Gakuen Babysitters AKA: I think I just felt a little tug on my heartstrings This is one of those healing anime that helps you see the goodness in the world. Its pure its uplifting its adorable. Its not what you would call a work of art its similar to watching a baby giraffe try to walk for the first time. Its clumsiness is part of what makes it so endearing. Even people who dont tend to like little kids much me for instance will find that this show appeals on a level you wouldnt think possible. Its hard to describe just how many times this series made me smile go awww or dance around in sheer unrestrained joy at their adorableness. In my head of course I didnt actually go dancing round. But theres more to the anime than just kiddy antics. Its the reason Ryuji puts up with the kids and the reason they love him. He sees them as people. He doesnt like cleaning up messes changing diapers or trying to stop a tantrum any more than the average person. He doesnt enjoy not being able to spend as much time with his friends as he would otherwise and he definitely doesnt enjoy having his stuff ruined. But he loves the kids. He sees each tot as a human being with his/her own distinct personality struggles and likes and dislikes. Theyre almost like family to him Kotaro is actually family of course. Just being with them seeing how they warm to him and come to trust and love him in return is one of the most purely satisfying parts of this show and the reason I loved it so much. Ryuji is exactly the type of person that shines best when taking care of others because of his gentle patient and selfless nature. Its also the reason hes so good at it. His only fault is that he can be a bit too soft on the kids but Kamitani and the others are there to balance that out. Usaida on the other hand has got to be one of the most irresponsible babysitters out there. Seriously leaving a kid that small outside by themselves what was he thinking? Sure he didnt realise they were gone but that only makes it worse. Its not like it was a oneoff either. I know its meant to be a gag primarily used to highlight Ryujis heroism but he should have been made out as a bit more responsible all the same. Hes not the only character whos a bit unrealistic. Theres the crybaby father the childloving deviant as hes so called in the anime the weary older brother and the tsundere who thinks the kids hate her. Whilst none of them were integral to the story except maybe Inomata who got some decent development they were rather funny to watch at times. I suppose they did provide a bit of a distraction from the kids every now and again by injecting a bit of drama which was refreshing. The love triangle scenario was unnecessary but that didnt mean it was bad in this case. I did think it was rather sweet and the innocent way it was shown was consistent with the innocence of the anime on the whole. The real gem though was watching Ryuji and Kotaros interactions. Its incredibly rare to see the loss of parents in anime handled so maturely normally its just a lets ignore the fact that the parents are dead until its time for a tragic backstory arc. Here it was realistically done. Ryuji loved his parents very much and truly misses them. He treasures Kotaro in their absence and Kotaro in return thinks Ryuji exemplifies everything good in the world. Parental death in this case brought Ryuji and Kotaro all the closer as the only surviving members of the family and the way they cherish each other is heartwrenching. Watching Ryu try and raise his brother in place of their parents and watching Kotaro try and help Ryu as much as his tiny little body is able was beautiful. Its love in its purest form and Im glad I got to see it. The other members of their new family the Chairwoman and butler Saikawa are also great characters. The Chairwoman is a good person even though you wouldnt guess it at first glance. She looks like a crotchety old lady doesnt mince words and makes Ryuji and Kotaro earn their keep but watch her long enough and youll see a little smile creep over her face as she watches them bring life back into the too empty house. She has the ability of giving over lessons that seem harsh until you reflect on what she said and realise how much care and wisdom was behind it. Saikawa too has a lot more to him than meets the eye. He appears enigmatic but is hiding a wicked sense of humour and a heart of gold. He helps them a lot more than they even realise. Both play a big part in Ryuji and Kotaros respective developments. What can I say about the rest of the aspects like the sound and art? The sound is very tender and warms your heart. The voice actors especially those that play the kids are brilliant and really make you believe actual tiny humans are speaking. The art is mellow and has a lot of pastel tones and soft designs. The kids are ridiculously chibi but thats done on purpose to make them seem cuter. It works too. Altogether Im unreasonably glad I watched this. Ill probably go to bed with a fuller heart for the next week than I have done in a while. And I think I might even like little kids more on the whole after this. If you want a pure adorable and heartwarming slice of life about a daycare this is the one for you. XD Adorableness Overload: The Anime