Production Studio: Production IG
Director: Kanta Kamei
Air Date: Summer 2011
Episode Length: 11
Genres: Slice of Life, Josei
Family is the key to happiness. And the anime that is the very definition of this phrase. And if you the reader one day dreams of becoming a parent one day, then I highly encourage you to watch this show before you do.
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~Story 7/10~
The story of Usagi Drop is centered around the character Daikichi whose maternal grandfather passes away in the first episode. At the time Daikichi’s grandfather was currently raising a little girl who goes by the name of Rin, who ended up shortly becoming an orphan and had nowhere to live… until Daikichi steps in and offers to become the legal guardian of Rin. You could say this was a huge commitment for Daikichi concerning the fact in which he was currently single and had never had any prior knowledge in how one might raise a child.
~Characters and Their Interactions 10/10~
As how I previously noted above, the two main characters in this anime go by the names of Daikichi and Rin.
Daikichi is a thirty year old bachelor who is also a hard working businessman that struggles to balance both his time at work and his time to take care of Rin. Yes he is new to parenting, but he does try his hardest to give Rin as normal of a life as possible. Whether it be by taking Rin to a daycare or by leaving her at his mother’s house, Daikichi somehow finds a way to have someone looking after Rin whenever he is at work.
Rin is a six year old girl whose origin is not very well known but is ultimately one of the sweetest characters that I have personally ever seen in an anime. She is in fact someone that I would gladly adopt if I had the chance. Rin is a child who is as happy as one could ever be, but at times throughout the show she ends up dealing with the pain of losing her former father figure.
The most important aspect that this show excels at the most is the realism in the characters. The characters do get nightmares, they do get wet dreams, yes they do get sick, and sometimes they goof around with one another. An example of this is when Rin is sitting on a tall chair or porch, you will always see her swinging those feet as fast as they can go. As for Daikichi you may end up seeing him stumbling around with his words whenever he is in an uncomfortable/nerve-racking situation, or you might see his hair messed up with a un-properly tied tie all because he was running late for work. The thing that makes Usagi Drop memorable to me is the incredible amount of attention to detail that is put into animating this series.
~Music~
The opening theme to Usagi Drop is a more upbeat and happy song, it is there to evoke a sense of joy into the viewer all while making it a song that is very oriented towards young children. The choice of using an child oriented song is quite ingenious because the show is all about how someone should raise a child.
As for the ending theme it is there to evoke a very nostalgic memory of the viewer’s past. It is there to for the viewer to look back and notice how far the bond between Daikichi and Rin have progressed since the very beginning of the show, all while also making the viewer have the desire to come back and watch one more episode.
Finally for the soundtrack, it is very slow and relaxing. Which suits the show very well since Usagi Drop is a slice of life series. The timing of each track is masterfully placed to the point where it not only matches the tone of the scene in which it is being used in, but it also elevates that scene into something even more memorable than it would have been without the track in the background. And if you were to ask me what my favorite track was, I would respond back saying how Wakare 2 is my favorite song from Usagi Drop’s soundtrack.
~Art/Animation 10/10~
First thing that I have to say about the art is how it is visually stunning. For the first 5 or so minutes in each episode the artstyle of the show is very pastel looking; it is as if the show appeared to be a moving work of art. But as the episode progresses the artstyle slowly yet seamlessly morphs into a flatter texture while also being slightly more realistic in design. As for the animation of the show I can not notice any animation errors or choppiness, so it passes with flying colors in this category.
~Final Thoughts~
I originally watched this anime by conducting a poll in an anime community that I was apart of, I added it to the list and was skeptical about it at first but to my surprise it ended up winning. So I stuck to my word and watched it shortly after and all I can say is that this show sucked me into the world and made me feel as if I was a part of this bizarre father/daughter type of relationship. I started the show at the beginning of the day and just continued watching it all the way until the final episode and it just flew by as if only five minutes had passed when in reality four hours passed by. And as I was writing this review I went back and rewatched the first episode just as a refresher but to my surprise about two hours later and I had re-watched half of the show all by accident. The ending of the show makes me compelled to ask for more, but what lies after the anime’s ending is the highly controversial ending in of which creeps me out everytime I think of it. Even tho I was disgusted by the ending of the manga, that stilled didn’t take away any of my joy that the anime gave to me.
I am officially awarding this series with the rating of 9/10 and an enjoyability rating of 10/10. This show also currently remains in my Top 5 Favorite Anime that I have seen up until this point in time.
~Similar Anime Recommendations~
Barakamon & Wolf Children
~Upcoming Review~
Stay tuned next week when I review Zankyou no Terror.
