No way I bury the headline here. I love, love, love Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san. No series could epitomize that elusive sub-genre of shows I recently wrote about better than this one. Yet it’s also unique among them, and one of the best of the lot. I placed it #10 on that list when I wrote it a month ago, and it would certainly be higher if I performed the same exercise now. It’s genuinely profound and truly deep, and those are not words I cudgel freely where anime goes. What a gem it is.
Interestingly, the anime flip-flopped the OP and ED for the second week out of three. I’d thought it was a gag because the Rangers were in focus so much the first time, but maybe it was a tacit admission that they’re better suited this way – or at least that the OP would fit the vibe of the ending better (and it certainly does). It certainly doesn’t hurt Mr. Villain’s Day Off that the two main stories of the final two weeks were among the very best of the series in C-018 and the tree children.
We start here with C-018, and the General dutifully doing his research on how to take care of a cat. One thing I really love is how Rooney’s character has evolved over the course of 12 episodes. At first he came off mainly as a troll and kind of a goof. But he’s actually quite responsible, and genuinely considers the General his friend. C-018 is distraught about his fate, a weapon of war consigned to the role of pet. But Rooney artfully manoeuvers him into accepting his fate, and gently reminds him of what a good person he’s hooked up with in Warumono-san.
Then it’s on to Evergreen Boy and Cherry Blossom Girl, and truly, what a wonderful story this is. Obviously Ichi and Anna are hors catégorie, but if you’d told me the other best romances of the season would be a prosopagnosia-addled side character and a courtesan dying of syphilis and a tree spirit-turned-bench and a sakura girl, I’d have said you were nuts. This sweet little love story is just gorgeous in every way, and that certainly includes Warumono-san’s role in it. He isn’t just nice, this guy – he never does the minimum required to meet that description. He goes above and beyond every time.
I really think the General burns with compassion for anyone or anything small and helpless, or anyone in need. And when you combine the two, look out. First he brings the boy, distraught over the girl (perhaps unaware he’d lived on) not blooming that year, a lunch and some encouragement. He promises that next time it’ll be lunch for two, and urges the boy to use his time practicing how he’ll share his feelings with the girl. Which he does, and even though she hasn’t bloomed, she does hear him. His love for her coaxes her out and she flowers in all her glory.
Of course, even now that she’s right next to him, the boy can’t bring himself to say how he feels. Warumono-san can’t just let this go – he has to see how all this turns out. And he ends up as a go-between, sitting between them on the Evergreen bench as they whisper sweet nothings for him to pass to the other. It’s truly one of my favorite scenes of the season, perfect in every way, with three wonderful characters showcased in all their glory.
Next it’s the turn of the Rangers to get their anime denouement. Red, ever tied by fate to the General it seems, keeps running into him on his day off. Eventually he gives him the present he’s been shopping for, to thank him for being the nice guy from the Evil League. It would be nice if everyone could just talk this out, because it’s pretty obvious that both sides are nice guys (and girls). Then Pink takes a photo of Blue and the Greens sleeping in the same pose – after she makes Red mimic them – and sends it to Black, who immediately sets it as his wallpaper. The family vibe is strong on both sides of this conflict.
The battle is a somewhat surreal way to bring the main narrative to a close. It’s a reminder that theoretically all these teddy bears are at war with the fate of the human race on the line. Theoretically. For Rooney it’s mainly a means of gathering data. Naturally Red and the General, as the respective leaders, wind up facing off. But for the most part it seems like the combatants are kind of enjoying themselves. It certainly never feels like anyone is going to get seriously hurt. That would interfere with their plans for their next day off.
And that’s the real point here. Warumono-san never forgets to savor the moments. Life, again, is what happens on the way. Every day off is precious, every cup of coffee and cat playing with clothespins and panda video. He’s absolutely determined to get everything he can out of every day, and he helps those he meets along the path. And truthfully, what could be a nobler pursuit than that? If life is what you make it, then Warumono-san’s life is very rich and full indeed.
I’m a bit weak against Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san, I admit, because I see so much of myself in the main character. The same obsessions, the same neuroses, the same impulses (which he’s much better at acting on than I am). I make no apologies for not being impartial – my role is to give subjective impressions on what I watch and read, and art’s job is to make impressions on the individuals who experience it. Mine is the only perspective I have, and from that perspective this has been a fantastic ride and a superb series. I suspected it might be good, but my expectations have been thoroughly surpassed.
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