Kemono Friends

Kemono Friends is a Twelve-Episode Anime about a girl who wakes up in Japari Park, not even knowing what type of animal she is. She journeys across the park to find answers, accompanied by her friend Serval.

The anime starts out a bit more like a video game, but as the season progressed the game it was supposed to promote got cancelled. So the anime staff got to do their own thing, and it turned out to be a hit! Then Executive Meddling set in, and another director replaced the original to make more money. The second season is not really recommended.


 * A Dog Named "Dog": Almost every character is known by the common name for their species. The main exception is Kaban, who is named for her backpack.
 * Abandoned Area: Japari Park, though it's all inhabited by Friends, the humans running the theme park are conspicuously absent.
 * Amusement Park: Japari Park, which seems like a large wild animal park, complete with attractions and zones for all sorts of wildlife. Complete with climate boundaries for each zone.
 * Artistic License: Biology: And how!
 * Applied Phlebotinum: Sandstar turns normal animals into Catgirl-like human hybrids.
 * Broken Bridge: A literal one. A particularly fiendish quest where the Japari Bus is in two sections on both sides of the missing bridge, and no one is around to explain what bridges are.
 * Cooking Duel: With only one contestant, because most animals are afraid of fire. Used as the worthiness quest by the Professor, and Kaban makes curry, natch.
 * Fetch Quest: Getting lumber for the house.
 * Foe Yay: Lion and Moose.
 * Giver of Lame Names: Serval, who names our heroine "Bag" (Kaban) after her backpack.
 * Humans Are Special: Justified trope in that on our planet, humans are kind of in charge of it due to superior problem-solving skills. Kaban doesn't have any special abilities except her brain on-screen, but it's more than enough to solve the problems of the Friends.
 * Les Yay: It's an exclusively female cast, but it's there's obviously something going on between Kaban and Serval. That said, there's no one to say what sexuality should be between Friends, so they get to determine their own relationship however they want.
 * Little Bit Beastly: The Friends.
 * Misplaced Wildlife: Mostly averted or justified by being a safari park, but Serval goes to all the Areas with Kaban.
 * Moe Anthropomorphism: All of the Friends in the park are animals that have been turned into Half-Human Hybrids.
 * Mini Game: Almost every episode in the anime in solving the Friends' problems, but some are specifically designed to be theme park "Attractions", like the labyrinths.
 * Nightmare Fetishist: Gray Wolf. Though a lot of her stories are to get good reaction face models she can draw into her manga.
 * Ontological Mystery: Two -- the first is Kaban's search for identity which drives the plot, and mysterious things like why the Lucky Beasts only talk to her. However this is all known instantly by the audience, who can identify her as a Homo sapiens.  The underlying mystery for the audience is why is she the only person in an abandoned safari park full of Friends?  But since it's the only world Kaban has ever known, she doesn't really think this is all that mysterious.
 * Outdoorsy Gal: Mirai, presumably, being a Japari Park Ranger.
 * Scooby-Doo Hoax: The night in the haunted lodge, where the ghost turns out to be.
 * Shaped Like Itself: Kaban is a human Friend -- a human Half-Human Hybrid. This becomes important at the end, because.
 * Robot Buddy: the Lucky Beasts, but specifically Lucky-chan.
 * Ruins of the Modern Age: Most of the park facilities not maintained by Friends have fallen into disrepair.
 * Tsundere: Tsuchinoko probably qualifies in a non-romantic way.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Japari buns, which every Friend eats. Averts Stock Animal Diet entirely, presumably because Friends have more human-like nutrition needs.
 * Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Kaban, who remembers nothing of her past before awakening in Japari Park.
 * Tunnel Network: The desert bypass, which is large enough for two-lane traffic and includes a subterranean maze attraction.
 * World of Action Girls: Kind of a weak example, but every Friend has a Wild Release and can use Sandstar energy to attack Ceruleans.
 * World Map: Justified, since Kaban just discovers a map of the park inside a display stand. Areas of the park include:
 * Jungle Japes
 * The Maze
 * Amusement Park - rides at the ocean Area.
 * Ghibli Hills
 * Thirsty Desert