- Genre : Comedy, drama, supernatural, slice of life, romance
- Episodes: 12
- Studio: P.A.Works
The Shimogamo boys are back. Having fun and causing as much trouble as they can. But things simply cannot stay the same forever. No matter how tightly we grip at it, time just slips through our fingers taking us all along with it. The boys are growing up, starting their own lives, perhaps even thinking about families of their own. It can be painful to shake yourself free of your past but the future holds endless possibilities. One thing’s for sure, as long as they are still alive, the idiot blood flowing through the son’s of Sou, will keep them enjoying every moment. After all, they are tanuki and tanuki should always be smiling.
What can I say about the Eccentric Family 2? I finished it last night. I ve been watching a single episode a day because I simply couldn’t handle more. I needed each one to softly settle in my mind and wrap itself around my heart before moving on. There aren’t any more episodes to watch tonight. It’s a little lonely but also alright. It ended as it should. Like a good friend moving away. I’ll miss it but I’m also happy for it. You did good kid….
If I sound even less coherent than usual, it’s cause I am. This show has left me a touch odd I think. I’ve been trying to figure out how to go about explaining it but I’m starting to feel it may be a fool’s errand. If you like, you can read my review for the first season. Everything I say there still holds except s2 is both more and less.
If possible season 2 may be even more beautiful. I found myself gawking at the screen on several occasions, openly wondering if it had always been so pretty. The voice acting and sound direction is refined but I preferred the season 1 OP. (season 2 OP is still wonderful though – here it is!)
This time around the story is more surreal but also more scattered. The narrative focus can get a little wide and you lose a certain sense of direction. If season 1 was about trying to escape the shadows of the past, season 2 is about looking to the future and that mix of hope and melancholy it brings. This welth of possibilities can be overwhelming.
…Forget this guys. The Eccentric Family isn’t about analysis and dissection. It’s about love. It’s about the sneaky varied forms love can take and all the grief and wonder it brings us. It’s about grabbing on to those good times and holding them so tightly your arms hurt a little. It’s about the deep inherent beauty of pointlessness. So it’s in that spirit that I now invite you, dearest friends, to share with me a show that I love:
Episode 1
I finished the first season months ago and I have that odd *you can never go home again* feeling.
Oh wow, the scene between Tousen and Sou… You guys remember when I randomly told you about the first minutes of UP. It’s like that!!! OK we’re like 8 seconds in and I’m tearing up – this rivals Natsume’s heartstring tugging powers.
I’m home….
I love that Yashiro, the youngest, is the only reliable source of income.
Episode 2
It’s warm here in Montreal. Perfect excuse to wear a tiny light summer dress. I’m comfy.
Casually conversing with some type demon in a noodle shop is also how I want to kill an afternoon. * Yasaburo instinctively protecting his younger brother is such a natural yet sweet scene.
“The Tengu peer down at the world from the pinnacle of Pride” – great line!
Episode 3
Still stifling here. I’ve cranked up the air conditioning cause Buddy was giving me dirty looks. I’m actually a little cold now.
OMG: DRAMATIC IRONING! This is the best thing I’ve ever seen! Yachiro and Yasaburo are wonderful together. It really feels like a sibling relationship among brothers that care about each other a lot.
OK now a passive aggressive veiled argument about a chaise is the best thing I’ve ever seen. The show is just everything!
No one ever says it but I think Yajiro may have been their dad’s favorite…
Episode 4
It’s Friday! I have a lot of chores to do over the weekend… But still IT’S FRIDAY!!!
I’ve always wanted to have someone to play Shogi with. I know how to play chess but I’ve only played twice and won both times. Once was against my dad and the other time was the president of my college chess club. Both were complete accidents, in fact I had to be told it was check mate on that second game but as it stands I am undefeated and would like to keep it that way. As sch I am never playing chess again. So Shogi is all I have.
Those fireflies fluttering up around the players are breathtaking. This is f***ing magical.
Episode 5
Ahhh lazy Saturday afternoon. I’m a grown up with responsibilities….Let’s watch cartoons!
I listen to the OP every time. Love this lyric: “My intentions are high but my goals are low”. Same!
Yasaburo turning into Gyokuran so his older brother can practice confessing his crush is hilariously adorable!
