3 Episode Impression: Gakuen Babysitters

Synopsis

This is the story of Ryuichi Kashima and his infant brother, Kotaro. Orphaned upon losing their parents to a plane crash, the two are taken in by Yoko Morinomiya, the director of a children’s academy who lost her adult son and her daughter-in-law in the same plane crash. There is, however, a condition to the two staying with her. In exchange of her becoming the legal guardian of the Kashima brothers until they are old enough to live on their own, Ryuichi is to work as a babysitter at the Morinomiya Academy.
The Good

Family, that is the best quality that shined through the three episodes of the series, especially when the different sides of this theme was shown. Whether it be on two brothers trying to deal with a new environment or a dad trying to connect with his sons, the way that the anime manages to tackle these different concepts of family is both heart-warming and in parts relatable. All it takes is just one or two scenes and you can’t help but either smile at how adorable the characters are or feel your heart clench when they are upset. Just the overall portrayal of the characters leave a whole lot of heart-warming feelings.

In terms of art and animation, that too is quite adorable especially with the pastel colors and generally soft designs of the toddlers. The voices of the characters are also impeccably done and overall the flow of the anime is rather well done and makes not just the theme of the series work but makes the characters highly endearing. Like the manga that this series is based on, it just leaves a fluffy and heart-warming feeling.

The Bad

The first negative thing that can be said against the series so far is that it seems to be doing some sort of pattern, first it builds up on the cute and then towards the second half of the episode that’s when the drama sets in to pull at the heartstrings. Then there is also the artwork of the series. It is cute, but the whole pastel tones can be a bit much on certain scenes and a little variation of tone could have been nice outside of the dramatic scenes. Other than this the overall look is not all that different outside of the little kids.

Conclusion

From what the three episodes has shown so far, there’s no other word for it, it’s cute, just everything about it is cute. Whether it be the way that it tackles the family theme to the way that it portrays it’s characters in terms of art, animation and even voice acting, it just leaves a good feeling for the viewer. The only real negative thing that can be said about the first impression of three episodes is that there seems to be a pattern that could be seen as trying to gauge the emotional side of the viewers. So, if you’re looking for a series that will leave a full feeling of fluff and cuteness mixed with some heart tugging, this is the series to watch.

Rating: 8.5/10