Category: Uchoten Kazoku

Uchoten Kazoku 2 – 03 [The Scent of Europe]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Uchoten Kazoku

Dear, how this show spoils me with its magnificent and whimsical magical realism Kyoto world. Last season, we were treated with many Eureka moments like Benten pulling a whale’s tail; tanuki drinking in a floating house to enjoy Gozan Fire Festival, or a fake train running around the shopping mall. Whatever the case, the way the show treats those moments with ease like they’re the most natural thing in the world just made my heart swell. This episode manages to raise up that bar by having Tenmaya reaches up the moon and GRABS IT. Of course, that doesn’t bode well for Benten, because she wanted that moon all by herself. So at the worst timing for Tenmaya ever, she backs to town (BENTEN’S BACK) and gives him a head-on-the-ground treatment. Benten has been the femme fatale for most of the time, charming not only to the human, but to the tanuki and tengu (but knowing that makes the last scene even more powerful). Here on a roof, owning the moon (Yasaburou’s moon) all by herself but is pleaded by Yasaburou to return the moon back because “it would be hard to live in darkness without the moonlight”, she pitches it back baseball-style and I know full well that this moment right there will be what I remember most about the Eccentric Family: whimsical, warmed and always be its own thing.

In the second sequence, we meet a new character (ANOTHER NEW CHARACTER? This show has such a huge cast) and she again is a fantastic addition to the show, although unlike Tenmaya and Nidaime I don’t think she will appear often for the rest of this series. That new character is Yasaburou’s grandma, a whitest white furball tanuki. I guess she’s more like a big grandma of that temple’s tanuki. Around her, it seems like time has ceased to progress, as she sits there, blind and sleeping most of the time, her memories is fading but she still sees many things that only the wisest livings see. For her, Tousen leaving for marriage was just yesterday (now, she’s already a widow with 4 grown up boys) but that warm conversations between them tell us how much they still care for each other. I also appreciate that she had a small talk with Yasaburou afterward, and never at once he mentioned that he is her grandchild because… they’d know it at heart. Tousen asks her Mom about Yajirou’s condition, further informs us how she still really cares for her kids, even when she still respects his decision to not go visit him in a well. I don’t particularly think grandma’s medicine will have a physical effect on Yajirou, it’d be more of psychological effect of resolving self-guilt from this shogi-addicted frog.

The last segment, which is a nice set up to the main personal conflict of this series, is all about Nidaime and his clash with Benten. I am just amazed how the show portraits Nidaime in this single episode. Moving home to the rooftop of the building by paying the twin tanuki- ironing his identical white shirts in a flick of time – giving his goggles to Yashirou and invites the tanuki to have afternoon tea with him (in which he always calls them furballs but never ever disrespects the tanuki) – then SEND BENTEN OFF HIS CHAISE AND PROCEEDS TO HAVE A NAP LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. Benten of all people. Like I said, The Eccentric Family sets up the main conflict from way back by showing how opposite those two are: one is a tanuki who was exiled by his father and now living as a fine gentleman, the other is a human who was taken by that same person that disowned him to be a tengu. Both having a race-crisis and both have pride as high as Eiffel Tower, it only makes sense that they’re going to clash and they’re going to clash hard. This episode, without a doubt, is the best episode so far of this new season because it achieves everything I could hope for in The Eccentric Family in a solid package: the whimsical world that has a great sense of wonder, characters that are grounded and have a great, warm chemistry together and the plot that shaping up to be both personal and epic. Like the wise grandma tanuki said: makes sure to cause a lot of trouble, The Eccentric Family.

Uchoten Kazoku 2 – 02 [The Conjurer Tenmaya]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Uchoten Kazoku

The Eccentric Family becomes increasingly eccentric this week, with all the business about bear running wild and a strong reference to hell (who would’ve thought that?). But first, I’m delighted with two new returns this week. The first “return” is the OP that were sorely missing last week, in which we have the opening song that would sit comfortably next to the wonderful OP of first season. This new OP carries the same spirits and energy sing by the same artist that almost bring tears to my eyes; although I’m not quite sure the implication of Yasaburou taking camera and the settings went back and white. All part of memories? It’s weird choice consider that colorful and rich settings are one of the show’s selling points. The second return is from my favorite character of the show, Kaisei, and again today she proves to be more helpful than most of the cast (man, she’s reliable). It’s very Kaisei to let Yashirou go home early, then hides inside his bag (or is she the bag?) to hang around Yasaburou. I enjoyed their chemistry and a touch of jealousy from Kaisei towards Yasaburou’s affection of Bentei. But when Yashirou stated the obvious that why don’t they get marriage, I have a feeling the show doesn’t get the timing right. They could’ve make the scene much wittier with a beat, instead they play it quite safe, thus generic, this time.

