2012 spring | Episodes: 50 | Score: 7.9 (24499)
Updated every Thursdays at 17:30 | Status: Finished Airing
Type: TV
Producers:TV Tokyo | Avex Entertainment
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Synopsis
Situated near the local zoo and owned by the charismatic polar bear Shirokuma, Shirokuma Cafe is a popular spot for animals and humans alike, allowing them to sit back and relax after a hard day of work. Whether it's a cold beverage or the latest item on his menu, Shirokuma finds joy in being able to serve his customers, often striking up conversations about various subjects. Together with the sarcastic Penguin and the clumsy Panda, they form an odd trio who get themselves caught up in all sorts of misadventures with their other friends such as Grizzly, a bar owner, and Sasako, a human who works at the cafe. From dealing with unrequited love, outdoor camping trips, karaoke sessions, and even the secret to brewing delicious coffee, there's always something bound to be happening in Shirokuma Cafe! [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Voice Actors
Fukuyama, Jun
Kamiya, Hiroshi
Sakurai, Takahiro
News
05/29/2012, 06:17 PM
Mangaka Higa Aloha has announced in her official Twitter account that the serialization of "Shirokuma Café" on Monthly Flowers magazine has gone int...
03/02/2012, 12:32 PM
Crunchyroll has announced their new simulcast titles for Spring 2012. The new series so far include:Hiiro no Kakera - Mondays at 11AM starting March 5. Available in:...
01/25/2012, 11:37 PM
According to Monthly Flowers magazine, Higa Aloha's manga "Shirokuma Cafe" was announced to get a TV anime adaptation. It will be aired from April. Shirokuma Cafe ma...
Reviews
justinharsey
If you're looking some something light-hearted & comedic, this might be what you're looking for. This series follows the daily lives of an andromorphic polar bear that runs a cafe that is frequently visited by both humans and other talking animals, including a panda & penguin. There's honestly no real plot going throughout. It's like 'Seinfield' in the sense of it's a show about nothing, minus more mature themes. It's just a feel-good series that fits the primary cafe setting. Though as for some jokes, there's a race between a sloth & a tortoise and a penguin harem nightmare. One of the most interesting things isits endings. Instead of using animation, the 10 endings tend to be live-action either in stop-motion or live action sequences. My personal favorite is the last one. The ending tag also has the main cast as standing paper dolls off in various locations. What's most interesting about this series is its cancellation. Apparently the mangaka's notes were not getting to the staff and she was not happy with how communications were going. She threatened to cancel the series because of this. This was due to the editor failing to do his job between her and the production. (Odds are he didn't keep his job long after that.) The mangaka didn't hold any ill-harm towards the staff and thought they did a good job, but the series did cease its run both in manga form and the anime as well. It's quite a shame.
Suwanaide
I watched the sub. It took a maybe 4 or so episodes to really get into the flow of it, but it became one of my absolute favorite anime (which should be obvious by my name). It's easy to be fooled by the style and some of the tone and think this is simply an anime for children. It's not. And by that I don't mean it's a complete trick, the way the opening to Asobi Asobase gives you a false impression. A lot of the humor in Shirokuma Cafe is puns and a lot of it (especially in thesecond half of the series) is absurd. But most of the characters are adults, so a lot of times episodes revolve around workplaces and adult friendships. The best example is probably with Shirokuma (who runs the cafe) who has been best friends with Grizzly (who runs a bar) since childhood, and while they have very different personalities you get to see how that developed and how much it means to both of them... neither of whom are great at expressing it directly in words but make it clear in their actions. At heart it's a show about relationships, with a group of imperfect but still good, well-meaning humans and animals who try to look out for each other. It's not all warm-fuzzies, though. A lot of the humor is great. But it is a lot of puns, a lot of absurd stuff, and a lot goes for "clever" or "well-crafted" more than slapstick or over-the-top usually. There's a lot of subtle and understated humor, and I'm sure I'm missing a ton of stuff and additional nuance that I'd get if I spoke Japanese as well. It's also definitely one you have to be in the right headspace for, too. If you're in the mood for Saiki-K style humor, this isn't going to fit the bill.
