Based on the San-X character of the same name, Rilakkuma and Kaoru follows the everyday life of Kaoru, a lonely office worker who one day encounters Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma along the street and brings them home. Together with Kaoru’s hardworking pet bird Kiiroitori, the four of them experience the ups and downs of life in the big city, creating some memorable moments in between. 

Plot and Story

In a way, Rilakkuma and Kaoru follows the conventional formula of a sweet, funny slice of life anime. The characters experience ordinary, everyday situations and the plot progresses at a slow pace. Kaoru and her friends are very much in the same situation towards the end of the season, albeit with some new opportunities for them. The strength of this anime is found in the close relationship Kaoru has with her makeshift family. 

There are moments that showcase the subtle emotions of Kaoru’s life, both professionally and personally. Rilakkuma and Kaoru is more likely to appeal to adults because of how it shows Kaoru’s hard life. All the friends she knew in high school are raising families or have found success in their careers. Kaoru, on the other hand, feels left out and stuck in a rut. She has no boyfriend and social life aside from work and feels underappreciated in her workplace. This makes the time she spends with Rilakkuma and the others important to her overall well-being. She can come home, relax, and interact with her new friends.

The activities the characters are involved in range from the little things in life to supernatural occurrences. While the episodes are largely self-contained stories, each has its own style. There is also a loose continuity between them that takes place over a year. Stories often feature Kaoru and her friends experiencing small things like lighting fireworks, trying to find jobs, or enjoying a snow day. The anime, however, doesn’t hesitate to add some fantastical situations like Rilakkuma befriending some aliens or Kaoru trying to help a ghost girl in her home pass on. You’ll never stop being entertained by this show because it’s consistently charming and willing to share stories that are outside the box.

Art and Animation

I’m so glad I was able to binge watch this series on Netflix because the stop motion animation is so adorable. The simple, cute style fits Rilakkuma’s image and the anime’s world feels very close knit. The stop motion animation reminds me of watching Aardman’s shorts of Wallace and Gromit. 

At the end of each episode, there’s usually an object with text placed somewhere on the screen that offers encouraging life advice for the viewers. It’s a nice gesture to end with and reflects the overall message and theme people can learn from each episode. A lot of time and hard work was put into this production and I really appreciate the team’s effort in building Rilakkuma’s world. 

Final Thoughts

If you enjoyed Netflix’s Aggretsuko and its comedic take on everyday work life, then Rillakkuma and Kaoru will be a nice show to binge along with it. It’s much more subtle in its messaging on work life and a perfect anime to kick back and relax. You’ll find Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori adorable additions to a cast of down-to-earth characters. While one season of the anime neatly ties up Rilakkuma and Kaoru’s story, the last episode certainly leaves some opportunity for a second season. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting patiently to see Rilakkuma and his friends again.

Rilakkuma to Kaoru-san (Rilakkuma and Kaoru)

Anime Info