UPNetwork  

Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-11-2012, 11:37 PM   #51
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Watched Episode 18 the other day and watched 19, 20, and 21 tonight. Bit by bit, catching up! Almost there!

Episode 18:
This episode was okay but it was honestly the first (and only) kinda dull dud episode since I've started the show back up. The first half was ghost stories which sounds like it could be good but honestly it was kind of a stereotypical "lol let's take turns with each of the animals" sketch that didn't really leave much of an impact. The second half was, well, I won't say what it was 'til you get there, but again it was merely an okay sketch. Not bad but not great like some of the other sketches have been since I started back up.

Episode 19:
One of the best episodes thus far.

Spoiler: show

The first half of the episode, the sketch at the waterpark, was one of the best ones the series has put forward so far. The rivalry between King Penguin and (Emperor) Penguin, Penguin's adorable nephew and King Penguin's frightening-looking one, the trio of penguins everyone always forgets or confuses, all seven Penkos chasing Penguin around, and of course Big Pimpin' Polar Bear (pictured above) ... good lord was this sketch great. If you haven't seen it yet, just go watch it. Words can't do it justice. I enjoyed Grizzly's sketch in Episode 16 more, and I got excited by the big Penko plot twist in Episode 15 more, but this sketch ranks pretty damn high on my list.


The second sketch was also great (though not as great as the first one), easily securing Episode 19's seat in the Hall of Champions. The part where the guy asks to become Tree Kangaroo's apprentice and Polar Bear's eyes bug out was hysterical. The part (pictured above) where the mother squirrels challenge the human to a game of squirrel volleyball was a mix of humorous, adorable, and all around great.

Episode 20:
The first half of this episode I didn't care for too much. Sadly, that seems to be a theme with Panda-centric episodes. I don't find him nearly as rage-inducing as bbb seems to but I can't say I like Panda all that much either. Anyway, it wasn't a terrible sketch but it certainly was in the bottom half. But then we move on to the second sketch and sparks fly:

Spoiler: show
Literally: it was the summer festival episode, fireworks and all.


It was fun to see Polar Bear and Grizzly run an okonomiyaki and yakisoba stand. It was even more fun to see Sasako in her yukata. It was even more delightful to see Red Panda show up, one of my favorite animals in the animal kingdom and I really loved what they did with him here. And of course finally we have ...


Handa x Sasako developments. It's still pretty much Handa crushing on Sasako but not really making it evident to her that he likes her. But it's realistic. It's not your typical "guy makes it painfully obvious but girl is totally oblivious" scenario. Handa, like myself, is trying to advance with Sasako but by doing really ordinary things which she understandably assumes are just Handa doing ordinary things. Like bringing drinks for the whole party (and not just her). Or like sitting close to her but not making any physical advances, not even extended eye contact. We know he likes her, but she doesn't; and were it most any other anime, we'd be all "OH COME ON, WOMAN!" but here? Here we're calm and okay with the fact that she doesn't see it yet. And Handa seems to be pretty calm about it too. We'll just have to see where things go from here.

Episode 21:
Whaaaaat? After I just complained about it last episode, this episode leads off with a Panda-centric sketch ... that is actually entertaining for once? Don't get too excited now: it was only a decent sketch. But it was still fun. As for the second one, well, it was more than "decent." Much, much more.

Spoiler: show

So the first sketch is basically Panda being a little whiny shit again wanting to try out some of the other jobs at the zoo because he's tired of being a part-time panda. He goes from one exhibit (the badgers) to another (the sea otters) to another (the llamas) before finally becoming a zookeeper. But whereas Panda performs poorly at every job he attempts, Llama (who has been transferred into the panda exhibit to replace Panda) performs wondrously. It's only after seeing Llama be a better panda than Panda himself that Panda gets into a jealous rage and decides to transfer back into the panda exhibit, bumping Llama back to the llama pen. One thing I have to credit the author of Polar Bear Cafe with is that she's managed to make me feel so sorry for the llamas at the zoo. I swear, next time I go to the zoo I am going to spend like 20 minutes at least at the llama exhibit unless they're asleep or not on the grounds in which case never mind. The part where Llama was talking about how people go right past his exhibit to check out the giraffes was so, so sad but so, so true.


The second sketch of this episode was great. For me personally it wasn't Rin Rin and the pandas, Penguin's Penko Problems, Grizzly Mourns for Polar Bear, or Waterpark Hijinx awesome, but it's definitely in the same family of sketches as they are and is definitely, definitely in my top third of all PBC sketches thus far. Really great sketch. We find out that Mei Mei, Panda's little sister, has fallen in love with none other than Mr. Handa! She's physically attracted to him -- he does resemble a panda, after all -- and can picture him doing no wrong. No matter what Panda tells her or shows her, Mei Mei's brain interprets it in the most favorable way possible.


The sketch hits its climax when Panda mistakes part of a conversation he overheard for evidence that Mr. Handa and Ms. Badger are going to get married. Panda tells Mei Mei not to come to the zoo but can't bring himself to tell her why. When the animals at the zoo start congratulating Handa on his upcoming marriage, he gets to the bottom of things and scolds Panda. The sketch ends with Handa bringing home an exhausted Panda after hours (pictured above). Handa surprisingly resembles the Handa of Mei Mei's fantasies and sure enough she's completely beside herself as Handa drops off her older brother and heads out.

The main reason I loved this was because it introduced a hysterical love triangle with Mr. Handa at the center of it. Before, Handa was this lovable loser who had a thing for Sasako and who we worried whether he could get her or not. Well, he still may not get her, but at the very least the author of Polar Bear Cafe is showing some sympathy towards Handa by having him now be someone else's #1 dream boy / hunk / prince / knight in shining armor / you name it, Mei Mei's probably said it. Obviously this is a comical crush that no one expects to go anywhere but it's still great for Handa that he's got a girl crushing on him (and hard ).

Four episodes, four sets of thoughts. In summary, 19 > 21 > 20 >> 18 with 19a and 21b being some of the series' best sketches.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2012, 09:34 AM   #52
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 22:
Spoiler: show
The first sketch with Adelie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo Penguin was good. It had a lot of small gems, like the part where Sasako breaks the fourth wall and goes "Pengin-san, Pengin-san" to Penguin and then Penguin replies "That's pretty rare coming from you, Miss Sasako." A lot of the similar-looking penguins they showed in this episode were also funny for being so gosh darn similar-looking. Like the Snares Penguin and the Fiordland Penguin where the only discernible difference is that small tuft of white on the Fiordland's face, good lord. In the end, it was a cute little sketch but nothing too special.

