Rilakkuma and Kaoru
Alternate Title
リラックマとカオルさん
Synopsis
Kaoru is a typical OL (Office Lady) working for a small trading company in Tokyo. Her life, like that of many Tokyoans, is tough. She works long hours every day and nothing seems to go her way. Suddenly, Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma appear! They begin to live with Kaoru and her pet bird Kiiroitori in her tiny apartment. The story follows the lives of these four characters for a whole year as they experience many misadventures together. Kaoru, who always works hard and lives her life seriously, is suddenly affected by Rilakkuma’s laidback lifestyle.
Background
Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori are all characters owned by the Japanese stationery company, San-X. San-X is known for producing a wide variety of heartwarming and cute characters. The Rilakkuma brand was launched in 2003 and has enjoyed worldwide success and notoriety.
Rilakkuma and Kaoru is an original stop-motion anime directed by Masahito Kobayashi. Naoko Ogigami is writing the anime while Aki Kondo, creator of Rilakkuma, is acting as a creative advisor. The animation is produced by Dwarf Studios. The show will debut globally on April 19, 2019.
Characters
Rilakkuma
Rilakkuma looks like a bear, but not a real one. “Rilakkusu” comes from the English word “relax” and “kuma” means “bear” in Japanese. He has a zipper on his back but what’s inside remains a mystery. He idles around all day in Kaoru’s apartment, and loves eating hot cakes, omelette rice, pudding, and dango.
Korilakkuma
Korilakkuma is Rilakkuma’s friend. Her name translates to “small Rilakkuma.” She was actually named by Kiiroitori. Korilakkuma is a small white cub, but you can tell she is not a real bear because of the red button on her chest. She is energetic and mischievous.
Kiiroitori
Kiiroitori means “yellow bird” in Japanese. Although he has a bird cage, he is allowed to enter and leave it whenever he wants. He often scolds Rilakkuma for being too lazy and Korilakkuma for always pulling pranks. Kiiroitori loves to save money and clean. He’s basically the opposite of Rilakkuma.
Kaoru (Voiced by: Mikako Tabe)
Kaoru is a single woman who works in an office for a small trading company in Tokyo. Recently, she’s been drawing the short end of the stick. Her boss informs her that she won’t be getting a bonus this year, and a fortune teller tells her she’ll never get married. She works very hard and does overtime every day. These struggles have caused her to worry and fret. She feels miserable until she suddenly meets Rilakkuma one day.
International Streaming
- Netflix
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creators: Aki Kondo, San-X
- Director: Masahito Kobayashi
- Series Composition: Naoko Ogigami
- Creative Advisor: Aki Kondo
- Animation Production: Dwarf Studios