The story takes place in Kyoto, where a majority of the population is tanuki, a raccoon dog species; and tengu, a mythical heavenly dog creature. The tanuki and tengu have lived among humans for a long time. We follow a young man named Yasaburou Shimogamo, who is a shapeshifter and enjoys spending most of his time people watching. As Yasaburou and his brothers are descendants of a legacy of tanuki, his late father would perhaps suggest that he do something more productive. With that being said, the Shimogamo patriarch was a very influential leader of the community before his untimely death. Throughout the series, as Yasaburou uncovers the mystery of his father’s murder, he and his brothers must also fight and avoid their father’s very terrible fate.

In comparing Uchouten Kazoku with Kemono Friends, both have a vast and intriguing cast of characters, contributing to an exciting storyline. As our band of characters unite to overcome challenging obstacles, their combined strengths and personalities are some of the reasons why they are able to achieve their objective. Additionally, the animation styles in both are truly eye-catching, utilizing many colors within scenic shots and action sequences. Moreover, the second season of Uchouten Kazoku is scheduled to air April 2017!

Shirokuma Café is a very interesting and informative anime that directs viewers to learn a little more about the animal kingdom. In addition to numerous facts about bears, penguins and various other species, Shirokuma Café provides us with a lot of comedy and puns. As we observe Panda’s attempt to land a job at the Café, we also watch the interactions of frequent patron, Penguin, and lounge around with lazy Shirokuma. With each episode, we notice the often-disparate day-to-day activities of these and other personified animals.

Shirokuma Café and Kemono Friends are similar in that they offer relatable and memorable circumstances, making each character stand out and easy to identify with. With sympathy, every character from both series is incredibly unique, individually and through the group dynamic. Containing an immense volume of comedy, in addition to cute animals that act human, both offer us a feel-good, lighthearted viewing experience.

Dogs rule and cats drool? Or is it cats rule and dogs drool? In the anime Dog Days, the setting is Flonyard, an Earth-like universe that is inhabited by human-like beings, with these creatures possessing the ears and tails of various animals. In the Republic of Biscotti, the Galette Leo Knight, a particular cat force, targets the population of dog-like beings. In order to save the Republic, the Princess seeks the aid of an individual from Earth, Cinque Izumi, who is an unlikely champion of choice, as he is just your average teenager. Armed with the Palladion, Cinque battles in competition for the Princess and the Republic. However, more trouble arises, as they are unable to send Cinque home. What awaits our hero is something you must find out for yourself!

In comparison, Dog Days and Kemono Friends take place in an attractive fantasy setting. Both funny and enjoyable anime, they also offer a touch of fan service. Additionally, in both Dog Days and Kemono Friends, as the overall theme projects our characters being cute and playful, we also view another side of them that is more dark and serious. In particular, as our characters deal with a lot of drama, bouts of emotional outbursts are likely to follow. Combined with having to deal with heavy and consequential circumstances, a number of events that occur produce the imagery of the world being an unkind and dangerous place.

Chi’s Sweet Home chronicles the life of a young grey and white kitten who decides to venture out into the big, big world. As she wanders away from her mother and siblings, she loses sight of her surroundings and must try to figure out how to get home. However, as she aimlessly walks about, a boy named Youbei and his mother find the frightful and lost kitten. Feeling sorry for her, Youbei and his mom decide to take her in, only to be constrained by the “no pets” policy at their complex. Faced with some difficulty rehoming her, the family decides to add her to their family unit, thus giving her the name Chi.

Although Chi’s Sweet Home doesn’t include any characters morphing into humans and vice versa, it shares the similarity with Kemono Friends that there is a lost character trying to find her way home. We can sympathize for both Chi and Kaban, as they are in unfamiliar territory and only want to get back to where they belong. Furthermore, with the help of some Good Samaritans, we learn that our big world is filled with kindhearted people, willing to give aid to those in need.

Fruits Basket is a story of Tooru Honda. Under the care of her grandfather, he and her aunt decided to renovate their home to accommodate the expanding family. As construction begins, Tooru’s grandfather asks if she has a place to stay for the time. Being accustomed to fending for herself, she says yes even though she doesn’t. So, Tooru decides to camp out in an area she thought was deserted. However, the home nearby belongs to the most popular boy in school, Yuki Sohma, and his cousins, Shigure and Kyou. When the Sohmas stumble upon her tent, they offer her a place to stay in exchange for housekeeping services. As she accepts, during her stay, Tooru gains knowledge of the Sohma family curse. The curse entails members of the family being transformed into animals of the Chinese zodiac, plus the cat, after being touched by the opposite sex. As the series progresses, close relationships grow between Tooru and various members of the Sohma family, changing their views of the curse and their lives.

A similarity to compare between Fruits Basket and Kemono Friends is that our characters did not elect to have the ability to transform into animals. Although our characters experience a journey of development, some of the more intense, dramatic scenes are countered with comedic relief. Even though the themes of Fruits Basket and Kemono Friends are dissimilar, e.g. slice of life and adventure, both are surely entertaining anime, with a lot of lively events to look forward to.

Pom Poko highlights a community of tanuki, Japanese raccoon dogs, who are faced with the threat and destruction of their home due to industrialization. With great emphasis in Japanese mythology, this film highlights the significance of tanuki in Japanese culture, notating the creature’s known traits of trickery, cunning, and intelligence. With these skills, the tanuki community bands together to try and halt development in their habitat. As some time has passed, the humans are still hard to break, resulting in the tanuki taking more extreme measures to protect and save their home. A classic Studio Ghibli feature, watch and see if the group of tanuki does enough to expel the humans out of their environment for good.

Pom Poko and Kemono Friends on the exterior, consist of adorably cute animals that project very human characteristics, such as the need to help others in distress, strategy development and planning, and lastly, making fashionable choices. However, underneath all that cuteness, Pom Poko and Kemono Friends express a poignant message about how one’s growth and experiences in life can have both a minuscule and enormous impact in surrounding environments. Consequently, we unexpectedly learn a significant amount of zoology and ecology.