Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyôdai.

Kin. We all know that family has had an impact on our lives, both positively and negatively, whether or not we like them. But family is permanent, unlike friends you can just stop talking to or a particular someone you can just break up with. That is, if you feel that way. And whether you like them or not, relatives might suddenly go at times. Whether you like it or not, of course. The individuals you hold closest to your heart could disappear at any time; life is a big joke. This leads us to the (atypical) tale of four brothers who, although living together, must come to terms with the loss of both of their parents.

You initially think the synopsis to be uninteresting to read. Four brothers sharing a home and making their way through life. All the slice-of-life stories ever? You'll be let down if you were expecting me to tell you that there's more going on than what the synopsis suggests. If you were hoping for a romantic tension or some type of story twist, pack up. There are just four brothers going through life with their buddies. Does this pose a threat? Not at all.

I've enjoyed watching this series over my morning cup of coffee. The fours brothers are so heartwarming. Gakuto and Minato, the two youngest, are so adorable. The four brothers take turns talking about their day-to-day, and the anime is character-driven rather than plot-driven. The four brothers care about each other deeply, and that's the focus of the series. The supporting characters are also fairly fleshed out, and their addition to select episodes/stories are not forced nor intrusive looking into the lives of the four brothers.

TLDR, an easy heartwarming slice-of-life anime to watch when you just want to relax.

Now this was surprising. This was a very heartfelt, soothing and visually inventive anime. It's a story about 4 brothers (one in his 20s, two teenagers and a six year old), who lost their parents a while ago. It's about the family dynamics that have now formed between all 4 of them, and how they all collectively deal with their loss. And it's actually brilliantly executed. None of them mentions anything about their parents. It's just sort of a thing that's left unsaid, but you can still feel it in their conversations. Like, when they visit the grave of their parents, each of them has a tear in their eye. But none of them mentions anything about it. They know each of them is hurting in their own way. They just silently go through this moment together. It's very touching and well executed.

You might be thinking that this is a sad cry fest, after reading the plot. It's not, not at all. It's bittersweet, yes. Seeing the strength of each of these 4 characters is something that makes this anime very optimistic. If anything, you can watch this anime as a slice of life too, because there's plenty of good humour as well. Some of the family dynamics between these characters are very fun to see.

The one thing that I absolutely adored with this anime was the direction and the animation by studio Shuka. There are many simple yet emotionally heavy moments in this anime, but if it wasn't for the visually inventive direction, it wouldn't have hit as much as it did. I mean some moments just really strike a chord. After watching episode 2, you'll know what I'm talking about. Some of the humour too was actually very differently shown, and took me by surprise. The side characters (the neighbours) are also very nicely done, and they complete this group of characters.

If you're looking for a nice blend of some serious drama and slice of life as well, then this is the anime for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to more anime by this studio.