The appeal and reputation of Shirokuma Cafe: A relaxing space and unique characters

Polar Bear Cafe - Polar Bear Cafe -

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

April 5, 2012 - March 28, 2013

■Broadcasting station

Broadcast: TV Tokyo

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 50

■Original Story

・Original work: Higa Aloha

■ Director

・Director: Mitsuyuki Masuhara

■ Production

Animation Production: Studio Pierrot Production: Shirokuma Cafe Production Committee

■Works

©Higa Aloha, Shogakukan/Shirokuma Cafe Production Committee 2012

■Cast

・Polar bear/Takahiro Sakurai・Panda/Jun Fukuyama・Penguin/Hiroshi Kamiya・Grizzly/Yuichi Nakamura・Panda mom/Tomoyuki Morikawa・Sasako-san/Aya Endo・Handa-kun/Wataru Hatano・Rinrin/Tokuai Kawashima・Full-time panda/Katsuyuki Konishi・Llama/Daisuke Ono・Sloth/Noriaki Taniyama・Badger/Yuki Miyata

■ Main staff

・Original work by Higa Aloha・Director by Masuhara Mitsuyuki・Supervision by Kobayashi Tsuneo・Series composition by Hosokawa Toru・Screenplay by Asakawa Miya, Yokote Michiko, Yoshida Reiko, Urahata Tatsuhiko, Seta Yachi・Character design by Takano Aya・Art director by Ueno Hideyuki・Director of photography by Matsumoto Atsuho・Color design by Nishi Kayoko・Editing by Morita Seiji・Sound director by Kikuta Hiromi・Music by Kondo Kenji

■ Main Characters

・Polar Bear-kun The master of Polar Bear Cafe.
He likes puns and gets everyone involved with his laid-back gags.
Everyone admires her for being so skillful and cool, able to handle almost anything!

・Panda-kun lives next door to Polar Bear Cafe.
Basically, he does things at his own pace. Although he can be arrogant, he is true to himself and is a lovable character.
I work part-time as a "panda" at the zoo two days a week.

・Penguin-san is a regular at Polar Bear Cafe.
Among the many clueless people, he is the conscience of the cafe, able to make precise retorts.
I like Penguin Penko-san.

・Grizzly: Polar Bear's childhood friend and a wild type.
He is the master of Grizzly Bar.
He is essentially a soft-hearted person, and has been constantly bossed around by Polar Bear-kun ever since he was a child.

・Llama-san A regular at Polar Bear Cafe.
He has a warm and somewhat plain personality.
I work at the zoo.

・Rinrin's favorite is Hayashi Rintaro, or Rinrin for short.
The handsome manager of "Florist RINRIN".
I love pandas, and I'm excited to be able to get up close and personal with Panda-kun and his family.

・Mr. Handa is a panda keeper at the zoo.
He is a very nice person and is popular with animals, children and the elderly.
I met Sasako at Shirokuma Cafe...

- Sasako ends up working at Shirokuma Cafe by chance.
I came here to see the cheerful, hardworking, and slightly airheaded Sasako-san.
The owner, Shirokuma-kun, is delighted with the increase in handsome (human) customers!

-Full-time Panda: Works as a "panda" at the zoo seven days a week.
Unlike Panda-kun, who has just started working,
I am also used to dealing with customers.
He has a wife and children.

・Panda Mama Panda-kun's mom.
A housewife who runs the household and loves her children every day.
A big fan of the idol group "Yorcupine."

・The sloth lives in the garden of Polar Bear Cafe.
His movements and conversations are very relaxed.
There's something surprisingly dynamic about it.
But the movements are still slow.

・Badger An animal who came to Polar Bear Cafe for an interview for a part-time job.
The job she wanted was to be a hall attendant,
He was mistaken for a "hole digger"!?

・Penko-san: The penguin that Penguin has a crush on.
I work at a bakery.

・The giant tortoise is laid-back.
He moves and talks slowly.