mds1444
Shirokuma Cafe is an excellent slice of life anime. It is perhaps one of the most wholesome shows in existence, and is a must-watch for any slice of life fans, animal lovers, and people who want to relax and get away from worldly concerns. It is also essentially family-friendly, and is free of violence or inappropriate content. Finally, it is a good anime for people trying to learn Japanese, since the voice acting is clear and easy to understand. Visuals: 8.5/10 Visuals are pretty good. Like some other slice of life shows, the art style is on the simpler side, but it fits the wholesome toneof the show very well. Animals and humans are drawn accurately, but not so realistically as to be off-putting. The art style contributes to the personality of each character -- Panda looks cute, Sloth looks lazy, Polar Bear looks playful, Penguin looks a bit more serious, and so on. Backgrounds are nothing special, but there are some moments of visual beauty that occasionally stand out. Music: 7.5/10 The music is pleasant and fits the show well, but doesn't really do anything to stand out enough to be an 8-10. OPs are consistently strong, although a bit cheesy, while EDs range from strong ("Llama Mambo") to weak. While there are some great and memorable BGMs, they are not so amazing that I would go out of my way to listen to them. Voice Acting: 10/10 Shirokuma Cafe has some of the best voice acting I have seen. The cast is filled with talented voice actors, and while this show might not be as well known, many of these VAs are famous for their parts on other shows. Each VA fits their character very well and consistently delivers high quality, energetic, and entertaining performances throughout the show's 50-episode long season. Dialogue is energetic and entertaining without being ridiculous or over-the-top like some shonens, which makes the show good for language-learning. Story/Worldbuilding: 6.5/10 Each episode is usually split into two independent halves, although some stories are longer than a half-episode. Since the show is slice of life, there is no overarching plotline, so slice of life haters should not watch lest they become bored! There are some recurring gags and themes, but the main focus is on the daily experiences of the cast. The worldbuilding is decent, but the setting and lore is not really the focus of the show. Writing/Characters: 9/10 The episodes and characters are quite well-written. While some episodes are better than others, most episodes are consistently strong in this department. The writers do a good job of creating entertaining, humorous, and heartwarming stories that engage the viewer without making him anxious. Most plot conflicts are the mundane problems of daily life -- work, relationships, family, and friends -- and yet the viewer still becomes invested in these silly characters as he gets to know them and their personalities and routines. Each character is unique and likable in his own way, and I found myself growing to appreciate their different quirks, such as Polar Bear's puns, Mandrill's disregard for personal space, Panda's laziness, and the like. Creativity: 6.5/10 The characters are pretty creatively written. However, the plots are a mixed bag, with some decently creative stories and a few less inspired tales. Entertainment and emotional experience is prioritized over plot developments and intrigue, so viewers who are seeking the latter should look elsewhere. Entertainment: 10/10 Every single episode was consistently relaxing, heartwarming, and engaging, providing a fulfilling emotional experience. We follow the relatable ups and downs of daily life with cute, funny, wholesome animal characters (as well as a few humans), growing more attached to them with each episode. There is also enough variety to keep the show interesting, with different episodes focusing on different settings, activities, events, and characters. While the show sometimes takes a more serious tone, everything works out in the end for the animals of Shirokuma Cafe.
Seregosa
To me, this wasn't really worth watching, not even as background noise. Yet, I can't bring myself to hate it, it's just so incredibly unremarkable. It's not funny, it's not exciting, it's not interesting, it's not annoying, it's not irritating, it's just dreadfully monotone. Everyone talking in slow motion, nothing even remotely creative happening, the low-quality animation... It has literally nothing whatsoever to offer to my tastes. It's supposed to be a relaxing comedy or something along those lines, but I personally simply do not understand how the jokes are supposed to be funny. I can see where the jokes are told, but every single onefalls flat to the super slow paced, monotone story and voices. Nothing happens, even compared to other slice of life stories, this one is so incredibly uneventful, filled with cheesy and unimaginative jokes at best. I can't bring myself to recommend this to anyone, but at the same time I believe some people out there will enjoy this complete lack of pace and it's so damn unoffensive, or rather just unremarkable in every way, that I won't give it a lower score than this. It's bad, but I managed to power through it as background noise. What makes me most surprised is how they could possibly make 50 episodes of this. Maybe they just went on with it since it was relatively easy work with all the super stiff animals and often simple animals, they barely even move even compared to other anime and a lot of them look the same.
