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[MINIMAL SPOILER REVIEW]
Let me start this off by saying that since I fall pretty decently into the target audience, I will be somewhat biased as I was very, VERY excited for this show to air once I learned about it! It’s super rare that modern anime entertains the female gaze, if at all, and even rarer for the protagonist of a show to be an anthropomorphic animal. This somewhat lesser-known subgenre of romance in manga with human x beastman couples seems to finally be gaining enough momentum to get a place in anime adaptations! But does it hold up to expectations?

SOME BACKGROUND: Kimikoe is a ... softcore spin-off/sequel of the erotic manga “Juujin-san to Ohana-chan”, and the couple from that manga do make a cameo here. Despite not being hentai like its predecessor, I was worried that this anime adaptation would be very neutered or watered down because the source material was still very spicy. Thankfully I could not have been more wrong, because this anime goes all-in with great detail, and some scenes did make my legs kick in a good way.

STORY (7/10): Well, if you are familiar with juujin manga in general, all of the boxes are checked: biting is permanently marking a mate, size difference is everything, invisible red string of fate, a massive emphasis on pheromones and scent; nothing really new if you spend all of your days drooling over interspecies romance slop (Definitely not me haha). The story revolves around society struggling to grasp that a human and a beastperson would EVER want to be in a relationship, but just like the real world would handle it, any intelligent person embraces the fluffiness because the fluffier, the better. This is one of the few stories where it isn’t just the humans rejecting the interspecies couple, but other anthros as well. Moreover, the couple has to overcome their own biological differences as well because Tsunagu’s mind is constantly telling him to claim his mate, which leads to a lot of spicy encounters. Fairly straightforward for a juujin x human romance, but the first time one has been animated, which makes it perfect entry level for newcomers.

ANIMATION (7.5/10): I’m not gonna lie to you, most of the budget went to the intimate scenes, of which most episodes usually have at least one major long scene. The attention to detail on them is great, and if you’re a woman into furry dudes, there is a decent chance you will almost certainly notice your underwear audibly splatting to the ground at some point. Seeing how well these scenes were handled, it does make me wish the original hentai got adapted, but that’s just my own gripe. Apart from that, the colors chosen are very bloomed and make the show have a sort of floaty feeling, which is nice, however you will notice that chibis are used for some scenes for comedic relief, and sometimes at moments where it almost feels inappropriate. Thankfully this isn’t too frequent. Apart from that, it’s fairly good animation for what the show is!

CHARACTERS (7/10): Mari is a typical soft-spoken high school girl that keeps getting yanked back and forth between the big wolf guy Tsunagu, and their other human friend Yukihiro, who can’t seem to get the message that he is willingly tossing himself in the cuck chair by constantly squeezing in-between them, though he is still an enjoyable character and does have his redeeming moments, and is honestly pretty fun to watch on screen most of the time. Kisara is cute and did manage to grow on me a massive amount into probably my unexpected favorite character of the show, but almost all of the other characters in the show feel tertiary instead of secondary, which isn’t a big problem because they aren’t the focus. The only character that feels truly hollow is the human bully, which is a real shame because from the few glimpses of him we get, he definitely could have been expanded upon and been made extremely interesting. Anyway, we’re all here for the furry man, and he’s awesome. It’s probably worth mentioning that Tsunagu is the only beastman in the show who has fingernails instead of claws like the others, which is an intentional choice meant to remind viewers that his mother was a human. I think that’s kind of cute.

CONCLUSION: It’s pretty cute! I think any of my sisters out there who are into furry men should definitely give this show a watch, especially if ‘strong, yet silent’ is your type. It’s nice to see juujin x human as a genre finally get the recognition it deserves, and fills me with massive HOPE for romance anime going forward because we are FINALLY trying out new things again. Hopefully this show will see some success, and we get more human x beastmen adaptations in the future, next time with some paws. Seriously, open letter to animation studios: please draw your furries with pawpads. It looks strange when they don’t have them. Bless up.

Fabulous Beasts (You Shou Yan) is a donghua based on the manhua of the same name published on FENZ. Like most short comedy donghua, the episodes are 5 minutes long or less, and the first season gradually introduces the cast as they become relevant to the story.

