Uchouten Kazoku 2

There really isn't a more sincere and authentic anime out there today. The eccentric family 2 is a much-needed continuation of the universe masterfully crafted in The eccentric family season 1.

Story: 10/10
The eccentric family is one of those extremely rare anime where the story doesn't make any effort to spoonfeed it's audience explanations or justifications for what's happening. Watching the story unfold in this anime is like watching a river flow, you might not know the in-depth details of every little intricacy of the universe, but the flow of the story is that much better for it. The stories told in this anime are fun, ... light-hearted, relatable and incredibly genuine.

Art: 10/10
The art style, like the rest of the elements in this anime, is calming yet also incredibly deep. I would almost use the term therapeutic as it provides great continuity across many different settings where other styles come up short. Overall a great style for mid-air fight depictions or simply to watch the characters sit in a room and have an inspired dialogue.

Sound: 10/10
I usually don't notice the sound of an anime, or it gets drowned out by the other elements if they are good, but for The Eccentric family, the sound completely introduces another beautiful working element to the whole of the project. It's not the type of sound one might imagine an anime like this to have, being gritty and calming all at the same time, and it squarely ties everything together for a wonderful sensory experience.

Characters: 15/10
Where The Eccentric Family really shines is its characters. The development of each individual character in the show, even going as far as characters that only have a couple lines the entire show, is second to none. I find that this is due to the element that I mentioned above where characters don't spoon feed you the motives for what they do, so you're left as an audience to determine if Yasaburo is constantly thinking of everything or constantly thinking nothing at all being led by his fools blood.

Overall 10/10
I couldn't recommend an anime higher than The Eccentric Family Series, and that's really all I have to say about that.

Eccentric Family has become one of my personal favorites lately, with its unique art style, storytelling, and lively characters. When I first saw a second season was coming, honestly, I didn't know where the story could advance any further. For me, it was kind of closed off in a nice manner, although there were some threads left undone.

STORY 10

As I said, I wasn't sure where this show could advance any further with its story, but I had to admit: it was as good (or even better), than that of the first season. The flow of the show stayed similar, following the acts of young Yasaburo, ... yet somehow still managed to avoid being repetitive. The little side stories added up nicely to the main line, and it all became merry.
It can be felt, how this piece was adapted from a novel, not from an LN or a Manga, the story has a concrete way to flow, with little pieces of foreshadowing making it a lot more interesting.

ART 10

I might be biased, but I don't think any studio can compete with P.A. works' unique artstyle, when it comes to stunning backgrounds, and this show excels even between other works of the same studio. It's original, and just great to look at, I found myself staring blankly most of the time at the mountains and vegetation, and having to rewind the video, beacuse I didn't pay attention to the story.
As for the character design, it lacks every bit of fanservice, leaving us with a bit solid westernish look, but all the same likeable style. The design of the tanukis is still bloody cute.

SOUND 10

It might not be the best to write this part after finishing the series, as the music grabbed my soul, and took a piece out of it with the final fight scene's outstanding music and audio.
It satisfies every need one could have towards this facility, the sound effects are just great, mixing traditional japanese sounds, like that of the bamboo water fountain and such, and some modern sounds that could be found in every other anime.
The music is soft, where it needs to be, funky where it needs to be, and serious where it needs to be.

CHARACTERS 10

This might be the strongest point of the show, so I feel inclined, to give it a 11 instead of 10.
It's not that they are overly realistic, or have strong character traits, it's just that they mix so well with together, and the story. Yasaburo is an incredibly interesting personality, who always gets in trouble, but somehow everytime finds the way out of the mess.
His brothers are just fantastic, it feels like a true and real family, when you add the late father and the caring mother to the mix.

ENJOYMENT 10

I can't deny how much I looked forward to the next episode every week, right after finishing the newest one.
The music, the sounds, the art and the characters just blend so well with the whole story and the magical world that is Kyoto, it will leave anyone speechless after finishing this series.
Add a cachy opening and a beautiful ending theme to it, and you get the 10 star enjoyment.

OVERALL 10

I can't praise this anime enough, about how good it is in every field other anime fail so miserably.
It's just put so well together, the characters interact in an unrealistic, yet believable way, the comedy is just first rank, and the overall laid back feel of the show can change into a serious tone in just a matter of seconds.

I would definitely recommend watching this season of the show, even if you didn't quite like the first one, just like I did.

P.A. Works' first ever anime sequel, adapting Tomihiko Morimi's "The Eccentric Family: The Junior Returns", something which is well written and well crafted just like it's prequel.

