presented with a show about a girl in a bear outfit enjoying her fantasy life. Life isn’t easy in the real world but Yuna makes it look like a piece of cake in her own world.

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Dec 23, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

dlxuniuniu (All reviews)

24 people found this review helpful

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear - Bears are cute.

What would you do with your life after earning billions of yen in stocks? Our 15 years old girl Yuna confines herself to her house playing the world's first VRMMO. One day, after taking a survey in the game, she receives a bear costume without any clues where, why, what to do as a bear. But she quickly recognizes the power of bears and uses it to help people in need. And so, the story of our heroic kuma begins.

Real life sucks. Well…this is a point that we often cannot deny. Our main character Yuna also has the same view and thus her journey in the fantasy world begins. She meets friends there that she really likes. Every day she experiences new adventures with them together. The poor in need are helped by her power and the limit of the evil dukes are finally shown.
How does she make all of this possible? The answer is the bear costume. This present item has definitely cheat powers and can literally beat anything and anyone. Shortly after arriving the fantasy world, she saves a young cute girl named Fina from a pack of monsters. You can feel the harmony between the two girls and see that they get along perfectly. Fina guides her through the small down and after discovering the Adventures Guild, Yuna has found her destiny. She will become an adventure and fight against the evil! From an adventure without rank, she climbs them faster than lightning.

Yuna is initially presented as a lazy, carefree and lonely NEET. Real life simply sucks in her opinion. She also doesn't care about the opinions from other people, she is doing the things she loves. Despite her somewhat anti-social demeanour, Yuna is exceptionally kind and has a certain sense of justice. She also shows a soft side towards the people she loves like Fina or Fina's imouto Shuri.
Fina is the person saved by Yuna, not from the monsters only but everything. Meeting Yuna was the best thing could happen to her. With her help, Fina's mother recovered from her illness as well. Despite her young age (10), she already knows how to take care of her family. But not only Fina's world changed because of Yuna, instead also Yuna's view about the people who she really cares got in a positive way.

If you are a fan of the CGDCT genre in general, you will like the style here for sure. All the girls are shown very cute. Yuna's life becomes more colorful through this world, which is also well represented. It is colorful and you can feel her happiness through the bright and beautiful colors. The scenes are also well animated, even those where a little fight takes place.

The OP song “Itsuka no Kioku” is performed by our cute Fina aka Azumi Waki. She is also known as part of the legendary Blend S OP "Bon Appétit ♡ S" where she voices Maika. You can feel how happy Fina is meeting Yuna-oneechan from the music and the lyrics. She is the one who saved not only her but also her whole family and brought them the joy they deserve.
But what really stays in your head is the ED song "Ano ne" sung by Yuna (Maki Kawase). Maybe one or the other will still remember the "anone anone" from the Platelets (Hataraku Saibou – Cells at Work!), which is also just too cute. We saw your stories with happiness, Yuna. With this song she shows that she would do everything to protect this world and her friends. It is a place where she is accepted and feels home.

Although I am a huge CGDCT fan, I was a bit skeptical after the first few episodes. I have to admit that I found the bear costume a bit strange at the beginning. I would love to see Yuna more without it to be honest. I like her casual outfit much more. But gradually I got used to it and it didn’t bother me anymore. What really fascinates me is Yuna's attitude how much she is willing to help the poor and vulnerable people without expecting anything in return. I hope especially for Fina, Schuri and their family they can have a great time now, those two young ladies deserved it.
Relax a little, just lean back and enjoy the adventures with our bears! See how a 15-year-old girl save the world and put smiles on people's faces again.
I hope we will see more adventures with our kuma in the future as well!

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Dec 23, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

KANLen09 (All reviews)

14 people found this review helpful

We had SAO. Then we had Spring 2020's Bofuri, which takes the former's inspiration and gives it a light-hearted, cutesy "moe blob" twist. Now welcome to the next level with the mish-mash of both shows, and you'll get the result (that is) Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. KUMA??? GAO~~~

The Isekai power-fantasy genre has always been confined in a state of amassed "love-hate" relationships over the years since the introduction of Reki Kawahara's hugely popular LN series (that still to this day gets a bad rap), and many novelists have attempted to compose their own "unique twists" to varying degrees of successes and failures. It's not until fairly recently that there has been a resurgence with the "moe blob" twist, starting from Bofuri (which has the overly-cliche OP character, but relatable and fun in every way). And you can take everything about that show and apply it here, not forgetting to add the ever-so-popular bear-ish CGDCT genre for an even intriguing adventure of a pure, laid-back relaxation and enjoyment in a traditional VRMMORPG-like environment.