Gameboon
Shirokuma Cafe is one of the most interesting and memorable slice-of-life series I have ever watched. I watched this together with my partner when we were in need of some simple, cozy entertainment and Shirokuma Cafe did not disappoint. The 50 episodes flew by and I will look back fondly on our time with this anime. Let me start with the openings and endings. The endings in particular are memorable because they are in a way “character songs”. They are all sung by the voice actors of a particular character, and the song in question also relates to that character’s existence or experience in some way. TheED visuals are also out of the ordinary using techniques other than animation (paper art, stop-motion, shadow puppets and so on). Especially the first OP “Boku ni invitation” was quite good. We were also fond of the ED songs “Bamboo☆Scramble” as well as the “Llama-san no Llama Mambo” ED. The “ZOO tto ne!” ED song wasn’t too bad, either. The visuals aren’t really anything special. At first I thought they looked a bit too cheap, but I got used to the style quickly enough. I can say that the style fits the series quite well. I don’t really remember the background music at all, so I guess it did its job? Now, on to the characters and story… While there are a few overarching story arcs, every episode is more or less its own thing. Events from past episodes get referenced, and storylines get continued, but it’s still very much an episodic series. What’s particularly interesting is the fact that each episode has two halves, often about different things altogether. It’s a 2-for-1 special. The characters, their dynamics and resulting humor are what make Shirokuma Cafe so good. The contrast of very realistic characters in an absurd setting of talking animals doing their thing in society is of course part of it. But at some point it ceases to matter that the cast consists mostly of animals. You just learn to accept it, even though them being animals is the start of so many jokes throughout the series. Each character has its own identity, from the main characters to the side characters. You get to know each of them quite well and their interactions are amazing. Of course, there are plenty of puns, but there’s a certain subtle humor in many of the situations and conversations that truly made Shirokuma Cafe memorable for us. I am particularly fond of Grizzly and Llama, but many of the animals show more depth than I usually find in anime characters, to be honest. The quality of the voice actors was also good and I really got the feeling the staff had a lot of fun producing this anime. In the end, I am very happy to have watched this series. We wanted something cozy, simple, heartwarming and funny. And that’s exactly what we got. I am sad that it’s over and I will remember this anime with a smile on my face.
bananachips
This is one of my favorite anime series because of how down to earth and charming it is. If you like shows with animal characters you will really like Polar Bear Cafe. It's an anime set at a cafe run by a Polar Bear (shockingly) who is often accompanied by his friends Panda and Penguin. There are also a few human side characters, but the episodes focus mainly on the animals. The characters in this show are all likable and cute. They have funny interactions with one another, often with Penguin being annoyed with Panda's laziness and childish personality. Polar Bear is a calmand almost father-like character who is mostly known for making puns that drive the other characters crazy. A character I like a lot is Grizzly who has a gruff and tough exterior, but deep down he has a soft spot for his friends, especially his childhood friend Polar Bear. The humor is harmless and enjoyable without being obnoxious and loud like many anime. It's simply a relaxing show that doesn't have much drama and is mostly slice of life shenanigans with some characters who have amusing banter with one another. You see how they live their daily lives while running a cafe, their relationship problems (like Penguin and his bad luck with girls), and even being an animal with a job of working at a zoo (Panda). The voice acting cast is full of famous seiyuu who all give notable performances. Penguin's voice is the funniest, but Grizzly is memorable for his intimidating performance. The opening song fits the show well, with its upbeat and playful tune that shows the child-like innocence of the series. The art is good, not great, but it fits the show well. I like how the animals are drawn semi-realistically. This show is definitely worth a watch if you want something that isn't overly serious with a bunch of drama. It's something to watch to relax and be mildly amused by cute human-like animals, mostly.
DearyDarling
Shirokuma Cafe has shot up to become my favorite anime of all time. The characters are so dear, funny, touching ... honestly i thought nothing could dethrone Usagi Drop for me but this anime has. I've rewatched it so many times and no matter how low i'm feeling it always manages to lift my spirits. The voice acting is phenomenal. The absolute star is Pengie-san of course, but they're all brilliant. The art is simple but it doesn't need to be more than it is. The character creation is ridiculously perfect and has everything to do with the voice acting. It's filled with humor and eventouching moments. It's truly a special anime ... every frame is meme-worthy. I force everyone I know to watch it and no one has failed to love it yet : )
megafat
Sometimes you just want to watch something relaxing to unwind from the stress of the day or to just spend some time watching something nice that isn't too complicated or hard to follow. Something comfy. If that sounds nice, then this anime might just be for you. Shirokuma Cafe, or Polar Bear Cafe in English. It's a slice of life, but instead of the characters being human, most of them are animals. The show follows the daily life of a young and incredibly lazy panda named Panda. He is constantly told by his mother to get a job. One day, Panda wanders outside after his motherconstantly telling his to quit being lazy, he stumbles across the titular cafe, run by the enigmatic Polar Bear, a soft-spoken polar bear. Along with Polar Bear is his friend, a sarcastic penguin named Penguin, and various other animals from the nearby zoo, along with a human girl named Sasako, who gets hired to work there soon after Panda first discovers the cafe. Soon, Panda stumbles into being hired by the nearby zoo, and he along with the friends he made at both the zoo and the cafe, soon find themselves going on all sorts of misadventures and they hang out with each other. Like I said earlier, the show has an easy going relaxing feel to it. The whole show gives off nothing but nice vibes. Most of the humor is slapstick and puns. The puns might not all work 100% in English, but the puns are pretty easy to figure out (and are explained to you depending on your subs). The art is simple and fitting of the shows tone. Everything looks lovely and appropriately adorable, and thankfully not too sickly sweet. All of the characters are simple, but they work off each other really well, and by the end of the show, they all feel like they're best friends who have known each other for a long time. Along with the amusing main characters are several secondary characters that pop up from time to time, and they all stand out. Ranging from a group of penguins who want to have their own trading cards to promote themselves, to a biker Grizzly Bear who owns his own bar, to a Llama who often has people confuse him for an alpaca and wishes people would admire and adore him. While the whole show is a whopping 50 episodes in length, don't let that been off-putting. There isn't any real in-depth on-going stories that you need to pay too much attention to. Yes, there might be re-occuring characters that might bring up an event or two when they pop up, but there's really nothing you would have to keep track of. Despite it's length, it does feel like it goes by fairly quickly. There isn't really a whole lot to say about Polar Bear Cafe. Not because there is anything to spoil, but because it's such a simple show that going in depth with it isn't really feasible. If you're the type of person who is just looking for something wholesome to watch while you're relaxing, then Polar Bear Cafe is for you.
