I have an upcoming commission that Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san fits perfectly, so I’ll be discussing it there. But in trying to capture the appeal of this show, I struggle a bit. It’s a vibe, absolutely. You probably know the vibe I mean, and the niche on a schedule series that provide it fill (if we’re lucky in any given season). A show doesn’t need to have depth to fill that niche, necessarily, but the best of them do. I strongly feel that this one does, and not just because the protagonist is basically my avatar. But the sales job is so soft that one can totally ignore that and still enjoy Warumono-san (as indeed I suspect most viewers are).
If Mr. Villain has two weaknesses, they’re certainly pandas and children (especially in distress). So it was fascinating to see his battle with Ranger Red (who seems to be his fated traveling companion on the journey of life – he’s on every volume cover of the manga) run headlong into a lost child with a panda. It would have been interesting to see how that encounter ended, but once the kid showed up (the battle had worked its way to the zoo) there was never any question a truce would rule the day. I got a big laugh out of that transition as the two combatants were walking away from each other, then Red got lost on the way to the lost child center (we know what his weakness is).
A hot tip from Rooney-san that there are pandas in Asakusa sends the General off in search on his next day off. But it’s not so simple. His destination is Hanayashiki – the oldest amusement park in Japan (it opened as a flower park in 1853). It’s always struck me from the outside as a rather dreary place, but I’ve never been much of an amusement park guy to begin with and I suppose it has kitsch appeal. Still – it certainly doesn’t look to Warumono-san like the sort of place one is likely to find pandas.
Find them he does, eventually, though not in the form he’s expecting. His search takes him on a survey of the rides and attractions (there may be a bit of a motion sickness factor here). He puzzles over why Earthlings seem intent on waving at him constantly. He talks to an old man who waxes philosophical about the youth-restoring effects of such places (I’m not sure if it’s implied something mystical happened here, or that really was an old man and his grandson). And he finds an embarrassment of tiny pandas imprisoned in clear capsules (or a gacha machine, as they’re also called) and liberates the lot of them at his own expense.
Eventually a kindly park employee points him in the right direction (takes him there, actually – this is Japan) to the panda “enclosure”. And it turns out these are panda cars (Hanayashiki does have those), though the General doesn’t quite grasp the difference. Or indeed, why these pandas have black tails and the ones at the zoo have white ones. But he clearly views his expedition as a success, as he buys Rooney a souvenir as thanks for the information. And from his next zoo visit (where he meets his future veternarian friend) he back a memory of a panda gent who rather resembles Trigger, which provides him the means of making their encounters more amusing (though it seriously pisses off Trigger-san).
Nicc
February 20, 2024 at 9:48 amYep, this show has got a great vibe and it works really well as a Sunday show. It’s the end of the week and we should be able to relax like Warumono-san does on his days off. This one is not a seasonal-themed episode like the earlier ones and so the episode progression is a bit different. As for how Warumono-san and Ranger Red got to the zoo, let’s see…
We’ve seen that the Evil League and the Rangers always battle at the same location, which appears to be the base of some mountain or a mountain clearing. It seems both sides want to avoid collateral damage and so that’s a good spot. After another vigorous battle, they decide to call it a day and so everybody heads home. That’s why Ranger Red is his civvies. Of course, he got lost and got separated from the others on the way home. The day’s battle might be over, but he’s still on the clock and so the General is still out in uniform. He spots the lost Ranger Red and goes after him. Warumono-san is all about this days off, but I appreciate how he still takes his work seriously and doesn’t go easy on Ranger Red just because he’s not transformed and is otherwise friendly with him outside of battle. The battle proceeds until they’re near the zoo where the episode begins.
Yep, Warumono-san has got a weakness for kids and the battle is called off on account of the lost kid at the zoo. He’s still on the clock and so heads on over to the zoo’s merchandise shop to see if there are any new panda items, which they are and finishes the day with more panda stuff.
The next segment takes place after another long day at the office for Warumono-san. He’s still on the clock and so he’s not going home yet, though somebody of his position and reputation could get away with it. He wants to set a good example for his subordinates, after all. It looks like Rooney is keeping that kotatsu around all year long and he gives Warumono-san a tip about where to find some pandas. It takes him to an amusement park, though he has not been very amused with the attractions of the park and he still hasn’t found the pandas. I’m not sure what was going on between the old man and the grandson either, but the moment passed quickly. Oh yeah, capsule vending machines. I remember seeing those at supermarkets, but they disappeared along with the candy vending machines. Can we really call ourselves a civilized society if we can’t buy “Mike’s and Ike’s” from a vending machine? Warumono-san liberates a bunch of pandas and so he knows that he’s on the right track, but where are the pandas?
Yep, a helpful park employee leads him to where the pandas are, except they’re panda cars. It’s all good to him and he even gets something nice for Rooney as thanks for the tip (Why is the Evil League doing so much paperwork anyways? If that’s what it takes to conquer another planet, I don’t want any part of it). The episode ends with Warumono-san again visiting to zoo and it was a nice touch to see that young boy again. This time, he’s interested in catching the facial expressions of the pandas. A certain male panda catches his attention because he resembles his co-worker Trigger. It gives him yet another way to (unknowingly) annoy Trigger, though he already seems to have a hair-trigger temper when it comes to Warumono-san. It looks like it’s back to winter in the next episode and we have another appearance from Santa.