Spring Anime: Best Hanami Episodes!
Devon Lord-Moncrief
Spring is one of the most important seasons in Japan, and for good reason! Between the gorgeous foliage, the countless sakura festivals to attend, all the fantastic sakura-themed foods and snacks to eat, and the world-famous sakura viewing events, spring is a time of happiness and beauty across Japan. Here is some spring anime to excite you for the season!
Polar Bear Café
Polar Bear Café is one of the cutest, most wholesome shows you’ll ever watch. Starring the titular big white polar bear, Polar Bear Café follows the day-to-day lives of several animals as they run a café, embark on fun adventures around town, and enjoy the world around them. What makes the show especially cute and endearing is how it caters to younger viewers, showcasing fun and educational moments.
In the second episode, Polar Bear, Penguin, and their friends go out to enjoy a sakura viewing event. They pack a big picnic basket, bring a blanket, and sit beneath the beautiful flowers. It wouldn’t be Polar Bear Café without Penguin acting like his usual self, so some silly mishaps aside, this is a great episode to see what a typical sakura viewing event is like in Japan. Just make sure to keep your cantankerous penguins at home.
Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh is a vast hodgepodge of slice-of-life vignettes, scenes, and situations bound together by the endearing friendship of young girls Chiyo, Sakaki, Ayumu, Koyomi, Tomo, and Kagura. Life as a young girl in Japan is surprisingly full of mishaps, antics, and the perils of navigating everyday life. Everything from being sleepy in class to eating snacks and skipping rope is covered in Azumanga Daioh.
In episode 19, Yukari wants Nyamo to attend a flower-viewing festival with her, but as usual, other things happen instead. The episode’s focus isn’t on spring itself or any particular sakura-themed festival but is simply an episode that occurs during the spring season. It highlights what life is like during this time of year, in school and out, and it shows what young girls can find themselves up to during sakura season.
Rilakkuma and Kaoru
Not enough words describe how unbelievably cute and wonderful Rilakkuma and Kaoru are. A show that stars the titular lazy bear, Rilakkuma and Kaoru explores the ins and outs of everyday life in modern Japan for the working woman. While Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori all stay home all day, Kaoru heads to work and navigates a Japanese adult’s often stressful and lonely life.
In the very first episode of the series, Kaoru attempts to reconnect with her friends by hosting a picnic at a local park during the sakura season. She gets super excited as she prepares and packs the food (much to Rilakkuma’s dismay when he learns it’s not for him.)
But when Kaoru shows up at the park, none of her friends leave her feeling even more alone. It’s a sad turn of events for her, but her friendship and camaraderie with Rilakkuma and the others cheer her up when she returns home.
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Gintama
Gintama is a show about what happens when super-powerful aliens arrive on Earth and manage to take over. It’s not as grim as it seems, as one of the biggest changes for the late-Edo period show is that carrying swords in public is banned. Still, life is challenging for Gintoki Sakata, a freelance samurai who does random work for pay.
In episode 125, the gang comes together to enjoy a day in the fine spring weather. This means eating good food, getting plenty tipsy in public, and engaging in friendly but heated competitions with one another. Regardless of everyone involved’s intentions or goals for the day, everyone enjoys the Hanami season together.
Sailor Moon R
Sailor Moon R follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino as she battles evil in the name of the moon! By transforming into the powerful Sailor Moon, Usagi helps defend the world from the forces of darkness. She might also be ditzy and kinda dumb most of the time, but not everyone’s perfect.
In episode 5, Usagi is taken to a park to picnic with the rest of her class. It’s full-on sakura season, and the flowers are positively beautiful. It’s a fantastic day until Alan and Anne summon a monster to ruin everything. Even though she ends up fighting a monster, Sailor Moon still gets to enjoy a lovely day out in the fantastic spring weather.
Why should I watch these spring anime episodes?
You should check out these spring anime episodes because they accurately represent springtime life in Japan. Sure, they might have monsters and wild competitions tossed in for good measure, but the act of enjoying food and drink with friends under the flowering sakura trees is something everyone can do. And if you can’t make it to Japan, watching these episodes is the next best thing!
Have you seen these episodes before? Did we miss any good Hanami episodes? Please let us know in the comments below! We would love to hear about which spring episodes you love best!
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