What They Say:
A comedy manga, “Shonen Ashibe,” that follows the friendship between baby spotted seal Goma-chan and first-grade student Ashiya Ashibe. First serialized in 1988 and adapted to anime in 1991, the adorable Goma-chan created a massive following and a spotted seal boom. This spring, Goma-chan returns to “Tentere Anime.” A cute, pleasant story of Ashibe and Goma-chan and their unusual school and their neighbors. Sometimes endearing, sometimes bizarre, it’s a fun anime for the whole family!
The Review:
With a month or so off after the third season ended, Shonen Ashibe has returned for its fourth season and I couldn’t be more delighted. This series works through a lot of great things and I think it’s one of the diamonds in the rough that people will overlook simply because it’s too “kiddie” looking or childish. While it’s made for a kids show it’s the kind that’s very appealing to audiences of all ages with how it handles the bonds of friendship, the silliness of it all, and a wide and expansive cast of interesting characters to keep it fresh. And it has an adorable seal as it’s primary motivator for a lot of things. It’s just great fun and having another season of it really does make my week a whole lot brighter.
Like a lot of season openers, it’s back to basics for this episode as we spend the day with Goma-chan at home. That has him causing a bit of trouble for Ma at the start while she’s cleaning, which is adorable, and then he gets into some trouble with Pa while he’s… occupied. That has him feeling sad like he doesn’t belong but everyone’s having a hard time figuring out why he’s sad. They do figure out that they need to involve him a bit more in things and that leads to a lot of colorful and playful moments, though there’s some worrying ones as well when Ma’s stash of money almost walks out the door. Goma-chan is adorable with his little cart, however, and seeing him out in the world to reconnect us with the core cast fo supporting characters is delightful, especially since we do get a brief bit of Sugao time as well.
In Summary:
Getting back into the swing of things with Shonen Ashibe is easy for a lot of reasons. The main one is that it’s just delightful from start to finish. This episode works a straightforward reconnect for viewers to get to come back to the cast after a break and it’s low stakes fun and enjoyment through and through. Goma-chan gets a lot of things in motion here and the kids and parents alike take it to their natural destinations. It’s pretty much on par visually with the previous season, which is a good thing, and what we get out of it works well as brightly colored fun and silliness.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