There’s something haunting about a quiet and defeated Benten simply sitting in the river. Could this be a character building moment or is Benten’s powerful pride immune to growth. Both would be great really.
Episode 6
As much as I love weekends I take comfort in going back to the structure of my weekdays. It’s all in my head. I regularly work on weekends and evenings so I could structure my time however I want regardless of the day but I like rituals. Sunday evenings watching a show with my puppy is one of my favorites.
Does Kaisei always transform into red objects? I kinda like that.
The entire sequence of Yasaburo in hell is breathtaking. It’s perfect in every way.
Episode 7
Just spent a few hours working out. I am maybe 50% sweat. I felt it was important to share that…
I did not expect it to go this tragic. Soun’s pitiful end paired with Yasaburo and his daughter’s measured reactions was devastating. There’s something brutal about these slow silences than couldn’t have been conveyed through sobs or yells. I’m a little shaken.
Episode 8
That last episode ended on quite the emotional gut punch… I wonder how they’ll handle the aftermath.
As they should of course. You morn, you grieve, you move on. I wish I could hug Tousen. We could go have a glass of wine and complain about how foolish the boys in our lives are and how much we love them.
All the kids immediately run to find their mom when there’s a thunderstorm. It’s a throwback to season 1 that’s otherwise unexplained. A little gift of sweetness for us fans that have been around since then!
Oh they are finally ending the feud. That’s good. The older Ebisugawa brother seems too good to be true…
Episode 9
It’s been a loooong day. I put about 14 hours in and I’m probably going to have to put in a few more before bed. Can’t be helped. At least we can have a little break.
Yajiro may be turning out to be my favorite too. Whenever he’s around there’s this calm absurdity that takes over. I love seeing him climb out of his well.
“I hope to return a bigger man than I am now” is a great parting line. I’m going to say that instead of goodbye from now on.
Now this is a flashback. Benten and the Nidaime in the rain. No explanation, no context, no closure. Delightful!!!
Episode 10
It’s raining. No it’s pouring! Torential.. I love it
The home of the 808 tanuki is fantastic. I know a lot of these places are real (Anime Journeys anyone), I wonder if this one is as well.
Oh that guy is the REAL Ebisugawa. I knew there was something fishy about the other one. We’ve not seen his face yet why am I convinced that he’s really hot?
Episode 11
It’s still raining yet somehow the humidity has not broken at all. Om the up side I’m loosing weight without noticing since I’m basically living my life in a sauna. I’m not sure if it’s an actual up side…
Benten casually brushing hellfire off her shoulder perfectly embodies the character. I want to be a little more like her when I grow up.
OK, being a train and riding on rails looks like fun. It’s not likely to be something I ever get to try out. I think I should just go ride the rails for a bit. Wanna come? Also I was right – hot guy…
For all the dire situation, Yasaburo’s dream sequence is extremely comforting. I feel like I’ve just been hugged. I am now convinced that everything is going to be ok. This is priceless wisdom:
“You can’t just do whatever you want, this is a dream after all!”
Episode 12
Wait it’s the last episode. Already – but I’m not done. I had more to learn. I’m always going to have more to learn. It’s a good thing you’re here. I can use the support.
The Nidaime crying to his daddy is the emotional release I needed.
There you uhave it.
I love this show. I love that I can share it with you. I hope these random slivers of story gave you just large enough a glimpse to want to know more. If you’ve seen the show already, I hope you enjoyed meandering down the lane with me. I hope there’s another season and I hope I can share it with you!
But wait…there’s more!!!
Favorite character: still EVERYONE!
What this anime taught me: Just because it’s a little sad doesn’t mean it can’t also be really fun
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.”
Suggested drink: Suffering Fools
- Every time anyone smokes – take a sip
- Every time anyone drinks – join them!
- Every time anyone says fool – drink water
- Every time anyone blushes – awww
- Every time anyone gets teleported – pay attention
- Every time anyone says “hell” – take a sip
- Every time anyone pulls a gun – put your hands up
- Every time we see Soichiro – raise your glass
- Every time we see Kaisei – to her health
- Every time we see falling leaves or water – ponder
I’ve been saving this review until I could read and enjoy and absorb at my leisure. I’m glad I did. It was perfect for this second season. I, too, loved seeing Yajiro leaving the well and regaining his ability to shape shift. I think my overall impression when it was over was a sense of sort of quiet, but wonderous realization that everyone, everyone in his family and immediate circle actually depend on Yasaburo. And he casually strolls in and saves the day without ever trying or making anything of it. Just having fun. After all, he’s got that fools blood.