Dalhaan
I was recently recommended to watch this anime. I wasn't sure what to think at first. I do enjoy Slice of Life quite a lot, the theme seemed interesting and the art looked like something I'd enjoy watching. But I will admit that knowing that the main characters were animals put me off for a little while. I felt like it would probably be incredibly childish. In the end... I was half right, half wrong? The humor can be childish, at times. But I think it can also be incredibly smart, especially with Shirokuma's puns. They play with the Japanese language in a way thatmade me even more curious about the language that I already was. It was also refreshing to watch an anime that relies heavily on humor, but also doesn't hesitate to bring heavy subjects in a few episodes. As much as most of the tears I've had while watching Shirokuma Cafe were tears of joy and laughter, I did find myself crying in a few serious moments of the stories. That's something I couldn't appreciate more in a Slice of life/comedy anime. The art is, in my opinion, beautiful, and fits really well with what type of anime it tries to be. It definitely appeals to anyone part of their target audience. The soundtrack was incredibly enjoyable. By the end of the 50 episodes, I found myself humming and singing along some of the songs, especially the Llama one. Llamambo! And what to say of the characters! God, I loved them. All of them. Shirokuma, Panda, Penguin, Llama, Tortoise, Sasako, Sloth, Grizzly, etc. There is honestly no character that I disliked throughout the whole show. I felt attached to them, always happy to see any of them have screen time or even a whole story to themselves. I was always curious to learn more about them and see what they were going to do next. When they were sad or laughing, I found myself feeling the same. I might be pushing it a bit far, but my point is, they made a really good job of making you connect with the characters. They're probably the reason I binged on 50 episodes in a week. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, what they were going to do next. Which is a surprising feeling to have for a Slice of Life anime. It's not as if it's full of action or fast paced. Nonetheless, I was always eager to see the next episode. Overall, I think this anime is awesome, especially for Slice of Life lovers. It is incredibly sweet, funny, smart and it will make you want to watch more, even after 50 episodes. I would recommend this to anyone!
Polkadottedsky
Shirokuma Cafe, it's been a while since I've finished it but here I go. With some personal motives into trying this out, the obvious factor was the seiyuus, especially Shirokuma himself (Takahiro Sakurai), and the rest of the characters. But setting that aside, I actually enjoyed it a lot. Story, it's a slice of life, with an animal factor twist. Animals and humans live in harmony in this case. It's pretty much realistic as it can get with reality minus the harmony factor which does entertain me. And a lot of easy going jokes, life jokes, not any kinky or dirty jokes but just softones, which I feel like is good change of pace sometimes. Sound, it wasn't any big thing to me, maybe I'm just not a fan of slice of life to begin with but nothing struck me there so I wanted to give this factor a 6-7. The seiyuus though, well it was a pretty big casting so that did get my thumbs up and interest in first place, so I want to give this a 8 but...balancing the OST and the seiyuu cast, I gave it an avg of 7. Art, like my other reviews, I really have no say, I can't even draw for my life. It's not choppy or anything so I think it's decent and good enough. Characters, I think this got my attention, a lot of the characters are sort of realistic, like Panda for instance. Slacking, like a lot, especially myself in reality. Panda's mom always hoping for Panda to be active, contributing, etc. Even the humans are really realistic, nothing over exaggerated. Heck, they're also cute anyways. Enjoyment, I've really enjoyed this a lot, I can re-watch this no doubt and won't get old but with a moderate re-watch of course. Overall, I had no problems with this, there's a small feels sometimes here and there but I really loved this series, simple and easy going. Most of all it's realistic-ish minus the animal harmony, and its fun.
