It’s all fun and games until you visit the vet.
What They Say:
Lovely Muuuuuuuco! tells the story of the Akita dog Muco, and its glassblower owner Komatsu-san.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The return of spring has definitely been fun as we get more outdoor activities and a few more guests. Muco is definitely one that loves to be outside and having had dogs throughout my life as members of the family, winter is very hard in the northern climates. Their coping mechanisms during it can be all over the map, just like people, so getting back to a far more outgoing and life-loving Muco is a big plus. It does make me a little sad for Ushicou, however, as he continues to do his best to becoming Muco’s friend and he keeps getting rejected in so many different ways.
With the better weather out there, the two get to have some fun by going on a walk, though it’s one with Komatsu riding the bike while Muco races along behind, quite displeased since it’s not her preferred method. She likes it far more than where they’re actually going, however, as it’s time for the vet appointment. Which means our creepy vet who needs to give her a few shots and clip her nails. It’s rough for Muco and the way she goes on about it is hilarious since it keeps leading her into more “torture” of things that need to be fixed. The utter disgust that she feels is wonderfully fun and how she turns against Komatsu for a while is spot on as well. You can’t help but to feel bad yet you know it’s necessary. So when we get that moment where she forgets for the most part and just loves Komatsu again is very heartwarming.
There’s a lot of fun past the vets as Rena and her father come to visit for a bit and we see Muco’s limits in physical contact pushed a bit. And later on they come across Muco and Komatsu out in town where he’s buying some fishing gear as he does river fishing. This is apparently a passion of Komatsu’s as a hobby, one where he’s a master at it and it leads into a challenge with Rena’s father, who is also a river fisher. It’s a fun side of Komatsu that we don’t get to see often and having some time with the two men challenging each other as the “kids” watch on it pretty spot on. It’s something that neither of them really likes seeing the others be like, though Muco gets utterly distracted by the river – and the fish – as it goes on. Muco’s love of life is just so strong that it’s utterly delightful to watch play out, leaving me with a huge smile throughout this episode. Especially when she shames the fishermen.
In Summary:
Lovely Muco provides for another very fun and silly episode where the small but solid cast allows for a good range of interactions. With Ushicou taking an episode off we get Rena and her father for a bit plus the vet, which means a whiplash of things for Muco to deal with. And that’s all before heading to the river where there’s water! Muco’s love of life is the simple kind of thing that can be really inspirational and continues to make this one of my favorite shows to simply enjoy.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
