Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo

Kujima saved me, Kujima saved anime, Kujima will save Japan.

With one of the oddest premises I've seen (not from it's "crazy" factor, rather the juxtaposition of the almost entirely realistic premise and the strange russian bird-entity that is Kujima), it would appear to be a mild slice-of-life comedy centered around a weird mascot.

But nay! Do not be mistaken!

While this aspect does exist (and is the center of the first episode), this anime to me is more of a healing story. Kujima comes in to a somewhat broken home, bringing external culture, and by his modest presence, becomes the catalyst for change. With small (slightly ... culturally inappropriate) actions, Kujima breaks the limbo caused by avoidance and excessive carefulness, allowing the family and their surroundings to reconnect and understand each other.

I was not a fan during the first episode, but I am glad I stuck with it. It is one of the rare occasions where I agree with the 3-episode rule. Kujima saved the season for me.

If you allow it, maybe Kujima can save you too.

Every season you have one of these shows that has a premise that throws you off. Essentially, this show has a creature named Kujima joining the family of Arata. What becomes clear is that Kujima causes chaos, but in a way he brings new life to the family. The biggest one this has an effect on is Arata's brother Suguru. It becomes clear that Kujima will have an impact on this household.

This show is best fit for those that prefer Slice of Life Comedy as it goes through the days of Kujima as he joins the household. You will really need to like Kujima's character ... to like the show. Watching episode 1 should give one more than enough to get the feel of the show.

Production values are very solid for a SoL comedy. Which really adds to the comedy. If you are looking for a show that is unique and even weird at times, this is a show that is worth a shot. But if you aren't a fan of SoL then this might not be for you.

I absolutely adore this show. The slice of life and heartfelt aspects really make it balanced and relaxing. If you like Shirokuma Cafe you'll probably like this (although Shirokuma is much heavier on the wacky hijinks and gags). This leans more towards the slower paced Shirokuma eps like the sakura viewing one with beautiful scenery where you get to slowly learn more about the characters beyond the silliness. As someone who almost exclusively watches slice of life and finds a lot in the comedy genre to be grating, this really meshes more with the heartwarming and chill vibes I prefer. I can definitely tell this ... is going to make me sob at some point haha. It's already made me a bit emotional even just up to episode 3. It's a show about a broken family and Kujima is the one to step into their lives and bring them back together.

I completely thought it was going to go in that common "unnerving creature is invited into a home and twist ending he ruins their lives" direction and am glad that it's not. Kujima looks unsettling at first in an Okazaemon kind of way but as I've gotten to know his personality he's a big sweetie and I can't see his design as anything but adorable now! He's just a silly little guy finding his place in the world and healing others along the way