The second half of the episode was a fun continuation of the Penguin & the Penkos drama. I really enjoyed it. Poor, poor Mr. Penguin. ^_^; The one kinda odd thing to me though is that the women are all eager to try and become his girlfriend. I thought they were chasing him around angrily (which they were/are ) so like, uh, why would they still want to date him? ^^; What's even stranger to me is that they're willing to go along with a harem group date. Sasako said it herself when she told Penguin, "You're the worst, Mr. Penguin. ^_^;" And yet the Penkos were okay with this plan? ^^; Kinda strange if you ask me. But beside that oddity, I enjoyed the scene.

Episode 23:
Spoiler: show
The first sketch, with Handa consulting with Polar Bear about whether Sasako is dating anyone or not, was an okay sketch. Not bad, not particularly great either. It had its moments though. Ono Daisuke's bit as Llama was humorously acted, to say nothing of the inherent humor in Llama's unintentionally creepy stalker advice. The part where Sasako man-slaps Panda hard on the back was funny. Polar Bear being a dick about Handa's generosity, only to then reveal at the end of the sketch that he would treat Handa the next time Handa visited the cafe, wasn't amusing to me at first -- why u so trolly, Polar Bear? -- but it was perfectly in character and the revelation at the end that Polar Bear is something of a "nice guy troll" was also quite in character.

The second sketch, with Panda Mama, Red Squirrel Mama, and Mrs. King Penguin (why is she not King Penguin Mama? ^^; ) was okay. The first bit with the walnuts would have been fine (a) all on its own and (b) had it been about only two-thirds as long as it really was. But then they went to the cake cafe and the sketch kind of overstayed its welcome for me. ^^; I dunno: this sketch might've appealed more to Japanese housewives or soon-to-be housewives who could sympathize with Panda Mama and be like "I know her >_>" at Red Squirrel Mama and Mrs. King Penguin. It was still okay but like I said it kinda overstayed its welcome by quite a bit. Probably the best part for me with this sketch was how the shrews insulted Polar Bear's service and how, trying to impress them with his service, he went the extra mile to personally open the door for them on their way out ... only to be left standing there like an idiot while they sat back down at their table to chatter some more and demand more cheap refills. Poor guy. ^^; lol @ Panda hiding behind the counter, lol @ Penguin's comment.

Two of the weaker episodes I've seen in the 13-to-23 spurt of catching up on episodes. I can definitely appreciate how these episodes back-to-back, coupled with the grind of churning through PBC without taking any breaks at all, might've burnt out bbb's fuse. As for me? Well, 24 should come out tomorrow. I'll watch that, be caught up again and this time for a full week, and then? And then ... who knows. I might keep watching or I might put the show back on hold. We'll see!
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2012, 05:00 PM   #53
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 24:
'Twas okay. The first half of the episode was a Panda sketch. (50˘ if you can guess whether it was a good sketch or not. ;p) The second half of the episode was a bit more fun and actually would have worked kinda nicely as a season finale had that been what this week's episode was. Not much else to say. Seems like this past week+weekend was a lazy week for most anime. ^^;
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2012, 06:26 PM   #54
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 25:
Looks like the trend of weaker first halves and stronger second halves continues this week and on into the next. Thankfully, this week was overall more entertaining than last week's. The first half was decent. The second half was great fan service.

Spoiler: show
Penguin's art exhibit ... the jokes were all misses for me here. ^^; This sketch kinda sucked. ^^; Sorry, Penguin fans! But at least it was better than Episode 24's first half with Panda. ¬_¬

Polar Bear's story about how he and Grizzly first met ... this is pretty much what every fan has been waiting for since we first met Grizzly. It's the youngest we've seen Polar Bear in an honest setting (his story to the hornbill not really counting since we can't trust it). We still haven't seen his parents. Even at a very young age, he was already remarkably independent, knowing how to cook and everything. He also had his trademark blue scarf, making one wonder if it's something he got from his parents and treasures to this day. The sketch wasn't great in the same hysterical ways that the ones in 15 or 19 or 21 were but it was nonetheless one of the best sketches we've had all series as far as character enriching backstories go. The bit at the end when Grizzly's mother came home was the best imo. I also loved her voice. Sounds like Grizzly had a really nice mama.

The sneak peek for 26 indicates a Panda sketch for the first half (oh brother) and a Grizzly sketch for the second (all riiiiight). Though I do worry they may be wearing poor Grizzly out! Keep 'im fresh, keep 'im uncommon! As much as we demand him, it's no good if you give him to us too often! But I'll be looking forward to that second sketch all the same.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 02:22 PM   #55
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 26:
Watched this last week. The first half I've totally forgotten but I remember it being better than I had feared it would be. The second half started off about equally good but by the end of the sketch it had become AMAZING owing to one really surprising, hysterical plot development.

Spoiler: show
MC 469MA IN DA HIZZHOUSE!

Episode 27:
Sure enough, we got a new opening starting with this episode. That all but confirms that we're probably going to get at least another two calendar seasons' worth of episodes. Because if all they had planned on doing was sticking around for one more calendar season and bringing our total to 39, I should think they would have simply kept the old opening. But by going to the trouble of animating a new opening and bumping off the old one, I think we can be pretty confident that Polar Bear Cafe won't be wrapping up any time soon. ^^;

If you think of this episode as a "second season" opener, I think it did a pretty good job. It wasn't anything terribly special but it was very solid and did a great job of showcasing most of our friends we've come to know over the past twenty-six episodes. If instead you think of it as just some episode in the middle of the program's run, it still does a decent enough job. It doesn't stand out one way or another. Is it great? Well, no, not exactly. But is it bad? Absolutely not. A lot of smiles are to be had with this episode which sees the Wild Animals face off against Polar Bear's ragtag team of misfits in a game of baseball.