VenxFox34
This anime will always be one of my most favorite anime, it's one of those anime that really makes you feel like you can relate to the characters a lot and it is enjoyable to watch something that is cute, funny and normal. In this anime you mainly see that some animals are living in a very similar way to humans and it's quite hilarious to see this as the animals aren't completely Anthropomorphic and still stick to their normal animals ways at times. The openings in this anime are wonderful too, I mostly prefer the first and third opening, however they are still veryenjoyable to watch and listen to, as well as the very many ending credits this anime has too! I love the art style very much and I also love how the Shirokuma Cafe is so welcoming, as well as other background scenery. Overall I would say that this anime is totally worth watching and I'm sure that after watching a few episodes some people would definitely love it!
shehrozeameen
If there was ever an anime which put "kwai!" to perfection and graced it with a significant degree of adorable charm, this one does. While I would go on and proceed about all aspects of this masterpiece, I find it would be a lacklustre review and would undermine the wonderful experience of watching this lovely anime. Nevertheless, some pointers are always best to mention. While there are some really nice aspects to this anime, the best thing which makes it sell and makes it viewable is that it isn't 50 FULL episodes, but 100 HALF Episodes (2 story events occurring per episode). Amongst the best aspectsof this anime are: The Characters: Panda, Polar Bear and Penguin, and Mr. Honda as well as Miss Sasako are at the helm in terms of screen time, yet everyone else (Anteater, Llama, Apacha, the other Penguins who become THE SOUTH POLE SQUAD, the boy band Yama Arashi, the Penkos, Panda's family, Full-Time Panda, Rin Rin, Grizzly, Sloth, Tortoise amongst them) delivers just as well. Personally, I think the highlight of the show is Polar Bear and his performance is - if not stellar - hilarious and really well thought out. And everyone compliment that performance with a grace that is adorable, and yet balanced out with an acute sincerity. Its hard NOT to like these characters, because they NEVER go out of character - in fact, you root for them and watch all 50 episodes just because the characters make the show what it is: adorable. The Art: The puns are the identifying hallmark of this show. Combined with the cheese in the later episodes of The South Pole Squad (SOUTH POLE SQUAD! PENGUINGER!!), the tension which is exhibited by the character arc of Penguin, as well as the character emotions when corresponding with each other, the art sells perfectly in this work and makes it worthwhile. Nothing less than well thought out, balanced with good humor, and really fun presentations of the episodes as they progress. The Sound: All the characters sounded exactly as they should, followed by the really fun soundtrack (mellow and sweet in episodes in which the characters accept each other, as is the case with Grizzly and Panda; brooding and yet laughable when Penguin interacts with the Penkos; cheesy and roaring awesome when introducing THE SOUTH POLE SQUAD! PENGUINGER!! - and as you can imagine, my personal favourite moment in this anime; and even sad when some of the characters have doubts over their minds - episode 45's first story, without adding any spoilers to it, is the emotional equivalent of being stabbed in the heart upfront and then bashed by a spade followed by having your legs chopped off, such is the sadness felt in it. Yet, it doesn't seem forced, but comes off naturally in this anime. Which is always a good thing and works to its benefit. In essence, this is the perfect "feel good" anime to watch when life gets you down. Panda is mischievous and evil, yet so adorable you squee inside (and feel crippled when he's sad. Period); Penguin is awesome - especially his interaction with Polar Bear which makes him a comedic riot; and of course, Polar Bear, whose puns are perfect, his observations are sharp and clever, and his wit makes the whole show standout and make everyone sweet, adorable, enjoyable, and amusing by association. The perfect light hearted 50 episode anime. And it does everything right.
CarlIsTomodachi
There is probably no better anime than the one and only Shirokuma Cafe. I have rewatched this about a good 34 times and it never gets old for me. There are far too many legendary aspects in this single series for me to even begin to talk about. I wil leave you with an analogy instead. Meet Beareskinford. He is a rebel bear who has been fighting off the government for many years. He has been working with his trusty sidekick for about the same time. Fast forward a couple years... Beareskinford walks into a bar and meets a bison. Now he hasn'tseen this bison for many years after beareskinford took off one day. Naturally, beareskinford goes in for the brohug, but the bison has other ideas. The bison sneaks in a cheeky shank onto beareskinford's chest and the once great bear takes a graceful dive to the floor. It is revealed at this time that the bison was actually beareskinford's son in a freaky sex accident. He had been slowly bottling up rage from the countless years that his father had been absent. From the moment that his so-called-father entered the bar, he decided that it was finally his time. The forest took many, many weeks to mourn over beareskinford's death and one could only hope there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel. </analogy> Hopefully this left you with a good idea of what this masterpiece is truly capable of. I would rate this 5/7.
