Episode 06 –
Man, I just love the laid back pacing to this series. Usagi drop has a great pacing that has a good balance of light-hearted humor, and more serious yet gentle undertones. As a slice of life series, Usagi drop has been doing a terrific job, with this episode just another reason why this is turning into one of my favorites of the season. This episode once again reflects back upon Rin’s past with the grandpa and all, but the way in which the episode connects Daikichi’s family together is well done, and more importantly, not too forced or cliche. The family tradition of tree planting was an excellent way to tie the different generations of the family together. On top of that, we see a whole lot more of Kouki, who’s rather stubborn and rash personality make him a rather enjoyable addition to the cast here.
The wonderful part to this episode is the part that focuses on the tree-planting tradition that Daikichi’s family has. It does remind Rin of her roots and origins (and is kind of saddening), but it also brings about a sense of character development for Daikichi and his family. It’s great how this single family tradition manages to tie together each generation before Rin. Even though each generation is vastly different from Rin in terms of age, each and every family member that came before her has a explicit connection to her through the trees, and it proved to be a great way to flesh out the entire family.
Kouki’s involvement in the episode proved to be secondary to the tree business, but it was just as enjoyable to watch (but for different reasons). Kouki acts like a childish, stubborn little troublemaker, kind of like a lot of boys his age. It’s fun to see little Rin pout in anger at Kouki’s silly antics, and Daikichi scolding Kouki for his troublemaking ways. Interestingly enough, you could see how Kouki is gradually becoming more like a family member for both Rin and Daikichi. Rin acts like an older sister who is stuck looking after her bratty little brother (lol), and Daikichi is acting rather father-like towards Kouki. It’s great how this series is fleshing out the relationships between the cast, and even Kouki’s mother (with her brief amount of screentime this week) proves to fit right in.
In the end, this episode was a bit more subdued that previous episodes, but that didn’t make it any less charming. The interactions between Rin and Daikichi, along with Kouki and his mother, proves to produce some rather fun and interesting character dynamics. Along with all that, the episode manages to provide some deeper insights into Daikichi’s family, all the way back to his grandpa. Of course, it’s the grandpa that started everything, from the tree planting to the prospect of raising Rin. How everything ties together is just great.
Overall Enjoyment: 3.9/5
Screenshots are later in the post.
Distant Paradise 
I love how Daikichi and Rin both learn from each other. Haha it seems like Rin is teaching Daikichi a lot more lol. She is so mature for her age.
And it looks like Rin is now like an older sister to Kouki, always pouting at his childish little antics lol. Daikichi and Rin both agree that he does a lot of silly stuff, which I found pretty amusing for some reason. I guess Rin is mature enough to see how ridiculous Kouki is sometimes 😛
I do wonder how long Kouki will be sticking around though. Maybe long enough for Daikichi to get on good terms with his mom… (￣ー￣)
Kouki is around for the entire series. He and Rin are pretty close like brother and sister, and a little more…to some degree. **spoiler** Rin pretty much has a crush on him until middle school. There should be an episode soon where Kouki and his mom come over for dinner. **end spoiler** Thats a sweet chapter.
Sorry, had to add in spoiler warnings for certain parts of your comment. Based on what you said though, it looks like I should look forward to a lot more of the series lol.
On a different note, I do hope there’s more indepth involvement from Kouki, his mother, and even Rin’s mother. It would definitely add some nice spins to the story.
To be honest, I was envious at how the parents of this anime plant trees to represent the growth of their children. In an odd way, I find that romantic :p
I do believe that it’s a more common tradition in Japan, though I can’t completely validate this claim. I personally thought it was a fascinating little tradition, and makes me want to try it if I ever have kids… Dang, this makes me think I’m just becoming really, really fond of Usagi Drop. o_o