Spoiler: show
I thought the author was really on her A-game both with the character jokes and the animal jokes. Having Penguin be an ace at sliding into plates was good. So was having Llama eating up a patch of grass. Perhaps my favorite animal joke in this segment was when they had the giraffes trolling Polar Bear by catching all of his home runs. But the character jokes were good too. It was great to see Lesser Panda / Red Panda back again and I feel like he was perfectly used here. It was also funny to see Polar Bear imitating the Babe by calling his shot ... and then totally failing to hit Grizzly's ball followed up by doing an emergency batter exchange.

The interruption in the latter half of the episode with Masaki and the squirrels teaching us about bird-pooped coffee beans was interesting. I've never heard of that before and while I admit to having already forgotten the name (I remember it started with a J ) I don't think I'll soon forget the trivia that there is such a thing as bird-pooped coffee beans which sell for a premium.

I am looking forward to the series finding its groove again and being super-mega awesome. It hasn't been bad recently but we've definitely been in something of a lull compared with the awesomeness in the late teens + early twenties. Looks like next week's episode features Rin Rin so maybe that'll be just what the doctor ordered, who knows.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2012, 01:06 PM   #56
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 28:
The first sketch was a Panda sketch. As a result, I had pretty low expectations going in. But the bit at 2m43s was so hysterical and so unexpected that I immediately was willing to upgrade this sketch by a whole letter grade as a result. The rest of the sketch wasn't too bad either. In fact, it ended up being one of the best Panda sketches we've had in a long while. Lots of love to that grandma and the lion.

The second sketch was a Rin Rin sketch so I was hoping for some real laughs. The bad news was, it wasn't a very funny sketch or even a very Rin Rinny sketch. More than anything I'd describe it as the first ever Mr. Full Time Panda sketch. It stretched on for a bit too long and was a combination of depressing and annoying. But the good news was that then at the very end the author delivered a surprise that clearly she'd intended from the very beginning -- I would wager that that scene came to her one day and she wrote this entire sketch in order to make that scene possible -- and it was touching enough to make me overall enjoy this sketch too.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2012, 08:40 AM   #57
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 29:
The first sketch was a sometimes cute, sometimes annoying tongue-in-cheek sketch which poked fun at Panda (as a franchise character, not in-universe) by having him ascend the ranks of the business ladder one lucky break after another. Early on I thought it was a cute sketch. Then by the second half I was starting to get annoyed with Panda. But it's pretty clear that this entire sketch was setting up just for that final joke at the end, and the joke was amusing so in the end this sketch gets my seal of approval.

The second sketch, with Penguin's dream of experiencing flight, was cutely explored. This one reminds me in many ways of some other Penguin-heavy sketches we've seen in the past, like Episode 15's lawnmowing sketch, where ...

Spoiler: show
Penguin wants to achieve a goal, the others are trolololing away, Penguin loses his patience, and then it turns out that the others are really trying their best to support Penguin because he's their friend; and once he realizes this he becomes deeply moved, only to be trolled again (whether intentionally or not) by circumstances at the very end of the sketch.

All in all not a bad episode. Neither sketch was particularly great but neither was particularly bad either which on occasion is a refreshing departure from the pattern of a weak sketch coupled with an excellent sketch. Still, I like the latter better simply because I can always dismiss a bad sketch when one comes but I can't always have a great sketch in an episode without any. so yeah. (Why can't we have more episodes where all the sketches are mega-awesome? ^^; )

Episode 30:
The first sketch seemed like it would be fun (Hallowe'en) but tbh it kind of disappointed me. It had its moments. But they were all small.

The second sketch was an okay sketch but I think they stretched it out much too long. I also don't get how they lumped camels and alpacas in with llamas (which we all do, especially the alpacas) but turned around and said that polar bears and pandas are animals all by themselves in their own animal category. Uhh, what? I'm pretty sure every other bear would like to say hi.

Last edited by Talon87; 10-26-2012 at 12:19 PM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2012, 02:19 PM   #58
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 31:
First sketch was good but sadly brought about the end of an era. Of course it would be Panda who did it. I felt bad for Penguin in the end though.

Spoiler: show
None of his friends can even think of one nice thing to say about him? He's smart, he's passionate, he's goal-oriented, he's a hard worker in group tasks, on and on it goes. Kinda miffed me that (in-universe) his friends and (out of universe) the author were all suggesting that he's this completely detestable specimen.

Second sketch was a Mama Panda sketch. I'm not usually a fan of these and this one was little better than most. But it was a little better.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2012, 03:16 PM   #59
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 32:
Two solid sketches. Neither the series' best nor bad.

Spoiler: show
The first sketch was a tour of Polar Bear's garden/yard and was rather interesting at points. I especially liked the mozzarella cheese-making lemurs.

The second sketch saw the return of Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap Penguin and ended on a humorous if silly note with a penguin sentai show. Good for them though. ^^;

Next week looks like it might be a bit of a lull with a Panda sketch divide into two and a Masaki sketch in the middle, but I actually do like Masaki (I just feel like there isn't much more to do with him ^^; ) so maybe that'll be good. And the Panda one could be good too!
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2012, 03:58 PM   #60
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578

This charming little series keeps trundling along. It may not be the greatest anime 2012 had to offer, but it's warmed our hearts (or at least mine: am I the only one still watching this? ) and has been doing decently these past two episodes. Some overdue thoughts for 33, 34, 35, and 36 before I give thoughts on this week's episode.

Episode 33:
Spoiler: show
This episode consisted of three thirds, the first and third third being one story to do with Panda Corner's waning popularity as more and more people check out the revitalized penguin exhibit, the middle third being about Masaki learning that bad-tasting coffee can still smell good during roasting but turn out awful once you steep it in boiling water. It was ... an okay episode. I like Masaki, or at least I like the concept behind Masaki, but I feel like things are kind of drawn out with his story line. How often do we need to see him training at the level of picking out bad beans before we can finally see him graduate to working alongside the master and creating blends of his own? As for the bulk of the episode, Rin Rin's parts were great but for the most part I just wasn't feeling it. If I had to pick between "good" or "bad" for this episode, I'd go with "bad," but it's not like it was awful. I just didn't care for it, that's all.

Episode 34:
Spoiler: show
The first half of this episode was Wolf getting laid off / fired from his old job at Monkey's bakery and coming to work for his friend Tiger while he got back on his feet with a new job. The second half of this episode was about the PBC crew wondering why Penguin was no longer showing up and Polar Bear investigating a café in the neighboring town after strange rumors about Mr. Penguin being sighted there ...

