AnimeSuki Forums

TinyRedLeaf · 2011-07-12, 14:59

I was five when my maternal grandfather passed away, too young to understand what death meant. He had been a doting granddad, who loved listening to me recite the alphabet. He lived in Malacca, Malaysia, about three hours' drive from Singapore, in one of the historic long houses of Jonker Street. I remember there were bats in the rafters, or perhaps I imagined them. It doesn't matter now.

The week he died, my family travelled to Malacca to attend the funeral. I am told that I was quite the mischievous kid, swinging happily under the coffin, with both hands gripped firmly around the handles. My older cousin, on the other hand, was too green with fear to even approach our grandfather, let alone admonish me. I don't remember what the adults thought. I know, though, that my mother is still quite amused whenever she recalls the story.

Such was childhood, fostered with indulgent love and care.

============

I was 31, and at a company outing. Well, not so much an outing as it was a corporate activity. We, the staff, were to spend the day with a class of children from troubled families at a local theme park. The kids ranged between seven and 12 years of age, and they were divided into several groups, each to be led by a pair of us from the company.

The plan was simple: We just had to accompany the children as they played to their hearts' content. We were told not to pry, not even if we were only trying to be friendly. One girl, she was about 10 or 11, never went anywhere without clutching a little rag doll no bigger than her palm. She was bashful at first when I asked for its name, but she later told me after warming up to me.

The thing about kids, they have an uncanny ability to sense when they are not wanted. My colleague in the group, she's a nice woman, always cheerful and friendly — just not so much when she's with children who are far too energetic for her to handle. As the day wore on, the sun climbed higher, and her face grew ever darker. Instinctively, the children began avoiding her. A few began jostling to take roller-coaster rides with me instead. It was fun... and ironically amusing; I was supposed to be the scary one.

Our company had sponsored snacks and packaged meals for the kids. At tea time, as the kids tucked happily into the food, we noticed one particular boy who had been quiet all day. He was separating the food in his packed meal, keeping the chicken wing and sausage carefully to one side. Some of us thought he was a picky eater.

Then, suddenly, one of us realised what was going on. She brought him another packet of food, an extra set to take home. The boy's face brightened, and he carefully packed the meal into his bag. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.

Such is childhood, when kindness and tenderness can't be taken for granted.

============

The above is my roundabout way of saying just how much I loved the first episode, because it mirrors everything I have experienced first-hand with children, from the playful rascals to the quiet, thoughtful ones.

The difference between a hack and an artist: The former makes skilful use of the tricks of the trade, from friendly ghosts to cross-dressing boys, to drive the drama and tug at heartstrings. The latter relies more, instead, on reflection and insight to reveal truths that would otherwise have been overlooked. The emotions he elicits go beyond the ephemeral — they hit closer to home; they are visceral.

The thing about Rin and Daikichi, they are the victims of the darker side of Japanese family "unity". In a society that makes intricate distinctions between the "outside" and the "inside", Daikichi and Rin are both natural outsiders. Despite his cordial relationship with his family, Daikichi is clearly someone who is out of the loop, perhaps by circumstances, perhaps by choice, as his sister's antagonism seems to imply. Perhaps it's because he's an apparent slacker living alone at age 30 instead of being a "responsible" adult raising a family of his own. Or perhaps it's because he is someone who never really liked keeping up appearances, a vague dissenter wavering constantly between conformity and rebellion.

Not surprising then that a fellow outsider like Rin would be drawn to him. She sees in him an image of a father she had lost. But it was more than just the image — the personality as well. And, most importantly, the simple kindness.

It resonates, especially with lonely children.

============

In the Victorian language of flowers, a bellflower means "thinking of you".

-Antares- · 2011-07-13, 01:21

It's a little rare that I like a first episode this much, but I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with this anime. I even rewatched this episode only a few days after seeing it for the first time, and I've never rewatched an episode that soon in the past unless it was with friends. I love the visual style, and I'm looking forward to hearing more of Rin's voice actress. She seemed really good considering how young she is, but we've only heard her a little so far. Hopefully the series can maintain this level of quality throughout all 11 episodes.

yongshun · 2011-07-13, 10:11

Enjoyed the first it is almost exactly like the first chapter of the manga althrough I don't think really explained why Rin kept following Daikichi around the house.

