Usagi Drop 01 [First Impressions]

Usagi Drop is everything I thought it would be – a charming, relaxing and heartwarming story. The style brings to mind Disney animation while the plot seems to be lifted off of a Hollywood indie drama. That is, until you realize that the grandfather knocked-up some hot, blonde young mistress prior to the story, and you get one hell of a twist (Japanese Barney Stinson anyone?).

Usagi Drop follows the life of Daikichi Kawachi, a single, 30 year old salaryman who attends the funeral of the aforementioned playboy grandfather. It is here where we are introduced to Rin, the product of granddaddy’s surprisingly youthful essence. As expected in a predominantly conservative culture; Rin is generally avoided by the rest of the family as a result of her controversial background. It isn’t until Daikichi takes a stand that she is finally able to connect with another family member.

Mad respect, brah

Unlike most anime, Usagi Drop requires little verbal interaction to convey emotion. The meaningful looks exchanged by the characters were enough to gain a glimpse of what they were thinking. Also, the dialogue was not only realistic, but witty as well, thus adding depth to the scenes. For example, when the family was trying to delegate responsibility for Rin, we could clearly sense their distaste and reluctance.

This is where Daikichi swoops in to the rescue. Right off the bat, you can identify the immediate connection between Daikichi and Rin. Since I didn’t bother to do prior research on the source material (why spoil the fun?), I’m not exactly sure where Daikichi stands in his family. Judging by the funeral though, he seems pretty detached from his relatives; a similar circumstance (in an 8th cousin, twice removed kind of way) to what Rin is experiencing here.

While I understand that it is difficult for the family to accept such a sudden predicament, it saddens me that, as adults, they fail to take Rin’s feelings into consideration. For all the faults that the family point out in Rin, it’s pretty amusing how ignorant they can be seeing as there’s another child who is a much more troublesome pest. Rin is a quiet and reserved child who seems mature beyond her tender years, while the niece Reima is a loudmouth brat who is hyperactive and confrontational. It’s a double standard that is unfair to a child and I’m glad that Daikichi agrees with this opinion. He may not be the most qualified to raise a kid, but he is at least understanding of Rin’s impressionable young mind.

Not to be outdone by the story telling, the production values by Production I.G. really bring the world to life. The art-direction is beautiful and a direct contrast to the style used in Mawaru Penguindum. While Mawaru relies on vibrant colors, strong graphic imagery and modern aesthetics, Usagi Drop has an art style reminiscent of NoitaminA’s winter entry, Hourou Musuko. With soft watercolor backdrops and artistic pastel effects blending together with a subdued color palette, this is a visual treat through and through (the opening scenes in particular are GORGEOUS). The OP/ED also match the mood of the show perfectly, with the appropriate visuals to match.

Who can say no to this bundle of kawaii desu?

This first episode is a home-run on all fronts and, given the source material, it should be able to engage the viewer for the duration of the series. Fans of the series have been wary of the adaptation employing the subpar conclusion of the manga, but I hope that creative liberties will be taken to ensure that it reaches a fitting conclusion. Observing the learning process between a new father figure and child should prove to be a very humbling experience, and while I’m unsure if I’m willing to commit to blogging Usagi Drop at this time, it will still be an entertaining watch.

Begone, devil steed

/ 12 Commentsleave a comment /

• SnippetTee says:

  July 10, 2011

  This gave me quite similar impression when I watched Ano Hana’s first episode. I guess that’s because death is also used to welcome its viewers. Aside from the grandpa’s twist, I particularly like the scene where Rin refused to offer the white flower and instead gave the blue one. Then, for the first time we saw her cry. From there, it strongly hinted that Usagi Drops really has some serious drama.

  However, I’m hoping that it’s not going to be too drama exhausting, and hopefully they won’t give us a twist that reveals Rin isn’t actually fathered by the grandpa.

  Overall, I like the story. For me, it’s one of the promising this season.
  My recent post Impression and Expectations from Ikoku Meiro no Croiseé

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  • Bass says:

    July 11, 2011

    I really like how Usagi Drop takes a different approach to drama than Ano Hana did. The style here is pretty understated and low key, and while they are cues where they try to elicit an emotional response from the viewers, it's not as obvious as Ano Hana. I'd also like to think that there is a more natural climb to that climax, much like how it takes a while before Rin finally cries. That was really effective and it connect with me more than Ano Hana's emotional scenes ever did.

    So if they keep that up, I'm pretty sure the drama won't be too exhausting. The visuals match that style as well as the level of dialogue and interaction, so I can see it continuing on with this method of story telling.
    My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 & Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]

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• Bear says:

  July 10, 2011

  To be blunt about it and certainly not PC, the family sees Rin as a bastard child and one that is an embarrassment to the family. Reima, OTOH, is acceptable even though she is an absolute brat, because she fits the proper position of a young child: proper family, legitimate birth. The disgusting thing is that Rin's birth was not something she had any say in, but they're taking it out on her anyway. They don't even have the decency to do their sniping out of Rin's sight as if she were a thing and not a feeling person who just lost the only family she had.