I really, really liked the first half of this episode. It was solid. I like Wolf, I like Tiger, I liked the angle they took with Wolf making really good bread from Tiger's special red bean paste and Tiger being all "Only because we are bros will I allow you, Wolf, to make bread from my red bean paste. And I would be honored if you would do so. The bread you make is truly marvelous. " It was a bromantic sketch and was really good all around. Hooray for Wolf getting hired on by the apparently-famous Donkey.

The second sketch was okay. It was still better than what we got in Episode 33, but overall I didn't care for it too much, all the less so when it was bluntly wrapped up in the end with Penguin asking her out and getting rejected and him coming straight back to Polar Bear Cafe. But it was an okay sketch.

Between "good" and "bad," Episode 34 was good.

Episode 35:
Spoiler: show
The first half of this episode was about Sloth wanting to work at Polar Bear Cafe. The second half was about Handa trying to find a good Christmas present for Sasako.

The first half with Sloth was the sort of sketch I don't normally care for going into it but coming out of it I find I liked it okay. Not great or anything, but better than I went in expecting. Raised my eyebrows though at the suggestion that Sloth may have feelings for Sasako. ^^;

The second half with Handa was a bit too drawn out but it had its comedy moments (mostly with Red Panda) and I did like how the gift exchange ended up taking place, with the two of them finding a quirky common interest / shared knowledge base. I would think it's pretty obvious that Handa likes Sasako by sheer virtue of the fact that he gave her a Christmas gift (and with Christmas being a couples holiday in Japan ...) but the series seems to have established that she is either criminally polite with people or else that she is a bit clueless. Regardless, she doesn't seem to acknowledge Handa as a romantic interest of her own but the series I think has done a nice job of having Handa be calm and not stereotypically "OMFG I'MMA SPLOOGE IN MY PANTS EVERY TIME I SEES YOU! " like so many anime series do when a guy likes a girl. The way Handa is handling this strikes me as being similar to how I might handle it if I had a crush. He's a stereotypical shy nice guy who isn't especially handsome or suave but is still nice and has his own set of (if mundane) nice traits. Only time will tell what becomes of these two.

Episode 36:
Spoiler: show
The first half of this episode dealt with Grizzly's preparations for hibernation. The second half also dealt with Grizzly's hibernation but saw Polar Bear seemingly trolling Grizzly by asking him to spend a day out on the town with him only for it to turn out to be part of an organized plan by Polar Bear, Panda, and Penguin to gift Grizzly a pillow.

I liked both halves of this episode, but I also feel that this was probably the weakest Grizzly episode we've ever seen. The second half of the episode also seemed to completely undermine everything that happened in the first half. Polar Bear tells Grizzly "See you next spring" at the end of the first half ... only to then wake him up and hang out with him all day in the second half. And the two spent the entire first half shopping for a pillow for Grizzly ... only for the second half to come along and say "Surprise: we got you a pillow ourselves." What was the point in allowing him to spend his money like that then? And what was wrong with his choice of pillow? If he liked it, then he liked it! Why would you guys go and get him a replacement pillow when he just bought himself the pillow he personally liked best!? I don't understand. But that stated, the second half was cute, if for no other reason than the punchline it was setting up for where Grizzly is like "LET'S KEEP PARTYING~!" and the other three are all "Grizzly-kun, I'm sleepy, let's go to bed. -.-" You guys rouse him from his hibernation ... and then when he's finally awake you all want to go to bed yourselves. Real nice, guys. Real nice.

Oh, I forgot: there were two micro-sketches at the front of each of the two halves that themselves tied into one another. The first involved Panda and Full Time Panda lazing under a kotatsu, which ended with Handa confiscating the kotatsu. The second involved them sleeping in his office, which ended with Handa confiscating their futons. They were okay, but like, all together they added up to like 2 minutes.

Episode 37:
Spoiler: show
The first half of this week's episode was about the various PBC characters' plans for Christmas. We learn that Panda wants a new Panda pochette, MeiMei wants to get Prince Han a gift, Penguin wants to attend a Christmas party and perform his comedy routine yet no one has invited him to any parties yet, Rin Rin has special plans for Panda, and both Sasako and Handa plan to spend mundane Christmases at home.

The second half bleeds right into the first (so really, it was like this week's episode was one giant sketch) and it explores a trip to Grizzly's bar and fleshes out what ended up happening with everyone on Christmas Eve. Polar Bear ends up covering for one of the otters manning Grizzly Bar in Grizzly's absence, Penguin ends up tagging along, and there they run into Lion (who is visiting) and Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap Penguin (who are depressed over failure to sell their Penguin Cards). They end up throwing an impromptu "party" of their own when Polar Bear busts out some of Grizzly's prized champagne , Penguin delivers his entire comedy sketch to an enthusiastic audience, and he and Lion offer to buy a pack of Penguin Cards from the penguin trio. Add in Llama, Alpaca, and Rin Rin and the night ends with the eight of them sharing some Christmas cake. Handa goes home to discover an envelope in his mail slot addressed to "Prince Han" which contains a family picture of the Pandas. He has no clue who sent it or why. (Poor MeiMei. )

This was another pleasant but not fantastic episode. I enjoyed it, and it felt like an above-average episode out of the five I've reviewed ... and like, we even got to meet Alpaca and learned some interesting things about Llama (like the fact that Llama is a practicing Christian! ) ... but in the end it wasn't like all that much significant or memorable happened.

Here's hoping the future holds some truly wonderful surprises in store for us.

Last edited by Talon87; 12-14-2012 at 04:06 PM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2012, 03:59 PM   #61
Jerichi
プラスチック♡ラブ
 
Jerichi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: 蒸気の波の中
Posts: 14,766
>am I the only one still watching this?

I've been watching weekly almost since beginning and haven't stopped.
__________________


私のことを消して本気で愛さないで 恋なんてただのゲーム 楽しめばそれでいい
閉ざした心を飾る 派手なドレスも靴も 孤独の友達

asbwffb

[jerichi]
Jerichi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-21-2012, 04:45 PM   #62
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Looks like Episode 38 wraps things up for this year given not only the theme of the episode but also all of the "See you next year!" breaking-the-4th-wall stuff at the end. Not too surprising: the vast majority of animes take 2-3 weeks off around this time of year and it looks like Polar Bear Cafe will be no exception.

