As much as I enjoy watching anime, a lot of it follows tried and true formulae, so it's a real treat when one is discovered that is truly unique. Polar Bear Cafe (aka "Shirokuma Cafe" - "polar bear" is literally translated to "white bear" in Japanese) is one such anime series. On the surface it's a comedy that may appeal to anyone who remembers Seinfeld or Cheers - a "show about nothing" that most frequently takes place at an establishment where most of the characters sit at a counter and converse. Without any great conflict, the show relies on the strength of the characters and comedic writing - and it succeeds on all fronts. This is a show that can savored over and over.
The principal characters:
The principal characters:
Polar Bear/Shirokuma - A gentle, refined, pun-loving bear who possesses many interests and skills/talents, both obvious (entrepreneurship, cooking) and hidden.
Penguin-san ("Mr. Penguin") - An emperor penguin who imagines himself to be the group's voice of reason, with an oversized ego. He eventually treats Panda-kun as a little brother of sorts.
Panda-kun ("kid Panda") - A lazy, apparently dim-witted teenage giant panda who turns out to be a very caring friend and sometimes even displays surprising insight and wit. He takes a part-time job at the zoo, working in the panda enclosure alongside coworker Full-Time Panda.
Memorable supporting characters:
Llama-san ("Mr. Llama") - A kindly llama who often wishes he got as much attention as the pandas. He might also be a bit jealous of his friend Mr. Alpaca's cuter appearance but it's only hinted at. Just about every character gets his/her own ending theme song - his ("Llama-san's Mambo") is by far the most popular.
Grizzly - Polar Bear's best friend since childhood. Where Polar Bear is kind and gentle, Grizzly is gruff and short-tempered. He owns and operates his own bar. Polar Bear bar tends for him when he hibernates or goes on vacation.
Mr. Handa - The head zookeeper and thus the boss of the animals working at the zoo.
Rintaro - The handsome human florist who turns out to have a somewhat creepy obsession.
Lesser Panda - An adorable red panda who inexplicably looks up to Panda-kun, despite having a greater work ethic and generally being more reliable and responsible, as well as being a better baseball pitcher (he's got a wicked curve ball).
"Wild trio" (Wolf, Tiger, and Lion) - These good friends have been regulars at Grizzly's bar, though family and work responsibilities have reduced the frequency of their hangouts. Lion is often away on business travel. Tiger has taken over his family sweets shop. Wolf is pursuing his dream of eventually opening his own bakery. All three are fans of the rapper MC 469MA.
Tree Kangaroo - The master coffee bean roaster who seems to work exclusively for the cafe.
Masaki - A young man who is so moved by the quality of the coffee at the cafe that he becomes an apprentice of Tree Kangaroo.
Red Squirrels - Assistants of Tree Kangaroo who sort the bean for him. They also supervise/discipline Masaki.
Here's Llama-san's catchy theme song - never fails to cheer me up when I start feeling negative emotions do to my current medical condition:
The first opening theme of the series is also pretty catchy:
Mr. Handa - The head zookeeper and thus the boss of the animals working at the zoo.
Rintaro - The handsome human florist who turns out to have a somewhat creepy obsession.
Lesser Panda - An adorable red panda who inexplicably looks up to Panda-kun, despite having a greater work ethic and generally being more reliable and responsible, as well as being a better baseball pitcher (he's got a wicked curve ball).
"Wild trio" (Wolf, Tiger, and Lion) - These good friends have been regulars at Grizzly's bar, though family and work responsibilities have reduced the frequency of their hangouts. Lion is often away on business travel. Tiger has taken over his family sweets shop. Wolf is pursuing his dream of eventually opening his own bakery. All three are fans of the rapper MC 469MA.
Tree Kangaroo - The master coffee bean roaster who seems to work exclusively for the cafe.
Masaki - A young man who is so moved by the quality of the coffee at the cafe that he becomes an apprentice of Tree Kangaroo.
Red Squirrels - Assistants of Tree Kangaroo who sort the bean for him. They also supervise/discipline Masaki.
Here's Llama-san's catchy theme song - never fails to cheer me up when I start feeling negative emotions do to my current medical condition:
The first opening theme of the series is also pretty catchy:
The 3rd opening theme also puts a smile on my face, because it sounds like a children's song:
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