Monday, November 28, 2022

Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure

I flipped when I saw there was a second show.



Rilakkuma And Kaoru was one of the most pleasant, wonderful, and enjoyable shows I've ever seen so I stepped into this show with love and happiness and I don't think it was in vain. Spread over a short but sweet duration of 8 episodes, each about 15 minutes long, we follow the misadventures of Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori, Kaoru, and young Tokio as they venture to a soon to be closing down amusement park and plans go awry. It's short, sweet, and cute. I really do not need much more than that. In terms of production, animation, and style I feel this didn't have as much of a budget as the first series but the vast majority of it is done very well. The colors pop, the animation is fluid, they throw in some traditional 2D animation for flashbacks, and the character designs are still great. It maybe didn't make me laugh as much as the first series, but whenever I did it was hard hyena-esque laughter, when something hit it just tickled my funny bone to the extreme. And you're not really gonna buy what I'm about to say here but it's true I swear. These episode cliffhangers got me more emotionally fuelled and loud than any television show I've seen in the past 5 years. Every single one. Like I was practically shaking my fist and wanting the next episode to start immediately. Probably just me but I don't care. Rilakkuma, still me hardcore. And I just have something to say here real quick man. I have never felt so personally and viciously attacked in my life, this show called me out, and the attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. Seeing Rilakkuma be too tall or just too big for rides, no desire or initiative to do stuff unless food is involved and always in the mood for food, literally used as a bouncy castle to sit on, that's getting a bit personal to be perfectly honest. He's fragile, very fragile. Our returning cast are still brilliant, I fully took up just calling Korilakkuma "Baby" because...she is Baby and I would guard her forever. Poor Kaoru couldn't catch a break at all, in fact a lot goes wrong for everyone throughout this show. Not in a mean spirited or even depressing way of course, just things don't go as planned. Our characters get sidetracked, lost, spend the whole day trying to find each other, they try to help this nice young lady which flat out leads to a car chase where it sounds like Misirlou is kicking in, there's a conflict for each episode. Which is incredibly intentional because the new characters we meet who work at this amusement park have tribulations of their own but are reminded a few times that you can still have fun even if things don't happen the way you planned it. That's something I am really and truly taking away from this in my heart, I mean that's a fairly good life lesson. Quick sidebar, I was a bit surprised how much kinda spooky scary stuff was in this, I mean yes there was an episode devoted to scary stories in the last show, but even I was a little weirded out with some of the stuff presented. Of course it's more from a childlike perspective of something scary, rather than actual horrifying terror so that was interesting to say the least. I know it's not for everybody, it's pure innocent fluff, but God dang it I was a very happy, entertained, charmed bear, I mean boy watching this. What a splendid way to enjoy a chilly autumn day, get you some good food, comfy clothes, a place to lounge, and tune in. I give it 3.5 stars, 7.5/10!

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