「シロクマくん動物園へ/パンダくんの悩み」 (Shirokuma-kun Dōbutsuen e / Panda-kun no Nayami)
“Polar Bear at the Zoo / Panda’s Problems”

The good episode has arrived in the nick of time. Proper animal jokes? Check. Good character synergy? Check. Sasako smashing rocks on her chest? CHECKMATE.

Upping the absurdity and exaggeration levels was definitely the primary redeeming factor this episode. All the animals presented their quirks with just enough repetition that the flow didn’t suffer. Polar Bear and Penguin definitely saw improvement in executing jokes more naturally, scrapping their dry and slightly forced puns for more “cover for each other” situational humor, something that was repeated in the episode tastefully. The “round table” animals also had their share of improvement, each one taking just enough time to describe their woes whilst also finding time to drag Sasako-san into their antics. It’s wonderful that the show treats all of its characters with ample screen time: the varied cast is not something to be wasted.

This show has taken its sweet time, but has managed to finally shape itself into a show that matches expectations. I have said that those on the fence should wait until the third episode; boy was I right. Shirokuma Cafe is above all a cute comedy with a ridiculous touch. I’ll admit, the first two episodes didn’t thrill me, but this episode properly fulfills the expectations many of us took in the beginning. If you’re still disappointed at this point, that’s alright. This is definitely more of a niche show than most, so no hard feelings if this wasn’t your cup of caffeine. Thanks for trying it out ^^.

However, for the rest of us, the cast of animals grows and awaits, whose humor get better every episode! If you thought animals freaking out at a civil bear this episode was all fun and games, the preview tempts us with themes such as smartphones and driving. In terms of this fantastical animal world, this can only have one result…

Epic. Shenanigans.

 

Preview

15 Comments

  1. This goes to show that animals have their own problems, whether big or small. We need to pay more attention to them and listen to them once in a while.

    On another note, Panda-kun sure has the best job ever. Sleeping on the job and getting paid for it. Just…wow.

  2. On another note, Panda-kun sure has the best job ever. Sleeping on the job and getting paid for it. Just…wow.

    Just like any other lazy teenager (I think he’s around that age?)- except he’s too cute to stay mad at…

    Zen
  3. I like the fact that although each episode is pretty a much a self-contained event, there’s still continuity as well e.g. Penko was mentioned again, Panda still being uncertain about what exactly his ‘natural state’ is 🙂

    Rio
  4. An otter!! One of the highlights of this episode.
    The whole episode was for Panda to act naturally when it isn’t natural for pandas and the other animals to be living like humans. That is to say, this is the best episode so far. Polar Bear was great at breaking the rules here. And Penguin’s secret was already out in the open already – cute.

    random viewer

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