What if I told you... that the most internationally popular show this season is also arguably
the worst animated.
What if I told you... this series is entirely in 3D and would lose an animation contest
to RWBY being it’s only competitor?
and what If I told you that it was the most wholesome, innocent, and entertaining shows
of this season?
Welcome to Kemono Friends.
[Melodica Cover of Jurrasic Park Plays]
[OH GOD MY EARS]
[WHY DID I PUT THIS IN THE VIDEO?]
Kemono friends, is a show that has a little bit of everything for everyone.
It takes place in this mysterious park where the animals have transformed into anthropomorphic
humans with clothing reminiscent of their animal forms, and it is a magical land where
everyone gets along because we are all friends here.
Yes… friends.
[Not creepy at all]
It’s fitting because the series takes place in a zoo because the show itself feels like
it has something for everyone, just like an amusement park.
“You like cute girls?
We got cute girls!
You like animals?
We got information about animals!
You like Road trip movies?
We got a fantastic road trip here for you here folks!
You like Post-Apocalyptic settings?
Kaban-chan here is the only human in the show and she doesn’t even remember who she is!
But Human technology and ruins lie everywhere just waiting to be explored!”
But Why?
It’s unreal just how popular this show is internationally, and in many ways it doesn’t
make logical sense.
Just glancing at the series you would think “No one should like this show”.
You have entire tribes of people tear down Berserk, BERSERK, for its use of
3D animation.
So you’d think that this Kemono Friends wouldn’t be able to come up with a story
and characters to avoid backlash if Berserk couldn’t do it.
But it..it…did, and it does!
Berserk is an instance where it has a dedicated large fanbase, it's critically received, it has gorgeous art
At least in the manga, not the 2016 series.
Kemono Friends doesn’t come with that extra burden.
There was a mobile game that was released prior to the anime but that got cancelled, and other
than a short-lived promotion there was little to nothing of a foundation to build off of.
There’s this veil of self-awareness Kemono Friends loves to parade around, and we
can appreciate it because they’re acknowledging how bad their production is, but are having
fun with it.
Sort of like... an adventure, no?
David Attenborough: To be within striking distance
David Attenborough: he's got to hold his nerve
David Attenborough: go on! ;D
And I can appreciate that just fine.
The fact that the character models are rigid, and the mouth flaps don’t even come close
to syncing with the voices.
[BAD LIPSYNC]
Freakazoid: Let's watch the lip sink ok?
[Secondary video title: Why I Miss Old WB Cartoons]
Kemono Friends, in the best way I can describe it, is like watching your toddler showing
off their macaroni art from school for the first time.
Like it's...rough.
VERY rough
But there is still this childlike charm and innocence to it.
There is absolutely no way that anybody can take this fully seriously.
Like, with Hand Shakers you have to actively contemplate bleaching your eyes because it’s
an example of a staff having no control whatsoever, but with Kemono Friends, you can clearly tell
they were having fun with whatever materials that were given to them, and
it shows through.
A part of me doesn’t even understand it either, because let’s face it: I’m watching
a show that outwardly looks like a match made in heaven for furries disguised as a kid’s
show down to its educational eyecatches.
The worst part is…
I really, really unironically like it, and I’m not a furry!
I’m so glad I’m not alone in this.
The setting of the Park and the loose goal that our characters have changes the dynamic
of the story.
It’s not just one off episodes of these wacky characters doing wacky things, it’s
a journey that the two main characters take and the friends they meet along the way.
It’s a zoo, so the show isn’t isn’t limited to the species of animals and their
geographic locations for the sake of accuracy.
The undercurrent of the post-apocalyptic setting masked with the cutesy Japari Park keeps us
in suspense because there’s so much lore the staff could delve into.
What did the Park used to be like?
How did the animals come to inhabit the place?
Where and how did these Ceruleans come into being?
Which animal’s going to be introduced at the park this episode?
All of these tiny speculations at the back of your head that keeps you coming back
every week.
Think of it like buying a new house, but you can only visit one room a day.
But beyond its slipshod animation you find a series that has a lot of heart, and a potentially underlying
sinister backstory that keeps up coming up.
Kemono Friends is a prime example of a show that can exceed expectations because there was no anticipation
to begin with.
Whatsoever.
Is it ironic that one of the worst looking shows of the season is maybe the best?
Yeah, but who cares?
I want to be in Japari Park, and so do you!
So yeah!
[Phone Vibration Noise]
Oh hey the new episode is out!
TIMING!
Well, least I know what I'm doing later.
Bye!
[How Italians snap to end a video]