is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by

Noriko Kuwata is a Japanese name, Japanese given name for females. Written forms Forms in kanji can include: * 徳子, "benevolence child" * 法子, "method, law child" * 則子, "rule child" * 紀子, "chronicle child" * 教子, "teach child" * 範子, "pat ...

serialized in ''

Manga Life was a manga magazine published monthly by Takeshobo in Japan since the November 1984 issue (published in October 1984). Its original title was , and the change to ''Manga Life'' was made to better compete with '' Manga Time'', a rival magazine p ...

'' since the November 2001 issue. It was later adapted into a comedy

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series on

Kids Station Kids Station ( Japanese: キッズステーション, ''Kizzu Sutēshon'') is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that launched on April 12, 1993. It primarily airs anime and other animation-related content aimed at children during ...

, a Japanese

broadcast satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. ...

station. It features characters that wear kigurumi costumes. Each character in the anime does not live up to the standards of their species, making them outcasts who must live in the "Useless" Forest. The main character, Uruno, is a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

who has the personality of a shy rabbit; meanwhile, his friend and

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

, Usahara the

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

, has a wolf-like dominance and aggression. Each of the 26 episodes is 5 minutes long, bringing the total series to 130 minutes (2 hours 10 minutes).

Main characters

; Uruno (a

) : Uruno is sent to live in the forest with other 'useless' animals since he fails to act lupine or possess any traits of his species. Instead of being aggressive and fierce like a wolf, he is very shy and passive, often at the receiving end of Usahara's physical outbursts. Usahara, the rabbit, can be seen as a foil to Uruno since the rabbit is more assertive and the wolf is more timid in this case. He has a

crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

on the cute little Chiiko-chan, hoping that even though he’s useless, he will win her heart someday. He is very easily moved to tears and can be said to be quite gullible, particularly in the face of Yunihiko's trickery. : ; Usahara (a

) : Usahara is an aggressive, bad-tempered rabbit who chain smokes. He often gets annoyed at Uruno and physically abuses him, but it seems he does care for the wolf, as shown when Uruno disappears in episode 26. He is revealed to have bouts of melancholy, which usually resolve themselves in a matter of days. He has a competitive friendship with Yunihiko, and the two often try to one-up each other. : ; Chiiko (a

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

) : Chiiko is a clumsy little cheetah girl who Uruno has a huge crush on. She is clueless, bad at running, and unskilled at

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

, but is very friendly and well-liked. She is also a member of the Female Feline Club, along with fellow wildcats Kuron, Rinku, and Piyu. She is shown to enjoy

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

, but is a miserable failure at it, as the prepared food leaves her friends quite ill. In spite of this, Uruno always eats the offered food as a show of his love. : ; Yunihiko (a

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

) : Yunihiko, the Master of the Forest, is a devilish, 'unpure' unicorn who enjoys drinking

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

and eating

fried squid Squid is eaten in many cuisines; in English, the culinary name calamari is often used for squid dishes.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd edition, 2002''s.v.''/ref> There are many ways to prepare and cook squid. Fried squid is common in the ...

. He is Peganosuke's twin brother. Mischievous, but never malevolent, he often lies to manipulate Uruno and Usahara for his own amusement. On rare occasions he is seen to have a conscience, but this does not stop him from thoroughly enjoying getting the other animals riled up. : ; Peganosuke (a

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

) : Peganosuke is Yunihiko's twin brother, who works as a

courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

delivering packages. He is very shy and timid, but quickly becomes friends with Uruno, due to their shared lack of self-confidence. He takes Uruno for flights, after Uruno helps him to realize that he should enjoy life and see things never seen before. : ; Takaoka (an

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

) : Takaoka is a grumpy,

near-sighted Myopia, also known as near-sightedness and short-sightedness, is an eye condition where light from distant objects focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry, while close objects appear normal. ...

eagle who is at constant conflict with Usahara. He is poor at hunting, and somewhat cowardly. In the first episode he declares that he and Uruno should ally themselves together against Usahara, but this is short-lived, because neither is strong enough to fight the rabbit. Takaoka has a secret crush on Fukurou, an

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

. :

Secondary characters

; Kumanee (a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

) : Kumanee is a traveling saleswoman. She is outgoing and friendly, often sharing leftover goods with her companions. She shares a deep bond with Usahara, being his good friend while also his rival in combat. : ; Kumakawa (a

) : Kumakawa is Kumanee's younger brother. He's a lively

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and refers to himself a "genius dancer." ; Kuron (a

panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

) : Kuron is the most

tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

ish girl in the Female Feline Club, and does not frighten easily. ; Rinku (a mountain cat) : Rinku is the most

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

member of the Female Feline Club. ; Piyu (a puma) : Piyu is an athletic member of the Female Feline Club, and is always seen wearing a jogging suit. ; Sakamata (an

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

) : Sakamata is calm and lonely boy, and becomes Uruno's friend quickly. He needs a life preserver to stay afloat, because he cannot swim. ; Fukurou (an

) : Fukurou is a straightforward girl and says exactly what she thinks. She has a crush on Peganosuke.

Music

;Opening theme: *"Sekai de Ichiban Boku ga Suki!" by

Ryōko Shintani is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa.Doi, Hitoshi.Shintani Ryouko. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 30, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 31, 2010.Nakagami, Yoshikattsu; Yoshida, Moichi; Onitsuka, Kanako; Nishimoto, Keiko. "Voice Actr ...

;Ending theme: *"Life is Free" by Ryōko Shintani

External links

Kid's Station's official series site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damekko Dobutsu 2001 manga 2005 anime television series debuts Anime series Comedy anime and manga Fantasy anime and manga Kemonomimi Magic Bus (studio) Takeshobo manga Seinen manga Television series about wolves Animated television series about rabbits and hares Animated television series about horses Animated television series about birds