First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

“Kusaka-san and Marshmallow”


「日下さんとマシュマロ」 (Kusaka-san to Mashumaro)

Adorable Office Workers – Defying Expectations:

So the Winter season has now arrived; some shows are good, some bad, while others are bound to go unwatched. If I were to place a bet, I’d say Ojisan to Marshmallow would be the third option. There’s been little-to-no hype for this little short, and who can blame us? There wasn’t much promotional material to go off of, and the premise itself sounded silly – a workplace comedy about Kusaka, a middle-aged marshmallow-loving man, and his co-worker, Wakabayashi. But let me tell you something – out of all the episodes that have aired so far this season, Ojisan to Marshmallow is one of the better ones. Top 5, in fact. It’s barely 3 minutes long, yet it left more of an impression on me than most of the full-length shows this season.

I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but I left this feeling much more satisfied than I thought possible. Kusaka and his love for marshmallows is so pure that I must ask the question: Is it possible for a middle-aged man to be moe? Maybe I’m weird, but seeing his face light up whenever marshmallows are mentioned is more endearing than most anime girls can hope to be. Speaking of anime girls (or women, in this case), Wakabayashi is rather hilarious. Her endless teasing and obvious infatuation with Kusaka is very sweet, and I got plenty of laughs out of it. And let’s not forget about that opening scene (flashforward?) which shows them at an amusement park, possibly about to kiss one another, as we see Wakabayashi’s balloon float up into the night sky.

Overview – First Impressions:

Finally, the Paul Blart: Mall Cop anime that we all deserve. But there’s a twist – it’s actually really good! It’s sweet and addictive, just like marshmallows, and a serious contender for the best short of the Winter season. I’ll definitely continue to watch this one, not only is the comedy good, but because our two leads are super charming and their potential for romance has me wanting more. I wish I could just marathon the whole show right now, if only to see if that promise for a baby ends up true. We shall see~

Full-length images: 15.

14 Comments

  4. There was already a baby 😉

    Funny and endearing. You know there’s something different with a series when the dense male lead character is not a bishonen or Generic Japanese Teenager-kun, but a middle-aged man obsessed with marshmallows. A moe middle-aged man.

    Also, good battle choreography.

    Mistic
    Reply

  5. I agree, it was cute and enjoyable, definitely worth a watch. But I will say the idea to just marathon the whole thing after its done airing might be better then to watch piecemeal, 3.5 minutes is a short amount of time….

    ILikePopCans
    Reply

  7. AOTY early contender for originality alone. I wish this were longer than 3.5 minutes. ;_;

    Also, he’s not just moe, he’s also got the moves of a cold-blooded assassin! A marshmallow assassin, that is.

    Also, glad to see a comic get picked up from Pixiv and get an anime, even if it’s a short. Comico’s “Momokuri” also has something animated coming out later this year, too. (Funny as hell webcomic if you know Japanese…)

    s_w
    Reply

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