Everyone knows the iconic character, Hello Kitty, but the Sanrio universe is far bigger than just the little white cat with a cute red bow. In fact, the entertainment giant has created more than 450 characters since it was founded in 1960, including Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, and Aggretsuko — the latter of which already has her own Netflix animated series.
There may be a wealth of characters to choose from when it comes to choosing inspiration for a new series, but two Sanrio favorites are celebrating very special anniversaries this year, and Netflix has brought them together for the super-kawaii stop-motion animated adventure, My Melody and Kuromi, added today [Thursday, July 24].
They hardly look old enough, but My Melody celebrates her 50th anniversary this year, while Kuromi marks her 20th birthday. Fans will know that these two characters are depicted as being friendly rivals — they’re both adorable white rabbits, although Kuromi has a punkier edge compared to the sweeter-than-sweet My Melody.
Kuromi has a penchant for skulls and her signature colors of black and purple, while My Melody is all about the pink and cutesy bows. Netflix’s new stop-motion series is set to play on this established rivalry and bring these beloved characters to a whole new audience.
The series is set in the idyllic pastel-colored fictional town of Mariland, where My Melody (voiced by Rei Sakuma) owns a successful cake shop while across the stream, Kuromi (voiced by Junko Takeuchi) runs a struggling sweet shop. Determined to learn why My Melody has all the customers while her shop remains empty, Kuromi decides to investigate what secrets lie behind My Melody’s success.
Alongside this, the pair also prepare for a sweet treat-making contest judged by renowned pastry chef, Mr. Pistachio (voiced by Kenji Nojima), and inadvertently endanger the inhabitants of Mariland when My Melody stumbles across a seemingly innocuous-looking heart in the woods that turns everything upside down and the whole town against her.
Fans of similarly whimsical Netflix stop-motion series Rilakkuma and Kaoru (a San-X creation, not to be confused with Sanrio), will want to check out My Melody and Kuromi, and honestly, it’s hard to imagine who won’t be charmed by this. The trailer promises adventure, a whole host of ridiculously adorable characters, and at the centre of it, a sweet rivals-to-besties story that could soften even the most cynical of hearts.
At this point, Sanrio hardly needs to sell itself to new fans as there is already an army of obsessives ready to devour this new series. But the rise in popularity of blind boxes (it’s not all about Labubu’s!) and Gashapon capsule toys means that bringing the characters of My Melody and Kuromi back to the forefront for this special celebratory series will likely see a spike in their popularity as well — especially as they’re being given a huge platform on Netflix.
Sanrio isn't just relying on the existing goodwill to their characters, however, and is bringing out the big guns with K-pop idols, Le Sserafim, providing the insanely catchy opening theme song, “Kawaii.”
My Melody and Kuromi is the perfect escapism and a reminder of the timeless brilliance of these beloved characters — I can’t wait to become obsessed with them all over again.
My Melody and Kuromi is on Netflix now.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
