Rilakkuma and Kaoru: Finding the perfect balance between relaxation and everyday life

Rilakkuma and Kaoru: The charm of stop-motion animation and the warmth of everyday life

■ Public Media

WEB

■ Original Media

character

■ First appearance date

April 19, 2019 - April 19, 2019
12:00～

■ How it first appeared

Netflix

■Frequencies

10 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 13

■ Director

Masahito Kobayashi

■ Production

・Produced by Dwarf

■Works

©2019 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

■ Story

Kaoru, a slightly absent-minded woman in her 30s, is an ordinary office lady working at a small trading company in Tokyo. The only thing that's different is that she now lives with Rilakkuma, a lazy person, Korilakkuma, a mischievous person, and Kiiroitori, a cleaning expert, who have all taken up residence in her room. Kaoru's daily life becomes filled with laughter and small happiness through her life with Rilakkuma and friends. Despite the stress of her job and worries about her relationships, her life is healed by the presence of Rilakkuma and friends, and the story depicts how she gradually becomes more positive. A warm and humorous story unfolds about how her encounter with Rilakkuma and friends affects Kaoru's life.

■Explanation

This gentle, slightly bittersweet story is depicted in stop-motion depicting the colorful 12 months of Kaoru, who has a slight complex about his serious personality, and Rilakkuma and his friends, who live a carefree and lazy life. Stop-motion animation conveys the warmth of handmade craftsmanship with attention to detail, and deeply moves viewers. Kaoru's daily life and the scenery of the four seasons are depicted through his interactions with Rilakkuma and his friends, allowing viewers to see their own lives in the depiction. The story also revolves around Kaoru's growth and his bond with Rilakkuma and his friends, eliciting empathy and emotion from viewers. The fusion of stop-motion animation techniques and storytelling enhances the appeal of this work.

■Cast

・Rilakkuma/
・Kaoru-san／Mikako Tabe ・Korilakkuma／
・Kiiroitori/

■ Main staff

Director: Masahito Kobayashi Screenplay: Naoko Ogigami Creative Advisor: Aki Kondo Produced by: Dwarf Animation Production: Dwarf Puppet Production: Mackinnon and Saunders
・Character design (Kaoru)/Francesca Natale
・Character design (Tokio, Hayate, etc.)/Takashi Tateoka
Music: Shigeru Kishida

■ Main Characters

・Rilakkuma
A bear costume suddenly takes up residence in the home of Kaoru, an office worker. He spends his days lazing around. There is a zipper on his back, but the contents are a secret. His favorite foods are pancakes, omelet rice, pudding, and dango. Rilakkuma's biggest interest seems to be his daily meals and snacks. Rilakkuma brings ease to Kaoru's life and plays an important role in relieving her stress. Rilakkuma's innocence and laziness not only soothes Kaoru's heart, but also brings a new perspective to her life.

・Kaoru A slightly absent-minded woman in her 30s who works as an office worker in Tokyo. She is the owner of Kiiroitori and lives in an apartment where Rilakkuma hangs around. She used to be tired from working overtime every day and just go home to sleep, but with the appearance of Rilakkuma, her days are filled with a few laughs and a lot of trouble. Outside the house, she is considerate of others and can't say what she wants to say, but at home she explodes with frustration... but at heart, she is an honest person. She loves Rilakkuma and his friends, even though she says they are annoyed by them. Kaoru's character reflects the real image of a modern working woman, and viewers will be able to sympathize with her worries and joys. The show also depicts Kaoru's reexamination of herself and her growth through her life with Rilakkuma and his friends.

・Korilakkuma A small white bear that appeared out of nowhere. It seems that he was not an acquaintance of Rilakkuma, but he has a red button on his chest, so it doesn't seem like a real bear. Kiiroitori named him Korilakkuma. He is a lively and mischievous boy who loves to play pranks. Korilakkuma's pranks bring laughter to Kaoru's life and relieve her stress, but sometimes they also cause problems. Korilakkuma's presence brings new excitement to Kaoru's life and is an important factor in her growth.