-Mandrill: A cafe customer with a brightly colored face and a big appetite.

・The tamandua's special skill is making threatening poses.
But it's not very scary.

・A junior zookeeper who is a junior to Mr. Kirino and Mr. Handa.
He is young and handsome. He adores Handa-san.
I sometimes worry about Handa, who seems to blend in with the pandas.

・Koala is a popular zoo animal who is troubled by his picky eating habits!

・Mr. Otter works at the zoo.
A popular person with a strong service spirit.

・Bak-kun works at the zoo.
Do you feel pressured being called an animal that eats dreams?

・Otter-kun is a customer at Grizzly Bar.
During the winter, he works as the bartender in place of Mr. Grizzly.

・King Penguin is a housewife friend of Panda Mama.
A fan of the idol group Porcupine.
Due to past grudges, he does not get along with Penguin-san and the other emperor penguins.

・King Penguin Chick King Penguin's son.
He is quiet and a little ugly looking, but he has an honest and kind personality.
She is good friends with Penguin's nephew.
We often play train games together.

・Emperor Penguin - Baby Penguin's nephew.
She has a cute appearance and a pure and innocent personality.
He is good friends with King Penguin's son.
I like playing trains.

・Masaki A young man aspiring to become a coffee roaster.
He was so impressed by the coffee at Shirokuma Cafe that he became an apprentice under the master roaster, Kinobori Kangaroo.

・A housewife friend of Hokkaido Squirrel Mama and Panda Mama.
She likes the all-you-can-fill corners at supermarkets and other places. She works part-time at Kinobori Coffee, a coffee roaster located in the garden of Shirokuma Cafe, sorting beans.

・Kinobori Kangaroo Masaki's mentor and a coffee roasting expert.
He runs a coffee roastery called Kinobori Coffee.
They sell roasted beans wholesale to cafes.

・Red Panda-kun works at a coffee shop. He is attentive and hardworking.
As fellow pandas, he has built a good relationship with Panda-kun and the other giant pandas.

・Wolf-kun is a baker.
Although he is a skilled baker, he is timid and lacks confidence.
Tigers and lions are old friends.

Tora-san: The owner of Toraya, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop.
A stay-at-home dad with many children.
He seems to have quite a talent for business, producing a number of hit products.

・Mr. Lion A trading company employee who travels all over the world.
He is an old friend of Ookami and Tora, and they often hang out drinking together when they are in Japan.

- He is the sales representative for the Adelie Penguin Card Sales Promotion Committee and plays a central role in the committee.
Together with his fellow chinstrap penguins and gentoo penguins, he aims to expand sales of penguin cards.

・A member of the Chin Strap Penguin Penguin Card Sales Promotion Committee.
As an accountant, I keep an eye on expenses and sales.

- Member of the Gentoo Penguin Penguin Card Sales Promotion Committee.
As the general affairs manager, I coordinate with my colleagues to ensure that work proceeds smoothly.

Porcupine Members: Maned Porcupine, Canadian Porcupine, Malayan Porcupine, Hairy Porcupine, Capped Porcupine.An idol group that is extremely popular with a wide range of people, especially young girls.
Panda Mama and King Penguin are also big fans.

・MC 469MA
A legendary rapper who thrilled many fans before suddenly disappearing from the public eye.
An eternal hero to wolves, tigers, and lions.

The appeal and reputation of Shirokuma Cafe

"Shirokuma Cafe" is a TV anime series based on the original manga by Higa Aloha, and was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 5, 2012 to March 28, 2013. Despite being a long series of 50 episodes, it was highly praised by viewers and gained many fans. The appeal of this anime lies in the heartwarming atmosphere of the animals' daily lives and the humorous story development.

The main character, Shirokuma-kun, is the owner of Shirokuma Cafe, a character who loves puns and performs gags at his own pace. Animals with unique personalities, such as Panda-kun, Penguin-san, and Grizzly-san, gather around him, and each episode unfolds a unique story. Panda-kun's easy-going personality and Penguin-san's spot-on tsukkomi in particular provide laughter and healing to viewers.

