The appeal and evaluation of the second season of Uchikari Penelope: Another adventure and growth

Penelope Season 2 - Penelope

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Picture books

■ Broadcast period

June 29, 2009 - October 23, 2009
NHK E-Tele June 29, 2009 to October 23, 2009 (Episodes 1 to 26) Monday to Friday 7:40 to 7:45

■Broadcasting station

・Broadcasting/NHK Educational

■Frequencies

5 mins

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

Original story by Anne Guttman and Georg Hallensleben

■ Director

・Director: Jun Takagi

■ Production

Produced by: Ucchan Penelope Production Committee (Nippon Animation, Shirogumi, NHK Enterprises)

■Works

©Careless Penelope Production Committee

■ Story

Penelope, a forgetful 3-year-old blue koala girl, is curious and interested in everything.
She spends her days happily helping out on the farm, playing with friends, and sometimes getting up to mischief with her favorite stuffed rabbit, Doudou.

■Explanation

Following on from the first series, this short animated series faithfully recreates the world of the original picture book, depicting the fun and curious daily life of Penelope, a cute and adorable koala girl.

■Cast

・Penelope/Akari Kudo・Dad/Taro Yamaguchi・Mother/Kikuko Inoue・Tata/Ayaka Maeda・Fifi/Naomi Ozora・Grandpa (paternal side)/Nobuaki Sekine・Grandma (paternal side)/Yoshino Ootori・Grandpa (maternal side), greengrocer, conductor/Shinpachi Tsuji・Grandma (maternal side), dog's mother/Tomoe Sato・Lily Rose, baby dog/Yuki Matsuoka・Cesarine, Marie Christine/Mikako Takahashi・Stromboli/Yumiko Kobayashi・Aladdin, kindergarten teacher/Akino Watanabe・Bakery lady/Kimiko Saito・Flower shop lady/Masashi Yabe・Pharmacist lady/Kanako Tateno・Milo/Reiko Takagi・Madeleine/Fumiko Orikasa・Cesarine's dad/Toru Inada・Mr. Zebra/Ryosuke Kanemoto・Narration/Mamiko Noto

■ Main staff

Original story: Ann Guttman & Georg Hallensleben Produced by: Koichi Motohashi, Tatsuo Shimamura (Shirogumi), Tetsuro Kamemura (NHK Enterprises)
・Planning: Kazuko Ishikawa, Yuichi Suwa (NHK Enterprises)
・Series composition, scriptwriting: Mitsuru Shimada ・Storyboard: Jun Takagi ・Chief animator: Minako Okuguchi ・BG designer: Yumiko Tanaka ・Music: Yuko Fukushima ・Music production: Miracle Bus, Motofumi Komori ・Sound director: Sadayoshi Fujino ・Sound effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura (Fizz Sound)
・Sound editing/Kazunari Tanaka, Kazuyoshi Iino ・Recording studio/Omnibus Japan Sanbunzaka Studio ・Video editing/Tokyo Development Laboratory, Yoshiaki Kanazawa ・Director/Jun Takagi ・Production assistant/Shizu Aida ・Producers/Satoshi Ochiai, Naomi Tanaka (White Team), Atsushi Oshida (NHK Enterprises)
・Production/Ucchuri Penelope Production Committee (Nippon Animation, Shirogumi, NHK Enterprises)

■ Main Characters

Penelope is a 3-year-old blue female koala. She's very forgetful.
・Papa the yellow koala ・Mama the pink koala ・Lily Rose the yellow elephant girl ・Cesarean the polar bear girl ・Stromboli the blue dog boy ・Aladdin the tiger boy ・Milou the cousin twins of Penelope ・Madeleine the cousin twins of Penelope

■Subtitle

・#29/Close the door, Penelope・#30/Penelope, learn the shape・#31/Let's be quiet, Penelope・#32/Let's hold hands, Penelope・#33/It's bedtime, Penelope・#34/Building a bird's house・#35/Penelope's birthday・#36/Penelope, skating・#37/Penelope, think of a name・#38/A spell to have a good dream・#39/Penelope's fun Halloween・#40/Penelope's art museum・#41/What's the weather like today?
・#42/Penelope's Music Party・#43/Penelope goes fishing・#44/Penelope's delicious party・#45/Can Penelope go alone?・#46/Helping Daddy・#47/Penelope catches a cold・#48/Penelope goes out・#49/Penelope writes a letter・#50/What will you be when you grow up?
・#51/Penelope and her summer friends ・#52/Mommy's wonderful birthday ・#53/What is Penelope made of?
#54/Penelope plays in the pool

■ Related works

・Careless Penelope Series 1, 3, 4 ・Rita and Something ・Karl and the Mysterious Tower

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Opening theme for "Ucchuri Penelope"・Composer: Yuko Fukushima

Penelope Season 2 - Reviews and Recommendations

"Careless Penelope" Season 2 is a 5-minute short animated series that aired on NHK Educational TV in 2009. The series is based on a picture book by Anne Guttmann and Georg Hallensleben and follows the daily life of Penelope, a 3-year-old blue koala girl. Penelope is known as "Careless" and is curious and enjoys her days. This animation is loved by children and also contains educational elements.

Story and Characters

Penelope and her stuffed rabbit, Dudu, spend their days helping out on the farm, playing with friends, and sometimes getting into mischief. Her curiosity and adventurous spirit resonate with children and make them want to do the same. Penelope's family and friends are also unique, with a diverse cast of characters including her ochre dad, her pink mom, the yellow elephant Lily-Rose, and the polar bear Césarine. These characters teach children the importance of diversity and friendship.

Animation and Music

The animation faithfully reproduces the world of the original picture book, and is characterized by its colorful and cute design. Under the direction of Jun Takagi, Minako Okuguchi served as chief animator, and Yumiko Tanaka was in charge of background design. The music was composed by Yuko Fukushima, and its bright and fun melodies liven up the story. The opening theme was also composed by Yuko Fukushima, and is a song that children can easily relate to.

Educational value

"Penelope's Carelessness" offers many educational values ​​to children. Each episode shows Penelope learning something new or solving a problem. For example, in "Close the Door, Penelope," she learns responsibility; in "Penelope Learns Shapes," she learns shape recognition; and in "Penelope Catches a Cold," she teaches the importance of taking care of your health. These episodes help children solve problems they face in their daily lives.

Viewers' reactions

"Careless Penelope" has been highly praised by children and parents alike, especially because it allows children to learn while having fun. Penelope's adorable character and her adventurous spirit have also attracted viewers. The show has become an indispensable part of children's morning routines since it aired on NHK Educational TV.

Recommendation

The second season of "Penelope" is especially recommended for children between the ages of 3 and 6. Through Penelope's adventures and learning, children's curiosity will be stimulated and they will be able to acquire various skills. Also, watching the series together as a family will deepen communication between parents and children. In addition, through Penelope's relationships with her friends and family, children can learn the importance of friendship and family ties.

This anime not only supports children's growth, but also provides parents with tips on child rearing. It's a wonderful work that allows children to discover their own potential and learn while having fun through Penelope's adventures. Please watch the second season of "Careless Penelope" and enjoy the world of Penelope.