Episode 38 was cute. The first sketch started off a little slow but with an admittedly grand inside-joke premise that even in its first few minutes catapulted the sketch into minimum good territory. By the end of the sketch, however, the scene had blossomed into something that was pretty good overall. Not great, but rich with lots of little moments that made you smile. The second sketch was a fun combination of "let's look at how the PBC crew celebrate New Year's" and a recap episode. As far as recap episodes go, this was handled really well, and I didn't even feel like I was watching a recap episode at all. It felt very genuine, authentic, even fun or touching.

Spoiler: show
That poor Grizzly though. ^^; His hibernation is going to be ruined this year as a result of all their trolling.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2013, 05:14 PM   #63
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 39 was solid. I'm really diggin' the new OP and ED. You still can't watch it though, Daisy and Yuki, as it contains characters you've yet to meet. (Less than OP2, but still.)

Spoiler: show
Handa's cabbage advice seems cool, but I worry that that paper towel would become a breeding ground for bacteria and that you'd have been better off not cutting the cabbage at all. ^^; Also, I almost never buy cabbage (lettuce, sure, but not cabbage) and whenever I do I usually cook the entire thing in one go. ^^;

Panda's performance with Mr. Full-Time Panda was hilarious. Best part is when Mr. Full-Time Panda asks Panda to bring the flute closer.

Llama's bit was wow. Never seen Llama scream or freak out like that before. Two weeks, though. Man. >_< ^^;

I loved Grizzly's bit at the very beginning. Took pictures for UPN but posting from phone right now. ^^;

The second half of the episode was one of the best sketches in months. Really enjoyed it. I think everyone can relate to Panda's selfish feelings this episode. As a child, I used to hate it when my parents hosted parties. Felt like a prisoner in my own home. Panda expressed something very similar. But anyway, it was great seeing Panda's family enjoy Penguin more than they enjoy Panda!

I do wonder what Penguin does for a living though ...

Sneak peek for next week doesn't instill confidence in me that it'll be good, but this week's was fun so I'm grateful at least for that.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2013, 06:53 PM   #64
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 40 was okay. Not bad, not memorable either. Next week's will hopefully be better. Not much else to say other than ...

Spoiler: show
One, it looks like Mr. Penguin's rakugo schtick has become the new Ms. Penko schtick for him; and two, poor Grizzly! He's going to feel so not refreshed come spring! They interrupt his hibernation far too frequently!
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-25-2013, 12:28 AM   #65
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 41.

First half of the episode, not gonna lie, got on my nerves. ^^; It was a lot cuter when the grandmotherly sensei we had in Japanese 102 taught us "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" than it was seeing the PBC crew bungle it up 7+ different ways. By the time Penguin was halfway through his run as the ogre, I was ready for this sketch to be over and done with. ^^;

But the second half of the episode redeemed 41 as a whole. The first half of this second half (so, the third quarter of the episode?) was a slow, "not bad but not great either" development with Sasako and Mr. Llama. And then we hit the cusp between the third and fourth quarters -- we reach the second half of the second half, that is -- and wow, was not expecting that.

Spoiler: show
Child Sasako = so cute! >_< I BET HANDA WISHES HE HAD BEEN HERE TO HEAR THIS STORY!

It was also surprising to learn this week that:

Spoiler: show
It isn't just the city of PBC which has humans and talking animals living side by side. Apparently Sasako and Mr. Llama both used to live in a city that, one gets the impression, is not a trivial walk from Polar Bear Cafe. And in this city too, just as in the city they both now live in, there were talking animals who handled human jobs (like Mr. Raccoon who managed the park or Mr. Giraffe who ran a bakery). So when you recall that one out-of-town dude who visited ages and ages ago (Episode 17 was it? I forget) and he was quite shocked to see the talking animals, and then when you factor in this week's revelation, it sort of complicates the world of PBC a bit. 'Cause like, we can no longer assume that PBC is a world identical to ours except for Polar Bear's town (Episode 41 refutes this) but neither can we assume that talking animals are a common occurrence everywhere on their Planet Earth ('cause that earlier episode refutes this). There are some places in their world where talking animals are a common thing, and there are other places where they are not.

Next week's episode, Episode 42, looks like it could be the best of 40-42 or 39-42. Here's hoping it will be.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-02-2013, 03:30 PM   #66
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 42. First part meh but not bad. Second part ...

Spoiler: show
... one of the best sketches we've ever seen in Polar Bear Cafe, if not the very best of the non-comedy lot. And of course it would be a Grizzly sketch, wouldn't it? Man, Grizzly is the best. It's no wonder they keep shamelessly plugging him into each week's episode these days.

I really do love those two (Polar Bear and Grizzly)'s friendship.

I also wonder, though, whether this was another of Polar Bear's tall tales or not.

Looks like next week's episode'll be three sketches and the middle one will be the return of Masaki. Could be good! We'll just have to wait and see.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2013, 02:36 PM   #67
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 43 was okay. Each of the sketches was mildly entertaining.

Spoiler: show
The first one was a bit of tongue-in-cheek self-making fun, with the author having all the other animals tire of Polar Bear's incessant puns and turning the tables on him. It worked really well, and to be honest I was relieved when he swore off puns as a result. But then ... the predictable thing happened, and all the animals agreed that puns are fun and Polar Bear can keep on doing 'em.

The second sketch was educational, as the coffee sketches always seem to be. This week we learned that if you eat something sweet before hand (like a Ferrero Rocher chocolate), the coffee will taste much better than it would if you'd had nothing at all. Not sure in what sense it becomes "better," and as a non-coffee drinker I probably will not be trying this out any time soon for myself. But it's an interesting little factoid that makes a whole lot of sense out of why coffee and sweets are so often paired together.

The third sketch was pretty boring at first, with Mr. Full-Time Panda and Mr. Llama having a night out on the town, but once we reached Grizzly's bar, things started to pick up, and it was cute in the end how all the animals gathered and had fun. Wow though that they all got so intoxicated that they all passed out and spent the night at the bar. ^_^;;
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2013, 03:17 PM   #68
Jerichi
プラスチック♡ラブ
 
Jerichi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: 蒸気の波の中
Posts: 14,766
Wow that most recent episode.