・Kiiroitori A yellow bird that Kaoru had kept before Rilakkuma and friends came. It used to be in a birdcage, but now it comes out on its own and scolds Rilakkuma for lying around every day, and gets pranked by the mischievous Korilakkuma. It is hardworking and likes to be neat. Its hobby is saving money. Kiiroitori supports Kaoru's life and is a source of emotional support for her. Kiiroitori's hardworking and punctual personality brings order to Kaoru's life and helps to reduce her stress. Kiiroitori's hobby of saving money also brings a new perspective to Kaoru's life and is an element that encourages her growth.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: Cherry Blossom Viewing Episode 2: Carp Streamers Episode 3: Rainy Season Episode 4: Summer Festival Episode 5: Obon Episode 6: Fortune Telling Episode 7: Diet Episode 8: Part-time Job Episode 9: Snowman Episode 10: Hawaii Episode 11: Starry Sky Episode 12: Meeting Episode 13: Moving

■ Theme songs and music

・Theme song: SAMPO
Lyrics: Shigeru Kishida Composition: Shigeru Kishida Singer: Quruli

■Detailed episode commentary

Episode 1: Cherry Blossom Viewing With the arrival of spring, Kaoru and Rilakkuma go out to see the cherry blossoms. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps with the preparations for the cherry blossom viewing and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and the others become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 2: Carp streamers During the season for decorating carp streamers, Kaoru enjoys the carp streamers with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps Kaoru decorate the carp streamers and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 3: Rainy Season During the rainy season, Kaoru enjoys a rainy day with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life by helping with housework on rainy days. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 4: Summer Festival During the summer festival season, Kaoru enjoys the festival with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps with the preparations for the summer festival and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 5: Obon During the Obon season, Kaoru enjoys Obon with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps with the Obon preparations and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 6: Fortune Telling It's fortune telling season, and Kaoru enjoys fortune telling with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps prepare for fortune telling and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 7: Diet During diet season, Kaoru enjoys dieting with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps with the diet preparations and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 8: Part-time job During part-time job season, Kaoru enjoys part-time jobs with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence heals Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's pranks cause trouble. Kiiroitori helps Kaoru prepare for the part-time job and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

・Episode 9 / Snowman During the snowman season, Kaoru enjoys making snowmen with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps Kaoru prepare the snowman and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 10: Hawaii During the Hawaiian season, Kaoru enjoys Hawaii with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence heals Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps Kaoru prepare for Hawaii and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 11: Starry Sky During the starry sky season, Kaoru enjoys the starry sky with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps prepare the starry sky and is portrayed as a support for Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 12: Encounter It's the season for new encounters, and Kaoru enjoys meeting new people with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's innocence soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's pranks cause trouble. Kiiroitori helps prepare for the encounter and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

Episode 13: Moving It's moving season, and Kaoru enjoys moving with Rilakkuma and friends. While Rilakkuma's easy-going personality soothes Kaoru's heart, Korilakkuma's mischief causes trouble. Kiiroitori helps with the preparations for the move and is portrayed as a presence that supports Kaoru's life. This episode depicts the process of how Rilakkuma and friends become integrated into Kaoru's life.

■Production background and technology

"Rilakkuma and Kaoru" was produced using a technique called stop-motion animation. Stop-motion animation conveys the warmth of handmade craftsmanship with meticulous attention to detail, and deeply moves viewers. In this work, Rilakkuma and the other characters move realistically, drawing viewers in and immersing them in the story. The fusion of stop-motion animation techniques and storytelling also enhances the appeal of this work. In order to make Rilakkuma and the other characters move realistically, the production staff used handmade techniques with meticulous attention to detail to create a work that deeply moves viewers.

■ Viewer reactions and ratings

"Rilakkuma and Kaoru" has been highly praised by viewers. The fusion of stop-motion animation techniques and storytelling has been particularly praised, with viewers moved by its warmth. Furthermore, Kaoru's character reflects the real-life image of a modern working woman, allowing viewers to empathize with her worries and joys. Rilakkuma and the other characters also provide viewers with laughter and healing, and viewers are soothed by their innocence. Viewers' reactions can be found on social media and review sites, and it is clear that many viewers rate the work highly.

■ Recommendation points

"Rilakkuma and Kaoru" is an appealing work that combines stop-motion animation techniques with storytelling. In particular, the character of Kaoru reflects the real-life image of a modern working woman, allowing viewers to empathize with her worries and joys. Rilakkuma and the other characters also provide laughter and healing to viewers, whose hearts are soothed by their innocence. This work is recommended not only for fans of stop-motion animation, but also for viewers who want to feel the warmth of everyday life. Viewers will be able to look back on their own lives through this work and find laughter and healing in it.