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 Aimers newest album directed by some dude named Ryotimo real name Ryosuke Sawa who worked on shows like Noein and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad completely took me and a lot of other people by surprise. I and many others thought this would be 1113 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 couldnt tell Im 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 animes short episode length whats 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 isnt very clear about it and I think its intentionally left to open to interpretation and Yorus job is to gently help them come to terms with whatever problem theyre dealing with. Its 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 Yorus dominion and have to learn to come to terms with their problem sometimes with Yorus help sometimes not. The story isnt 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 cant 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. Theres this almost paintinglike style to it with crayonesque 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 cutout. Yoru no Kuni is a series about dreams and I think in that aspect it succeeds in creating a perfect dreamlike atmosphere and the bright visuals dont so much dazzle you as they do careess your eyes with its storybooklike animation. The music is pretty good here as well. There isnt a lot of it contributing to the series emphasis on ambience and atmosphere and the insert songs are all welltimed wellsung 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 characteroftheday approach where every episode focuses on a different singular person with the only main character among them being Yoru. While the human characters arent exactly the most threedimensional or layered they feel realistic and their problems are downtoearth 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 hes 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. Hes 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 doesnt try to answer any questions about him and there is a lot we dont know about Yoru. What is he? Where does he come from? Whats 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 doesnt have much in the way of a grand narrative. Its just an avian monster helping people with their issues. It really says something when any flaws it has dont 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 isnt anywhere near enough to tell this kind of story. Again the fact that its so short is its biggest drawback. I dont know whether its short length is due to it being cancelled budget constraints if Ryotimo was made to cancel it or if he wanted to leave it this way other stuff behind the scenes or maybe it wasnt popular enough. Who knows at this point? Neither Ryotimo nor Aimer have mentioned anything about the reasons behind its short length and Im admittedly still pissed about it but whatever the case Im glad we got Yoru no Kuni at all. In only three episodes its 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 its 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 its a shame it ended its run so soon as I feel like more could be done with Yoru no Kuni. Then again thats 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. Its an absolute feast for the eyes and the heart.