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Art (5/10):
It’s pretty average as far as Chinese cartoons go: nothing really stands out and nothing looks that bad either.

Sound (7/10):
The OST fits well. The opening and ending themes are also nice. The Indian caricature who had a white voice actor and the British dude who had an American voice actor was a nice meme. Although the guy who portrayed the Indian dude was far more skilled in expressing his emotions convincingly.

Plot (3/10):
It’s like Darker than Black. Except in China. In the 1930s. Look, it’s pretty interesting actually. But, some of the events do feel a bit wonky. You'll know what I mean when you ... watch it. It's the kind of shit that makes you say to yourself "I'm fully aware I'm watching a cartoon and it characters don't feel realistic (in terms of actions and responses)." But it’s not that bad. Read the synopsis or something.

-spoilers-
The ending was shit. If you think otherwise, think about the character's actions and the time of those actions during the last episode. It's fucking retarded.
-end spooilers-

Setting (10/10):
This anime takes place in the early 1930s – an interesting period in Japan’s history. During this time, Japan is already a world power, occupying Korea and “leasing” parts of Manchuria. However, we can witness the imperialistic mindset of the Japanese developing aggressively, leading to the autonomous Kwantung Army of Japan to stage the Mukden Incident and initiate the invasion of Manchuria. Also they add a bit of a supernatural twist in, which is kind of cool.

I find Japan’s place in this time period to be one of the greatest yet saddest ironies I can think of. By defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Japan was seen a shining beacon of freedom, a liberator so to speak, by many Asian nations at the time who were devastated by Western colonization. However, Japan didn’t share such a perspective. Japan sought to gain power by emulating the West, doing so by invading, colonizing, massacring, and raping the populaces of many other Asian nations in the years following. And it’s interesting to think that the Japanese encouraged modernization out of a fear of being dominated by Western powers, but by their own efforts, they became just like the colonizers they once feared. It’s kinda like the ending to Animal Farm.

The anime doesn't go into all this detail, but you really should know this stuff before watching it.

Characterization (6/10):
A good amount of the characterization is done through flashbacks without much context, but it’s not too difficult to figure out what’s going on. It also feels a bit clumsy, as if the writers weren’t too sure of how to portray these scenes well. Also, that episode with the cat and the bag felt ridiculous and out-of-place compared to the rest of the episodes. But if you appreciate it as some form of comic relief, be my guest.

I do enjoy the conflicting ideologies between Aoi and Kazura and also the conflict between Isao and Yukina as well. In the case of Aoi and Kazura, Aoi is quite critical of his country’s imperialistic attitude while Kazura responds defensively out of his sense of nationalism. This kind of conflict gives life to these characters, as it shows that they are clearly responding to their setting in a meaningful way. As for Yukina and Isao, Yukina is torn from having to fight against her brother, who is fighting for what he believes is right, even though he is radically misguided. Who is truly morally correct in this situation (in terms of ideology)? Also, sibling fighting is cute, isn’t it? ^^

My verdict: meh

Kemono Friends is a show that requires patience. It's maddening how well this show surpassed my expectations, in ways I could never expect.

Kemono Friends takes place on the island of Japari Park, which is subdivided into various areas based on geographic features such as the Savannah and Jungle for example. Our main characters Kaban-chan (a human to us, but a mysterious creature to the animals of Japari Park) and Serval-chan (a humanoid serval) travel through Japari Park in search of what kind of animal Kaban-chan is. On their journey, they encounter various anthropomorphic representations of animals in their respective habitats.

The anime is episodic in ... nature, with slice-of-life and comedic elements as well. I've had many memorable laughs throughout the show. It seems to possess its own charm that is difficult for me to put into words. One who is briefly inspecting this anime upon curiosity may make the fool-hardy judgement of labeling it as just "a kids' anime;" however, that is not entirely the case. Throughout the series, their is an underlying post-apocalyptic/human abandonment theme that can be seen through the abandoned buildings, structures, and vehicles throughout Japari Park. It's clear that Japari Park was inhabited and maintained by humans for quite some time before being abandoned after a disaster of some sort years before the anime takes place. It's quite an impactful thought to keep in mind. Another subtle theme present in this anime is how Kaban-chan's journey represents human evolution in terms of geographical diffusion and human technology. Kemono Friends begins in the Savannah, which represents the cradle of civilization - the birth place of mankind. Kaban then travels through the jungle, mountains, desert, and onwards, as we can similarly trace through the diffusive movements of ancient humans from Africa outwards. As for technology, Kaban-chan highlights the various technologies that eventually lead to civilization, such as construction, use of tools, fire, and writing. This is all done in a very meaningful manner.

In terms of music, the bgm and sound effects are cute and fitting, but nothing that really stands out too much. The most memorable one for me was some sick trap beat from the snow episode. The opening is extremely catch though (please approach with caution, seek rehabilitation if the addiction affects your daily life). The ending theme is great, yet not as addicting as the opening. What makes it superb is how it resonates with the underlying post-apocalyptic theme I mentioned earlier, through the visuals of an abandoned theme park. I've also heard the lyrics support this as well, but don't quote me on it.

And now, let's talk about animation. It's pretty BAD (this is quite a lenient euphemism to describe it). I can, however, be a little forgiving considering the show was made by 10 people at an amateur studio with a piss-poor budget. If I had to anything positive to say in this regard, it's that such poor animation can only leave room for improvement.

Another consideration to keep in mind: Art doesn't carry a story or one's enjoyment of it. That isn't to say its an element to be discarded when reviewing an anime, but it's something that shouldn't be weighted equally with aspects such as character development or plot.

But overall, the juxtaposition of such terrible animation and production value with a simple, yet fulfilling story that possesses meaningful layers of depth to it actually swelled my enjoyment for this anime. I would say it lent the anime a bit of charm that makes it feel unique.

7.5/10