Benten. Ah, Benten. So sad. So cruel. So beautiful and winsome.
The white grandmother Tanuki in her enchanted forest melts me.
“Keep your eyes open and your fur groomed. And make sure you cause trouble. Lots and lots of trouble.”
It really makes me happy that readers took the time to share their own memories with me. This show means something to me and feeling a connection with others through it makes it even more special. Thank you!
On the whole I think I enjoyed season 1 more, just because season 2 lacked that narrative focus and seemed to wander quite a bit more in more general terms as well, but Eccentric Family is very close to my heart and always will be, so I can’t say I was disappointed.
I agree – it got lost a bit here and there but it shone in individual moments. That’s what I was hoping to communicate.
I didn’t know there was a sequel. I quite enjoyed the first season even if it was a bit quirky. Will have to see if a UK distributor picks it up. 🙂
I’m pretty sure you have a few options to watch it in the UK. It’s on Crunchyroll CA so might be in UK as well
Sure. It’s not a title I am desperate to see, as I only saw the first one because I got a review copy. I can wait! 😉
How do you get review copies?
From PR agencies. I used to work for a site that had all these contacts then when I started my own site, I asked them to stick with me which thankfully they did. So, free anime, films and wrestling discs every month. 🙂
Out of curiosity, what kind of views do you need to pull in before PR agencies will consider adding you to their lists?
I don’t know but I’m still going so the bar must be low. :-/ Then again, it might be different where you are.
One of them asked for my stats earlier this year, which I was nervous about it since I’m not exactly lighting the interwebz up, but they were happy enough to continue with me.
Using Twitter and FB helps a bit in promoting each post but looking at the amount of likes and comments you get, people like you more than me so you’d do okay I imagine. 🙂
I think it’s more a matter of views. Mind you I wouldn’t even know who to approach for pr.
Ooh, what a lovely post. The impressionistic approach is the best one for this.
I loved all the new characters, whether it’s new major players, like Tousen or that shady trickster human, or new side characters like grandma tanuki (what a lovely furball!) or the girl who loves digging holes.
I loved the episode with the painting of hell, with Benten telling Yasaburo that she’s jealous how he could probably make a decent living even there, and with Juroujin later talling Yasaburo that Benten is the only one who can go back and forth at will and that he couldn’t bear looking at the painting without having the buddah and his thread painted in. Excellent threeway characterisation.
Shougi with tanuki pieces!
Yajiro leaving the well, still as a frog at first, was good to see (as he’s the closest to me in temperament).
Akadama sensei playing silent, consoling dad for both his proud children (has he abducted the Nidaime, too, or is he a tengu from birth?)
Kaisei revealing why she doesn’t show herself was adorable.
I so want season 3, but book 3 has yet to come out (I think).
I won’t lie, I knew you enjoyed his shw like I did and I was really looking forward to your comment on this. I was hoping you’d like my post. I was not expecting you to play along.
Thank you so much for taking me along on your own journey down the lane my friend. These are the little things that really mean a lot to me.
I love how many people you got interested in the show.
Sold! I’ll watch this one 😊 time for feelz and I miss Natsume-quality anime
Oh you will love it!!!
And I quote yesterdays comment from you: “Hey. I’m pretty sure some other bloggers contributed to that as well. Don’t heap all the blame on me!”
Righhhhhhttttt😂😂😂 Just kidding of course you know I love you😊😊 I agree with Scott…this was a wonderful post, and I always love the fact that when you love something, it totally shows in your writing😊😊So…Great post! 😊😊
That’s actually extremely flattering. I will consider this review a success then!
That first season was really hard to watch. It was beautiful, but it was also grim, trying to understand the father’s decision to die and the family left behind. A very odd story, and particularly Asian so even more difficult to translate into other cultures. I opted to avoid the second season because the first was so wrenching.
I think you missed out
Your posts have so much passion behind them, Irina. Dang, I may need to get around to watch the Eccentric Family. Sounds interesting.
You should Scott. I honestly think that it would speak to you. And I would love having your thoughts on it
Oh you…
You’re making me blush.