  Daikichi is a real mensch. Rin's body language tells us as much as any dialog might about what she is feeling. When she runs to Daikichi after he asked if she wanted to live with him, I was really moved by such a simple scene.

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  • Bass says:

    July 11, 2011

    Exactly, these sort of understated scenes really work best for me too. It's all about subtle actions and body language, and deep down I'm sure the constant rejection is starting to get to Rin. She tries to be friendly with Reima, but in the end her hard work was overlooked. That's gotta be tough on any kid, to know that you're not wanted and to not belong. Hell, it's hard for adults to feel that way and while kids are often oblivious, Rin seems too perceptive to ignore it.

    But yea, it must have been a massive bomb dropped on the family like that. I guess being able to see Reima grow through the years helped to lessen the impact of her attitude, where as they've only met Rin for a short time. I really hope that the series shows development in Rin's relationship with the rest of the family. I'm pretty sure a girl like her can win them over easily with her genuine innocence.
    My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 & Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]

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• Renn says:

  July 10, 2011

  I LOVE the background art on the show. Absolutely love it–it's got to be my favorite from this year, and I'm including Mawaru PenguinDrum in here. :)

  And I agree, this show was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. Even though the focus is really different, I feel like it's a lot like Hourou Musuko: beautiful art, some touchy issues, soft atmosphere. That was a real treat, so my hopes for this are really high. I'm really interested in seeing how far it adapts its source material since there's a SPOILER at the halfway point.

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  • Bass says:

    July 11, 2011

    Yea, I especially love the header image background. The colors really pop in a subtle, artistic kinda of way. Less bold and more elegant. The OP and ED also use this style which I love a lot. Very child-like.

    The soft atmosphere really won me over. After the in-your-face drama of Ano Hana, it's really nice to sit back and enjoy Usagi Drop without having the show purposely try to elicit an emotional response. It's very interesting to see the contrast between the two shows and given the sequence of styles in noitaminA's past three dramas, I wonder if fall's drama will be more direct like Ano Hana was.
    My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 & Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]

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• Meshedi says:

  July 10, 2011

  The best first episode this season so far. The animation, the characters, the setting, the music…love everything about this show.
  Looking forward to see Rin's life with her new guardian.

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  • Bass says:

    July 11, 2011

    Definitely, I really love the overall tone of the show. Very easy going and I love the natural pace of the story telling. Maybe that's due to the funeral setting and all, but it was really pleasant to just sit back and watch the story unfold, without being too tense.
    My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 & Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]

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• Foshizzel says:

  July 10, 2011

  Dawwww yes best first episode! I got a bit teary eyed during the flower scene wow so touching <3

  Damn that little kid the annoying one LOL Bitches love candy AMEN that girl ARRGG but I have been around real kids like that irl.

  Artwork reminded me more of Natsume they have similar character designs, yeah I see some Hourou Musuko in the characters and color as well. This might be the drama series of summer! Much like Anohana was for spring, then again a bit early to say unless there are other drama shows out there.

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  • Bass says:

    July 11, 2011

    Yea the flower scene connected with me surprisingly well too. It's testament to the story telling if it was able to tug on my heartstrings halfway through the first episode, without any deliberate crying on screen. It was all done through atmosphere and I dig that.

    I have a few young hyperactive cousins like that myself and yea, they are very annoying when they have their crosshairs targeted on you. It doesn't help that I tend to entertain them rather than to shoo them away like Daikichi did haha. Prolly would save me a lot of hassle, but I like being the fun cousin.

    And yea, Natsume seems to have the same soft color pallete. I really wish I have time to check that but the first two seasons are a big barrier to entry >_< And yea, this seems to be the drama of the season already and the most interesting thing about it is the direct contrast to Ano Hana's story telling style.
    My recent post Mayo Chiki 01 &amp; Yuru Yuri 01 [First Impressions]

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• Mad Chemist says:

  July 12, 2011

  I agree with the comparisons between this and Wandering Son, seeing as they’ve both covered low key but substantial drama (at least so far anyway, there’s only been one episode of this show!). Low key doesn’t mean minor, though; the way that Daikichi’s relatives passed Rin around like a hot potato, didn’t speak with her at all and didn’t even care about where she would sleep in her own house made me genuinely angry at their negligent abuse. He doesn’t seem particularly mature or ready to raise a child, but he really seems to want to do the right thing here. Also, I really like the way that the show portrayed Rin; she really seems to act like a child instead of a collection of moe traits and exaggerated cuteness, and that’s something I wish I saw more in anime. Both of the two are quite likable so far, and if the show can keep up this quality of characterization and quiet dramatic substance I think it could be one of the best shows this season. I just wish they kept the heavy watercolor look at the beginning of the episode, that must have been costly to animate but looked amazing!

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• Kyokai says:

  July 15, 2011

  LOLZ at that Barney reference. The ojiji was sure…um, virile~ I loved this and it's definitely going to be Summer's feel-good anime. It helps that Rin is voiced by an actual six year old and Dai-chan is just <3. This is going to be my collection for sugar along with Croisee and Mawaru Penguindrum.
  My recent post Ikoku Meiro no Croisée – 02

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