Koneko no Chi: Ponponra Daibouken

After the cartoon of Chi's Sweet Home and Chi's New Address, Chi now makes it to the 3D spectrum. It's been a long time watching this series, a full year since the first episode came out, and it has been a fun ride. If you have not seen or heard of Chi at all, I do recommend starting with the original cartoons before you make your way here. No matter, this review will be generally spoiler free, with only some mentioning of a couple of new characters. To be honest, the first time I heard Chi was going to be made into a 3D cartoon insteadof the 2D it was before, I was not a fan of it. I was not used to the new look and I wondered why they did not stick to the older version. But alas, nothing more could be done so I just took it for what it is. None the less, I enjoyed the series as each episode aired, which each one being 12 minutes instead of 3. 51 Episodes might seem like a lot, but if you were to put them together, it adds up to around 25 half hour episodes (approximately), which is about the average length of many anime shows. For the story part, Chi is generally a slice of life story and there is not much of an overall arc. However some stories are split into a couple of episodes. Overtime they do make continuity callbacks to previous episodes they do air, so it is best to try and watch it in order. This is technically supposed to be a sequel of sorts to Chi's New Address, however I think the continuity between the two shows is a bit muddled (unless I'm remembering wrong). Regardless, each individual episode is charming in its own way and each provides some fun. Granted at the very end of the series I was filled with questions regarding certain characters (like Chi's original family), and hoped to see more in season 2. Characters in Chi are all great and wonderful. Here we see the return of old characters like Chi, her family, and even Blackie; but we also get lots of new characters too like Come-Come (or Kocchi as its pronounced in the show) and a couple of tabby kittens that look very similar to Chi, hmm... The characters are all likable in their own ways. Even when Chi is up to mischief she appears as cute as always (although I might be biased to this cause I love cats in general). The art and animation are vastly different from the original cartoons that came before. Its in 3D for obvious terms which is going to throw people off. When I was first watching Chi I found the 3D aspects to be strange, however overtime I grew used to the 3D look of the show and eventually became pretty ok with it. Honestly compared to some other 3D cartoons/anime I've seen in the past, this one looks pretty fine. The colours all look nice and appealing, and everyone's models and characters do not seem to have any problems (from what I noticed). I will say that with the 3D characters can't be as expressive as the 2D, due to the limitations, but at least they do put an effort to try and mimic the expressions, give them props for that. The music and sound were pretty good. There isn't really much I can say for this honestly. The background music was alright, I didn't take much notice for it as the episodes past. It did its job of helping to convey mood and emotion well. The sound effects too did their part, helping to convey and time out the more cartoony and silly moments. I will comment on its opening theme, which I think its a really great and catchy song. While I would like to go full on bias and give it a 10/10 for cats, I need to be honest and give a more fairer score. This anime overall gets a 7/10 for me. Its cute and charming to watch. The characters are all great and likable, you pretty much want to root for everyone. The animation I know will throw off some people, but once you get past it, it is honestly not that bad. If you're someone who enjoys the Chi series and have not gotten around to this yet, then I do recommend it, you will not be disappointed. I also recommend this for those who love cats, and/or want to enjoy some cute, slice of life anime.