This is a fairly notable post in a way, considering it’s a digest about two short series that aren’t even being subbed or streamed.  But that’s the reason it is, because I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve blogged episodes based on raws.  Simply put I was tired of waiting for either of these shows – both of which were sleeper picks for me this season – to be subbed, and saw little hope that would change soon.  It was also a good level-check for my listening skills and good practice to boot.

Jikken-hin Kazoku: Creatures Family Days – 01

Caveat – I won’t claim to have fully understood everything that happened in this episode (or Wakaokami’s, either) but I’m pretty sure I got the gist of it.  The first problem with Jikken-hin Kazoku is what to call it, because in addition to this title at various times it’s also been called Shiyan Pin Jiatang (the original Chinese title), Frankenstein Family, or just Jikken-hin Kazoku.  It was also originally supposed to air last year and was delayed, so it’s had quite a confusing run-up to this eventual arrival.

As best I can tell, this show is based on a Chinese web manga, and indeed the premiere was produced in China before being recorded in Japanese.  That may prejudice you against it, but Frankenstein Family looks decent enough (don’t need subs to see that), and in fact I quite like the character designs (they were one of the things that initially drew me to it).  I had no idea either of these shows were shorts (this one is 15 minutes, Waka Okami is half-length) and that obviously would have tempered my sleeper vibe a bit.  Still, I liked what I saw (and could understand here).

The gist of this story is that a mother and father were apparently mad scientists and did experiments on their children, turning them into weird animal-human (or even plant human) hybrids.  They’re now in prison – justifiably, if you ask me, but the youngest son Tanis seems to miss them a lot.  He’s the lucky one in a sense, because he’s “normal” – but that also means that even at about 11-12 years old, he has to responsible for caring for his three sisters and brother, who rarely leave their apartment for obvious reasons.

I got a nice feel from this premiere, raw or no – the underlying message comes through.  Tanis is clearly tired and frustrated at the challenges his odd siblings (spider-girl, dog-man, planty lady and… something which isn’t revealed yet – emo girl?) present him, but he also loves them and hates to see the distaste with which others view them.  He tries to take them to a restaurant (I’m not sure if the anime is actually set in China, or this is a high-class Chinese restaurant in someplace like Kobe or Yokohama), and that predictably turns ugly.  But even so, Tanis stands by his weird family.  It’s cute and rather sweet, though it could have used that other seven minutes.

Waka Okami wa Shougakusei! – 01

That this series hasn’t been subbed is more of a surprise, though given the disdain shown towards children’s shows by streaming services only a mild one.  It’s from Madhouse (co-produced with DLE), and is based on a hugely popular series of children’s novels by Reijou Hiroko and Asami.  it also features two very prominent and talented directors and was adapted for the screen by Yokote Michiko, so there were a lot of reasons to expect good things here.

This one is a short, too, but at 11 minutes the first episode didn’t feel incomplete (just a bit abrupt in its ending).  Basically, Waka Okami wa Shougakusei plays like a classic children’s tale, in the Ghibli vein.  It’s the story of a young girl named Okko whose parents have died in a car crash (for such a safe country as Japan, anime parents have the worst luck), and who goes to live with her grandmother at her onsen ryokan somewhere in the mountains.  Okko (played by a real child actress, by the way) is in 6th-grade and agreeably in the narrative sweet spot between childishness and capability, and her behavior in this episode rings pretty true.

The hook here is that the inn is apparently haunted – most notable by a cheeky little ghost boy named Uri-bo who’s about Okko’s age.  Raw or not their exchanges are hilarious in any language, and Uri-bo is understandably thrilled to have someone around who can see him.  He manipulates (whether intentionally or coincidentally I’m not quite sure) Okko into telling her grandmother that she’ll learn how to take over the inn one day – thus the “Waka Okami” of the title.  Clearly there are other ghosts are youkai to be revealed too, and one suspects Okko will rebel against the training her grandmother puts her through (especially since she got roped into it in the first place).  All in all this is a lot of fun – bright, cheeky and briskly-paced.

As far as blogging either of these shows, that’s very much an open question.  I’ll watch them raw if necessary, but I’m not sure about blogging a whole season of them that way – and I’ve been pretty selective about covering short series to begin with.  But while both these series could certainly stand to be longer (especially Shiyan Pin Jiatang), they’re charming as is, and I’m certainly not ruling anything out at this point.