History Anime / KemonoFriends

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it meant to be "Lucky Beast" or "Lackey Beast"? "Sandstar Low", "Sandstar Raw", or "Sandstar ρ(rho)"?

''Kemono Friends'' is currently being aired by Website/{{Crunchyroll}} and is also [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/653320 available for streaming]] on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. Creator/DiscotekMedia has additionally licensed the anime’s first season on DVD and Blu-Ray, with an English dub done by Sound Cadence Studios.

In the last week of September, 2017, a wrecking ball was taken to the franchise: Kadokawa fired Tatsuki over the 12.1 episode, which led to Japan's social media exploding and the ''entire staff'' resigning in protest. The reaction in Japan was so bad that the company's stock dropped over 33% in a day after this event. Although Kadokawa publicly apologized for causing the fan outrage and began to negotiate with the staff, it was decided that both Tatsuki and Yaoyorozu were not returning for the second season.

* DistantSequel: According to the Kemono Friends World event, Season 2 took place ''two thousand years'' after Season 1. The manga established the precise year as [[https://aqua.komica.org/68/pixmicat.php?res=57831 4025]].

[[folder: Season 1]]
%%* TheAbridgedSeries: [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYeT8GlEu6UzmPeP2Zuyp1t7WICz4NHsI Kemono Friend Abridged]].
* AfterTheEnd:
** It becomes clear pretty quickly that Japari Park ''used'' to have humans maintaining it, but now... doesn't.
** The girls walk past an old wreckage of a B-2 Bomber and some spent bombs; neither they nor the show comment.
* AllCGICartoon: The entire series is done in CGI that looks like 2D animation.
* AllThereInTheManual: A lot of the backstory was lost when the game closed, but is in the various Guidebooks. For example, the region Kaban finds herself in is the Kyoushuu Region of Japari Park, which was the first region of the game. In the game, it was a temperate grassland, in the anime [[spoiler: the lack of maintenance and the unusual effects of Sandstar have caused it to have several Biomes.]]
** [[spoiler: The region she heads to at the end of Season 1 is Gokoku, the 7th region of the game. In the game, it was a temperate island that had both mountains and beaches. Notable is that both Kyoushuu and Gokoku were the only two regions not part of the Japari Park mainland.]]
* AmusementParkOfDoom: The abandoned state of the park has caused some parts to be rather dangerous. This isn't even adding the threat of the Celliens.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In episode 12, Kaban [[spoiler:sets off to find humans in the Gokoku Region, which Boss indicates might have its own Friends in it since it's still part of the park. After she sets off, she runs out of gas for her boat, but is joined by Serval, Raccoon, and Fennec. Then a new unseen Friend comes by and asks what they're doing...]]
* AnimalGenderBender: Quite literally so. According to the creators, any animal turned into a Friend is always female regardless of the original sex, which is why some of them (such as Lion and Moose) exhibit male characteristics.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:In the final episode, all the [[LittleBitBeastly Friends]] [[CallBack Kaban and Serval meet during their journey]] show up to help and rescue Kaban in the fight against the [[FinalBoss Black Cellien]].]]
* BlobMonster: Celliens.
* BookEnds: [[spoiler:In both the first and last episodes, a paper airplane is used as part of a plan to defeat a large Cellien, and Serval decides to follow Kaban after she parts ways.]]

* CallBack:
** In episode 11, when Kaban needs to climb a tree fast, she starts climbing and chanting the way Serval did in episode 1.
--->'''Kaban''': Mya, mya, mya, mya!
** In episode 1, Kaban is forced to admit to Hippopotomus that she cannot swim, fly, run fast, or do much of anything. [[spoiler:By the end of episode 11, she has done [[TookALevelInBadass all those things]] to save Serval.]]
** Hippo [[spoiler: goes back on her [[InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn first episode statement]], telling Kaban in episode 12 that she can [[YouAreNotAlone turn to them]] when she needs to.]]
** A Friend was heard screaming in Episode 1 and mentioned that she may have been devoured by the Cellien. Then a normal aardwolf was shown in Episode 12 in the exact same location the Cellien was defeated.
* TheCavalry: [[spoiler:Most of the plot-important Friends return to battle the black Cellien in episode 12--not to destroy it, but to rescue Kaban from its innards.]]
* ChekhovsGun:
** Kaban's hat. [[spoiler: If you were a fan of the original franchise, you'll recognise it immediately, and the fact it still has a single feather in it is why Boss even works.]]
** Also in episode 1, Kaban gives Serval some paper airplanes. [[spoiler:In episode 12, Serval uses one of these paper airplanes to lure the black Cellien towards the boat so it can sink into the ocean.]]
* ChekhovsSkill:
** The ropes Kaban learns to make in episode 2 are used to make her [[spoiler:lifeline in episode 11 and the Friends use it to modify the bus in episode 12]].
** In episode 6, Kaban rolls up some scrolls to give Lion and Moose [[NonLethalWarfare non-lethal weapons]]. In episode 7, she learns paper burns. [[spoiler:Her improvised torches in episode 11 are made by putting the two concepts together.]]
** Every skill Kaban learns throughout the series is used in the climax to Episode 11: [[spoiler: Tree Climbing, Rope Making, Athletics, Swimming, Creating Fire...]]