Spoiler for manga:

felix · 2011-07-13, 15:15

Everything is perfect.

ars89 · 2011-07-13, 20:14

Rin is so adorable. Though i hate kids like Reina. Daikichi's response about her being his aunt and his mom's little sister was funny especially how he said it so easily. Glad he choose to take her in. He seemed to be the only one she would pay attention to. Guess he does resemble grandpa, so that's why she was interested.

felix · 2011-07-14, 02:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by ars89

Though i hate kids like Reina.

They say those that can’t stand kids like Reina there used to be little terrors themselves.

Sinestra · 2011-07-14, 11:42

I finally decided to watch the first episode. I was very apprehensive about watching the anime adaptation for fear of the anime ruining the emotional aspect. Usagi Drop is one of my favorite on-going manga series as a result i was both scared yet excited.

The first episode was done extremely well in my opinion. The character designs are pretty much straight out of the manga. Rin and Daikichi are done quite well Rin's hair and Daikichi middle aged face was full of detail and reflected their age. Especially Rin's innocence in her face. Her voice was not what i imagined but all the same i had no problems with it.

The series is animated beautifully its like watch a water color painting in motion. The still life scenes in the backround work incredible well for the slice of life genre that this series is. The portrayal of the inner workings of Japanese families was portrayed very accurately. As lots of people know the Japanese can be quite apprehensive about adopting a child especially a child in Rin's position. Even though she was a blood relative the nature of her birth was somewhat shady and not the norm so they were going to put in her a facility or orphanage. There are lots of stories in Japanese society where this happens.

I loved the scene of Rin trying to wind the clock it will be explained later but its an important memory for her. Plus the initial meeting of Rin and Daikichi was beautifully done especially her following him around its easy to see why she did so. I also loved the scene of her sleeping on his hand while he makes one of the thousands of funny faces he has. Finally scene with the rice ball is really the introduction to their daily life together. The struggles of both of them will be emotionally gratifying to watch i think a lot of anime only watchers will love the story it has a way of drawing you very deep into the lives of these characters and how they grow over time.

The OST was beautiful especially the piano that was playing when Rin was keeping watch of the incense while falling asleep and then another beautiful piece when she was picking Bellflowers (su-zuka) for her father. I love instrumental music and the choice of soft piano violin and an oboe was a great choice. Im not a huge fan of the opening but i dont mind the ending. I wish the opening was a little slower not as upbeat.

Over all a great start to a lovely story and Im looking forward to more.

ars89 · 2011-07-14, 11:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by felix

They say those that can’t stand kids like Reina there used to be little terrors themselves.

Funny you should say that because i think it's true. Even though i tend to not realize it. My whole family tells me i was the worst when i was little

Shiroth · 2011-07-14, 12:49

Spoiler for Episode 2:

cnnydz · 2011-07-14, 14:16

Spoiler for episode 2 reaction:

Sinestra · 2011-07-14, 14:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnnydz

Spoiler for episode 2 reaction:

I honestly have no clue why anime would make you physical ill

and if it does then there might be a larger problem other than you watching anime that sounds like medical problem to me. Furthermore im having a hard time understanding what you are trying to say. Can you please be a little clearer in what you are trying to say

cnnydz · 2011-07-14, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinestra

I honestly have no clue why anime would make you physical ill

and if it does then there might be a larger problem other than you watching anime that sounds like medical problem to me. Furthermore im having a hard time understanding what you are trying to say. Can you please be a little clearer in what you are trying to say

thank you for ur concern, anyway u can just forget about it i was just ranting, no big deal really.

Reckoner · 2011-07-14, 14:31

Episode 2 was really nice.

People can say all they want about how disgusting Daikichi's family was last episode, but really, this episode shows just how hard it is to take care of a child. sooner or later, the stress is going to catch up to Daikichi without additional help.

Some hardships I see down the road for him...

He'll contemplate whether or not keeping Rin is actually good for him.

If he does continue to keep Rin, more stress will be placed on him at his job. Little mistakes like he made in this episode will start to pile up, and his job security my start to look bad. He'll end up at a point where it might be Rin or his job, having to switch to another one, mgiht even get fired (This reminds me a lot of the movie Kramer vs Kramer, cept Daikichi has no wife of course and Rin isn't actually his daughter).

