Mameshiba

Huh. Where to start with Mameshiba? It's certainly a unique little experience. Much can be gleaned from its title alone, which roughly translates to "beany dogs" or " little bean dogs". What you see here really is what you get, and is an experience I'd liken to a fever dream more than anything else. Beginning with the strongest aspect of Mameshiba, the story, this anime, if you can even call it that, consists of a smattering of astonishingly brief vignettes, less than a minute each, where someone interacts with food that has beans or bean-like things in it, like peanutsor pistachios, when they notice one of these morsels moves or makes a noise. Upon further inspection, they discover the Mameshiba has revealed itself, bestowing some bizarre trivia that goes on to either ruin their day, their appetite, their concentration, or their composure. This formula is not only the tentpole of the show, but is all the show is. There is nothing else about it. Without this formula, the show wouldn't exist. It is the strongest aspect for that reason alone, but it also manages to be genuinely funny in its absurdism. Beyond the story, nothing else about Mameshiba is really notable. The art is shoddy and amateurish, though the designs of the titular Mameshiba are pretty cute. The sound meets all basic standards of quality, doing only as much as it absolutely has to. Though, there are some musical moments which prove pretty catchy. The characters are essentially nonexistent in their substance, and I wouldn't expect them to be anything else in a title this fleeting, so I'd even venture to call it a wise decision. In lieu of favorite characters, I'll state my favorite of the beany dogs, those being the endamame bean and red bean, mainly for their silly natures and particularly comedic interactions with their humans, the businessman and detective respectively. Overall, there's not really much else to say about this weird little anime. It's a bizarre and vanishingly brief moment, but not a forgettable one by any means.