Spoiler: show
This show got sad. Do we know why Full-Time Panda had to leave? Is his VA not able to voice him anymore?
__________________


私のことを消して本気で愛さないで 恋なんてただのゲーム 楽しめばそれでいい
閉ざした心を飾る 派手なドレスも靴も 孤独の友達

asbwffb

[jerichi]
Jerichi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2013, 03:19 PM   #69
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578

Wh...what was that? O_o What did I just watch?

Spoiler: show
Not only was that a Panda episode that was good (*GAAAAAAASP!*), not only was it one of the best episodes of the entire series, but it was like somebody took a hold of the reins this week and said "This week, on a very special episode of Polar Bear Cafe, Polar Bear Cafe as if it were an adult drama." Just ... wow. That came out of frickin' nowhere. And it didn't even let up at the halfway point! The entire episode was this power hour (well, power half hour ) of intensity!


The episode worked on so many levels, and perhaps that is because parting is one of the most universal of human experiences that there are. Whether it's a grandparent, parent, brother or a sister, or child dying ... whether it's your very best friend moving away ... people leaving us when we don't want them to leave us is part of the human experience. I'm not sure if the author of PBC just wanted to put her IRL feelings down on paper when she penned this chapter or whether she wrote this one "for the children" to help them to relate to Panda and in that manner to perhaps better cope with their own acute partings in their lives (like the death of a beloved grandparent), but wow. You knew something was up the moment Handa told his assistant to not interfere with Mr. Full-Time Panda's sidejob shenanigans this time. And you knew that that something was serious the very next scene when Panda came in to work and Mr. Full-Time Panda's name tag and check-in card were missing from the office. You saw the seriousness start to play out as Panda opened up the letter while riding the train car home. But you really knew that this was going to be one hell of a "on a special episode of PBC"-esque episode the moment Panda started crying. Man oh man. ^^;


In the next bit of the episode, we see Panda assuming the former duties of Mr. Full-Time Panda, at least until the zoo can find a new part-time panda to help share the load. Handa even offers Panda "only three times a week is good enough" after he mistakes Panda's silence for being insulted by the request to work five days a week, but lo and behold Panda volunteers instead to work a seven-day workweek, no breaks, and he manages it until, two weeks in, he passes out from the fatigue (pictured above). And there he lies, exhausted, both physically and emotionally, sprawled out on the muddy grass in the rain. Just wow. ^^; And when someone quite understandably says "Aw man =\, the panda's not doing anything. This sucks, let's get out of here" -- how many people have you known to say this when you've visited the zoo and reached an exhibit with a sleeping panda or koala? Perhaps you've done it! You probably have! -- the author, with Penguin as her mouthpiece, gives us the most shaming tonguelashing for that common zoo complaint you could possibly imagine. ^^; And in-universe we have Mr. Penguin just tearing into this guy:


It isn't even really clear what it is that Mr. Penguin does for a living -- he seems to have so much free time that one assumes he's unemployed? -- but we rarely see him pay a visit to the zoo, and I'm pretty sure that every time he has done so in the past it's been as part of a group. But this time he goes to the zoo, in the rain, to silently cheer on his dear friend, and when he overhears one of the patrons complaining about Panda's work (or visible lack thereof), he gives this guy the tonguelashing of a lifetime. And when the guy, understandably confused and feeling excessively accosted ^^; , wonders who the heck Mr. Penguin is, Penguin tells him:


I'm his best friend. "I'm Panda's best friend!"

And even then, the darkness and seriousness of this week's episode doesn't let up. ^^; We have Mr. Penguin then pitifully toppling over, gracelessly floundering about in a puddle, and we see the other human patrons around Panda's exhibit getting the heck out of there. Perhaps it's in part because of the scene Mr. Penguin just made. But perhaps it's mostly because his words failed to reach them. All they know is, they see a sleeping panda doing absolutely nothing and that to them isn't the least bit interesting. Sure, they just heard the rant this mad penguin just gave, but they don't know anything about that. And it wasn't enough to persuade them to stay and silently root for Panda. Instead, they make for other, more entertaining exhibits in the zoo. The scene ends with Penguin climbing into Panda's pen and leaving Panda his umbrella, to try and at least shield his head from the rain as he sleeps. All this time, this sad, somber piano piece is playing. And it caps off the scene in just such a way as to make you feel so many different emotions.

At least the final, final scene of the episode cheers things back up for viewers. ^^; To be honest, I didn't care for the development that Panda has gone back to only working two days a week. I quite liked the apparent idea that Mr. Full-Time Panda's death relocation to Singapore had forced Panda to finally grow up, to confront reality, to take on some responsibility, and to start working an adult workweek. Basically, Panda had become "the new Full-Time Panda" and whoever the zoo hired on to help Panda was going to be like Panda was when he first showed up: the rookie. But putting that disappointment to the side, the ending scene was nice with how Polar Bear treated both Panda and Penguin with some rewards for their efforts. We even got a postcard from Mr. Full-Time Panda, indicating that he and his family are doing fine in Singapore. They even let him do sidejobs!

Overall, this was one of the best episodes in the history of the series, but man oh man did it come out of nowhere and man oh man was it so sad and so serious.

As for Jerichi's questions,

Spoiler: show
I'm pretty sure Polar Bear Cafe is a direct television adaptation of the manga by the same name. As such, it's doubtful that Mr. Full-Time Panda was written out of the series because his voice actor decided to quit. In fact, I've never heard of a voice actor quitting an anime mid-run in my life. I guess there's nothing in theory to prevent it from happening, but in practice I imagine that there are some pretty serious contractual obligations you sign up for when you sign that dotted line in Japan, more so than we might expect to find over here. *shrug* Anyway, I doubt it's that the voice actor quit. It was probably something that was part of the original story from the manga. As light proof of this, in hindsight, we have the fact that the new ending for PBC starting a week or two ago was the Mr. Full-Time Panda-themed one. Now, admittedly, it's a bit surprising that they'd only use that ending once or twice before SURPRISE! relocating the character to Singapore, but I'm just saying that said implementation was probably planned months in advance (you have to record that song for an album, after all) and they probably wanted to switch to Mr. Full-Time Panda's song now since it's a fitting time, I guess.

