Tanabata has arrived and all Panda wants is more bamboo. Or does he?
What They Say:
The patrons and staff of Polar Bear’s Café prep for Tanabata. This is Panda’s first Tanabata and he is concerned about what to wish for.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With word that Polar Bear Cafe is set to run some fifty odd episodes, essentially a four cour series, I have to admit some trepidation over it. It’s the kind of series that I love the first season we get and wanted more, which we’re getting, but it’s also one that makes me leery that it could kill the magic if it goes on for too long and becomes a chore. The problem a show like this can run into, especially now that the manga is on hiatus while the author deals with the way the series isn’t going through approval with her, is that we’ll end up with a growing number of new supporting characters that could unbalance things. But if you keep it to just the core cast we have, it could end up pretty stale as well, making it a challenge to go on for long.
This episode does play with some standard if fun material as Tanabata is coming up and that means everyone is getting ready for it. Panda hasn’t experienced one before but he can only think of things like a big bamboo party. The explanations come across well with what it’s really about, even with Penguin using his particular tone of voice to explain it. There are some fun moments in the cafe in the first half as we see the human side of it as well as Handa gets a bit smitten once more and the whole atmosphere has a pretty relaxed but hopeful air about it. Putting Panda as the observer with it while also grappling with what to write himself for his wish gives it a good, soft but enjoyable feeling.
Handa’s interest in Sasako is certainly fun to watch since he is, as Full Time Panda says, a late bloomer. He doesn’t know how to make a move with her and it’s something that Panda can’t understand either, though he wants to help him since all he sees during his work day are couples and kids coming to see the pandas and others. There’s a lot of fun as Tanabata itself gets underway at the cafe and all the notes are put up on the tree, even as Panda still struggles with his own and what he wants to put on it. His nature can be a little grating at times, but there’s that softness and child like nature that helps as it goes on. Watching everyone that has come to be friends at the cafe come together for this, and the pretty nature of the tree, definitely is a welcome moment.
In Summary:
Polar Bear Cafe has a pretty good episode here as it deals with Tanabata throughout it but also with relationships in general. Penguin doesn’t get a lot of time but he’s still on the down side of things due to the lack of progress made with Penko. And Handa is now falling for Sasako harder than before, though he’s still really shy and uncertain of how to make any sort of progress with her. Seeing his problems here and how Panda tries to understand them as well works really nicely and gives the show a welcome bit of additional heart and enjoyment. The episode does some fun things with Tanabata as well, making for a lot of good fun to be had with the wishes and the ceremony itself. While not a standout episode or a big laugh fest, it has a lot to offer and gives us some quality time with the core cast while still expanding things.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