Will Rin emotionally be able to continue this life style of being picked up late at night? She has it hard too.

This whole situation is just one powder keg of hardship ready to blow. I fear for Daikichi and Rin's near future

.

Kirarakim · 2011-07-14, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler for Episode 2:

I am kind of hoping they are going slow because they are only going to adapt first half of the manga. That would be ideal for me. I don't want to see the 2nd half of the story.

But anyways

Spoiler for 2nd episode:

Student no.0 · 2011-07-14, 14:43

Spoiler for ep 2:

Kanon · 2011-07-14, 15:07

Spoiler for episode 2:

FlareKnight · 2011-07-14, 15:38

Spoiler for Ep2:

X207 · 2011-07-14, 15:39

havent yet seen ep2 but ive caught up with the manga. the second helf really did catch me off guard but it was rather enjoyable.

Decagon · 2011-07-14, 17:05

This is such a pleasant show. It feels so real.

~~User68604~~ · 2011-07-14, 18:16

i lub this show

2011-07-13, 01:21	Link #202
-Antares- Nope. Fansubber Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Elsewhere Age: 31	It's a little rare that I like a first episode this much, but I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with this anime. I even rewatched this episode only a few days after seeing it for the first time, and I've never rewatched an episode that soon in the past unless it was with friends. I love the visual style, and I'm looking forward to hearing more of Rin's voice actress. She seemed really good considering how young she is, but we've only heard her a little so far. Hopefully the series can maintain this level of quality throughout all 11 episodes. __________________ You people don't actually talk to each other, do you? No way you could be this dysfunctional as a team and contradict each other if you did. Power trips not appreciated regardless.

2011-07-13, 10:11	Link #203
yongshun Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Oakland, Ca	Enjoyed the first it is almost exactly like the first chapter of the manga althrough I don't think really explained why Rin kept following Daikichi around the house. Spoiler for manga: She was following him around because he looked so much like his grandfather that one of the relitives fell when she saw him __________________ Head or Gut?

2011-07-13, 15:15	Link #204
felix sleepyhead Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: event horizon	Everything is perfect. __________________

2011-07-13, 20:14	Link #205
ars89 One-Eyed Dragon Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NJ, USA	Rin is so adorable. Though i hate kids like Reina. Daikichi's response about her being his aunt and his mom's little sister was funny especially how he said it so easily. Glad he choose to take her in. He seemed to be the only one she would pay attention to. Guess he does resemble grandpa, so that's why she was interested. __________________ My Anime List

2011-07-14, 11:42	Link #207
Sinestra ション (^^) IT Support Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Freedom Guard Ship Amaterasu	Episode 1 I finally decided to watch the first episode. I was very apprehensive about watching the anime adaptation for fear of the anime ruining the emotional aspect. Usagi Drop is one of my favorite on-going manga series as a result i was both scared yet excited. The first episode was done extremely well in my opinion. The character designs are pretty much straight out of the manga. Rin and Daikichi are done quite well Rin's hair and Daikichi middle aged face was full of detail and reflected their age. Especially Rin's innocence in her face. Her voice was not what i imagined but all the same i had no problems with it. The series is animated beautifully its like watch a water color painting in motion. The still life scenes in the backround work incredible well for the slice of life genre that this series is. The portrayal of the inner workings of Japanese families was portrayed very accurately. As lots of people know the Japanese can be quite apprehensive about adopting a child especially a child in Rin's position. Even though she was a blood relative the nature of her birth was somewhat shady and not the norm so they were going to put in her a facility or orphanage. There are lots of stories in Japanese society where this happens. I loved the scene of Rin trying to wind the clock it will be explained later but its an important memory for her. Plus the initial meeting of Rin and Daikichi was beautifully done especially her following him around its easy to see why she did so. I also loved the scene of her sleeping on his hand while he makes one of the thousands of funny faces he has. Finally scene with the rice ball is really the introduction to their daily life together. The struggles of both of them will be emotionally gratifying to watch i think a lot of anime only watchers will love the story it has a way of drawing you very deep into the lives of these characters and how they grow over time. The OST was beautiful especially the piano that was playing when Rin was keeping watch of the incense while falling asleep and then another beautiful piece when she was picking Bellflowers (su-zuka) for her father. I love instrumental music and the choice of soft piano violin and an oboe was a great choice. Im not a huge fan of the opening but i dont mind the ending. I wish the opening was a little slower not as upbeat. Over all a great start to a lovely story and Im looking forward to more. __________________

