Hello there. This is review number sixty five and I’ll be reviewing a short one. It is part of the Spring 2012 lineup and it’s actually at the bottom of my list. That’s why I only saw it now. Yurumates 3D doesn’t really stand out. There is also no 3D in it. F*cking lie. It’s a three minute anime about chibi. So yeah, let’s read on.
Story
Yurume, an 18-year-old “ronin” moves into an apartment complex called the Maison du Wish. It’s located on the outskirts of Tokyo where other ronins living there are studying for upcoming college acceptance exams. She spends her day with other ronins doing a bunch of random things.
Taking the Pants Off
As you can see from the picture above, this anime is about chibi characters. It’s actually been a long time since I’ve watched some chibi anime. I think Lucky Stars is my last one and that was back in 2006. Chibi isn’t really a genre that can be taken seriously because it’s often light hearted and barely contain any meaningful plot. It’s not like I watched Lucky Stars for the story though. The main selling point of chibi is the characters. Big headed, bug eyed and a small body is the appeal of chibi. It can be hypnotizing at times too but the overall experience in watching chibi doesn’t really last that long. I could be wrong though because Crayon Shin-chan is still ongoing. Basically, if you plan on watching anything chibi then don’t expect a thick plot. Just enjoy the cute little characters and whatever the hell they’re doing (see Binchotan).
So this anime is about Yurume who moved to Tokyo as a ronin. A ronin is someone who failed getting into a university so they must study once more for the entrance exam. Yurume moves to an apartment that most ronin go to study in. Her everyday life involves no studying though and the anime is just her and her fellow ronin fooling around. It took me awhile to get used to the fact that she is eighteen. How the heck is that eighteen? Japanese girls, by the time they hit eighteen, are fully developed in ALL the places that needs developing so I just couldn’t accept the fact our main is eighteen. She has a childish voice though so I just think of her as eight years old. It’s not like it matters anyway. In chibi, even a grandmother can be cute.
The anime only runs for three minutes and it’s a comedy so they just jam in a punch line or two before the show ends. The characters in the anime are pretty memorable. They’re generic but their interaction with each other and their chemistry is pretty strong. Think of Lucky Stars with its hypnotic random talks between chibi but in this anime’s case, the characters are much more chibi. It also has a four character set up consisting of three girls and one guy. They do random things like tanabata, drinking at night and talking about the weather. It’s very slice of life with some interesting characters.
The comedy aspect is also strong. There were some really funny moments in the anime and it often comes from the combination of the whacky characters. The dude is often picked on by the girls and I really love one scene where they were trying to smash a water melon open and they taped his limbs then made him crawl trying to bash the watermelon. I also love the fact that the characters are supposed to be studying but they never do. They just waste time doing nonsense which kind gives you an idea why they are ronin in the first place.
The anime is short though. It’s one and only flaw. Three minutes just isn’t enough. You get up to go to the bathroom and when you come back, it’s already halfway through. I think Lucky Star has already proved viewers that a four panel comic can stand out and they can watch twenty two minutes of this nonsense. This anime is thirteen episodes according to MAL but it’s actually still on going. I talked about the first thirteen episodes but I doubt there’s anything new on the rest of the episodes. I will still review it though. Curse my existence.
Three minutes isn’t that bad. You want an anime with no complicated set up and just a strong dose of non-sense then this anime is made for you. Besides, chibi can never do you wrong. It’s a silent genre but just tell that to Chibi Maruko-chan or Shin-chan so is still going strong despite airing back in the 90s. That’s pretty scary.
Sight and Sound
The animation is pretty simple. It doesn’t really stand out and there is really nothing worth noting except that the characters have is chibi. The background is pretty normal with a clean relaxing tone to it. The color palette is very childish with its pastel like appeal and warm color combination.
The OP stands out though. It features a mecha transformation that isn’t really what the anime is about. Some amazing cinematography on the opening sequence and it looks really bad ass. It’s kinda misleading though which, I think, is the gag behind it.
The opening song is amazing as well. I love Yurume’s seiyuu because she has a childish voice that is really nice to listen to. Hearing that voice do the opening is really awesome. I like it a lot. The voices in the anime really astounding and they stand out because of how nice they are done. A plus for the seiyuus.
Overall Score
4/10 “A solid comedy with chibi. You gotta love chibi.”
If you have three minutes then give it a try. I’m sure you’ll like it with its cast of whacky ronins and its random comedy appeal.
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