Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)
Vintage:
July 7, 2011
Status:
Still Airing
Summary:
Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!
Written by stevodevo on October 3, 2011 at 4:01 PM
Overall Rating
Excellent
Story: 5
Dialogue: 5
Animation: 5
Entertainment: 5
I laughed or smiled my way through this entire series... it's a very realistic slice-of-life series that is so much fun to watch. I literally just finished watching the last episode and I'm left feeling very happy and satisfied (even if the series seemed to end much too soon!)
As a father with a young daughter, this one hits home on several levels. I especially appreciated the maturity with which the series approached the topic of 'fatherhood' and parenting in general. It is no easy task and definitely not for everyone. Apart from the unique manner in which Daikichi and Rin are thrown together, the situations they deal with and the adjustments they both must make in order to make the relationship work are true to life. I really felt myself identifying with him on many occasions!
Other reviewers have noted the artistic style of the animation and I must admit it took me an episode or two to really appreciate it. It is different than most anime I've seen however it's not a detraction and in many cases adds very subtle detail that you don't usually get from a typical anime style. Toward the end, I really enjoyed the watercolour look of the series.
One special note that I will tie into a comment on the OP and ED is that your average anime episode has a trailer that you can usually skip without any consequence. It's fortunate that I really enjoyed the ED of this series because the 'trailer' is something you'll want to stick around for in Usagi Drop. The final scenes are actually part of the story and not just a lead-in to the next episode with some random character narrating!
I do wish the series were longer and that certain other 'relationships' had come to fruition, what you are left with is a very sweet story of genuine sacrifice and love that you don't often see much any more. Usagi Drop is highly recommended viewing!