* CliffHanger: Episode 11 really leaves the viewer hanging.
* ContinuityNod: Several heartbreaking ones, like the similarity Kaban has to a younger Mirai, [[spoiler: She was a Friend created by accident when Mirai lost her hat while recording her [[ApocalypticLog message on the ferris wheel]], which luckily had a hair in it which touched the sandstar.]] and the fact Serval looks very much like an updated version of Mirai's best Friend.
** The most heartbreaking continuity nod is Boss. Every word, every factoid... Mirai herself recorded... [[spoiler: especially that last message, which left the fanbase in doubt as to if she's even alive...]]
* CuteButCacophonic: Crested Ibis, as her singing can really scare off other Friends (Serval just tries to shrug it off).
* DarkestHour: Fitting the CliffHanger of episode 11, the start of episode 12.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** Episode 12.1 is one for Raccoon, Fennec, and the Owls as they find a replacement for the broken Japari Bus.
** The Owls also get major focus in the second special episode, which was made to promote the 2017 Animelo Summer Live.
** Silver Fox and Edo Red Fox get one in Special 3, which is a collaboration with Nissin Foods.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: The theme song repeats the lyrics "Welcome to ''youkoso'' Japari Park!". 'Youkoso' is Japanese for 'welcome'. So the line is translated into: "Welcome to welcome to Japari Park!"
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: The opening, ''Youkoso Japari Park e''[[note]]Welcome to Japari Park[[/note]] is sung by Serval, Raccoon, Fennec, and the PPP, the latter of whom also do the ending commentary.
* DramaticIrony: Kaban's QuestForIdentity is obvious to the viewer, since we, of course, know what humans are, but most Friends have no idea. [[spoiler:However, she's not a descendant of the remnants... not really, anyway. Kaban is a human Friend, cloned from Mirai's hair by the Sandstar.]]

** Humans: Kaban may be the last human on Earth, or at least in Japari Park. The QuestForIdentity becomes a quest for the LostColony.

* EvolvingCredits: Animal silhouettes appear in each episode opening, to be filled in after the new Friend is introduced. [[spoiler:After Episode 11 all of the silhouettes disappear.]] It's because [[spoiler:there is nothing to add after it.]] By episode 7, it also evolves into {{Foreshadowing}}. [[spoiler:The new Friends and silhouettes added are holding rope and wood. It's the scene that happens off camera in episode 12 where they modify the bus.]]
* EyeCatch: Instead of just a short still frame, though, you get a bit of narration from a zookeeper about the real-life version of a Friend introduced in that episode.
* TheFourGods:
** In the anime, [[spoiler:these are the controls for the Sandstone Low filter.]]
** In the game, they're basically OptionalBoss[=es=] of a BrutalBonusLevel where they're the strongest, at least in Cellien form.
* FunWithSubtitles: The final scene of the show. [[spoiler:Serval and company's boat wipes away the "The End" subtitle. Right before the scene cuts to black, a faint "[[AndTheAdventureContinues To be continued]]" fades in to replace it.]]
* GamerChick: Ezo Red Fox. Those arcade cabinets were built to last, apparently.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Friends get these when using Wild Release. [[spoiler:These also appear when the two owls lead all of the other Friends into combat against the black Cellien in Episode 12.]]
** [[spoiler: Lucky Beast gets them when playing back recordings, or when sending out broadcasts to the other Lucky Beasts.]]
* GondorCallsForAid: [[spoiler: The Lucky Beasts call in most of the Friends to help battle the black Cellien in episode 12.]]