I actually really, really like Pixiu (Tianlu), the main character. He is super super cute and I personally can't get enough of him. Sibuxiang is a close second. You'll notice a recurring theme on the show where characters are based on (typically) traditional Chinese folklore, while others come from famous ancient literature and texts. There are also cross-series character ... references occasionally snuck in which you will notice IMMEDIATELY if you're very familiar with a lot of donghua.

The visuals are cute and soft with visible and detailed brushstrokes make up the outlines. It's very appealing to watch in motion, and makes me personally very excited to watch each new season. All of the episodes are available with English CC officially on Bilibili's YouTube channel. Without spoiling anything, if you end up enjoying the first season, it's definitely worth going ahead and watching the rest!

(Spoiler-Free Review)
*Just so you know, MAL currently does not list this manga as yaoi, but this story contains it.

Story (7.6/10)
Yakimochi wa Kitsuneiro is a short manga about a boy who is possessed by a fox who unexpectedly begins to feel a closeness for his savior. Since this manga is very short, I can't say too much without spoiling it, but I personally found the story to be cute and enjoyable how this relationship unfolds and develops. I love foxes, and it's exactly what I was hoping for.

Art (8/10)
I found the art to be pretty great, actually. There was a lot of attention to detail, even ... in the smaller scenes, and you can tell this artist is quite proficient. As for the yaoi, clearly the artist knows what they're doing. I just wish it went on longer!

Overall (8/10)
Akiha is a precious boy that must be protected at all costs. Good read. Will probably check out the spin-off soon.

[SPOILER-FREE REVIEW]
Okay, I'm usually very sharply critical about anime. I rarely give shows a score above 6, especially if they're short, but this one's an exception. I love this show!

For people who have been paying attention to east-asian anime outside of Japan for around the past 2 years, it should come as no surprise that China of all places has really been knocking it out of the ballpark lately in terms of production quality and polish. Wan Sheng Jie, despite having very short episodes (Only 4 minutes each!), manages to perfectly capture what it sets out to accomplish. Since anything I say might be spoilers ... due to the length, I'll keep this review short, as well.

Story & Character (8/10)
This first season has a huge focus on character building, but sets out on giving each character a unique background and lifestyle, as well as how their personalities interact with each other. It's pretty funny slice of life, and I quite enjoy the werewolf man. The demon boy protagonist is a close second.

Art (10/10)
It's actually really good and cute. The simplicity perfectly matches the animation and tonal direction of the show. It can be simple and cute when it wants to, or more complex and detailed when it needs to be. The framerate is a bit higher than that of normal Japanese anime, and it's very relaxing to watch. No matter what frame you pause on, nothing ever feels rushed. I know the style can be a bit jarring at first, especially if you're only used to regular anime, but it really grows on you. I have no complaints.

Sound (8/10)
I don't remember too much about the sound design, but everything felt pretty matching to me. The show is too short to give much of a comment on the sound effects and music, but everything seemed pretty lively to me. The intro is cute and makes me excited for each episode, and the ending theme will change with the tone of each episode. It's a nice touch.

Enjoyment (10/10)
Yeah, I really don't have any complaints. Rarely ever do I give this score, but I got exactly what I wanted out of this show. Season 1 left such a good impression on me that I wanted to start Season 2 right away, especially with the way this one ended. I wish it was longer, but somehow 4 minutes for each episode seems perfect. You can watch the whole first season in under an hour.

Overall (8/10)
It's a short first season that excels at what it is trying to accomplish, and was a very enjoyable watch where I had no real complaints. Without spoiling anything, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, yet quick little show with cute characters. It is very underrated, and has a pretty good chance to make you want to watch more after this. Good stuff. I recommend.

Well, a short doujinshi deserves a short review. Especially when it's so short that practically anything too specific you write about it could be spoilers.

It's a brief story about a teacher who fantasizes about one of his students while receiving help from the student, Natsushiro, in preparation for an assembly the next day. Despite the fact that Natsushiro is male, he finds the cross-dressing boy to be way too cute to just ignore. Before he can say anything, it would seem that the boy had mutual feelings for his teacher, and is very eager to express them...

It's good for a quick read if you're into ... "otoko no ko" (Femboys) and yaoi, but don't want too much of a story getting in the way of your session.