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Usagi Drop (UD) had a lot of themes and feelings it wanted to explore, and did fairly well in its short 11 episode run. From the importance of community, to maturing for the sake of those around you, to the struggles of parenthood, UD had something intimate and enjoyable to say about them all, albeit a bit too quickly. The show was light, sweet, and an overall pleasing and easy watch because the pacing is not affected. However, UD's short run time gets the best of it at times, and many plot points and relationships are left unwound and unanswered, regardless of their importance ... to the story.

Pros:
1\ Main Theme
UD does a fantastic job demonstrating what it truly means to be a parent, and the complications within that. It handles its main theme of Daikichi going through a lot of personal growth being tossed from bachelor life into parenthood VERY well. The audience learns a lot about Daikichi and has their heart strings pulled again and again as he shines through complications pertaining to newfound parenthood.

2\ Characters
UD has a realistic, down to earth set of characters both young and old that add interesting nuances to Daikichi's character arc and helps depict all subtle facets of his character to the viewer.

3\ Soundwork
The sound is wonderfully done. From the fitting light orchestral soundtrack, to the careful sounds of ruffled clothing and hair brushing, to the charming voice acting, UD uses its sound work to make the story feel real and intimate.

4\Animation
The animation, while average at times, was quite impressive at others. UD falls short with stiff conversations and walks, but redeems itself with bouncy children who never sit still and subtle facial expressions or hand gestures. The animation never feels off or distracting. The watercolor look and feel is pleasant and soft, helping to add to the air of the show.

Cons:
1\ Loose ends
Many arcs don't have a clear cut finish by the end of episode 11. One never learns what became of Rin's biological mother in the end, or why she is the person she is-- both of which were treated very seriously and given lots of attention in the first half of the show. Her relationship with Daikichi's grandfather remains hazy and unclear. Additionally, the audience never learns of what became of Daikichi's cousin after she went back home, even though episodes containing her story were the deepest and darkest the show had available.

2\ Surface level tertiariy characters
Daikichi makes a handful of friends throughout the story simply because they are both parents. Their relationships to Daikichi are rushed, shallow, and overall not very believable. It seems many of his new friends' relationships start and end with "We both have kids". This is unfortunate because UD handled these friendships much better in the beginning. Kouki's mother and Daikichi have a real and believable friendship that took time to build. Daikichi becomes closer to his mother as he constantly leans on her for parenting help. The same cannot be said for the group of fathers he meets towards the end.

3\ Lack of exploration/depth for the sake of keeping things light
UD wanted to keep the show's air light and easily digestible at, what feels like, the cost of exploring topics and emotions deeper. Several plot points could have benefited from better follow through and deserved to have deeper emotion:
What's Rin's mom REALLY think about all this? Where does SHE find closure and resolve, if any? Where does her and Daikichi's relationship take them?
How did Rin mature so quickly? Obviously its from her time with Daikichi, but the viewer deserves to see this depicted.
Will Daikichi's cousin be okay? What did they learn from each other on a deeper level?
Will Daikichi and Kouki's mom simply remain friends? The audience deserved at least a few heart to heart adult conversations of these two.
Daikichi cares a lot for Rin, but the most the audience ever sees of him is flustered over her problems. Why not make him distraught when she falls seriously ill? Perhaps showing a nervous and emotional side to Kouki's mom.
As for Kouki, an arc where Kouki finds a surrogate father figure in Daikichi would have been powerful.

Overall:
UD is perfect for those who want a sweet heartfelt story that aren't looking for a heavy or emotional watch. It sets up for something distinct but may not run with it to the degree some viewers are hoping for.

After falling in love with Satoshi Kon's Paprika and Perfect Blue, I recently watched Tokyo Godfathers with no idea what it was about or the general reception of it.

The story is sweet and heart warming. There are points where events happen a little too conveniently and plot twists feel a little too coincidental to suspend disbelief, which at times can make the film feel cheesy. Though it is meant to be a comedy, I would have liked to see the humor taper off towards the emotional climaxes for more impact.

Additionally, I felt the portrayal of the crossdressing character a little insensitive and stereotypical at times ... -- often being the butt of jokes a little too often for comfort. But, I will leave that out of my rating as I do not know enough about that lifestyle to make a fair comment.

Anyway, however, the fantastically charming main cast, brilliant world building, and beautiful animation work still make watching this a film a treat. While I wouldn't recommend it to the average person as much as Kon's other works, I still found it fun to watch and aesthetically a masterpiece.

I had incredibly high hopes for this movie, and I left feeling robbed.

I went with a group of friends and for the life of all of us we could not figure out what the point of the movie was. There was a romance story set up with a poorly developed time travel element thrown in and that is just about all this movie has to offer -- and it barely even develops that.

The film tries to take itself seriously but nothing about anything that happens comes across that way. The characters are bland and not charming. Their actions, decisions, and drives make no sense. The ... musical numbers are awkward and offer a strange tonal whiplash. The animation feels melodramatic and mismatched from the tone.

The only way to watch this is as a comedy, besides that, I'm not sure what these high scoring reviewers got from this that me and my friends all missed.