Don't Sugar Coat It - Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan

Picking up skills as a kid can be done in many ways. You could learn from a parent, an older sibling, or a teacher. There are even more ways now, thanks to the aid of technology. Older kids can learn from YouTube videos, while younger kids can turn to children’s programming. Shows like Between the Lions or anything on PBS Kids taught spelling and math in a fun and engaging way. Everyone else seems to have all the answers when you’re a child, and you’re rapidly learning information to be successful as you grow up. No grown-up will let you in on the truth, though, until much later. The truth is that childhood goes by too fast, and you’ll slowly lose your sense of wonder as adulthood attempts to crush you. Good thing big brother Uramichi Oniisan is around to tell you exactly how bleak it is.

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan is about what happens between takes of a children’s educational broadcast show. It’s actually a spoof of a real television show, Okaasan to Issho. I’m sure most of what is filmed on Together with Mamon is cut when Uramichi is on set. The show is split into on-set segments that become a little unhinged, thanks to the producer and other showrunners. Some of these segments include getting Uramichi, who is supposed to be in charge of the healthy exercise portion of the show, to dress up as a germ character. This typically sends Uramichi spiraling into a monologue about being a dog for your boss and doing what they say so you can live in front of the children who participate in the live tapings. Slowly, as the episodes progress, some of the kids who participate in the live tapings pick up on what Uramichi is putting down and adopt his bleak life perspective.

Other parts of the show take place with the actors when they’re not on camera. In their own ways, they’re all very humanly flawed. Uramichi Omota, as previously alluded to, is depressed and unhappy with the path his life took from professional gymnast to host on a children’s show. There are two singing co-hosts: Utano Tadano, who’s still waiting for her boyfriend of six years to propose but is totally not bitter about it, and Iketeru Daga, who can’t read analog clocks—his biggest flaw. He’s also dense, but that seems to make him the happiest character. Just not knowing what’s going on—an empty head makes work more tolerable.

One of my favorite character dynamics is between Usahara and Uramichi. Tobikichi Usahara is a bunny mascot whose name alludes to his future. Usahara has a knack for not censoring himself, and sometimes things just slip out—usually around his mascot companion, Mitsuo Kumatani. Kumatani loves to casually cause chaos to improve his own workday and informs Uramichi of some of Usahara’s comments just to watch him squirm under Uramichi’s murderous gaze. It’s a great gag every time, watching Usahara get so casually thrown under the bus.

This show has a formula: stage segments, behind-the-scenes, and an after-work scene thrown in. They sometimes change the layout of the episodes but tend to circle back to similar shenanigans. It never feels stale, though. About halfway through the show, two new characters are introduced to keep the dynamics fresh.

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan isn’t just a dark comedy about coworkers who dread going into work every day—though Uramichi does state that a lot. Once you’re past the halfway mark, Uramichi Oniisan starts to soften, revealing a gentler side to his bitter demeanor. As often as he complains and feels unhappy while working, Uramichi enjoys what he does. He takes pride in helping educate children and seeing them enjoy the show. Uramichi gives kids something to look forward to and enjoy during their childhood—something they might look back on and remember fondly in adulthood. Uramichi wasn’t looking to make a mark on the world, but he did.

The last few episodes balance comedy with a more serious tone, skillfully juggling flashbacks of Usahara, Kumatani, and Uramichi. Usahara notices how Uramichi changed since college, after his career in gymnastics ended. It’s not a lot of growth, but in a short anime, it’s nice to see the main character get some development beyond being the butt of a joke.

Speaking of Usahara, I just want to mention that Ray Chase voiced him, and it seemed like he had fun with the role based on his performance. Ray Chase also voices my favorite character, 004, in Cyborg 009: Call of Justice—which should get, or maybe has gotten, a blog. On top of discussing something I enjoyed, it’s only fair to mention something I wasn’t as keen on. I’m not sure why the characters in Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan randomly use Japanese phrases while on set. They’ll throw in words like "daijoubu," "ohayo," "oniisan," and more. It feels disjointed and clunky every time, and it threw me off the first time I heard it—and maybe even the second or third time.

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan received a lukewarm reception when it was released as an anime, even though it seems like the manga is well-liked. The show is listed as a "love it or hate it," and I have to agree. Honestly, the first episode didn’t immediately draw me in, and I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. However, by the second episode, they had the pacing down, and most of the jokes landed well for me. I thought the show got even funnier as it progressed. The manga is still ongoing and was nominated for Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards for Best Comedy, though it lost to Komi Can’t Communicate.

If you’re thinking of watching Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan, I think you should. It’s not a long watch at 13 episodes, and given the way it ended, I think they knew they weren’t getting a second season. Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan wrapped up everything as neatly as it could. It’s a show I feel confident recommending to someone who wants an easy background watch. Relax, giggle, and groan when some of the jokes about work hit a little too close to home.