Bonobono (2016) - Reviews

This show is pretty bad.

I can't even figure out who the intended audience is. Kids? Adults? No matter who it's for, this series' blandness is clear and there is little enjoyment to be found. While shows like this usually have at least a few good points based on who the intended audience is (example: If it's a a kid's show, it can get away with less structure and sillier situations), I could not find anything enjoyable about it at all.

Story

This show is a short form anime about a blue otter named Bonobono and his friends (a squirrel and raccoon). The episodes are about Bonobono's boring every day activities. From playing, to exploring, or just learning something new from the other animals. Except, that makes the show sound more interesting than it actually is. I've read that this is based on a 'gag' manga, but there isn't a single funny thing that happens in this show. The animals slowly walk around stumble through conversations at a snail's pace. Usually the episodes consist of the animals being oblivious about the situation and trying to figure something out. For example: Who made this path? Everything about the episodes is bland and monotonous.

Characters

In general, the show follows soft-speaking Bonobono, and his friends Squirrel and Raccoon. I think the show could have been better if the animals were cute, but they're not. Bonobono, his father, and the squirrel are clueless, slow, and not very likeable. The raccoon and his father have a bit more attitude, but Raccoon tends to bully his friends (I think the punting of squirrel is suposed to be funny, but it's not). Maybe their obliviousness is supposed to be what is funny, but it doesn't work well. It could be a type of humor more popular in Japan as well, but I can't think of an example of it being used in the west.

Overall

This show is not for kids, it doesn't really teach anything. The show isn't really for adults, it's too dumb. The show isn't for girls, the animals aren't cute enough. I can't figure out who would be actually interested in watching this type of show. Even though episodes are only 6 minutes, I find they're too long. It think it would be better off with a shorter length and a punchline at the end of the episode. But as it is, it's barely watchable.

I don't feel that Bono bono can really be called bad. That said I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable calling it good either.

It's light hearted but also frequently violent, it talks about social issues and the human condition but doesn't have anything profound to say about either. It's generally pleasant but also instantly forgettable.

Something it does do very well is relay the way that children see the world of adults but that's hardly sufficient to recommend it.

The show's origins as a simple gag manga shine through, the characters don't progress, the situation doesn't change and you could view the episodes in any order without issue. This makes the show feel dated to a modern consumer.

The Japanese though is for the most part very simple and for someone learning the language I'd recommend giving it a shot. That's why I watched it.