Throwback Thursday|Shirokuma Cafe (Polar Bear’s Cafe)

Hello loves~ It’s my turn for a Throwback Thursday post again~ I had a list of things to choose from. However, I was having a rough week and just wanted something fun, lighthearted, and could lift up my spirits. So I’m going to talk about one of my favorite animes of all time: ヒガ アロハ/Shirokuma Cafe, or Polar Bear’s Cafe.

The anime is based on the original 2006-2014 manga series by Aloha Higa. In 2014 the manga changed publishers and is currently continued under the name Shirokuma Cafe: Today’s Special. The 50 episode anime aired from April 2012 – March 2013. It was produced by Studio Pierrot.

PLOT
Animals live their daily lives just like humans. Some work 9-5 like jobs at the zoo, and others run bars or cafes. Panda is a naive, gluttonous, and lazy giant panda One day he stumbles upon Shirokuma Cafe (Polar Bear’s Cafe). It’s run by the calm, relaxed, and fun loving Shirokuma (Polar Bear). It’s here that he also meets Penguin, an emperor penguin. Panda starts to frequent Shirokuma Cafe and have new adventures and experiences with his new friends.

I absolutely adored this series when it was airing. It was always such a perfect pick me up whenever I had an awful day. First off, you got hellaaaa cute animals.

Secondly, hilarious shit happens all the time.

Third of all, they’re hella relatable. You’ve got an eclectic mix of animal and human characters. Each character has their own personality and charm. It’s a very bright and fun series. However, there’s more to it than just being a bright, cute, and fun series.

I mostly relate to Panda though. I mean pandas are my most favorite animal (Hi, I’m BAYOG’s hella basic Asian girl). Panda-kun is basically my spirit animal though. I’m lazy as shit most of the time. All I ever want to do is eat and sleep. However, I’m also pretty playful and annoy my friends and family by acting extra annoying and cute. I’m basically like Panda-kun around my family and my closest friends.

The series is incredibly fun. I used to look forward to watching each episode with my best friend and roomie. Despite the cuteness and comedy, there are also relatable lessons and reminders in there for everyone.  The characters, both the animals and humans, have moments of growth. I find that incredibly important and beautiful. The series shows that we can all help each other grow, have new experiences, and face new challenges. It doesn’t show just the fun times, but also difficult times. I think that it sends such a wonderful message to all ages. Of course the strongest theme in this series is friendship. I think it’s wonderful how it shows how such very different characters of all personalities, ages, and species can be friends. I think it’s wonderful how it shows the bromance and friendships among all the characters.

This is forever one of my most favorite scenes in the anime:

I also really loved the OST for the series. The first opening, “ボクにインビテーション” (Boku ni Invitation, or “Invitation for Me”) is definitely one of my favorites. It’s such a cute and upbeat song that really fits the series.

Seriously, I really love this series. It’s so cute and fun. It’s a truly heart-warming series. Have you watched it? If not, I really hope you get a chance to enjoy it too!~