Review: Usagi Drop

Bunny Drop

Mimi: Kids say and do the darndest things. Here, they’ll pretend to be adults, wet the bed and claim its sweat, enter the house covered in mud and sticks, and ask for a ruler to measure their poop. In essence, Usagi Drop is about kids being kids. They’re silly, adorable, and a whole lot of fun to watch. The series also takes a mature look at parenting, as a single, thirty-year old man named Daikichi must suddenly take care of a six-year old girl, Rin. What’s more is that she is his auntie!

Each episode is a heartwarming new day for Daikichi and Rin. They tend to focus on a single event, such as Rin starting her first day of school or getting sick with the flu. The best part is to see them spending precious time together. They’re so likeable and grow tremendously within just a short year. Particularly Rin is interesting to think about because her mother’s whereabouts and her past are shrouded in mystery at first. Daikichi learns a lot about parenting, so he deeply reflects on what kind of parent Rin’s mother really is. I for one agree with Daikichi’s concerned feelings.

Despite that Daikichi is the adult, Rin is the one who gets them up in the morning, cooks breakfast, and warns about table manners. There’s just something extremely cute about a kid taking care of an adult in this way. If I ever have kids, I hope that they’ll be as mature and independent as Rin! Another aspect of the show that I really enjoy is Daikichi’s interaction with Rin’s classmate, Kouki. He’s much more childish than Rin, doing obnoxious things that all boys do at that age. I honestly don’t know how you can live with them. But ya love ’em anyway!

The story is simple, yes, but that is what makes it so pleasurable and relatable to me. I couldn’t help but reminisce about my childhood adventures and the good times that I’ve spent with my father. He behaved like Daikichi when my mother went away to Germany for one week: easily panicked and having no clue how to do my hair! Likewise, I can relate to the adult characters, who struggle to manage their responsibilities and wish to be kids again. I’ve also experienced taking care of kids, namely my niece and nephew, who are now teenagers. When it comes to slice-of-life anime, this one really hits home, even beating Anohana.

Why can’t there be a dozen more episodes? I love this show. It’s very tempting to read the manga, but until then, I will miss Daikichi and Rin dearly. I really can’t think of one thing to complain about aside from how short it is. Usagi Drop is a sweet, touching, and fun little series that I’d wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who loves kids.

Mimi’s Score: 9 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

Alex’s Score: 9 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

Liam’s Score: 8 Meeps out of 10 (Very Good)

Dusk’s Score: 9 Meeps out of 10 (Great)

Usagi Drop Episode 11 [Final]

The First Step

Mimi: What a great, touching conclusion to such an endearing series. I almost teared up. Noooo Daikichi, Rin, don’t leave meee! T_T

Once again, it’s all about enjoying the simple pleasures in life. Rin and Kouki train for a jump rope contest, and Daikichi practices his evil laughter while showing off what he can do. Again, this brings back memories of my dad who would jump rope all the time on the back porch. I was impressed that he could do it so fast, and well, I still can’t do anything like that. =P Rin also loses her front baby teeth, which looks hilarious. I wish I was as enthusiastic as Rin about losing my baby teeth, or at least have been calm about it. But no, I was terrified, and I have horror stories too disturbing for this blog. o_o

I kept saying this since episode 2; it’s amazing to see how much Rin as grown up. Now it’s been a year since she has moved in with Daikichi. Or perhaps it’s like Daikichi said…this is the real her. Same thing for Daikichi. You know what? I’m not ready to say good-bye yet! *goes to hunt down the manga*

Anyway, you get the message at the end. Life goes on~ :3

Usagi Drop Episode 10

Stomach Flu

Mimi: I just knew that one of these episodes had to be about Rin getting sick. It’s a very touching episode, as Daikichi worries excessively about her, holds her hand all night, and cuddles with her at the end. He receives a lot of help from Kouki’s mother, who manages to calm down his nerves and cook dinner for Rin. Once again, I loved every bit of the characters. They have grown on me so much that it’s going to be sad to see this series end next week. I’d enjoy watching another 11 episodes, to be honest. Is there a lot of manga material after this? I did see a scan of Rin all grown up. o_o

Usagi Drop Episode 9

A Typhoon Has Come!

Mimi: Oh I loved this episode to pieces. It’s simply about Rin and Kouki’s day at school and his mother having dinner with them at Daikichi’s home. During a typhoon! They look like one happy family already! Daikichi reflects a bit on how parents’ children give them a sense of security and vice versa, as they have such a warm and lovely time together.

And just when you think that the kids can’t get any more adorable, they do. Particularly Kouki is such a trip in this episode. I never heard of a kid wanting to measure his own poop with a ruler, lol. I couldn’t help but smile through the whole thing, and the ending made me laugh when Daikichi and Rin barely prevented Kouki from stepping inside after they imagined him to be a muddy mess. By the way, he looks super cute in Rin’s clothes~ xD

Usagi Drop Episode 8

Precious to Grandpa

Mimi: Another lovely episode. This one focuses a little bit more on Masako, as we see her working tiredly as a manga artist. When Daikichi and Rin visit grandpa’s grave, Masako secretly watches them from behind. It’s nice to finally see her show some motherly feelings towards Rin. To her surprise, Rin is no longer a baby. All this time, she’s been burying herself in work trying to avoid feeling guilty. Honesty, I do wish that she would try to be in her daughter’s life, as it counts now more than ever. It obviously stings her when she thinks about the way things have turned out. But I also like the similarities shown between Daikichi and his grandfather. It’s as if Rin is being raised by a younger version of her dad.

