Time to introduce the next girl and share some scary stories.
What They Say:
Bunnisode 03: “Do You Remember the Day You First Got Drunk? You Tried to Light a Campfire in Your Own Home, Didn’t You?”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Cocoa suggests they get new coffee cups for the cafe, since the ones Chino picked are so plain (she likes to keep things simple). While at a store to select new cups, we get introduced to the fifth girl from the opening animation, Sharo, who happens to go to the same school as Lize, but is younger (as are Cocoa and Chino, though Cocoa only seems to learn that Lize is older now). It appears that normally they would not have met, being in different grades, but Lize once saved Sharo’s life when threatened by muggers…no, that’s not quite right. When threatened by a terrifying feral rabbit…no, that’s not quite right either. When faced with a fat rabbit that sparks abject terror in Sharo, but who is quickly shooed away by Lize who comes down the same alleyway.
Yeah, this show.
So, the latest addition to the cast basically fulfills the need (were there one) for yuri subtext as Sharo is clearly head over heels for Lize, though Lize is, of course, completely unaware of the deep impact her “saving” of Sharo made on the younger girl. Cocoa and friends also get a completely wrong idea about Sharo, thinking she is a wealthy young lady (the classic anime staple, the ojou-sama) when in reality she lives in a modest house right next to Ama Usa, Chiya’s cafe. Still, Lize, without too much thought, bought a pair of matching coffee mugs and gave one to Sharo, so Sharo is on Cloud 9 when thinking about that minor victory.
And then we get the episode title card, nine and a half minutes in.
For the next bit, a great emergency comes to light. As Sharo is leaving home, she gives Chiya a copy of a flyer for the new place Sharo is going to work, a place called Fleur de Lapin (“Flower of Rabbit”). Chiya comes rushing over to the Rabbit House to tell everyone, though it’s not rabbits (which we know Sharo is afraid of) that worry her: it’s the silhouetted girl and the tagline on the flyer that reads “soothes both body and mind.” Chiya immediately assumes that this is some shady place that Sharo has taken employment at. Of course it’s all a misunderstanding as Lize thinks to herself (and voices over for us) the information that Fleur de Lapin is just a cafe.
And…so it is, of course. While the girls plan an infiltration (Lize’s military training gets her a little too pumped up at the idea), their spying reveals nothing more than an herbal tea house where the waitresses wear uniforms that feature floppy bunny ears as part of their headgear. That’s…it. So, the girls stay for a cup of herbal tea, as Sharo apparently knows quite a lot about herbal teas, choosing appropriate ones for each girl.
Sharo pays a return visit to the Rabbit House, but it begins to rain heavily that afternoon, leading her (and Chiya, who also came along) to spend the night there. She’s quite happy to do so as Lize will be sleeping over as well. There, the girls do what you normally do during a sleep-over…you tell ghost stories. It helps that it’s a dark and rainy night and the power goes out. Chiya is really into it, while Cocoa and Sharo are not exactly into being scared.
So, with the newest addition, we get yet another girl who does silly and cute things. That’s really all there is to say. In terms of cute girls doing cute things anime, this show is basically checking off all of the required options. Even the one character who seemed at first to be a slight departure from the normal stereotypes, Lize, has comfortably settled into the “sane, restrained girl” category that, say, Yui fills in Yuruyuri, but with the addition of her own brand of off-kilter silliness when it comes to anything involving threats of violence or military-type maneuvers.
Nothing innovative here, but a pleasant enough way to pass the time.
In Summary:
Sharo is the newest girl to be introduced. She goes to the same school as Lize but is the same age as Cocoa (as we learn that Lize is the eldest of the whole bunch). Her preference is for herbal teas, since the girls all have their own favored drinks. And…that’s really about it. They go look at coffee cups. They drink tea. They have a sleep-over and tell ghost stories. If you like cute girls doing nothing special, this show will provide your weekly recommended dosage. If not, there is nothing for you to see here.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
