22-ji no Annaibito (The 22 O'Clock Guide)
Refusing to accept the death of her beloved dog, Choco, a young girl named Chiyo falls asleep, only to wake up in the Night World. She is greeted by Yoru, an entity that guides her through the realm of the darkest, most beautiful time of day. As Chiyo learns to cope with the loss in her heart, the starless world around her begins to light up.
26-ji no Sagashimono (The 26 O'Clock Search)
Since childhood, best friends Hina and Tsumugi have used an exchange diary as a token of their friendship. Angered that Hina wants to open up the diary to include a new girl she has befriended, the jealous Tsumugi throws it away. Upon falling asleep, she wakes up in front of a labyrinth within the Night World. Initially refusing to take Yoru's help, Tsumugi searches for an answer to her predicament, but she is confronted by her feelings of loneliness instead.
4-ji no Tegami (The 4 O'Clock Letter)
Another morning is approaching, and the thought fills Akatsuki with dread. Dejected from her inability to build a career, she begins to throw away her art pieces, stumbling upon an old sketchbook in the process. Within the book is a letter from a former friend who, a long time ago, had given her hope. As she continues going through her belongings, Akatsuki starts to remember the friend's identity—and she might even discover her fading passion for painting.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
So...I basically had no idea this anime even existed until I randomly stumbled across it on a website where I often downloaded anime. I looked up info about it and decided to watch the first episode on a whim...and boy, am I glad I did! Seriously, what the hell is this anime?! Where did it come from?! And why is it so friggin' amazing?! Yoru no Kuni, meant to be some kind of animated promotional vehicle for the singer Aimer's newest album, directed by some dude named Ryo-timo (real name Ryosuke Sawa, who worked on shows like Noein and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), completely tookme and a lot of other people by surprise. I, and many others, thought this would be 11-13 episodes at most, though the episodes came out at a rather slow pace, but that was okay with us. Buuuuut then the announcement came that Yoru no Kuni was only going to have three episodes. Seriously, what the fuck?! This anime deserves way more than just three episodes!! Who the hell decided that was a good idea?! In case you couldn't tell, I'm pissed off because this, to me, is a very strong contender for one of the absolute best anime that ever came out in 2021.
But enough bitching about this anime's short episode length, what's Yoru no Kuni even about? Well, in this anime, a mysterious avian being called Yoru inhabits the world of the night, and sometimes people get magically transported into his world while sleeping (Or Yoru goes into their dreams. The anime isn't very clear about it, and I think it's intentionally left to open to interpretation), and Yoru's job is to gently help them come to terms with whatever problem they're dealing with. It's basically like Infinity Train (The Cartoon Network show, not the Demon Slayer movie) in that the characters of the day have a problem, get transported to Yoru's dominion, and have to learn to come to terms with their problem, sometimes with Yoru's help, sometimes not. The story isn't very linear, but more episodic in nature, and each episode focuses on a different character, namely a little girl dealing with the loss of her pet, a middle schooler coping with jealousy over her friend wanting to expand their friend circle, and an adult woman who can't seem to hold down a job and is insecure about how her life will turn out.
Of course, the obvious thing that stands out about this anime is...well, the animation. There's this almost painting-like style to it, with crayon-esque shooting stars, picturesque watercolor hillsides, luminous butterflies, swirly trees, and so on. Not only is everything lusciously animated, from character movement to the dazzling spectacles on display when the characters of the day come to terms with their problems, everything has its own unique texture, and not once does the world feel sterile or like a cardboard cut-out. Yoru no Kuni is a series about dreams, and I think in that aspect, it succeeds in creating a perfect, dream-like atmosphere, and the bright visuals don't so much dazzle you as they do careess your eyes with its storybook-like animation. The music is pretty good here as well. There isn't a lot of it, contributing to the series' emphasis on ambience and atmosphere, and the insert songs are all well-timed, well-sung, and are always saved for just the right moment, allowing for stronger impact and emotional catharsis when the characters resolve their issues.
Being a shorter web series, Yoru no Kuni goes for a character-of-the-day approach, where every episode focuses on a different singular person, with the only main character among them being Yoru. While the human characters aren't exactly the most three-dimensional or layered, they feel realistic, and their problems are down-to-earth, relatable, and true to life, even within the context of the fantastical setting. Even Yoru, who we know the least about throughout the entire series, is likeable, as he's basically some kind of magical monster therapist who gives advice and helps when his charges ask, but never patronizes them and gently nudges them towards their resolution without being forceful or overbearing. He's simply there if they need him, and he helps them when they ask for it, acting as a sort of guide for them. The anime doesn't try to answer any questions about him, and there is a lot we don't know about Yoru. What is he? Where does he come from? What's his overall purpose? Why does he help these people? What does he even gain from helping them? Is he a cog in a machine, a part of something bigger, or does he help people because he wants to? Is it even out of genuine kindness or due to some ulterior motive?
The series, being relatively episodic, doesn't have much in the way of a grand narrative. It's just an avian monster helping people with their issues. It really says something when any flaws it has don't really have anything to do with its overall quality. I want to know more about Yoru, the people he helps, and his world, and three episodes isn't anywhere near enough to tell this kind of story. Again, the fact that it's so short is its biggest drawback. I don't know whether it's short length is due to it being cancelled, budget constraints, if Ryo-timo was made to cancel it or if he wanted to leave it this way, other stuff behind the scenes, or maybe it wasn't popular enough. Who knows at this point? Neither Ryo-timo nor Aimer have mentioned anything about the reasons behind its short length, and I'm admittedly still pissed about it, but whatever the case, I'm glad we got Yoru no Kuni at all. In only three episodes it's able to do what most anime that have twice as many, maybe even more, are unable to. All of its characters are compelling, the animation is striking, the story that we have is really nice, and it's just a good, wholesome time killer you can use to waste half an hour if you feel like it. This kind of concept has so much potential for exploration and other ideas, and it's a shame it ended its run so soon, as I feel like more could be done with Yoru no Kuni. Then again, that's what fan fics are for!
For what it is, though, Yoru no Kuni is a damn good piece of fine art that deserves way more appreciation than it gets. Please, do yourself a favor and watch Yoru no Kuni if you can. It's an absolute feast for the eyes and the heart.