Forget what you remember of the tropes and clichés of similar shows in the past, and come along for this ride that is anything but typical. A stereotypical OP character, stemming from her lazy-bum personality who became a NEET at age 12, and never wanting to go back to the real world? Now that's something you don't hear much, and the atypical 15-year-old Yuna is just that. Being transported into the Isekai world, forced to be clothed in a black-or-white unBEARablely costume suit helming bear-able magic attacks, along with adorable and fluffy summoned beasts (white Kumakyuu and black Kumayuru), this is the adventurous story of Yuna travelling in spades, while giving off entirely different impressions of a "heroic" OP MC character (mostly being embarrassingly noticed because she's a donning a bear onesie), interacting with townspeople and imparting some assets of the real world to surprise them with wonderous mind-boggling awe. Oh, and make the "House of Kuma" and cook up Japanese food, just because she can and has real-world withdrawals of nostalgia to recreate.

The immediate thing about Yuna (as is with Bofuri's Maple) is that more than just being relatable, she's not trying to be over-pretentious about the various situations of encounters in her journey, be it wild monster battles or exacting her sweet, sweet revenge (of Kuma attacks, Jojo style) on greedy and heartless people that take advantage of oppressing common folk in simple one-note circumstances, giving a mix of both light and dark undertones for a competent and balanced story plot structure (unlike Slime Otoko's). That's not to say that she goes through this journey alone, as the growing and budding relationships with other characters (well, mostly "moe blob" lolis) makes for a somewhat conventional journey, even much more enjoyable.

Take for example, Yuna's first friend: 10-year-old loli, Fina. Living together with her younger sister Shuri and their single mother Tiermina, she is the sole breadwinner of the poverty-strickened family, and forced to take care of the family's circumstances, molding her character development of both responsibility and maturity at a young age (which accounts for her abnormal mentality of such a young child). It's not until another the Adventure Guild staff member (Uncle) Gentz does the family's happiness really takes off, and having a stepfather helps in the family's growth as well. Nice one.

Along with the other characters that come in toll as the series progresses (from a single-family and an orphanage to royalty), more than just the "coincidental" blessings in disguise, Yuna learns a lot about the meaning of life, being true-to-honest about her own reflections of her past in the real world and living the best out of the current times. I love stuff like these that just speaks to my heart-strings, and gives me the inspiration and perseverance to keep on living (and so should yours too).

Director Yuu Nobuta helms this anime project over at low-budget studio EMT Squared, and rightaway source readers see this as a "disappointing adaptation", due to the fact that Episode 1 was pre-screened early (started by yours truly), garnering mixed feelings from both source readers and anime-onlys due to the weird choice of pacing and the sub-par animation quality (that spawned spoilers for irrefutable reasons, that you can blame series composer Takashi Aoshima). Despite all the hoopla for a shaky start, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear slowly but eventually found its footing and from thereon, started the progress of a fast-paced recovery that only got consistently better as time passes. Also, no matter how simplistic the visuals feel with the tag-along low-quality animation that the studio is known for, it never once feels drab and out of place, but instead creates a colourful, vibrant world that matches an imperfect-but-wonderful background setting.

The OST is about as lively as you'd expect of the familiar nature of CGDCT shows, and is more of the same in that regard. Both Azumi Waki's OP and Yuna's VA Maki Kawase's ED may sound quite shallow, but they sound really nice and energetic, which also gives Kuma Bear the sizable competency of a good OP/ED pairing in a season of high-quality ones.

If you've been looking for the seasonal "LN Isekai power fantasy adaptation" cliche that IS worth watching, this is for you. This anime is by no means a masterpiece (nor even a mediocre) work, but getting a mid-range sized character cast with the lore of just enjoying a likeable OP MC rage her black-and-white fists in a world accepting the ways of "Miss Bear", that's saying a lot for a show that I'd recommend for those of you who can just turn off your brains and let loose the unBEARableness.

Underrated show this is not, but it's at least worth a watch. *Nipah-like* KUMA~~~

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