Season 1 of Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure

Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure

A cute and exquisitely animated stop motion treat arrived with the release of Rilakkuma and Kaoru on Netflix in 2019.

The brief segments made it simple to follow along, and the charming characters and endearing sentiments would have warmed the hearts of even the most jaded viewers.

The return of the cuddly bears was surely inevitable at that point, and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to the theme park. or, more precisely, Nakasugi Land.

Theme Park Adventure is exactly what it claims it is, spread throughout 8 episodes with an average running time of 13 minutes. Rilakkuma and his friends depart for an incredibly beautiful and fun excursion to an amusement park.

With Kaoru losing her suitcase on the bus and being forced to stay behind, the first episode effectively sets the stage. To try and enjoy the thrills, Rilakkuma moves on with Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori.

The only issue is that Rilakkuma 

The only issue is that Rilakkuma is far too huge to ride some of them, so he must stand by and observe. That doesn't stop him from getting into mischief and meeting new people, though.

Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure

Rilakkuma meets some new characters with their own subplots and storylines in an animation that has a more experimental edge to it, utilising virtual reality that uses CGI and colourful neon lighting.

In the end, this is what differentiates this series from its predecessor in both good and bad ways.

This is undoubtedly a big undertaking, because animating a theme park in stop motion is a difficult and enormous work.

Although there are a few parts that don't quite work, for the most part the animators actually do a pretty good job.

The first season

The first season effectively served as a snapshot of Rilakkuma and Kaoru's lives, capturing various situations and fusing them with sentimental sentiments. In contrast, the second season lacks some of that same depth.

Because this is a simple, by-the-numbers adventure story, the main message isn't revealed until towards the end.

Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure

In the end, Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure is an innovative and ambitious sequel that has both wonderful moments and areas where it may be improved.

Although the cast is larger and there are more characters, the second season lacks the same cosiness and warmth that made the previous one so enjoyable. 

Despite that, this is still a very enjoyable series, albeit it isn't nearly as strong as it was in 2019.



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