KINMOZA!

As a young girl, Shinobu Oomiya spent part of her early years on a homestay in England, where she became best friends with a girl named Alice Cartelet despite neither of them really speaking the other's language. Five years later, Shinobu's back in Japan living her normal high school life when she gets an airmail letter she can't read. turns out Alice learned Japanese, moved to Japan, and is enrolling in her school. That's the setup for this 12-episode TV series, and from there it's pure warm-blanket comfort viewing. Shinobu and Alice, along with their friends Aya, Yoko, and the half-British Karen, just hang out, go to school, and stumble through the little cultural misunderstandings that come from mixing Japanese and British sensibilities. There's no drama, no conflict to speak of: just five girls being genuinely sweet to each other. The cross-cultural angle gives it a bit more personality than your average cute-girls show. Shinobu's borderline obsession with all things English and Alice's earnest attempts to fit into Japanese life create this gentle back-and-forth that stays charming without ever getting old. If you liked the cozy atmosphere of Non Non Biyori or the friendship dynamics in Is the Order a Rabbit?, this hits a very similar note. Based on a 4-koma manga and animated by Studio Gokumi, it's the kind of show you put on after a long day when you just need something wholesome and uncomplicated.