2011-07-12, 14:59	Link #201
TinyRedLeaf Moving in circles Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Singapore Age: 49	I was five when my maternal grandfather passed away, too young to understand what death meant. He had been a doting granddad, who loved listening to me recite the alphabet. He lived in Malacca, Malaysia, about three hours' drive from Singapore, in one of the historic long houses of Jonker Street. I remember there were bats in the rafters, or perhaps I imagined them. It doesn't matter now. The week he died, my family travelled to Malacca to attend the funeral. I am told that I was quite the mischievous kid, swinging happily under the coffin, with both hands gripped firmly around the handles. My older cousin, on the other hand, was too green with fear to even approach our grandfather, let alone admonish me. I don't remember what the adults thought. I know, though, that my mother is still quite amused whenever she recalls the story. Such was childhood, fostered with indulgent love and care. ============ I was 31, and at a company outing. Well, not so much an outing as it was a corporate activity. We, the staff, were to spend the day with a class of children from troubled families at a local theme park. The kids ranged between seven and 12 years of age, and they were divided into several groups, each to be led by a pair of us from the company. The plan was simple: We just had to accompany the children as they played to their hearts' content. We were told not to pry, not even if we were only trying to be friendly. One girl, she was about 10 or 11, never went anywhere without clutching a little rag doll no bigger than her palm. She was bashful at first when I asked for its name, but she later told me after warming up to me. The thing about kids, they have an uncanny ability to sense when they are not wanted. My colleague in the group, she's a nice woman, always cheerful and friendly — just not so much when she's with children who are far too energetic for her to handle. As the day wore on, the sun climbed higher, and her face grew ever darker. Instinctively, the children began avoiding her. A few began jostling to take roller-coaster rides with me instead. It was fun... and ironically amusing; I was supposed to be the scary one. Our company had sponsored snacks and packaged meals for the kids. At tea time, as the kids tucked happily into the food, we noticed one particular boy who had been quiet all day. He was separating the food in his packed meal, keeping the chicken wing and sausage carefully to one side. Some of us thought he was a picky eater. Then, suddenly, one of us realised what was going on. She brought him another packet of food, an extra set to take home. The boy's face brightened, and he carefully packed the meal into his bag. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. Such is childhood, when kindness and tenderness can't be taken for granted. ============ The above is my roundabout way of saying just how much I loved the first episode, because it mirrors everything I have experienced first-hand with children, from the playful rascals to the quiet, thoughtful ones. The difference between a hack and an artist: The former makes skilful use of the tricks of the trade, from friendly ghosts to cross-dressing boys, to drive the drama and tug at heartstrings. The latter relies more, instead, on reflection and insight to reveal truths that would otherwise have been overlooked. The emotions he elicits go beyond the ephemeral — they hit closer to home; they are visceral. The thing about Rin and Daikichi, they are the victims of the darker side of Japanese family "unity". In a society that makes intricate distinctions between the "outside" and the "inside", Daikichi and Rin are both natural outsiders. Despite his cordial relationship with his family, Daikichi is clearly someone who is out of the loop, perhaps by circumstances, perhaps by choice, as his sister's antagonism seems to imply. Perhaps it's because he's an apparent slacker living alone at age 30 instead of being a "responsible" adult raising a family of his own. Or perhaps it's because he is someone who never really liked keeping up appearances, a vague dissenter wavering constantly between conformity and rebellion. Not surprising then that a fellow outsider like Rin would be drawn to him. She sees in him an image of a father she had lost. But it was more than just the image — the personality as well. And, most importantly, the simple kindness. It resonates, especially with lonely children. ============ In the Victorian language of flowers, a bellflower means "thinking of you".