This episode also introduces us to a new character and boy, he really knows how to stand out. We still can’t say for sure whether this new character Tenmaya is a human or any other kind, but it’s heavily implied that he’s a human. Not your regular Ningen, he’s a human who went through hell. As much as I love the character’s writing in Eccentric Family, one of the show’s weakness is that the bad, negative characters are bad and negative. The twins will always be annoying, stupid little brats and the bad guy is bad all the way. It often feels like out of all the characters, the writer doesn’t care about them the most. So here in Tenmaya we have something completely different, he’s not a good person at all. He’s sly and tricky, but he’s multidimensional. He appreciates the old painter and it shows clearly. He loves to play prank, but there’s no ill intention yet. He’s even outwitted the tanuki (who love to play pranks) and the whimsical sequence where the bear runs loose is exactly why I love this show. And how about Yasaburou gets back at him by transform into a devil? How about Tenmaya got all serious he pulled a certain missing air-gun from certain someone. The Eccentric Family is pure gold in small details and whimsical moments that I can’t help but sucked in.

We also meet Professor Akadama (the tanuki-otaku) again, this time not with the Friday Fellow, but in the equally strange and misfit group of Thursday Fellow protest group. The old painter Ayameike is a wise man who basically sees through everything. Tenmaya really respect the old man because he was the one who draw the Buddha into the Hell picture, thus Tenmaya can escape through the spider’s thread. As of now I will take it literally as it appears Tenmaya has some illusion tricks that ain’t either from tengu or tanuki. And what is the connection between him and Jurojin? I remember that guy Jurojin back from last season, already possessed some supernatural ability (using his goatee to catch the tanuki anyone?) and so far the show seems to set him up to be the main villain this time. I’m still not sure how they going to develop the “hell” direction but it’s sure interesting as we never really see the show addresses this concept before, so for now I will give it a benefit of doubt.

Oh and Nidaime did acknowledged his father after they fight off but they’re both too pride to accept each other. Understated maybe but I strongly believe the reason Nidaime comes back this time isn’t to fight his father again. As this episode makes a strong case, sometimes all tanuki cares is to spend huge efforts to trick other people and all tengu cares is to settle some stupid scores; you could say they’re directionless but I’m totally fine with it; call it a reflection of their (and our) idiot blood.

Uchoten Kazoku 2 – 01 [The Nidaime’s Homecoming]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Uchoten Kazoku

So Eccentric Family is back. If you’re already enjoyed the first season of this gem, the pilot of this second season sure won’t disappoint you. If you haven’t checked it out though, just go watch it. Seriously. The first season really understands the dynamic of a family, and what it meant to be the person tanuki you are and be a part of a whole society. Plus, like I said in the preview, the show’s depiction of magical-realism whimsical world where tengu, tanuki and human live in harmony together in a lustful and vivid Kyoto setting is one of my favorite anime settings ever. That comes as no surprise because Morimi is one of my favorite writer. While Tatami Galaxy offers what I considered an unique, singular interpretation to Morimi’s world, The Eccentric Family is the case where I feel the visual completely in sync with the writing, the way it rarely stands out but always sinks you in with its world (if you ask me which kind of adaptation I prefer though, then it’s Tatami Galaxy, as I always believe creators SHOULD give their own take to the source material).

This new season unfortunately sets us back to a status quo, a bit of disregarding the happy conclusion of last season. That includes Bentei departs from Master Akadama (yet again) to cruise around the world (Singapore, SYDNEY, she got taste), Yaichirou (the first son) still aims for Nise-emon title, Yajirou (the second son) reverts back to his frog-self who lives inside the well (there’s no reason for him to stay there anymore, right? But still, a frog who plays shogi by himself in a well is pretty cool). This first episode re-introduces majority of the main cast from the first season; yep that including the tanuki twins who still annoying like an (double) alarm clock, or Master Akadama who is still too prideful to accept that he has been in bad shape for years. My two favorite characters from last season don’t make an appearance though. But I am sure Kaisei will be back very soon; and as for Bentei, while she doesn’t technically appear in this episode, her aura still presents strongly throughout the episode.

