It seems that I'm only just now catching up on last year's summer anime releases. Much like Gin no Saji, Uchouten Kazoku was also part of my viewing picks from the previous year, but was placed in the back-burner for some reason (the why escapes me, considering I was only about three episodes shy of concluding the 13-episode series).
In the world of Uchouten Kazoku (or The Eccentric Family), humans, tanuki and tengu co-exist. The tanuki (fox) have the ability to transform into humans, animals and objects, and are known for their easygoing nature. The last Nise-emon or leader of the tanuki, Shimogamo Souichirou, was tragically eaten in a hot pot by the human group Friday Fellows. He leaves behind four sons, who were said to each inherit only one of his distinct characteristics. Eldest Yaichirou his sense of responsibility, second eldest Yojirou his laid back personality, and youngest Yashirou his innocence. His third son, Yasaburou, is said to inherit his sense of idiocy and constantly finds himself in various troublesome situations.
Most of the series is told in the perspective of Yasaburou, who grieves along with the rest of his family over the untimely death of their patriarch. Despite his reputation as an idiot, Yasaburou is actually smart, talented at transforming, and cares very much for his family. He deals with Yaichirou's uptight behavior that stems from desiring to become the next Nise-emon to salvage their family's reputation, in encouraging Yojirou to try to remember how to transform out of his current form as a frog, and in guiding Yashirou to face his fears, despite the constant bullying of their twin cousins Ebisugawa Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He has never laid eyes on his fiancee Kaisei, who is also the child of their father's brother and rival Ebisugawa Soun. Yasaburou also contends with his cantankerous tengu mentor Professor Akadama, who was abandoned by his human student Benten to join the Friday Fellows years ago.
Considering its thirteen episode run, Uchouten Kazoku packs a lot of characters and events. Normally, I'd be griping about how more episodes would help the storytelling better, but studio P.A. Works did a great job in making every screen second count. Aside from the mystery of how their father ended up in a tanuki hot pot, we wonder at the roots of Benten's betrayal against Professor Akadama (and the reasons for all her rather mischievous actions), the reason for the Ebisugawa's animosity towards the Shimogamo clan, and just why the hell the Friday Fellows have to celebrate each year with a tanuki eating session. There's also the fact that the tanuki and tengu are completely different from humans, with their powers to transform and fly, respectively, making them a source of constant interest.
I had initially pegged Uchouten Kazoku to be a purely comedic series, considering the early portrayal and actions of Yasaburou. But it wasn't long when the other genres started to rear their heads in the anime series and it became that much more compelling to watch. The fantasy element posed by the characters' natures as tanuki or tengu just serve as interesting facts, but does not deter from the very human emotions that they had to dealt with in the series. Most of the drama revolve around the Shimogamo family's loss, and every backstory serves to make the audience more invested in seeing how they could escape either their father's fate or their less than stellar reputations.
Considering the amount of trouble that Yasaburou gets into, whether by his own designs or because of others, you can't expect a conclusion that's free from turmoil. I still have questions that weren't answered at the series's conclusion. And it's been a while since I watched such a chaotic resolution to so many problems. But that's just another charming quality that makes Uchouten Kazoku a must-watch. I mean, the novel the series is adapted from is titled The Eccentric Family for a reason.
Never mind that it took me a year to actually finish watching it.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Must-Watch, TV, Uchouten Kazoku