That stated, there is an interesting blurb in the Wikipedia article for Polar Bear Cafe indicating that the anime might indeed have done things differently from the manga in the past. Quote:
Quote:
The original manga by Aloha Higa began serialisation in Shogakukan's Flowers magazine from 2006. Four tankōbon volumes have been released so far. The manga went on hiatus between May and July 2012, citing lack of communication concerning the anime adaptation.
The sources for these claims are this article, dated May 29, 2012, and this article, dated May 31, 2012. That's less than two months after the anime started airing at the beginning of April. So ... Episodes 1 thru 8, or thereabouts. Anyway, if you read those two articles, it doesn't sound like anything too serious happened changes-wise, but rather than the seriousness of the situation was how those changes ever managed to arise. Apparently the mangaka's editor was serving as middleman between the animation team and her, and he was deliberately lying to them both, approving drafts that the animators sent to him and claiming that Higa (the mangaka) herself had approved them, while in turn never letting Higa see any of those drafts. That's ... yeah, I'd be pretty pissed too if I were her. ^^; That stated, I don't see anything which suggests that the anime team did made-for-TV stories. They might have, but I've no reason to believe that they have as of yet. And so, without any reason to believe that they've ever deviated from the manga, for now I'm going to assume that Episode 44's plot comes straight out of the manga.

Given the May 2012 drama, I seriously, seriously doubt that the animation team would drastically "kill off" one of the series' characters without the mangaka's express permission.

Last edited by Talon87; 02-18-2013 at 03:22 PM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2013, 02:47 PM   #70
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 45. The first sketch was amusing. I quite liked it. Nothing really worth writing home about though, I suppose, but it was nice. The second sketch was dull for me though. [/shortest PBC Talon post ever]
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2013, 10:27 AM   #71
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
46 was surprisingly entertaining for what it was. A return to form, whether that's good or bad, with mellow atmosphere, bad puns from Polar Bear, and various cameos.

Spoiler: show
The whole flu sketch, I kept wondering if they were going to get sick as well. But then I'd reason, "No, no, they're different species. Surely they won't catch his cold." And yet they did.

I like Sasako + Handa development, but this week's felt a bit forced, with Panda doing the IRL equivalent of a torpedo run on poor Handa's chances by so bluntly asking Sasako to consider him.

Next week's episode looks like it will be ...

Spoiler: show
One-half Adélie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap Penguin and one-half Masaki. Could be good, could be terrible. We'll just have to wait and see. At least it's not another Panda Mama & Housewives Co. sketch. -_-;
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2013, 10:45 PM   #72
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 49. The second to last episode of the series did not disappoint; but given what we saw this week, it's just crazy to think the show won't be airing any more come April.

Spoiler: show
The first sketch is a Grizzly sketch. These pretty much always rock ... and this week was no exception. GRIZZLY MAMA! And she's voiced by Inoue Kikuko, the voice of an angel! *melts* FUCK YES. This was perfect. An entire sketch of Inoue Kikuko-voiced lovely mother bear of our wonderful Grizzly.

I could relate to this sketch so, so much. I think a lot of young men can.

The part where Grizzly Mama tells her age, and part of the reason for drawing your attention to Inoue Kikuko, is that it was a delicious 4th-wall-breaking inside joke:
Quote:
About: She always calls herself "17 years old" (井上喜久子17歳です). Fans would refute her jokingly with "Oi! Oi!" (roughly equivalent to "yeah right"). To further promote her ideal, she founded a "cult" of "17-year-olds" (Jū-nana-sai Kyō, 17歳教). Current cult members include Yukari Tamura, Sakura Nogawa, Rina Satou, and Yui Horie.
The second sketch was a surprise and very welcome sequel to the story we'd gotten several weeks back about Mr. Llama and Sasako having both grown up in the same city around the same time. This week's sketch sees the group of five going on a trek back to the city to unearth a time capsule buried by Llama. It was a cute sketch -- while I think the first one was more entertaining, this was a wonderful showing for Ono Daisuke's lovable gentle giant.

"My Dear", the last ending theme song of the series, is definitely one of the greatest. I want to get this on CD.

Rumors abound of a "second project" based on the manga. Whether it means a second season, whether it means a manga-faithful reboot, or whether it means something else who can say. Manga-faithful reboot, you ask? Well, I had thought that that's what this was, especially since the mangaka went on strike last May after she saw the anime doing things with her characters she hadn't approved of. I figured that that incident would've meant that PBC the anime and PBC the manga lined up 99.9% of the way. But according to some posters on ANN's forum, the PBC manga ...

(prepare to have your mind blown; click at your own risk!)
Spoiler: show
Primarily focuses on just Polar Bear and Panda. I repeat: just the duo of Polar Bear and Panda. Quote:
Quote:
I believe a big portion of the stories are original to the anime. From what I hear from friends who have read the manga, it mostly focuses on Shirokuma and Panda. Though I had planned to, I haven't picked up the manga yet due to the apparent lack of Penguin. I've been told he doesn't actually show up much.
Penguin isn't part of a main trio in the manga? :o TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST THOUGH, that makes a lot of sense! Because in the anime, he spends so much time at that cafe you'd swear he's either unemployed and living off of welfare or else he's an heir to a great fortune. Still though! That's sad to learn that so much of the show might not be manga-canon. But you know something? If this has been made for TV material, it's the 1% of made for TV stuff that I can totally get behind. Because this show has been great. Anyway, for now I'm going to treat what these guys are saying as a rumor, nothing more. I'll believe PBC TV doesn't line up with PBC manga when I see it.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2013, 07:26 PM   #73
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578

Episode 50. The series (or, if it's renewed, the season) finale. The entire time I watched this episode (both sketches), all I could keep thinking was "This is so clearly a sendoff." The first sketch was one of those "we've been saving this for last" deals, while the second sketch was one of those "let's go around the room one last time and each say our farewells" sort of sketches. Neither struck me as spectacular, but both were entertaining to watch, a touch emotional, and made sense that they showed up in the final episode.

