Rilakkuma and Kaoru

Best show. BEST SHOW!

No show has the right to be this good! Rilakkuma And Kaoru takes three great loves of my life and makes something amazing with it, you got stop motion animation, japanese culture, and a unique take on the slice of life genre. It's such a pleasant, nice, even comforting series that you can watch on Netflix and the only bad thing I could ever say about is that it is too short. Literally every episode save the finale is barely over 10 minutes long and there's only 13 episodes, meaning you can watch the whole show in the span of a 2 hour movie. And you know what? I don't think there is a better enjoyment of 2 hours of your life. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this series. The animation is excellent, with at least one incredible atmospheric shot in each episode that's....oh! It's sublime! The characters are all memorable and very lovable, Kaoru is a middle aged woman who works at a company in Tokyo and inexplicably lives with a bear in a big blue apartment, actually two bears and a bird, and they just live their life. The whole season takes place over the course of a full year from the cherry blossom festival in springtime all the way to the winter season and then back again. Kaoru is just your average person, she works at an office most of the day and life kinda gets her down but she finds solace and love in her home with her roomates. Rilakkuma is a big ol' bear with a penchant for sleeping and eating, and I'm going to be real with you, if you ever wanted to know what I am like in my day to day life almost to the letter, it's Rilakkuma in this show. Like 95% of what he does and what he is like is me. In fact it's kinda scary how accurate it is to be really honest. Are you watching me japanese creators? Cause I love what you're doing. Then we have a slightly smaller bear named Korilakkuma who is kinda like the baby of the group and is absurdly adorable. And last but not least we have Kaoru's bird Kiiroitori who has been with Kaoru the longest and is an energetic bird who loves to clean and wander about. All these characters are immediately lovable and held very dear, and none of them act rude or be little brats, they all get along well and live their lives as friends. I also like how it's kind of it's own thing and there are little odd things and peculiar traits but you roll with it anyway. Like how no one bats an eye that a woman is living with two bears, or how she can understand the bears and her bird even though we never really get a translation of what they're saying, or why there's a zipper on the back of Rilakkuma I mean he's a real bear he just has changeable fur suits. Just little things like that do so much for the charm of the show. And that's what the show is, charming. I am so charmed by this show, I love how it balances sort of fantasy and reality because some things happen that happen in real life, like friends moving away, having to find a new home, how work can drain you, how sometimes you need to find work in order to live, but it's not you know crushing reality setting in and the more fantastical elements go away. It's just life, there's good, there's bad, there's outstanding victories and crushing defeats, but if you have more good memories and good days more than the bad then you come out on top when all is said and done. I could think of much much worse things to do with two hours of your life than watch this show. It is sweet, loving, charming, and a very good reminder that life isn't always that bad. It made me cry in the last episode but I assure you that it was tears of bittersweet joy. I am begging that somebody, anybody, everybody not only watches this show but wants more just as much as I do. I will no doubt be watching this show many, many, many times in the future. I give this show a sterling 12/10.