The new additions bring some nice, fresh air to the table, yet completely at home with the old cast. We get introduced to the big brother of Ebisugawa family, Kureichiro, who at least sensible and responsible unlike his twin brothers, but his introduction makes me really question where the hell was he in the first season at one of the most important events for tanuki. The girl Gyokuran seems very nice and it’s possible that Yaichirou and her having a bit of romantic feeling. But the man of the moment is, of course, Nidaime (which literally mean “Second Generation”), Master Akadama’s son. He seems to take a liking to Yasaburou, and their meetings makes up some excellent moments. Now the first shoes are dropped, Nidaime and his father had a big fight that lasted 3 days and 3 nights (again, cool!) that after he lose, both men were to prideful to even see each other or make amends. But to be fair, “big ego” is a trait of all the tengu, as they believe they are “the only being of any significance between Heaven and Earth” after all. I really like the roundabout ways both Master Akadama and his son behave, act like they don’t care for each other at all, yet both appear in the meeting as planned. Actually, we could draw an interesting parallel between Nidaime (who obviously is a tengu but denies himself to be) and Benten (who is a human but have all the tengu ability). I believe this aspect will become more apparent in later episodes. Although Nidaime said that his air gun is still missing somewhere, so… maybe the twins have it again, right?

But the sequence that almost grabbed my heartstring was the first flashback of the young mama and papa from Shimogamo Family playing together in a temple. Such a great way to kick off the second season. Those scenes are so sweet with the detailed backgrounds and some lovely character’s expressions. Those qualities, along with the sensitive writing and the emotions that often ring true are the reason why The Eccentric Family’s so enjoyable and re-watchable. It’s those re-watches that make me pick up some minor things that add up and appreciate more with the arts and camerawork. Indeed, the last time I re-watched the show, while I was right in the middle of Kyoto so I could pick up all the real locations and what the real Kyoto had to offer, was one of my best anime-viewing experience ever. This show already has a special place in my heart.

Uchoten Kazoku – 09 – 13

by psgels, posted in Uchoten Kazoku

The final third of Uchoten Kazoku to me… is probably its worst part. Allow me to elaborate why:

Basically it boils down to that the conclusion was too cliched for its own sake. And I don’t really say that for the sake of it being cliched, but rather the implications that this had on the rest of the series. Two implications really stood out:
– The frog, the second son. I really liked how he actually felt responsible for the death of his father. That was some really good drama, and I loved the episode earlier that was dedicated to his feelings about it. But no, the father was just caught by his brother who turns out to be this stereotypically evil bad guy who just justs after some woman. True, without being drunk there was a chance that the father would have seen through the trick, but nevertheless he doesn’t feel guilty anymore about his actions.
– Wat made Uchoten Kazoku great? Its dialogue and its focus on cultural values, customs and legends. The whole succession story just took too much time away from that, and unlike the first two thirds of the series it brought relatively few new things to the table. You can also see this in the character-development, which while there, could have been much more if the plot was a bit more catered to it. Benten for example: we never really got to see what goes on inside her head.

Does that make these four episodes bad? Nah, just not as good as what they could have been. These episodes still were fun to watch, and at least it did try to stay somewhat true to itself by never forgetting that the simple minds of the characters who on one point can be entirely serious, and then can be goofing off or really stupid again. The chaos in the final episode was a neat anti-climax, and the whole frying tram rocked. Uchoten Kazoku was definitely unique and really refreshing as an anime.

Yojou-han, Uchoten Kazoku. This writer needs to have more of his stories adapted to anime!
Rating: 5/8 (Great)

Uchoten Kazoku – 05 – 09

by psgels, posted in Uchoten Kazoku

In these past four episodes, Uchoten Kazoku really showed itself as a series, focused on the past. In the past a number of major things happened, and these four episodes really explored those in a ton of detail, showing both very carefully what happened, but also the different perspectives that the different characters have on it and how they ended up coping with them.