Story 10/10
The story continuing from where it was left behind in season 1 yet expanding the universe more and giving enough time to explore and get invested in characters. Tho this time the tension doesn't surround the Tanukis alone but Tengu as well, introducing a key character to the plot known as "Nidaime" son of Akadama aka Sensei.

Art 10/10
The art of this show is second to known, it's unique; the art itself easily creates a lively situation which ... leaves the viewer in awe. Some of the locations are drawn just amazing and makes me want to revisit them from time to time.

Sound 10/10
"Moon River" ED was done by fhana, a great one from a great artist. Other than that, the OP "Nasugamama, Sawagumama" by milktub and overall soundtracks specially the ambient music is very notable. The music changes from wacky to calm according to the scenes.

Characters 10/10
Every character in this show play a good part in the story, you get to see and know about everyone. Yaichirou and Tousen's relationship, the journey of Yajirou (The frog of the well) to find himself, Yasaburou and his melancholy, Yashirou being a protecc material, Kaisei getting more screen-time and her granny being a fluff ball, Benten's agony from some sequences, Nidaime coming back to Kyouto and his arc... Like there's a lot, and it's all written very well, you won't find a single character to be boring or out of place in the story.

Enjoyment 10/10
I enjoyed every single episode of this show without getting annoyed or feeling that it's getting repetitive instead it made me crave for more.

Overall 10/10
The story, art, sound, characters... Everything just fits so perfectly. It actually saddens me that there's nothing more of this.

With a very peculiar look into the unique relationships that people forge with each other, the Eccentric Family was a very intriguing show featuring a tanuki named Yasaburo as he interacts with various characters, both protagonistic and antagonistic, as he inches closer to the truth about his father's death. Now with a second season, we're brought back into the world of Uchouten where everything has changed, yet nothing of significance has been really altered.

Story: Our story returns us back to the world of Uchouten, where Tengu rule the skies, tanuki mess around like the fools they are, and humans apparently eat tanuki ... served via hotpot. It's here where we see Yasaburo's idiot blood get the better of him as he encounters both new and old faces in a strikingly similar plot to the original.

At face value, the story for Uchouten 2 is remarkably similar to the original series, so much so that the series is more or less a shameless rehash of the original. Our main protagonist gets thrown around all over the place screwing about and living his troublesome life, before we the audience are tossed in the series ourselves via a political conspiracy plot thanks to a familiar face. Because of this, the show feels less interesting tension-wise because if you watched the first season, it's not exactly hard to anticipate the end result once everything has been said and done.

That being said, what the show lacks in plotline creativity makes up in heaps and bounds with the characterization with every member of its cast. All faces both new and old are given the limelight in some sense or another, so we're treated to the heart and soul of the series, the characters. A majority of the show's runtime is dedicated seeing what everyone is up to and the kinds of unique alignments that the characters in the show each have. We learn the pasts of the new editions while discovering more about the familiar characters that we didn't know before, thus giving the audience reason to care and be involved into these characters' lives.

Ultimately, the Eccentric Family 2 continues what the series is best at, which is heavy characterization centered around an extremely peculiar cast of different races. Indeed the story itself really isn't all that interesting when you describe it as "A bunch of characters fucking about", but ultimately that's what makes the show interesting in the first place, as these new interactions are what give the audience the reasoning to watch the show. Cause otherwise, it's basically just a rehash of roughly the same plot as the original. (They even did the whole train crash part again. Like seriously?)

Overview:
+ Provides more heavily involved character interactions
- Basically has the same plotline as the original (copying yourself still counts as cheating)

Characters: A majority of the cast stays consistent even through this second season. We still follow the story of Yasaburo as he goes around town messing with his family, his master, and other familiar faces while also tempting fate with newer characters like the Nidaime and other slightly less important, but interesting side characters.

As far as large cast changes go, the biggest changes that we're treated to are the ones involving the new character known as 'The Nidaime', and a more involved role in the series with Kaisei. While Nidaime doesn't get as much screentime or attention devoted to him as I wish he did (what with him being a very weighty introduction to the cast), he still plays quite a relatively large role in the series and provides a new perspective to tengus and their prideful existence, something that the first season didn't really touch up on. As such, the inclusion of his character provides us with a slightly bigger look and welcome into the world of the Eccentric Family. Just personally, I wish his backstory was fleshed out a lot more because it felt so haphazardly placed in the end without much buildup. Kaisei on the other gets a lot more screentime and involvement in the series than before, which was something that I really wanted from the series since she had potential, but just wasn't used that much. The fleshing out of her character and in particular her relationship with Yasaburo was a very nice addition to the series that put in a lot more detail to her character, which was both sweet and very nice to see.

