Well, a funny thing happened between the first and second episodes of Jikken-hin Kazoku: Creatures Family Days.  After being a (relative) short at 15 minutes, it was full-length this time.  Well, almost – about 20 minutes including the OP and ED.  Nothing much is normal about this series – a Chinese production of a Chinese web manga with a Japanese cast broadcast on Japanese TV, more names than I can remember, and no streaming whatsoever.  The wait for subs has been a little frustrating (as with the premiere, I initially watched this one raw) but I would say well worth it.

This show definitely has something going for it in its unassuming way.  There’s a bit of a mysterious air to it, despite the relative warmth of the family premise.  It’s set on an island somewhere – China?  Is this a normal island, or do the odd things we see (like those feral dogs) signify there was more strangeness here than simply what Tanis’ parents were perpetrating?  Is this in fact even the same general area where Tanis’ parents had their lab, which was itself apparently an island destroyed by an explosion (presumably in an experiment gone wrong)?

For now at least, the family dynamic is what’s driving the story.  Tanis doesn’t have it easy – he was clearly the favored child, the genius, doted (rather than experimented) on by his sicko parents.  It’s clear that for all his tensai abilities, Tanis is basically a normal 11-12 year old boy – kind of timid, attached to his older siblings even as they drive him crazy.  He’s in no way ready to take on the responsibilities his bizarre family situation his thrust upon him, as I think this episode shows pretty clearly.

In truth, it’s really only the spider-girl, Aisley, that’s a real burden for Tanis – whatever problems the others cause for him, it doesn’t ever seem to be on purpose.  Even Aisley is basically a tsundere more than anything, though – she’s just as worried as the rest of the siblings when Tanis is late coming home from the supermarket (genius maybe, but a terrible sense of direction – and head easily turned by a pretty girl).  )I’m glad to see mention of an adult support figure in the preview, because the situation as it currently stands looks like a disaster waiting to happen.  I just hope whoever it is isn’t a friend of the parents…