* HappyEndingOverride: By the end of the mobile game, the Cellien Queen was defeated, Cerval became a Friend, Japari Park was opened, and everyone lived happily ever after... Then came the anime, which is set in an abandoned Japari Park, with the various fixtures of the mobile game being effectively PutOnABusToHell. The concept design exhibition shows us some of the things that happened between the game and the anime: [[spoiler: there was a massive Cellien eruption, which forced the Four Gods and Cerval to pull a HeroicSacrifice to save Japari Park. The Four Gods turned into statues, while Cerval turned into anti-Cellien. Together, they formed the filter seen in Episode 11.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: Offscreen sometime between the Game/Manga and the Anime, the Four Gods and Cerval had to sacrifice themselves to create a filter to prevent dangerous Sandstar from being emitted from the volcano. [[spoiler: This filter is knocked loose during the same eruption seen at the start of the Anime, and is repaired in Episode 11.]]
** [[spoiler: Kaban]] at the end of episode 11. [[spoiler: Despite having saved her, the unconscious Serval is a sitting duck for the black Cellien. Kaban chooses to lead it far enough away with a torch so Serval will be left alone, despite knowing it will kill her.]] [[spoiler: "Kaban-chan" [[http://i.imgur.com/ScP5vMO.png trended worldwide]] after this episode aired.]]
* HilariousOuttakes: Discotek's [=DVD=]/[=BD=] release contains a blooper reel for the English dub, which can also be found on Youtube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBKNSGCb44c& here.]]
* HollywoodChameleons: The panther chameleon Friend's color-changing ability is treated as actual invisibility.
* HumansAreSpecial: Kaban learns that while she may not have super speed or protection from extreme temperatures like other Friends, humans are adept at creative solutions to problems and can be good at ''many'' things. Fire-building, tree-climbing, rope-making, athletics, swimming, and throwing things all come into play in the finale.
* IdolSinger: PPP is an idol group made up of five penguin Friends.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: While Kaban and Serval are riding the ferris wheel, Kaban wonders if it's dangerous, but Serval insists that the Professor fixed it and made sure it was safe. The seat right next to theirs immediately falls off.
* InternalReveal:
** Kaban's species is human. This is obvious from the start, but the Friends have little experience with humans (especially since they're all LittleBitBeastly who already share most of humanity's distinctive traits) and so treat the reveal as a big discovery. [[spoiler: Her origins are a legitimate plot twist, however.]]
** The fact that they're in some sort of abandoned zoo is also obvious to the viewer, at least by the end of the first episode; but this takes the characters a long time to figure out because it's the only world they know.
** Inverted by [[spoiler: Mirai's recordings]], which provide the viewer with lots of information about the setting but mostly come across as TechnoBabble to Kaban and Serval.
* {{Iyashikei}}: It's surprisingly upbeat for a post-apocalyptic alien invasion!
* KillItWithWater: Thanks to her research, Tsuchinoko knows [[spoiler:that water turns Celliens into volcanic rock.]]
* KingOfBeasts: Played with. Lion is in charge of a group of friends and acts noble (though more shogun than king), but in private acts like a fairly normal cat.
* LeftHanging: [[spoiler:We never find out whether there was really an apocalypse that wiped out humanity, or if humans just abandoned the park long ago because of the Celliens. The show ends before Kaban and her unexpected tag-alongs reach the next island.]]
* LineOfSightName: Kaban is named for the bag she is wearing ("kaban" being Japanese for "bag").