StrawberryHeart
What do you get when you take a world with humans, put walking and talking animals into that world, and then proceed to have no one care? Well, you get Shirokuma ( Or Polar Bear's) Cafe. Story 9/10 - There really isn't an overall story to Shirokuma cafe , as it is mostly episodic with its plot lines, but in all, a lot of the stories were done fantastically, and were very enjoyable. There even managed to bring in the feels at the end of the show ( which worked surprisingly well) that helped the show come to a satisfying conclusion. Art 9/10 - Imight be too generous with this one, but i found the style of the show to be a bit different from the norm, as well as fitting to the feel of the show. Sound 8/10 - I can't remember too much about the background music, but i do remember a lot about the 3 openings and numerous endings to the show, all of which were memorable, with Panda Holic and the first opening being my favorite. Character 10/10- All the characters in this show are enjoyable, funny, and most importantly, likable, so i highly doubt you'll come away from this show disliking many of the character, let alone hate them. Enjoyment 9/10- This show is perfect for calming yourself down after watching an intense or serious anime, as the story takes itself no too seriously and is just there for you to sit back and enjoy as the Characters get themselves involved in their many antics. Overall 9/10 - Like I said before Shirokuma cafe is a very calming , and funny, anime that can be slow at times ( Which is one of the reasons it's not a 10) and is absolutely perfect after watching an intense anime, so this show is definitely one to, at the least, check out.
evA1oo4
Shirokuma Cafe, or Polar Bear Cafe as people who do not have the tongue dexterity to use the Japanese name for it, is a lighthearted anime, perfect for watching on a lazy afternoon with a cup of ocha in hand, or perhaps a cafe mocha on a saucer. Shirokuma-san, the owner of the cafe is a pun genius, and a habitual liar (he prefers storyteller, but I beg to differ). Panda-kun is the adorable part-time panda at the local zoo who doesn't know how to be "natural", but does it perfectly well. Penguin-san is the regular at Shirokuma Cafe who orders //okawari// of cafe mocha,and is a hopeless romantic. With such an adorable array of characters, what's not to love? I love the anime for it's lighthearted jokes, simple character background, and happy soundtrack. The art style is very simplistic yet does not seem to be an anime from the previous era. It maintains a simplistic storyline which does not really go anywhere, that being the only downside. I love the opening soundtrack, which invites me to dance in my seat no matter where I am. Do not be alarmed by the large amount of episodes; it's just the right amount for your enjoyment, and fills you with a desire to watch it over and over again. I would recommend it for those who enjoy walks by the beach, a book in a cafe, or just lazing around with a cup of... well, whatever.
yanoriff
Now, there isn't really a story since this is a slice of life anime, but there is enough progression in the episodes to feel that everything doesn't simply reset each episode. It doesn't give you a feeling of loss when watching, as long as you can appreciate the characters living out their lives. While it is primarily a humor, this anime surprised me with the range of feelings. I cried. I laughed. I got frustrated. I recommend that people who love animals, comedy, and sit back to watch this show.