Additionally, the series introduces a multitude of other characters in the series like Gyokuran, a tanuki with some affection for a certain member of the Shimogamo family, and Tenmaya, a sly man who escaped Hell. Both of these and more add to the already vibrant cast of the series. While their roles are less important comparatively to the Nidaime and several other members of the family sans the sons of the Shimogamo, everyone provides their own spin to the overall story, thus making sure that every episode is a fun episode.

Overview:
+ Main cast largely stays the same (and interesting)
+ Large amount of characterization for cast members new and old
+ Everyone is interesting

Art: Produced by P.A. Works, the art for Uchouten is quite different than what the company usually produces. The style replicates that of the original series and has its own sense of boldness with the color palette, and whimsy with the show's stylistic choices. Characters look a lot simpler compared to the normally glossy and shiny look of the company's usual track record, and both the characters and the backgrounds have a sort of painted style that furthers showcases the peculiarity of what the show has to offer.

Overview:
+ Unique art style that works well for the series

Sound: "Nasugamama, Sawagumama", Uchouten 2's OP, is quite similar to the first season's OP as it's made by the same band and bears a similar rambunctious rock song reflective of our main character's typical nature of fooling around and causing a wake of trouble behind him. Though not as memorable as I'd like, the song is still quite good and worthy of a listen due to how energetic it is. Inversely, we have "Moon River" by fhana for the ED, which is a calmer piece that gives a nice, smoother contrast to the chatter-filled OP. Similarly, it's not that memorable, but it still is a nice listen.

Overview:
+ Good tracks
- Not as memorable as I'd like

Personal Enjoyment: Uchouten Kazoku was both a very intriguing series to watch and ponder about. Because a greater majority of the characters aren't human, it made sense that they wouldn't follow by what we would consider to be 'normal human conventions'. As such, they mostly did the opposite of what a human would do, thus leading to very peculiar yet fascinating behavior. On top of that, the sheer volume of involvement the series had with its characters' interactions made every scene, no matter what it was, a joy to watch.

Did I like this series?

I really did enjoy this show. It's very hard to accurately explain this show, so I'm just going to say that I outright loved watching this show and anticipated every episode to come my way. In particular, I adore Kaisei as a character. She serves as a nice compliment to Yasaburou's character and the extra involvement that she got in this season was something of a dream come true for me with her being my favorite character.

What didn't I like about this series?

I have to say that I'm not really a big fan of Benten. I know a good majority of people like her, but her aloofness and typically described as 'selfish' nature really gets on my nerves because I feel like even the show doesn't have a good idea on where she should sit. Her actions to me don't really make much sense, and as such, hampered my enjoyment of the show a bit. (Though her comeuppance was quite rewarding.)

Would I recommend this show?

I would recommend it to everyone simply because this show is an experience. Uchouten is very unique in the sense that the unconventional nature of it all lends itself to be truly something that becomes very hard to describe when you really sit down and think about it. Indeed not everyone may like it, but if you ask me, it's the kind of fun 'unknown' that the show has with its bizarre yet amusingly quirky nature that makes it something worth watching. After all, a fun thing is a good thing, and that's a motto worth living by.

If you haven't given yourself the gift of The Eccentric Familly (season 1) then DO IT FIRST. You will not enjoy this show if you didn't see the first one because you won't get half of what's going on, not to mention the depth of the characters that is elegantly built up in the first season.

If you HAVE seen the first season, you already know what you're in for- a complex and authentic story that has a Miyazaki heart beating in it and characters that feel too real to be just images. The Eccentric Family 2 is better than the first season and I ... am probably going to die when it ends so I am going to just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

That Benten.... oh that Benten!!! <3

Watching this second season was like going to your annual family gathering. You'll be with familiar faces, cross paths with distant relatives. It'll definitely be hectic and cheery, just a non-stop parade. There will be matters you'll disagree on; but end of the day, it's a heart-warming experience.

Although the story-line feels a bit repetitive from the first season; the main Shimogamo brothers have developed in one way or another. It is like watching your own kids mature & join the 'adult' society, with a flair of mischief.

The OP and ED are absolutely wonderfully, as they were last time. The colour palette of this ... anime screams cuddly-ness, which can also be seen whenever a tanuki's on screen. I'm serious, there's not a lot in anime that'll evoke the same 'aww' I get from kittens or rabbits. But this, this they've nailed.

