Usagi Drop – Episode 1 and First Impressions

I hope it’s acceptable for guys to cry over anime, cause I came close already. Definitely one of the best episodes of anime I’ve seen.

Summary: Going home for his grandfather’s funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won’t this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi’s love life?!

The series opens with our main character Daikichi Kawachi – age 30, male, single, and with a recently deceased grandfather who should be an inspiration to single men all over the world. Having a secret relationship, and fathering a child, at the somewhat overripe age of 79 – incredible, if you ask me. But enough about his grandfather, the anime’s not about him, but rather his illegitimate child Rin.

The premise of the episode is that Rin needs to be adopted into a family after the grandfather dies. The relatives who have gathered to discuss the matter, though, are quite callous, refusing to take her in for various reasons. About the relatives, they definitely gave me grounds to dislike them. A complaining, selfish mother; relatives looking down on and pretty much ignoring Rin for being illegitimate, even though she’s a child; the bratty child Reina and her helpless mother; relatives getting drunk and falling asleep during vigil; etc. Their actions really contrast with Daikichi’s, who tries to befriend Rin, or at least is nice to her. It’s fortunate for her that she’s with Daikichi – probably many times better than being with any of the other relatives.

Rin herself seems to share my opinions, and tries to avoid the adults around in the beginning of the episode. The half-exception to that is Daikichi – probably, she is interested in him because he so closely resembles his grandfather. Well, her actions are probably partially because the adults avoid her as well. In fact, one would think a small child would be much more disturbed by the death of the parent figure for their entire life up to that point. Even just a day after his death, no tantrums and almost no crying. In that way, Rin seems a lot more mature than other children her age. Reina would be a prime object of comparison – and hands down, Rin’s a hell of a lot more mature than her. She might even be more mature than many of the adults there – I especially recall Rin choosing to pick the grandfather’s favorite bellflowers to place on him. That kind of thing shows that sometimes, children are the most thoughtful.

The episode has a happy and heartwarming end with Rin and Daikichi leaving the grandfather’s house and all the relatives to live in Daikichi’s house. Of course, this end is only the beginning of their story – good luck to the two of them!

-Mah Impressions

“That was amazing” was the first thing that ran through my mind both after I finished watching, and when I thought of things to write. This episode, without a doubt, was amazing. Of course, there were the great characters and storyline. But on top of that, the light-colored, well-detailed art and the gentle, emotional background music combined with the story perfectly. The only things I can complain about at all are the OP and ED :P. This episode is absolutely amazing. Watch it. Needless to say, I will be waiting fervently for what else Usagi Drop has to offer.