The birthday scene is very cute. They don’t make a big deal of it; it’s just Rin, Daikichi, and a small, delicious looking cake. I thought that we might see part of the festival, but there’s only a small clip saved for the end. It’s also cute when Daikichi daydreams about Kouki’s mom. =P

Usagi Drop Episode 7

Secretly Running Away From Home

Mimi: Daikichi’s cousin Haruko and her daughter Reina run away from home to stay at his place. Oh noes! A lot of things drive Daikichi nuts, as it’s pretty awkward for this guy to be living with all these girls and dealing with their emotions. But in the end, he takes a very mature position to help Haruko deal her martial problems. Interestingly, they seem a little envious of each other’s lives; a life with marriage, and a life alone with your kid. This episode hints more strongly at the possibility of Daikichi and Yukari getting together, or at least, they seem to have feelings for each other that they have not yet realized. We’ll just have to see what happens!

Ah yes, I must also mention that I connected to Haruko a bit in this episode. You know, wanting to stay a young girl forever, free from responsibilities. I struggle with growing out of my childhood every day, since I’m still a dependent, and a part of me doesn’t want to let go either. I wonder how it’ll be for me when I reach the age of these characters. You just have to be strong and move on like she’s doing, I guess.

Usagi Drop Episode 6

My Tree

Mimi: You guessed it! The theme of this episode is about…trees! Daikichi’s family has a tradition where they plant a tree for each child, and they enjoy growing up with them. Aw, I wish my parents did that for me! It turns out that Rin’s grandfather had planted a tree for her as well, so Daikichi transfers it over to their home. This makes Rin very very very happy. ^__^

In other events, Rin starts elementary school, learns what cereal is, and hangs out with Kouki. It’s cute how Daikichi and Kouki get along; he’s basically looking after another kid who acts the way that he used to be. And Daikichi always gets a lot of help from his mother, this time on using the camera. The Nitanis and Kawachis would make one awesome family, don’tcha think? Masako can just be hired as the maid again. :3

As always, I enjoy the pleasant small talk and all the cute things kids do. When will the first cloud cover the sun, I wonder?

Usagi Drop Episode 5

Daikichi is my Daikichi

Alex: Man, I don’t envy Mimi having to write this every week. One heartwarming, sweet episode about family life, featuring the occasional bit of light hearted comedy and some seriousness about raising a child, i’m left without a clue what to say.So, uh…

This episode features the introduction of Rin’s mother, who turns out to be an airheaded manga artist who ditched her for work. Pretty much like we expected. The rest of the episode was focused around Rin wanting her own knife to cook for Daikichi, the graduation ceremony at the Pre-School and the question of Rin’s family name. Everyone was wandering if she should be adopted as to go without any of the fuss and not to be made fun of by fellow school students for having a name which wasn’t the same as her guardian, but she decided on her own that Daikichi wasn’t her father, he was her Daikichi. Que “awwwwh” moments and a warm feeling inside.

Usagi Drop Episode 4

Letter

Mimi: Wow, things are moving a lot faster with Rin’s mother than I expected. Daikichi discovers a letter written by his grandfather explaining a little bit about their situation, and even left her phone number. All we know is that Rin’s mother was the maid, she loved Rin, but she felt like a bad mother and felt sorry for her. Well, that’s not a good enough excuse to abandon her, so Daikichi calls her at the end of the episode. Oh great, now this series is pulling cliffhangers on us. I wonder how their conversation is going to go, and I’m really curious about the events that led up to their awkward situation.

As always, everything else is a delight to watch. I love the scene when Daikichi tries to do her hair because that’s exactly how it was with my dad. He just couldn’t do my hair like my mom could, but unlike Rin, I was complaining. =P Hang in there, Daikichi!

Usagi Drop Episode 3

Daikichi’s Decision

Mimi: Daikichi takes Rin back to visit the family while he searches his grandfather’s house to find out more about her. He doesn’t find out much except that his grandfather had a computer. Rin later tells him that they had a mean-spirited maid, same name as her mother, who used the computer. Oh my… Other than that very interesting moment, the rest of this episode is just pure adorableness. Rin is starting to warm up to her family, and Daikichi makes a few sacrifices at work so he can handle his life with Rin better~

Hmm, I just might have the same dilemma as Alex with his posts for Ikoku Meiro no Croisée. I can’t only continue to say “Ahhh another episode filled with adorableness. The end.” Unless this show gets more eventful, I’m going to start sounding like a broken record. x__x Perhaps this will be a good challenge to work on.