I think it's fair to say you can go in this anime without much prior knowledge. Personally, it was just so relaxing and the cast genuinely made me feel so welcomed; it's a lovely cup of a tea after an anxious day.

If you've watched the first season, then there's only one thing I have to say, it's that personally it's even better than the first season. Like the prequel, it's very soft and fun yet also very dark, in another sort of sense when you watch it in contrast to the softness.

Story, I give this a solid 10 for how they managed the entire series.
It concludes a lot of missing points from the first season such as the relationships that went on a cliff hanger. With this, everything was wrapped up nicely in overall and there's even more characters brought out without tearing itself ... up. The best part is that they don't exactly force through any relationships either. It goes with how time will patch things up slowly, off screen you could say.

Art, the animation is really normal for a nutshell. However I really adored the designs for the characters, in my case, I really adore the "Grandmother" most of all. Most of the points is that they're very adorable because they're Tanukis after all. The simple art for a simple yet "complex" series, if you may understand what I mean by that adds an interesting trait to this series. Total 9 for these reasons as ridiculous it may sound.

Sound, they used sountracks from the first season of course but the new tracks sounded really nice as well. I honestly loved how they executed Nidaime's appearance every time he appears or arrives, it would always make everything far more exaggerated (lol). But regardless, with overall it was very unique and it carries out the feelings for each scenes pretty. 9 for the sound.

Character, each of the character makes a returning appearance, and new ones have been introduced. As mentioned, everyone pretty much has their own partners unlike the prequel which is very satisfying as well, and nothing was torn apart in terms of the pacing.
Like always Yasaburo is always being a busy-body doing all sorts of things as he pleases, but he brings consequences of incurring others' wrath. Yajirou, also has his own moments in the series, also done well with the great pacing. He goes on his own adventure, assuming it's for self-discovery (lol this was a nice moment). Yaichiro has the biggest moment for himself, he has his own wrap up at long last which is very satisfying.
Now also the 'plot twist' as I've briefly mentioned, it was done very well. Voice actor Yuichi Nakamura, his roles are never simple. Especially when we know this series has brought out some high casting as well, this was a very good hint there was something interesting going on (won't spoil it). Also the sassiness between Benten and someone else was really interesting and fun to watch. Honestly a pure 10, when you think of every tiny bits to the big bits.

Enjoyment, oh boy I love this series so much, everything was really perfect in it's own sense, there's a lot of moments where the feelings comes out, a lot of humor when you're too deep into the characters (like the finale, when Benten's eyes just shot wide open at Yasaburo's words lolol). Let's not forget about how much sass there is as well throughout this series. 10 no doubt at all.

Overall, as everything goes, you may be a bit bias with how the prequel's pacing starts off at first but by all means this series is very soft and yet complex (also dark if you realize the undertones). Also, you must realize that it follows with how the "myth" goes so there's a lot of things you can't explain with common sense properly.
I would daresay that this is a very good anime to watch as a family or with any company mainly because there's a lot of dark tones but it's not entirely noticeable. One of my favorite reasons for adoring this series a lot, so a 9 it is.

I don't expect everyone to agree with this but, Uchouten Kazoku is no doubt, one of my favorite series.

hooray for weird mould defying anime :)
I really liked this anime although the artwork might not have been the best and sometimes it is hard to entirely understand the main character. ;p Maybe that's 'cause I'm not a tanuki?

Personally I liked the second season more than the first season because the first season was struggle street for pretty much all of the main characters. And while you got really attached to them it also felt a little frustrating.

The second season definitely changes things up and unravels a lot of the mysteries that underlied actions/backgrounded characters in the first season. As well as fleshing out almost ... all the main characters.

I think they could definitely still do a good 3rd season. There is enough mystery left over from the first season as well as a couple of new mysteries and threads started in season 2.

Seldom do we come across anime that are episodically consistent, let alone throughout seasons, and much of Uchouten Kazoku’s charm can be attributed to its unconditional love for everything it’s confected from. It isn’t atomically eccentric if you look closely, but it perfects the art of storytelling by aggregating oddities in a way that prevents you from questioning its authenticity and sincerity, imbuing meaning into its unusual exterior. Although everything implicitly revolves around the Shimogamo tanuki family, none of the other factions are neglected, treated with care and consideration to fit naturally into the narrative and enrich the family drama. Every character, and even Kyoto, ... exhibits an enchanting and beguiling aura that enraptures but never leads us; we merely observe everyone’s involvement, tanuki, tengu, and human alike, in the unfolding machinations. The family maintains such a deep-rooted empathy among each other, especially evident when they face tribulations head-on, which is emblematic of the human condition, even though they’re merely tanuki and not human. P.A. Works deserves credit for rolling out a genuine and heartfelt adaptation, and it’s apparent that a ton of love went into the production, something we don’t notice much of nowadays. Uchouten Kazoku’s second season further reinforces its adroit storytelling prowess, both visually and narratively delightful, a sublime blend of the natural and the surreal.

