Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo

"Kujima: Why Sing, When You Can Warble?" has the quite odd and interesting title. As we have this bird creature called Kujima. But don't let this hidden gem of a show fall under the radar. It is a strong Slice of Life as it showcases the meaning of family and finding a place to belong. The headline is about Kujima, who finds himself in Japan after migrating from Russia.

The strength of this show is its character. The biggest is the showcase of Kujima's effect on the cast. The biggest shown is with Suguru. For older fans, they can relate to and empathize with Suguru. But ... truth be told, the entire cast is endearing. By the end of the show, you will create a connection to Kujima like the family does.

Studio Hibari is responsible for the production and does a really solid job. Nothing mind-blowing, but everything is executed at a solid rate. To add to the great direction, it really is an anime that executes well.

So if you are a Slice of Life fan or are looking for an anime that tells a good, complete story in one season, then you won't regret giving this show a shot.

I love me a slice of life comedy and I especially love when it includes a dumb looking bird, a great soundtrack and lots of emotional depth. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried for this show and I hope to do a lot more of that with the last few episodes. It’s hilarious in a “is that really a bird?” kinda way. If you like things at a faster pace maybe this kinda everyday feel is not for you, but I’d encourage everyone to give it a try. It’s so fun to see how this “bird” influences a family who is going through a hard time, ... and I think it’s really beautiful to see how accepting and caring they all are towards their new family member. Dang there are so many great moments and at this point I’m actually starting to think that weird looking bird is actually kinda cute.

The story seems like a peaceful slice of life... until the damn antichrist himself shows up.

Kujima isn't trying to be ambitious. It's a run-of-the-mill slice of life... with the minor exception of a bipedal, flightless bird that speaks Russian... a minor detail. The anime tries to be wholesome, but the bird ruins it. It interferes in weird, strange, and sometimes downright disgusting ways. Not because the animation is grotesque, but because that bird is the last thing you'd want as a roommate. It eats grotesquely, drools when it has cravings, and never shuts its damn mouth. The story is about friendship, reuniting a fractured family, ... reconnecting with old friends, living with your family, and all of that is fine. It's just that the bird steals the show, making it hard to grasp the true message of the story.

The bird has no reason to exist. If you replace it with a human, aside from a couple of jokes, the rest remains the same. The message isn't altered by the Martian bird. There's not even a mystery to figure out what or who it is; everyone just accepts it as if it were the most normal thing in the world. The bird speaks Russian... and I have to give them credit for this. They handle that premise better than Roshidere does. It's not that it's very difficult to be better than Roshidere, but it's surprising that their best version isn't in another romance.

The ending is terrible. Since they had already baited you at the beginning of the season that the bird had to leave, they used up all their emotional potential in that episode. By the time they got to the end, they had already exhausted their emotional weapon. So they opted to turn the episode into a 20-minute music video. Between reminiscing about past events and a montage of the characters going about their lives after Kujima leaves, you've already watched the opening and ending themes and half the soundtrack. It lacks the emotional weight a game should have, which means you end up enjoying it less.

If you're looking to conjure up the image of a strange entity to keep you up at night, watch Kujima; you'll like it. If you want a normal life, don't watch this even if you're paid to.