Drama Digest
Your favorite kindergarten spirits are back for a third season. This season we see what happens after the Shiju crisis is lifted, and the SSR class comes with a new partner. This time, the spring festival is here at Baigui Kindergarten. Yuzao-mae and Yaodaoji set up stalls; Yan Mo, the judge, and the little black and white brothers set up a haunted house; Yi’s classmate opens a quiz while trying to save a bunch of little monsters before they are set to lose and affect the teachers and students. At this time, a starving and cold figure falls on the school gate, and the students try their best to help him and lend a helping hand. What happens next is a variety of events that bring these little spirits of joy to this figure and relieve the stress of his life. There is a mystery, fun, and so much more. What can you expect when there is a whole host of child-like spirits and quirky characters hosting a spring festival? Watch this cute and chibi anime to see what our little character gets to now.
The Feel-Good Part
Throughout its three-season run, the little forest spirits have gone through a wide range of challenges and kindergarten shenanigans that are endearing and fun to watch. Most of their endeavors are innocent and move from an episode-to-episode basis, so there is always something fresh and new for you to discover about them while learning about the characters themselves. The animation style is one aspect that draws audiences. It is a fresh take on the chibi genre, and rather than coming off as unsettling, it is rather cute and something reminiscent of those random chibi moments in other anime. This time around, we get a look into the spring festival, which is a staple in many school-based and coming-of-age or slice-of-life anime. With the exploration of a spring festival, we see all our characters in their element and work their way to do the things they love. With the addition of a sad and mysterious figure, we get to see how they can host and take care of a man with their kind hearts. Aside from the visuals and the wholesome nature of the anime, the true stars of this series are our main characters; Hotarugasu, Ibaraki Douji, Shuten Douji, and their large cast of characters.
The Disappointing Factor
There are plenty of moments where this drama gets on your nerves and gets a bit grating and annoying. Perhaps the reason why those chibi scenes in anime are so few and far between is that they are enjoyed in smaller doses. After three seasons, it’s no secret that this anime tends to lose its charm, especially in terms of storyline. So while everything is cute and wholesome, some moments are pointless and make no sense or lead anywhere. While the Spring Festival is an excellent addition to the story it does place the stories in a narrow box and does not allow for greater exploration. There is only so much you can get from a storyline about setting up a stall in a Spring Festival. But regardless, what saves this anime from being too bad is its runtime, which is short and sweet. If you are looking for something light-hearted and fun that you don’t have to think about so much, then you will enjoy this anime.
In-Depth Analysis
Slice-of-life dramas are usually relatively slow, but the great thing about them is their ability to show us something mundane and make it exciting. The star of these slice-of-life dramas is the characters and how they deal with various issues on screen. Bai Gui Youeryuan is perfect because it does not just use the slice-of-life genre but also the chibi aesthetic and delivers something that is extraordinarily wholesome and cute while being hilarious and perfect throughout the entire season. There is not much you can go into when it comes to this drama however, there is a great amount of enjoyment that you can get from it.
Star Power
There is no massive star power behind this series except the characters themselves. Each has its quirks and characteristics that set them apart from each other and give us a fun experience that we can all relate to. The studio behind the anime Painting Dream is best known for the chibi style of anime and has delivered some excellent chibi anime such as Jing Jing Lai Le Dao and Meghian Shuyuan.
Overall Opinion
This is a pretty relaxing, and wholesome anime and with its third season, it remains cute and fun to watch. If you enjoy the various misadventures and quirky characters of this genre, then you will enjoy this anime.