The big one is of course the father’s death. We got to see the perspectives of the people he left behind, but also of the ones who ended up catching and eating him. It did this really well and I love what an in-depth look we got into the whole process. Unlike the first third of this series it doesn’t jump around from one thing to the other, but instead ties everything together. This all is a sign of excellent storytelling. And after this it’s the task of the finale to really push things forward and be daring.

There is a lot to like about this series and it really plays around with its storytelling in this unconventional manner. Take the way it looks at the eating of Tanuki: it doesn’t try to be preachy and go “all people who eat Tanuki are evil!” and instead goes for a much more subtle message: yeah, it sucks for the Tanuki, but it’s part of life. I really like how this contrasts with the huge impact that the death of the father made. And I also did not miss the symbolism at the end of episode eight, in which everyone is just eating a bit of chicken: it’s part of nature.

What also really struck me is the second oldest son. His story of guilt was a very touching one. He already was lazy and didn’t do anything, feeling guilty about it, and then that happened. That scene at the well for me was the most emotional moment of the series so far for me.

I also want to give a lot of thumbs up for the animation here. PA Works’ series usually are gorgeous, but their style is very easy to recognize usually. This series looks like nothing they’ve ever done, and they still managed to make it look gorgeous. Some of the best camera angles and shots have some awesome uses of colours.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Uchoten Kazoku – 03 – 05

by psgels, posted in Uchoten Kazoku

I’m still amazed at how drenched this series is in culture. This show goes into so much more detail than anything else about the world of Tanuki, Tengu and other mystical beings. The creators really did their research, and it shows: it’s really rare for a series to feel this authentic. I don’t know enough to know how much this show made up and how much of it is taken from japanese folklore, but even then: in both ways the culture in this series just sparkles with life.

And still this show is diverse. The plot is coming together, but still every episode manages to be different, and highlight a different part of the lives and traditions of the characters. I loved the idea of having a sake-powered flying house, and Benten also turned into quite the character. On one hand, she ATE the father of the main character. On the other hand, she acts like it’s the most natural thing in the world and has fallen in love with him.

This series sure loves its contradictions. It’s especially a big part of episode five, which showed a posh club of spiritual leaders debate whether the tradition of eating tanuki is really worth it, put next to this one guy who loves tanuki so much that he also loves to eat them. It’s really bizarre to look at tanuki this way when they are portrayed in this really weird cross between human and animal. That’s also what I love: no tanuki or tengu really lost that animal side: nobody here feels 100% human. Sometimes it’s more apparent than others, but Yasaburo (I hope that that was his name) hiding for so long was so wonderfully characteristic of an animal that feels threatened.

The acting in this show overall is really good. Characters all have their quirks, yet they are more than just that. Everyone has multiple sides, and the lines they deliver are brought convincingly. This show also knows perfectly fine when it needs to be dramatic, and when it just needs to let things play out casually. You can really see that this was written by a brilliant writer.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)

Uchoten Kazoku – 02

by psgels, posted in Uchoten Kazoku

Yeah, what can I say? Uchoten Kazoku stands with head and shoulders at the top of non-sequels this season. It could have easily been the second Noitamina-series this season. For those who don’t know: this was originally written by the guy who wrote Yojou-han Shinwa Taikei, and with this it really is clear: this guy is a really good writer. This has by far the best script of the entire season: it’s just way more eloquent than every single other series.

And then there is PA Works that managed to breathe this to life really well. These episodes are all scripted out really well, starting with random dialogue, a bit of conflict here and there, and then ending with a very powerful climax. What also surprises me: these two episodes were very different: first the drama was about that old tengu. The second was about the family of the main character, and what kind of impact the father had on it. Powerful stuff.

This show knows its build-up very well: there’s just so much in each episode, but everything somehow adds up to each other. Every character gets a chance to talk about his or her feelings and gts the chance to be fleshed out really well thanks to that excellent dialogue, with the result that there are already a ton of likable characters within just two episodes. I really liked the frog in this episode, the mother was really charming, and even the two tanuki from that other family were different from the usual brats: they were brats, but the way in which they transformed, plus their place in their own family made them also interesting to watch.

A lot of characters here are Tanuki, and a lot of the characters really have this animal side to them. The only one who doesn’t is the main character, or rather he is very much different from the rest of the cast. You can see he’s a tanuki with how he treats his own transformation powers, but aside from that I miss that animal side of his.
Rating: 5,5/8 (Excellent)