“Anime writing” is a derisive term, invoking one-dimensional characters and dead-simple exposition, but ”The Eccentric Family” is an exception to the conventions of TV anime. It helps that it’s based on a series of novels of the non-light variety. Its characters speak in formalities — what they say is rarely what they mean. This gives every dialog layers of meaning, painting a portrait of Kyōto that goes deeper than its iconic exterior.

"Uchouten Kazoku" reveals a rich interior world; a tapestry of families, clans, and clubs, all with their own culture of traditions, titles, ceremonies and protocol. Our protagonist, part of a family of shapeshifting tanuki, ... penetrates these hidden societal layers through his myriad connections, at one point landing in literal Hell (Jigoku), revealed as simply a realm where demons live and work; he tries his best to fit in. As the “fool” of the series, he inadvertently or deliberately sows chaos, and disrupts the best-laid plans of evildoers who count on the clockwork rhythm of Kyōtoan society to sway in their favor.

Each scene and conversation exists within a hierarchy of societal context, and the dialog serves as a critical guide, communicating the relationship between characters and their affiliations through degrees of formality. To my gaijin noggin, this seems to be not just an extrapolation of Kyōtoan culture (which is steeped in tradition and exclusivity e.g. with geisha), but of Japanese society itself, and the way its language is built to serve it.

To the anime’s credit, one doesn’t need to know Japanese to pick up on that, at least I don’t think. But its writing does put the audience in a very different mindset — a more active level of engagement — than the average anime. And for that, along with its many other superb aspects (storyboarding, design, animation), "Uchouten Kazoku" is a TV anime of rare sophistication.

The original Uchouten Kazoku was a light-hearted masterpiece, brimming with interesting characters, a unique premise and a rather heartwarming story. Uchouten Kazoku 2 captures all of the dynamic of the first but falls short of the original.

Story: 9. While simplicity is Uchouten Kazoku's strength, the second season is rich with plot twists and the story progresses well. Though in places the pacing is off, ultimately we're left with a great story, even if there are a few inconsistencies.

Art: 10. Personal preference, but the art style of this anime is perfect. Vibrant, a little goofy but well polished and clean.

Sound: 10. With the power ... duo from the original OP and EDs, fhana and milktub ensure that both seasons have a great beginning and end. The OST is well placed, appropriate and composed with the story in mind.

Character: 10. Every character introduced in the first season has been developed, along with new characters introduced in this season. A rare and hardly obtained feat, this alone speaks volumes for the characters. Each character has depth, intrigue and by the end of the series, they have grown into respectable people/tanuki/tengu with the familiar idiocy which makes them so comfortable to watch.


Enjoyment: 10. The show never has a dull moment.

Overall: 9.5.

My favorite tanuki family is back to share more of it's foolishness with us.

The art work and animation is as scrumptious as the first season. The animation might even be a bit better, as some scenes do a great job of blending 2D and 3D renderings, as to be nearly undetectable. Even minor scenes get fine attention to detail.

Our main cast of characters is back and they get some good development this season. There are a handful of intriguing new characters as well. This season suffers from something I was a bit dissapointed with from Season 1. The secondary characters are so interesting ... I wanted to learn more of them. Leaving Benton without further explanation, or examination of her backstory, is short of criminal. We get to see some real emotion from her, but what we don't get is any WHY. Heck, she could probably handle a spinoff of her own, but we'll never know. We get the same passivity towards some of the new characters too. They end up being props.

It's not affecting the narrative much though. At first it kind of meanders around, and had me wondering where this season was heading. But once it starts falling into place, things move along swiftly to a quite dramatic conclusion. One thing the writers did better this season was weave in the comedy. There were a couple scenes had me LMAO. The ending was satisfying, with just about everyone getting their just desserts. How sweet it was!

Again, the cast is stupendous, and even the new character are done with skill. This points towards knowledgable direction. A commendable job indeed.

This family may be eccentric but there's no weirdness to them. If I was grading this season, it's a bit better at 94/100 for as high an A- as I could give it. If there had only been a bit more secondary character development, this surely would have been a 10 in my book.