Episode 1 “Runaway Raccoon”

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE? I watch anime and TV shows that spark my imagination! What are you watching? And what are you creating, based on what you’re watching? Cosplay? Fanart? Original Characters? Fan Fiction? Your own story? Let me know in the comments below! I use the inspiration from what I watch to continue writing and drawing characters for my story, Hand of Rel.

About the Show

I’M WATCHING BRAND NEW ANIMAL. Or BNA, on Netflix. It’s a new Netflix anime about animals! It follows a raccoon/squirrel girl named Michiru Kagemori. I just finished episode one. It was amazing!

IT GIVES ME STRONG ZOOTOPIA VIBES. I had that idea from the get-go. But instead of the main character trying to make it to Zootopia, it’s a place called Anima-City, where all beasts are welcome. And it has the same theme of discrimination, although, BNA being an anime and not a Disney film, it takes that to another level with more violence and outright racism. Animalism? Beastism? Well, you get the point.

THE MAIN PROTAGONIST, Michiru Kagemori, is even a prey creature, that meets up with a predator, Shirou Ogami. In Zootopia, Judy Hopps, a rabbit, meets up with a fox, Nick Wilde. In BNA, the raccoon meets up with a wolf! Predator and Prey. Well, wait? Then again isn’t a raccoon considered a predator? They have sharp teeth and claws. *looks it up* Okay, still not certain. Anyways, that’s a parallel I found in this new anime! As far as what becomes of their relationship, I can’t say for sure. I just finished the first episode. But I’m already hooked!

EPISODE ONE FOLLOWS MICHIRU as she tries to reach to Anima-City. She looks like a young, runaway beastman (beastwoman? beastgirl?). She’s ambushed by a few humans that gang up and try to beat the crap out of her. They pummel her for a bit, cornering her in a forest. Before they can finish wiping the floor with her, Michiru is saved by some beastmen, and then pays to be ferried over safely to Anima-City. There, Michiru arrives during a celebration! Music. Dancing. Laughter. Fireworks!

During the celebration, a small monkey steals Michiru’s wallet and she gives chase! Chaos quickly unfolds, things start falling apart, and the festivities are disrupted by a group of gun-toting beastmen. Three of them. A lone wolf appears to stand against the group of three ne’er-do-wells and thrashes them, effortlessly. Michiru stops the wolf before he can kill the group of gun-toting beastmen, unleashing an unknown power of her own.

The Good

THE VOICE ACTING. Amazing! The voice cast does an awesome job of bringing the characters to life. Michiru is voiced by Cherami Leigh, one of my favorite voice actors! She was the voice of Gaige in Borderlands 2 (my main when I played B2), Lucy in Fairytail, Asuna in Sword Art Online, and Makoto in Persona 5, just to name a few!  I haven’t heard the Japanese audio, but from what I’ve watched, it fits, it works, and I dig it! I could get into sub vs dub, but that’s a whole other topic of discussion. Although, I will say that I am usually a fan of the English dub. Yeah.

THE ANIMATION. It’s really fluid. It reminds me of Studio Trigger’s work on like Gurren Lagann or Kill La Kill. *looks it up* Oh, OH! Studio Trigger is the animation studio behind it! No wonder it’s so eye-catching. I have to say, I think they might be my favorite anime studio. You can always tell their work from the insane fighting and style. Speaking of style…

THE CHARACTER DESIGNS. I love them! I usually avoid anything that has to do with anthropomorphic animals. It’s not really my thing. I did enjoy Zootopia and I can watch Looney Tunes. I can’t with things like Cats, though. Or even Beastars, which I’ve watched a bit of. Everyone says it’s an amazing anime, and I agree, it has awesome animation, visuals, and the voice acting is top-notch. But I just can’t with the animals. That being said, the animal/human designs strike a nice balance, to where I can tolerate it. And I will say, Michiru is adorable! Reminds me of an animal version of my character Rel Rel, and that’s always a win.

THE STORY is interesting. Like I said it reminds me of Zootopia, which isn’t a bad thing. I loved that movie! So the parallel just gets me invested. But I do find the concept of the creatures being able to turn from animals to humans intriguing? Especially with the ending of episode one! If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. I am definitely excited to see how this whole thing plays out.

The Bad

THE FLAMINGO DANCERS. As I said, I’m not really into anthropomorphic animals. That goes for Shakira as Gazelle in Zooptopia. Just, ugh, why? I had the same thought, and reaction when I saw the flamingo dancers in Anima City.

CLOSING

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Have you seen Brand New Animal (BNA)? What did you think of episode 1? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading! I’ll be back with another entry next time. Stay creative and go make something! Tell the world your story, in the way that only you can. Please take care and God bless. Cheers!