Cloudyj
Shirokuma Cafe is one of the best anime you will ever see if you just want to watch something that will make you relax, laugh and think about nothing. Story-8 Okay so first off, if you don't like anime where the story although will change but the concept is the same then Shirokuma Cafe will annoy you a bit. The story is pretty simple. There is a cafe run be a Polar Bear (Shirokuma) and the whole entire anime is basically about a panda, a penguin, a lama and other animals that go to the cafe and talk about their problems. The idea is pretty funny andoriginal. I mean come on which anime aside from Shirkuma Cafe has a POLAR BEAR as the owner of a cafe and the customers are animals and humans together. Not only that it seems that it is a normal thing to see a panda walking down the street. I mean in real life people would either have screamed or they would have called animal control. I don't think many people recognize how unique the story and the concept is. But aside from the plot itself in each episode there are two different stories which sometimes are connected but otherwise it is usually two separate ones. Without giving any spoilers the stories that happen with each character does give you a nice feeling inside. For an example in episode 34 you follow the story of Wolf and Tiger and watch the friendship bloom really is beautiful and funny. Story comparison: Doreamon, and Ninja Hattori-kun in terms of format. Art-8 I'm always impressed by the art in anime. The characters and the background look very unique and clean. The colours are also very nice looking but it isn't anything that will make you go O: like Attack On Titan does. Art comparison: Minami-ke in terms of character design. If you look closely at Sasako she kind of resembles Kana (kind of) and also the eyes look pretty much the same in terms of style and width Sound-9 The voice acting is almost perfect. Each character has the voice that I would imagine them to have. For an example, isn't penguin's voice perfect? and also grizzlies? Furthermore, one of the best things in this anime is the music. The openings match the exciting and laid back vibe that the anime gives off. The first opening "Boku ni Invitation" especially gave a strong impression on me. It is very upbeat and catchy like most anime songs should be in order to draw the audience in. Also the endings of each anime are very nice but the transition to the ending in some episodes can be somewhat disruptive. However I don't want to over-hype the music too much because by no means is it a masterpiece like Guilty Crown, Fairy Tail, FMA, Angel Beats and others. Sound Comparison: Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin but there are better comparisons for sure Character-7 Okay, here is what the anime mayyybee could have done better. However considering the type of anime it is I don't see why they would add character development in this kind of anime. The anime isn't particularly supposed to stand out in terms of a mind blowing story. But to put into context: Panda (main character): -very lazy panda -is full of himself to the point where it is funny -Even after watching the anime I don't really know if he is selfish or just mean -at times can be very nice -Hates people that he views as weird (poor Rin Rin....) Voiced by: Fukuyama, Jun (Yutta in Chuunibyou, Lelouch in Code Geass O: and a lot of others) in other words he's a very good voice actor Shirokuma (main character): -PUN the PUNS ARE REAL -a very calm person -is a very funny character -background is really unkown.. there have been various stories but none that are confirmed to be true -of course a very good cook -runs the cafe -best friends with Grizzly -is kind of a mean...you'll see why if you watch the anime Voiced by: Sakurai, Takahiro (Kira in Bleach, Sting in Fairy Tail and lots of others as well) Penguin (main character): -Needs compliments -is often left out and ignored (it's funny at first but you kind of feel bad for him) -Reminds you of that friend who keeps talking about how wonderful this girl he likes but never has the guts to ask her out -basically just does nothing for the whole entire day -adds dynamic to the other main characters and acts as that person who is always laughed at Voiced by: Kamiya, Hiroshi (Otonashi from Angel Beats) Enjoyment-9 If you are looking to watch something that will be make you relax or just want to watch a show for a cooldown after watching something intense Shirokuma Cafe is something you would want to watch Overall-8 I would not really recommend this show to someone who can't stand shows without any character development or something without a mind blowing plot. However if you are looking to watch a show that will give you a few laughs or too then Shirokuma Cafe is one of the shows you want to watch.
ReimuNuggets
as with many animes it doesn't really matter what the story is really about,but as long as you can have great characters that make the series enjoyable to watch then it is worth it. This comedic slice of life anime is defiantly something unique and fresh. Polar Bear Cafe is an odd anime since almost everyone is an animal,which is not very common in anime at all so the anime already stands out on its own. The story is about a white polar bear who is the owner of a popular cafe called the "Shirokuma Cafe" after quitting his boring job to start running hiscafe near a zoo. Thanks to his personality the place is always packed with many regulars, animals and humans alike who are drawn in to the cafe. all of this sets the up the comedic sub plots common in slice of life animes. the animation is very great during the opening of the anime,with a great use of color and lights,but nothing too special out of the ordinary,no fancy tricks are used. as for a comedic anime,really great animation isn't really needed at all,however others anime in the same genre have pushed the limits of animation before,which means polar bear cafe does lack a little in the animation. on the plus side being that the anime is about animals it is important to make the animals look and feel as if they were there and have that cute and detailed look that anime is known for achieving. the animals look great with a perfect mix of detail and cuteness. The music and sound go very well together,and again nothing out of the ordinary,just the generic music and sound effects to accompany the jokes and sub plots. First of all,i have to say the choices for the animals is pretty hilarious,as a kid i would call any animal by its name.if i saw a tiger i would say oh hey there mr.Tiger or hello there ms.Giraffe,so the anime wasn't too far off with that idea. this anime has a ton of side characters who aren't really important,but the ones that are can make the series fun to watch and they all have there niche to fill in in order to give life to the episodes. Polar bear-the owner of the cafe and popular with animal and humans due to his personality. Panda-a lazy panda who is in need of a job,because of his mother.he likes to talk about his cuteness and enjoys panda products.he may also be into yaoi but i wont spoil that penguin- he is the "i dont give about" type of character,he usually "butts in" in many things and is the source for polar bear and panda's antics,he is also known to criticize a lot as well. sasako-the main human character who works at the cafe helping out polar bear,she loves bicycles and is a friend of Mr.Llama Polar Bear Cafe is a very unique anime that shouldn't be missed,if you love animals,and if you really love talking animals then you will enjoy this series. the humor can be hit or miss at times,but that still doesn't hurt the quality of the anime.if you have watched a serious anime or a sad one then this could be an anime for you to watch to cheer your self up or to watch something with happiness,the whole polar cafe experience is about that.as for others otakus out there,its just a typical anime with animals,and i honestly feel that if the anime was about humans instead of animals then it would be just another maid cafe series they may have been missed all together so it was a nice choice to use animals and it does work well.
