Kemono Friends is a popular anime about the laid-back adventures of a group of animal characters in the form of girls in a mysterious world. The series remains as popular as ever, and a new anime series has just been announced. One of the most popular characters is Arai-san the raccoon, a cute troublemaker who always runs wild and drags everyone around her down with him. Let's take a look at the mysterious charm of Arai-san.
Arai-san is always running wild!
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
A small, energetic friend who calls himself "Arai-san" and ends his sentences with "~noda, ~noda". He adventures in the park with Fennec, but due to certain circumstances, Arai chases the hat thief, saying that "the park is in danger," but Fennec responds calmly and finds Arai amusing. Arai acts as he pleases without thinking of the consequences, but Fennec is happy to accompany him, making for a good pair. According to Fennec, his special skill is "being able to sprint in the opposite direction."
Real Raccoon
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Classified as a member of the Procyonidae family of the Carnivora genus, this small animal measures 40-60cm in length. Its grey-brown fur and black fur around its eyes and fluffy tail are adorable. Native to the United States and Canada, raccoons were once brought to Japan as pets, but now they are considered pests in Japan because they have been abandoned and become wild, causing damage to farmland.
Mr. Arai's Great Adventure
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Mr. Arai sets out on a journey with Fennec to get back what he believes to be the park's treasure, his "hat," from a thief. He follows Serval and Kaban's footsteps, complaining that the park will be in danger if his hat is lost. He respects Kaban as he listens to her stories of solving the Friends' worries and problems along the way. He then continues his journey with the goal of getting his hat back, preventing the park from being in danger, and meeting Kaban. However, he doesn't realize that the hat thief he is chasing is the same hat thief he admires until he meets her.
A surprising side of Arai-san
It hasn't actually been washed?
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
When you think of a raccoon, you might imagine it skillfully washing food with its hands, but in fact it is just searching for food in the river. Arai-san himself corrects himself on this, saying, "If this is revealed, I will have to change my name to 'Tesaguriguma'."
Is he really clumsy?
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
As you can tell from his appearance and personality, he is a clumsy boy. In the anime, his adventure began with Arai-san's assumptions and misunderstandings. During his adventure, he falls into a river and nearly drowns, and when he tries to kick a rolling ball, he swings it and falls over, so he seems to be quite clumsy. Not only Fennec, but also the professor, his assistants, and other friends tease him, which is typical of Arai.
He also has an honest side
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
In episode 11, Arai finally catches up with Serval and the bag, and mistaking the bag for a hat thief, he steals the hat from the bag. However, when he realized that Kaban had not stolen his hat, and that the person was the same "Kaban-san" whom he admires, he returned the hat without hesitation and apologized for jumping on him. Although he has a reckless personality, he can also be honest.
Arai-san's big success
Saving the park from crisis
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
The park's crisis due to the hat being stolen was a misunderstanding on Arai-san's part, but at the end of the story, a giant Cerulean appears and the park is really in danger. Arai followed Kaban to the volcano where the Sand Star was erupting, and together with Kaban, Serval, and Fennec, they repaired the filter in order to stop the Sand Star Law, contributing to the important task of stopping the Colossal Cerulean from self-repairing. When it's time to do it, they do it.
Repairing the bus
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
Arai-san also plays an active role in the video "Episode 12.1 Bus Wonderful", which Director Tatsuki himself posted on a video sharing site, which complements the content of Episode 12. Arai-san and Fennec go out to look for tires to repair the bus that broke during the battle with the Ceruleans. They find the tires safely and play a part in repairing and modifying the bus. Without this, Kaban's next journey would not have been possible.
Singing the OP theme
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Arai-san is part of a unit called "Doubutsu Biscuits" with Serval and Fennec, and they also sing PPP and the OP theme "Welcome to Japari Park". Although they are not involved in the main story, they are also active as the face of the anime.
What's next for Arai-san?
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Although she doesn't have much to do with Kaban or Serval until the end, she plays an important role at key points, such as carrying one of the "hat feathers," an important item in the story, and repairing the volcano's filter. She's a reckless troublemaker who drags everyone around her into trouble, but the Friends around her watch over her kindly. She's small, so she's probably like a little sister to her. Arai-san is so adorable, but in episode 12, she is among the Friends who see off the departing bag, and seems to remain in the park. Arai-san played an active role as the face of the series, but will she also appear in the new series? I'm looking forward to seeing her in action.
