Christmas time comes to the Rabbit bunch.
What They Say:
Bunnisode 11: “The Girl Dons a Red Coat and Drives a Team of Rabbits Across the Christmas Eve Night Sky”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
So, it’s Christmas in whatever town it is again the show takes place in and the girls go to the local Christmas market, where Cocoa is positively giddy with delight. Cocoa and Chino then suggest a Christmas get together after work, as Syaro will be working that day. She’s actually the happiest of them all, since it won’t be just a daifuku (rice cake) and a candle for her again. Syaro just upped her moe points, which were already rather high.
Cocoa also reveals her secret desire to break and enter into people’s homes very late at night…okay, it was a wish to be Santa. But she likes the idea of giving presents and now the party will be set for the Rabbit House, with Tippy’s approval. So, the girls get to thinking about the party and Chiya, in particular, thinks that she has to do some kind of party trick to show her appreciation. Syaro, on the other hand, is working out in the cold handing out flyers and dreaming of the party…and coming to the slow realization that she’s The Little Match Girl (much to her horror).
So, Megu and Maya come by the Rabbit House, invited by Chino to the party. They find the cafe packed with customers, which is unusual. It appears that their Christmas pancakes are a big hit. So as Chiya and Syaro come, all the girls wind up helping out with the overflow of customers, with Syaro providing the most help even though she worked a full shift at her regular job. Chiya helps with cooking…not so much with making butter from cream (though there are plenty of sparkles). It also appears that while Cocoa has some strange math abilities, Chiya is incapable of calculating patrons’ bills correctly (as asking someone to pay the equivalent of the national budget can’t be right…usually).
There are some clear signs that we’re getting near the end of the season, with the budget perhaps feeling some strain. There were a lot of animation shortcuts taken towards the end, with a large number of still shots, some without any sound other than background music, forming a montage in the latter part of the episode. Finally, there follows the party, where Chino is allowed to make the opening toast. Her father Takahiro and Aoyama Blue Mountain will take care of the meal. Though Aoyama mainly spends time gazing at the food. The girls exchange gifts and all is good cheer.
Other than the unseasonableness of the episode, this was a pleasant enough time. The girls largely go about their usual business, but it was nice to see them all in high spirits, even with the unexpected work. Cocoa finishes the day with trying to sneak into Chino’s room to give her a present. Which Takahiro did too. So, the next morning, Chino is greeted by two presents…and a Cocoa Santa. It’s hard in some ways to review a show like this. Or it’s too easy. Cute girls doing cute things with acceptable animation, cute character designs and decent enough production values all around. That sums it up. There wasn’t quite as clear a theme this time around, as the general camaraderie of the girls has already been established. Perhaps the one moment that sticks out is when Tippy turns to Chino and notes that he wanted his cafe to be a quiet hideaway, which is broken with all of the activity this day. Chino, however, says that this isn’t bad either, all of the fun and cheerful hustle and bustle. Tippy then looks at Chino and one feels that he is somehow pleased by the change that has occurred in his granddaughter.
So, Christmas over, will they end the season with New Year’s?
In Summary:
A Christmas-themed episode…right as we head into summer. Other than the odd timing of the episode, it was a pleasant and cute installment with the usual light humor (this show does some of the best “wild imagined thoughts” of any show in recent memory) and cute trimmings.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
