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Super stinkin' cute tear jerker...

Made me want a daughter.

I really loved it. I was gushing over the art the entire time.

Shiva is a such a sweet and beautiful girl. Her little emotive behaviors had me grinning ear to ear, and suspenseful page turners had me gasping or in tears constantly.

Generally, I liked the lore and didn't find it too obtuse.

... I think the author tapped into some synchromysticism regarding the true nature of things, but failed to tie it all together in a satisfying way at the very end.

The vessel stuff and heartless villagers gave impressions of NPCs and the nature of being one of the few "real beings" piloting an avatar in a particular realm.

One minor complaint is that Teacher never stopped being rude to the Outsiders.

I'm very much looking forward to watching the OVA next. and hunting down volume 12 and other bonus material.

The girl is animated very well.

This short was definitely made for lovers of lolis, but the team masks it with plausible deniability tastefully. There were two scenes where I noticed her butt for a fraction of a second. It might make your pastor give you a side-eye "what was that just now?", but the scenes were never overtly sexual. Just natural body movements that the animators took care to give attention to instead of glossing over.

There was one "fan-service" bathing suit scene at the very end that undid the "on the down low" tastefulness of the rest of it. And was particularly weird to show ... since the character was dying.

Suspension of Disbelief

We only see two robots and they are both child servants.

Flower is obviously conscious and deserving care but maintenance has stopped being viable over the course of 10 or 30 years.

These bots would be lifelong family members and would surely have thriving maintenance, modification, and upgrade communities.

For all intents and purposes, Flower is a real girl, and there is no way countries would let these beings breakdown and die so easily without support, let alone be left like trash on the curb.

It was also weird that the newer bot we see at the market, owned by some rich guy, behaved like a soulless calculator.

So you're telling me that these bots look basically the same, enough time has passed that the old model is unrepairable, and the newer ones that are probably 10-30 years newer are lacking the soul of the old ones? And there aren't any other bots or futuristic technologies featured in the world? Just an old Mac G4 tower desktop?

Lazy world building.

The purpose of this OVA is to enjoy looking at the beautiful little girl. She really is colored and animated excellently.

And to be fair, I get choked up even now thinking about her caring nature and tragic demise in the last ten minutes. The team did a great job making the viewer care for her in such a short amount of time.

It took me six months to watch Azumanga Daioh, and by the end, I felt quite attached to the characters.

Animation and Pacing:
The clever use of still frames and recycled animations added humor to the show, but the pacing was often too slow for my taste.

Voice Acting:
The Japanese voice actors did a phenomenal job. The English dub was serviceable whenever my file defaulted to it, but lacked the oomph the original team brought to the table.

World-Building:
One odd aspect of the show is the near-absence of parents and other teachers besides the main three. While obviously due to budget constraints, it does create a somewhat unrealistic environment.
...
Characters:
- Chiyo-chan: My favorite character. Her kindness and care for her friends were genuinely touching and get me teared up just thinking about it.
- Sakaki and Kaorin: Their interactions were sweet and endearing.
- Tomo and Yukari: Both can be quite abrasive and unlikable, with Yukari being particularly immature for a teacher.
- Osaka: A fan favorite for good reason. Her unique perspective on the world is both amusing and sometimes insightful.
- Koyomi: Unfortunately, she didn't leave much of an impression.

Missed Opportunities:
- Chiyo's father, despite being prominently featured in the intro, was underutilized in the actual show. The show wasn't as surreal as I was expecting. I haven't watched them yet, but I'm guessing this is where Lucky Star and Nichijou decided to capitalize.
- The creepy teacher's inappropriate behavior was never properly addressed, which was disappointing. Would have been nice to see some consequences and character growth.

The Bear Dodger (Kuma ni Kuwarenu Otoko) [1948]
a whimsical and moral-filled short film where a mischievous villager's encounter with a baby bear sets off a chain of events, leading to a comical chase through the forest and a lesson in friendship.

It is worth watching for historical purposes, and maybe a few nice animation moments to learn from, but not something I'd recommend to people.

Animation:
Nothing looks floaty. The walk cycles are well done. The falling cherry blossoms look nice. The weird-headed guy walking up the path at 1:09 is an impressive 3D animated scene. The bears look more like a man-bear-pig than a bear.

Sound Design:
Solid. I ... particularly liked the noise when the bear pulls the mountain toward herself at 6:15 to close the gap.

Story:
A waste of time. A very shallow message about how you shouldn't be mean to others, and that when you help someone out, they might have your back in the future.

Plot:
While taking a leisurely stroll in the enchanting woods, a villager's accidental stumble on a rock sets off a series of events: a misdirected kick leads to an unfortunate encounter with a slumbering baby bear, eliciting a callous laugh from the villager. However, when a frog, previously amused by the mishap, becomes the target of the villager's ill-natured actions, a friend of the villager intervenes, rescuing the frog and reprimanding the villager. As the baby bear tearfully recounts the incident to its mother, the villager and his companion continue their path amidst a scenic landscape adorned with cherry blossoms. Soon, they find themselves embarking on an uphill journey, only to be pursued by the bear cub and its watchful mother. Escaping across what appears to be a bridge, they discover it to be a colossal snake, unwittingly becoming a part of the bear's lasso game. Crossing the river on seemingly sturdy stones, they are surprised to find them as playful turtles. Reminded of the frog's earlier wisdom, the friend plays dead upon the bear's approach, leading to an unexpected tickling test. Eventually, everyone retreats home, bringing an end to this tale.