Spoiler: show
The first half of the episode asked the question, "Just what exactly does Mr. Penguin do when he's not at Polar Bear Cafe?" It's a great question, one we've all asked -- I know I've asked it several times in this very thread! -- and it was fantastically playfully tongue-in-cheek of the animation staff to give us a sketch in which Panda plays the part of a sleuth and tries to get to the bottom of such mysteries as:
  • where does Mr. Penguin live?
  • what does he do for a living?
  • what else does he do with his free time besides visit Polar Bear Cafe?
  • just how does he get up on that bar stool anyway?
What I disliked about the sketch was how it felt (so, so tangibly) like a series finale sketch that was probably made for TV, and that kept distracting me, but what I loved about the sketch was everything else. Well-executed, funny, charming, just all around good.

The second sketch was a two-parter with a very sneaky transition midway (otherwise I think one would be forgiven for thinking of them as two separate sketches). The first half of the second sketch reveals that Mr. Penguin is considering moving out of his apartment as his lease is due to expire at the end of the month and he figures he might like to live somewhere new rather than renew his lease. Polar Bear tries to not let on that the prospect of Mr. Penguin not regularly visiting Polar Bear Cafe would bother him, but in the end Sasako spots Polar Bear's recipe for café mocha tucked away inside of a baked going-away present he prepared for Mr. Penguin. Right at the last second though, Penguin reveals that he isn't planning on moving out of his apartment after all -- he renewed his lease -- and so Polar Bear tucks the recipe away without telling Penguin what it was. When Penguin keeps asking to know what it was, Polar Bear distracts him ...

... by suggesting they all go and view the cherry blossoms blooming. This is the sneaky transition into the second half of the second sketch: the second annual PBC flower viewing. This part of the sketch was cute for what it was but it felt very, very artificial and made for TV. ^^; Some of the things that distracted me include:
  • Mr. Full-Time Panda's temporary return to Japan, just to see Panda ^^; It kind of undermined the huge drama involved in the original episode and, frankly, I think we'd have done better without. If he was to appear, better to have had him appear in the form of a postcard.
  • the gag with Handa's crush on Sasako in which it turned out that Handa's coworker was smitten with her and more boldly pursued her to the consternation of Mr. Handa
  • how the sketch soon evolved into a smorgasbord of characters, "COME ONE, COME ALL!", making it very clear that this was a TV sendoff for the franchise
  • Mei Mei confessing to Han-sama, which just feels like the sort of thing that either should never have happened or else wasn't supposed to happen just yet but which obviously they had happen here because they probably figured "This is it! This is the last time we'll ever see these characters again!"
But again, I'm only complaining because of the distracting nature of such things, their obvious quality as made-for-TV entities. If one puts that aside, as I kept trying to, then it was really a very appropriate sketch for the series finale. We got to see everybody one last time, big and small, with all of the major supporting characters getting at least one talking role somewhere in the episode (most of them here, in this part).

The thing is, I should think the franchise popular enough that this is bound to either a) get renewed for a second season or else b) get a reboot that is more manga-faithful. Either way, I doubt this is the last we've seen of these characters. And while if the outcome ends up being Letter B then I can understand the animation staff's decisions in Episode 50, if it ends up being Letter A then I feel like they've sort of put their foot in their mouth by doing all of this. Hopefully they'll retcon it and act like Episode 50 never happened? ^^; I can't imagine the mangaka was too thrilled to see these sorts of wildly final / decisive developments for characters like Mei Mei and Mr. Penguin.


Nonetheless, it was a pretty decent sendoff for our beloved friends at Polar Bear Cafe. It's been a pleasure to have watched this series, and I am only sorry that I didn't have a regular discussion partner for 80% of the series' run.

As for final impressions of the series ...

Plot: 9/10 when it had it, but it has to be said that this show largely had no plot and so a more honest score would be N/A. I can't go into details here without spoiling things, so I'll just vaguely say that the big running plot threads regarding such things as Mr. Penguin's love life, Panda's employment at the zoo, and Polar Bear's past were all wonderful.

Characters: 8/10 in general, 10/10 for a children's television series (if we can consider it that; honestly, I dunno what to call Polar Bear Cafe). What holds me back from giving the 10/10 generally is that, admittedly, the characters are rather caricaturish at times, i.e. they fall back on stereotypical behaviors we the audience expect of them almost as if they're comedy gags in a joke rather than living, breathing people. But I'd say this only happens occasionally, and the rest of the time they are living, breathing people. That's the magic of Polar Bear Cafe: each of these characters feels like someone I feel like I know in real life. I see Penguin (especially by the end of the series) and I'm like "Holy embarrassing fuck, that's me. " I see Polar Bear and I'm reminded of people I know. Grizzly, same. Sasako, same. Handa, same. On and on it goes. Everyone in PBC feels like an authentic human being ... which is deliciously humorous given that 90% of the cast consists of animals rather than humans. A message from the author, maybe? ^_-

Animation: 6/10. It was fine. It suited the series well, don't get me wrong, but it has to be said that the animation felt very low budget / very plain. Repeat: it fit the series very well, but I can't score this animation on par with most of the anime of 2012 that we watched here on UPN.

Music: 7/10 in general, but it has to be said that there were a few 10/10 endings including Mei Mei's (10, "Bamboo Rendezvous") and Polar Bear's (12, "My Dear"). Indeed, what also has to be said is that while the OST in the series proper was fairly limited for a 50-episode program (20 songs? 30 songs max?), there was no shortage of OPs and EDs. Three openings (most series would give us two, three, or four for this length) coupled with twelve endings (again, most series would give two, three, or four) for a total of fifteen different songs that played during opening or ending credits where most series would give at most only half that figure. Many of the songs were silly, playful, and had lyrics that tied them too closely to the series for you to be able to blast them from your iPod in public , but a few were just so good period that they overcame such hindrances. Really looking forward to the full-length version of "My Dear" which apparently hits store shelves May 15 or thereabouts.

Replay Value: Mid-High I don't want to rewatch the series again any time soon, but this is true for me of just about any anime these days. That stated, I would tentatively assess that the partial replay value of this series ranges from mid-high to high. What I mean by "partial replay value" is, if you don't force yourself to watch the entire batch of 50 but instead allow yourself to pick and choose which episodes (or sketches within episodes) to watch again and which ones to skip. Do that, and I'd say it's gotta be high. Don't do that (and force yourself to sit through the bleghs along with the bravos) and obviously I think it'd hurt the score.

OVERALL: 7/10
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Lower Navigation
Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:35 AM.


Design By: Miner Skinz.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.