KyoAni’s Little Gem: Baja no Studio Review

Personally, I like things that are short and sweet and things that simply make you smile to yourself and squeal with joy. Baja no Studio is all of this.

You probably haven’t heard of it, but Baja no Studio is a stand-alone OVA produced by Kyoto Animation, made specifcially for a fan event. It’s set in an animation studio called Kohata Animation and this is where Baja lives. Baja’s daily life is quite blissful with all of the animators and other studio staff members cuddling with him and feeding him ona daily basis. Outside of the studio is a pond, where his friend (a duck) lives, although they’ve never met.When his duck friend is attacked by a cat, Baja attempts to save him on a nighttime adventure.

This OVA is targetted at children and so isn’t exactly all too simulating nor is the plot line “interesting”, but that’s the entire charm of it. You can just sit back and enjoy this cute little anime with no need to think about what’s actually happening. It sometimes makes a nice change to do this every so often – taking a break from other, rather serious shows.

Admittedly, the animation isn’t at the same standard as many of KyoAni’s shows (Violet Evergarden, Hibike! Euphonium, for example), but in my opinion, that’s okay. It doesn’t look bad, like others may say. It looks great and has that nostalgic feel to it, which is perfect for children’s anime.

The characters are all quite likeable in their own ways. Baja’s mannerisms captures similar mannerisms to a small child making it seem so realistic and making Baja a likeable character from the get-go. Even the antagonist, Gi, becomes likeable towards the end.

Personally, I actually enjoyed this little show a lot, although I know a lot of people won’t, arguably due to how much of it is based around the target audience. It was a perfect show to watch as I settled down for the night and I will probably end up watching this again at some point.

Rating: 8/10