2011-07-14, 12:49	Link #209
Shiroth Beautiful fighter. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: England, UK Age: 37	Spoiler for Episode 2: Surprised at how little manga material was in this episode, though then again i really don't want this nice soothing pacing to be ruined. I'd be perfectly fine if it stayed like this for the whole 11 episodes. Sure we wouldn't see that much manga material, though i wouldn't mind. Music placement is still my favourite part of this adaptation. Such fitting BGM pieces, especially the piano based ones. __________________ MyAnimeList Twitter

2011-07-14, 14:16	Link #210
cnnydz Feed me Join Date: Dec 2007	Spoiler for episode 2 reaction: god damn it why did i have to spoil myself on the ending, AHHHHH i could not stop thinking about it when watching ep2, in the end i couldn't even finish the first half, i felt physically sick, srsly i was on the verge of puking and i had to stop after about 7mins. strangely i didn't feel this way during the first episode, maybe because the sadness distracted me just enough. but Oh god why o why do i have to spoil myself, i should have known better. what a waste, i regret to say this but i'm dropping this, for now at least ps. sorry for the slightly offtopic ranting, but i just have so much RAGE - mainly for myself

2011-07-14, 14:43	Link #215
Student no.0 Part-time Warrior Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: First star to the left, you should go there sometime.	Spoiler for ep 2: Another great episode. Eager to see what changes Dakichi will decide to make to adapt to his lifestyle now that he's parenting Rin. The end of the first day kinda reminded me of one of Ohana's flashbacks from Hana-saku Iroha lol I think Reina-chan's starting to become of my top favorite characters too. She just so hilarious xD

2011-07-14, 15:07	Link #216
Kanon Kana Hanazawa ♥ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: France Age: 37	Spoiler for episode 2: That was just as wonderful as the first episode. This confirmed my thoughts that this anime is going to be a more realistic and serious Yotsuba&, which makes me very happy. I can't express how delighted I am we have anime like this one and Ikoku Meiro no Croisée this season. It's almost too much at once, it's only a matter of time before my heart fails under the strain... too much sweetness. It was a brilliant idea to have a real kid voice Rin, she brings even more life to the role. I love the way they animate her as well, her facial expression are very cute and funny. Rin truly looks and sounds adorable. When did Reina and Rin get so friendly? I was a bit surprised by that. I was under the impression they didn't like each other much. Well, it's good that Rin is getting along with grandniece I'm eager to see how Daikichi will conciliate his current job with his new "occupation" as a daddy. The current set-up clearly isn't working very well for either of them. Daikichi's first priority should be to find a day-care center closer to his home or his work, but that would only solve his own problem, and not Rin's, which is that Daikichi works too late. The scene after the credit was very funny. I was wondering why Rin wasn't the one waking up Daikichi as usual (something I find endearing), I was starting to fear the worst (sickness) but it turned out she only wet the futon... with her sweat of course __________________

2011-07-14, 15:38	Link #217
FlareKnight User of the "Fast Draw" Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Canada	Spoiler for Ep2: Definitely a good second episode. It just shows how difficult the road ahead of Daisuke is. Though it's not like he's stopping himself and is just pushing forward regardless. Having to turn down the coworker for drinks is just a reflection of how this is going to hit on his social life and his time. Something has to give since he really can't just keep working as fast as he can every day and racing to the nursery school. Besides it's just an emergency one so he'll have to find a permanent solution for that problem too. He has to do something since his schedule just doesn't work for the new lifestyle he's got to deal with. Honestly a cute episode despite the stress on Daisuke and Rin. Now that he's in this situation Daisuke can really notice the parents out shopping for their kids . Seeing these two together just gives off a good feeling. The ending scene was funny as well with Daisuke initially thinking he did it and then came Rin's "it's sweat" answer . Should be fun to see how Daisuke solves his problems. No matter how this situation came about he'll have to make some choices. If he could find a place closer to work and get his hours brought down then things would probably move smoother for the guy. Better for Rin too since being the last to leave every day wouldn't be much fun. __________________ Anime-Evo

2011-07-14, 15:39	Link #218
X207 Gamyūsa Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Montreal	havent yet seen ep2 but ive caught up with the manga. the second helf really did catch me off guard but it was rather enjoyable.

2011-07-14, 17:05	Link #219
Decagon This was meaningless Scanlator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Not on this site no more. Age: 36	This is such a pleasant show. It feels so real.

2011-07-14, 18:16	Link #220
~~User68604~~ Disabled By Request Join Date: Oct 2007	i lub this show