* MadeOfPhlebotinum: Sandstar powers the entire show, causing both the Friends and the Celliens to exist. It also drives the Celliens to attack the Friends and forced the humans to leave Japari Park. Serval even mentions that Kaban may owe her existence to Sandstar in the first episode.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: Raccoon and Fennec are pursuing Kaban on the grounds that she's a "hat thief". They visit each place she's been to, only to find out that she left not too long ago. [[spoiler:They finally catch up in episode 11.]]
* ModernStasis: Despite the state of the park [[spoiler: showing that a period between 1 and 2000 years have passed since Humanity abandoned it]] the Friends have done very little to learn about their environment and the various technologies of the park, which are slowly decaying. Some, like Alpaca or Campo Flicker are content to imitate the most basic functions of the buildings around them, while others like the Owls and Tsuchinoko are actively curious about [[spoiler: the extinct Humans]], but mostly it takes Kaban and Serval traveling through an area to cause any change to occur.
* MoeAnthropomorphism: It's the basis of the franchise.
* MrExposition: Boss, aka Lucky Beast, provides background and information when entering new habitats. However, inside of attractions, it lets Kaban work things out for herself. In addition, in the event of something unexpected (such as a broken bridge), it freezes up.
* MutagenicGoo: The mysterious substance known as Sandstar turns regular animals into the humanoid Friends [[spoiler:(even their remains or a single hair). It also turns inanimate objects into Celliens.]]
* NonindicativeName: The anime mistranslated Celliens as "Ceruleans". While the first ones we see are indigo-blue, afterwards they start coming in more colours and the name stops making sense.
* NonNudeBathing: In episode 9 the Friends jump into the hot spring fully clothed until Kaban points out that you're supposed to remove your clothing first. The Friends are shocked to find out their clothes even ''can'' come off, and comment once they've removed them that the water is much warmer.
* NothingIsScarier: There's no squabbling from the penguin girls in the preview for Episode 12. [[spoiler:Just an incessant beeping and the sight of Japari Park's sign in ruins. It turns out to be setting up [[BigDamnHeroes more than]] just the DarkestHour.]]
* OnTheNext: Each episode ends with PPP discussing an animal that will show up next episode, which usually quickly devolves into squabbling. This is also the point within the show where the episode titles are given.
* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: Being who they are, Kaban and Serval quickly forget the directions Moose told them to get to the library, and take a forest maze instead, requiring the ability to read. This alerted TheOwlKnowingOne staff to their intelligence, which they take advantage of to... [[MundaneUtility have Kaban cook tasty food for them.]]
* OntologicalMystery: Behind the fun QuestForIdentity and meeting new Friends, there is a significant amount of unexplained background details that is gradually revealed.

* TheOwlKnowingOne: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]]. One of the owls at Japari Library is called "Professor" by all the other Friends, and the other is her assistant. And they certainly insist that they're wise. While they ''are'' smarter than most other Friends, and act as the leaders of the whole island, they still act childishly sometimes, like when they randomly crashed into Serval's head just to show off how they can fly silently.

* PeacockGirl: The Peafowl Friend who makes a brief appearance in episode 2.
* PhlebotinumMuncher: What makes the Celliens so dreaded. They exist and grow by absorbing the Sandstar in their environment, including any poor Friends that happen to be caught by them. Getting drained of Sandstar causes Friends to revert into regular, non-sentient animals, which the others treat as DeathOfPersonality. [[spoiler: Kaban turns out to be mostly unharmed by the effect, as her base species is human to begin with.]]
* {{Prequel}}: The manga is a SliceOfLife of the park ''before'' it was invaded by the Cellien. Which makes [[SugarApocalypse the anime's setting all the more heartbreaking.]]
* PrimalFear: All the Friends fear fire, but Kaban, as a human, is easily able to control it. Note that Brown Bear is less afraid, similar to her RealLife counterpart. [[spoiler:Brown Bear and the owls teach the other Friends how to be less afraid of fire in Episode 12.]]
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Mirai, the park guide from the mobile game, acts as TheGhost and her messages help guide Kaban on her QuestForIdentity. [[spoiler:Kaban herself is a human Friend born from a strand of hair that was on Mirai's hat as it blew away and was later hit by a piece of Sandstar.]]
* PuppetShows: The ending preview scenes are done puppet-style by PPP, the opening theme singers.
* QuestForIdentity: Kaban and Serval are on a quest to discover what species Kaban is.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** Prairie Dog and Beaver. In Episode 5, the Beaver, being the blue, constantly plans ahead and has a great amount of knowledge on structural engineering, but, afraid of messing up, can't commit herself to action. The Prairie Dog, being the red, is a heads-on person who does things quick and efficient, but without the ability to think things through or a team to rely on, tends to mess up multiple times. It's through the collaboration of Beaver's planning and knowledge and Prairie Dog's quick work and teamwork dynamic that they become a very impressive construction team.
** Raccoon is the red to Fennec's blue. Raccoon is desperately trying to chase down Kaban as fast as possible while Fennec just follows along trying to keep Raccoon out of trouble.
* RobotBuddy: The Lucky Beasts seems to have been created to serve as guides to Human Guests. They will never talk to Friends as protocol [[spoiler:unless a human is in danger.]]
* RunningJoke:
** "Please don't eat me!" "I won't eat you!" - Kaban and Serval's opening dialogue gets repeated several times.
** Several Friends are surprised that Lucky Beast (aka Boss) is now talking, although only to Kaban.
* ScienceHero: Kaban is about as close as you can get with no education to speak of. She regularly saves the day through quick thinking. [[spoiler: Which is her Friend Special Attribute.]]
* ShoutOut:
** Website/{{Crunchyroll}}-hime makes a special appearance as a red fox Friend in the audience of PPP's concert, even being voiced by her official actress in the dub.
** [[spoiler:In Episode 11, the Black Cellien is lured away by Kaban with a torch, much like [[Film/JurassicPark Rexy did with Grant and Ian]].]]
* ShownTheirWork: The series puts a lot of detail in animal biology. The dub even brought in experts from local wildlife rescues to make sure everything was accurate!
* SilentAntagonist: The Celliens.
* SingleStrokeBattle: Lion and Moose engage in this at the end of their first duel. [[spoiler:The camera zooms out to reveal they popped each other's ball at the same time, resulting in a draw.]]
* StealthSequel: While the anime seems unrelated to the mobile game it's based on, and features a completely different voice cast, [[spoiler: with the introduction of Mirai, it's revealed that the anime is a direct continuation.]] The reason for the different voice cast is also explained: [[spoiler: the animals in the anime aren't the same ones from the game, they merely share the same species. This is evidenced by the fact that the Serval seen with Mirai still has her VA from the mobile game.]] Even more so, [[spoiler: Kaban is to the anime Serval what Mirai is to the original mobile game's Serval, their first and closest Friends.]]
* {{Sting}}: Plays whenever the topic switches to the OntologicalMystery surrounding the park.
* SuperMode: In the final battle, the Friends release their wild sides. Ass-kicking and GlowingEyes ensue.
* SupportPartyMember: True to the game that inspired the anime, Kaban acts as a support character in the anime. While slow and clumsy, she's the one who comes up with ideas to make the Friends more effective. Plus, she's one of the few characters who can read. [[spoiler: Considering she's a Friend version of Mirai, it's a JustifiedTrope.]]
* TemptingApple: No actual temptation involved, but the library building resembles an apple core, evoking the Biblical fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: The opening theme kicks in [[spoiler:as the Friends power up for the battle with the black Cellien.]] Due to budget constraints, the start of this scene doubles as a poster render, complete with logo in the sky.
* TokenNonHuman: The Lucky Beasts, who are little robots that serve as guides. [[spoiler: Of course, until recently, there's been no humans to guide...]]

