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| 2. Iodine
 
This set of four-minute shorts stars Kogepan, an accidentally
burnt red-bean bun, whose unfortunate fate has given him a sour disposition and
very negative outlook on life. Though he spends much of his time getting drunk
on milk, voicing his discontent, and lashing out against the baked-goods community,
Kogepan is more curmudgeonly than malicious, and his exploits are kept very tame
and very whimsical. Most of the episodic shorts are simply a collection of loosely
connected scenes, some with a plot, and some without. A narrator is provided to
impart haiku-style wisdoms, and there are usually encounters with various friends
and acquaintances to suggest, perhaps, that Kogepan's life is not quite so unfortunate
as he believes. The offbeat premise and quirky stories are simple enough for the
smallest children to understand and profound enough to warm even the grumpiest
of hearts. The shorts are exceedingly minimalist
in their artistry, and look very much like moving picture books with their white
backgrounds and simple composition. Character designs are highly stylized, with
soft colors and thick lines. Kogepan himself is an instantly loveable sourpuss,
and looks vaguely like a sunburned kodama from Princess Mononoke. The music
and atmosphere are very light, and contribute nicely to the comfortable feel of
the show. There's only so much to be done with a cranky, anthropomorphized pastry,
however, and the creators were wise to end the series after ten good episodes. |
| 1.
Tempy 
Kogepan follows the life of a red bean paste bread who
accidentally got burnt while being baked. Lamenting his looks and thus his inability
to being sold, Kogepan ends up being a very moody, depressed, irritable and jealous
piece of bread, often drinking away his misery (apparently drinking milk causes
bread to become drunk). He often dreams of being a pretty bread and getting sold,
which is what is considered happiness to bread. Still, despite being grumpy most
of the time Kogepan has a kind heart when it comes to the young pretty bread,
and he likes to spend time with his best friend Cream Pan, who is also burnt but
has a more relaxed attitude about it. Kogepan
is a very charming and whimsical show with a very positive outlook on life. There's
even a narrator who will impart wisdoms onto the viewer from time to time. Kogepan
wouldn't be Kogepan if he wasn't burnt. There are plenty of bread out there who
he cares for and who care for him. Perhaps, and that seems to be the main message
of the show, perhaps life isn't that bad after all... |
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