PetoPeto-san

Petopeto-san... a short and quirky 13 episode series about the racial divide that's prevalent in a society with youkai (monsters) and ningen (humans). Think Kamichu! without the god, but with the same age of the characters dealing with everyday problems.

Animation: The budget for this anime wasn't very high, and it shows. Some panning here and there, and low framerates of some of the scenes make me dock 2 points off. It's not BAD, per se, but the animation could've been done a lot better. Episode 10-11 suffered a lapse in character design consistency, as all their faces look distorted. Great backgrounds though, and the last ... episode brought the animation up a notch.

Sound: Brilliant opening/ending combo. When I first heard the opening, it sounded very hoary, but it gradually sticks on to you. The ending song is a peaceful ballad sung by the same singer as the opening, and fits the theme well. Sprinkled background music throughout, and a great use of enka (old style music) to convey a feeling of poverty for the Fujimura family. All in all, music added to the experience, and didn't distract from it.

Story: A great start with a slice of life opening and a brief explanation of the world Shingo and Petoko lives in. The first episode might seem ecchi, but it's actually a very innocent show. The Little Sister Heaven ruined the story though, since it brought the anime off focus and into the bizarre. Satisfying ending that gives to open interpretation and goes back to the story's monster racism roots.

Character: The characters made this show. From the monsters Petoko, Jeremy, Sekiya, Kugugu and Chochomaru, along with the humans Shingo, Yuri-sensei, Petoko's father, all of them were very memorable. YUG's character designs shine here, and they're all drawn very distinctively. Petoko is a ero-ero monster, and Kuguru and her sister are Kappas. Sekiya is an undead samurai, and Jeremy is a faceless monster. A bizarre cast, but one that meshes very well.

Value/Enjoyment: Petopeto-san is a good short anime series which caters to the moe crowd. (Note the awesomely cute designs of the concrete sisters, Konuri and Nuci-chan). There's also a little romance sprinkled in, so fans of that genre will find what they like here. I also enjoyed this anime tremendously, having fansubbed its entirety.