* WeaksauceWeakness: The seemingly invincible black Cellien [[spoiler:turns to stone on contact with water. They destroy it by luring it onto a boat and sinking it, leaving behind nothing but volcanic rock. Other Celliens may have the same weakness.]]
** Normal Celliens have a hard stone in them, often on their back. A swift tap to this stone will destroy them utterly.
* WistfulAmnesia: [[spoiler:Serval starts to tear up when she hears the original Serval talking to Mirai in the latter's recordings. While it's an AmbiguousSituation, it's suspected to be hinting that they're one and the same, but that Mirai's Serval fell to a Cellien, suffered a DeathOfPersonality and reverted to a regular serval, and was hit with Sandstar again, becoming the new Serval with none of the memories of the old one.]]
* AWizardDidIt: In the show, the tails of Friends can often be seen clipping through their clothes. According to the official guide book, this is actually because Friends don't realize their clothes aren't part of their bodies yet.

** In the game, they're basically OptionBoss[=es=] of a BrutalBonusLevel where they're the strongest, at least in Cellien form.

** In the game, they're basically BonusBoss[=es=] of a BrutalBonusLevel where they're the strongest, at least in Cellien form.

-->'''Kaban''': Mya, mya, mya, mya!

* TheCavalry / ContinuityCavalcade: [[spoiler:Most of the plot-important Friends return to battle the black Cellien in episode 12--not to destroy it, but to rescue Kaban from its innards.]]

* AnimalGenderBender: Quite literally so. According to WordOfGod, any animal turned into a Friend is always female regardless of the original sex, which is why some of them (such as Lion and Moose) exhibit male characteristics.

* ImprobablyFemaleCast: Not a single male character is to be found. WordOfGod states that Sandstar will even turn male animals into female Friends. (Lion being the obvious one there, with her very not-female mane.)

%%* TheAbridgedSeries: [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYeT8GlEu6UzmPeP2Zuyp1t7WICz4NHsI Kemono Friend Abridged]]

* AllCGICartoon

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: The PPP is the park's IdolSinger group consisting of penguin Friends.

* NoPronunciationGuide: "PPP", pronounced as ''[=PePaPu=]''. Short for ''Penguins Performance Project''.