Caraniel
Polar Bear Café (Shirokuma Café): A charming, puntastic show filled with memorable moments – 9/10 PLOT: Polar Bear Café is about the daily lives of a bunch of animals who frequent a café run by the titular Polar Bear, including a panda, a penguin, a llama and a sloth (among many others). There are a few random humans thrown in there too – the perma-smiling Sasako, the bumbling zookeeper Handa and the panda obsessed florist Rin-Rin, but the cast is mainly animals. Animals that no one bats an eye at when when they’re casually wandering about town buying groceries, or working in a bakery or runninga bar – they’re fully integrated into society. And yet there is a fully functional zoo where a number of the characters actually work! You kind of take this strange setting for granted after a few episodes – it just works. Polar Bear Café is a show I couldn’t watch without a smile on my face (trust me I desperately tried when watching the later half of the series on my own in public, being caught grinning and giggling like an idiot when there’s pastel renditions of wild animals emitting showers of sparkles and hearts on my screen is not fun); the show just thrums with feel-good vibes. It’s also consistently hilarious, and displays excellent use of puns, parodies, basic comedic timing and the usual tsukkomi/boke routines. The series uses all the run-of-the-mill s’life situations (festivals, onsen, road-trips, all the holidays you can think of) but simply having the characters be animals puts an interesting spin on things, as they have a unique outlook on things. I don’t usually get on well with s’life shows, but I adored Polar Bear Café – it just balances the mundane with wit so well. The characters are probably what kept me coming back to the show so much – the central quartet of Polar Bear, Penguin, Panda and Sasako just have superb chemistry and play off each other brilliantly. The side characters are also wonderful and all get their own episodes to shine – my favourites have to be Polar Bear’s long suffering childhood friend and bar owner Grizzly and poor overlooked but utterly charming Llama.Polar Bear Café also has “The Feels” in spades – it just gets under your skin and forces a reaction out of you with alarming frequency. After 50 episodes these characters feel like old friends and I was desperately sad to see the series end, I do hope we get more at some stage. ANIMATION: The animation is by Studio Pierrot and is very simple but serviceable. The animals are well drawn and surprisingly expressive given many of them lack the usual facial features humans rely on to determine emotion (just where are Penguin & Panda’s eyes anyway??). The over all look of the show is quite soft and pastel, and there is creative use of sparkles, bubbles, hearts, flowers and sweatdrops to punctuate gags or emotion. On the flipside the humans in general are actually terrifying in their inexpressiveness – Sasako in particular has completely dead eyes that are rather unnerving. The show also experiments with unusual visuals in its many EDs – stop-motion, live action, shadow-puppets and paper cut-outs all get a turn, and it is clear that the staff had a lot of fun making this series. MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The cast of Polar Bear Café has to be one of the most star-studded I’ve ever encountered. Everyone seems to be a noteworthy name – the central quartet consists of Jun Fukuyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Hiroshi Kamiya and Aya Endo – but the extended cast reads like a who’s who of popular seiyuu! They all seemed to have lots of fun working on this series as well, as the chemistry is brilliant and the acting is really excellent on the whole. A few actors even voice a number of different side characters giving them completely different voices and displaying their range well. Another thing of note is that there are a lot of different EDs for this series and each of them is an image song, sung in character by the seiyuu – resulting in some truly wonderful songs. I particularly loved Panda’s ‘Bamboo Scramble’ by Jun Fukuyama and Llama’s ‘Llama Mambo’ by Daisuke Ono, but all the song are special in their own way. Even the OPs are pretty damn good, but I’ll always like the first OP best. Overall I just have to reiterate who utterly charming this show is – it’s a wonderful show to watch if you need cheering up (just avoid watching episode 44 for that purpose – it’s a proper tearjerker). When I first picked up the series last Spring I never would have imagined it turning out to be this good – always a joy when that happens. So yes Polar Bear Café is a show I’d highly recommend picking up – it deserves much more love!
Animanga