This anime was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Masuhara Mitsuyuki. The character designs were done by Takano Aya and the music by Kondo Kenji, and the series has received high praise from all quarters. The character designs in particular express the cuteness and individuality of the animals, capturing the hearts of viewers. Kondo Kenji's music also plays an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the anime.

The cast is also impressive, with a collection of talented voice actors, including Sakurai Takahiro as the polar bear, Fukuyama Jun as the panda, and Kamiya Hiroshi as the penguin. Their performances brought out the best in the characters and left a deep impression on viewers. In particular, Fukuyama Jun's voice for Panda-kun perfectly expresses the laid-back and slightly arrogant character of Panda-kun.

The story of "Shirokuma Cafe" begins with a small everyday occurrence, and various episodes derive from it. For example, viewers can empathize with the story of Panda-kun starting a part-time job at the zoo, and Penguin-san's relationship with Pen-san, whom he has a crush on. Another part of the show's appeal is the unique episodes of the regular customers at Shirokuma Cafe. Various characters, such as Llama-san's down-to-earth personality and Lin-lin's love for pandas, enrich the story.

Another appeal of this anime is that it depicts the human-like lives of animals. At Shirokuma Cafe, animals are shown drinking coffee, enjoying meals, and working. These scenes give viewers a warm and fuzzy feeling, and allow them to feel free from the stress of everyday life. In addition, the episode at the zoo depicts the animals' work and their interactions with the zookeepers, allowing viewers to see a new side of the animals.

"Shirokuma Cafe" not only provides viewers with laughter and healing, but also teaches the importance of human relationships and friendships. For example, it depicts various human relationships, such as the relationship between Shirokuma-kun and Grizzly-san as childhood friends, and the friendship between Panda-kun and Lin-lin. These episodes deeply touch viewers and leave a lasting impression on them.

Shirokuma Cafe also tackles social themes. For example, in the episode where Panda-kun starts working part-time at the zoo, viewers are made to think about the meaning and responsibilities of work. In the episode about Penguin-san's unrequited love, the show portrays the difficulties and importance of love. These themes evoke deep empathy in viewers and provide an opportunity for them to think.

"Shirokuma Cafe" has received high praise from viewers and is loved by many fans. In particular, the cuteness of the animals and the humorous storyline provide viewers with laughter and healing, warming their hearts. Additionally, episodes that depict the importance of human relationships and friendship deeply move viewers and leave a lasting impression. Furthermore, episodes that tackle social themes give viewers an opportunity to think and evoke deep empathy. The combination of these elements has made "Shirokuma Cafe" a beloved work by many viewers.

Recommended points and how to watch

The reasons why we recommend Shirokuma Cafe are as follows:

• Heartwarming atmosphere : The heartwarming atmosphere depicted in the daily lives of animals provides healing to the viewer.
• Humorous stories : Humorous stories, including puns and jokes, will keep viewers laughing.
• Characters with a wide variety of personalities : Polar bear, panda, penguin, and other unique characters enrich the story.
• The importance of relationships and friendships : Episodes that depict the importance of relationships and friendships, such as the relationship between Polar Bear and Grizzly as childhood friends, and the friendship between Panda and Ling Ling, deeply move viewers.
• Social themes : Episodes that tackle social themes, such as the meaning and responsibilities of work, or the difficulties and importance of love, provide viewers with an opportunity to think.

Here's how to watch "Shirokuma Cafe".

• Streaming Services : You can watch it on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
• DVD/Blu-ray : You can watch anime by purchasing the DVD or Blu-ray.
• Television broadcast : It may be rebroadcast on TV Tokyo, so be sure to check it out.

"Shirokuma Cafe" not only provides viewers with laughter and healing, but also teaches the importance of human relationships and friendship. Please give it a watch.