Polar Bear Cafe

12min

Animation

Comedy

Pushed by his mother to stop lazing around the house, a Panda searches for a part-time job but has troubling finding one to accommodate his laziness. He soon stumbles upon the Shirokuma Cafe, run by a Polar Bear who is holding interviews for a part-time position with his faithful customer Penguin. Panda applies for the job but fails the interview, with the job instead going to a human girl named Sasako. However, the others soon point Panda towards a part-time job at a nearby zoo.

Episodes

Cast

Welcome to Polar Bear's Café

1. Welcome to Polar Bear's Café

12min

5th Apr 2012

Pushed by his mother to stop lazing around the house, a Panda searches for a part-time job but has troubling finding one to accommodate his laziness. He soon stumbles upon the Polar Bear Café, run by a Polar Bear who is holding interviews for a part-time position with his faithful customer Penguin.

Panda-kun's Employment

2. Panda-kun's Employment

12min

5th Apr 2012

Penguin point Panda towards a part-time job at a petting zoo, where he works with a full-time panda entertaining school children.

Everyone's Café

3. Everyone's Café

12min

12th Apr 2012

Panda, Penguin and Llama come up with ideas for if they ran their own café.

The Café's Flower Viewing Party

4. The Café's Flower Viewing Party

12min

12th Apr 2012

Everyone goes to a flower viewing party where Penguin gets very drunk and goes on about a penguin he likes.

Polar Bear at the Zoo

5. Polar Bear at the Zoo

12min

19th Apr 2012

Polar Bear and Penguin come to the zoo Panda works at, where they have trouble catching Panda when he's awake and visiting the other attractions.

Panda's Anguish

6. Panda's Anguish

12min

19th Apr 2012

Panda and the other animals discuss the problems they face doing their jobs.

Obsessed with Smartphones

7. Obsessed with Smartphones

12min

26th Apr 2012

After seeing everyone with smartphones, Panda convinces his mother to buy him one, only for him to soon break the panda cover it had. Polar Bear cheers Panda up by making him an origami panda cover, only for him to end breaking the actual phone.

Super Fun Driving Lesson

8. Super Fun Driving Lesson

12min

26th Apr 2012

Wanting to learn some driving techniques, Penguin joins Polar Bear and Panda on a drive.

Panda Gets Enthusiastic

9. Panda Gets Enthusiastic

12min

3rd May 2012

As Panda has to fill in for the full-time panda for a week, he is forced to ride packed trains for work. He cheers up and becomes more energetic when he starts receiving flowers from a supposed fan named Rin-Rin, only to later learn it was the male flower shop owner, Rintaro Hayashi.

Everyone's Parfait

10. Everyone's Parfait

12min

3rd May 2012

Polar Bear decides to do a parfait fair and tries to come up with some special parfaits to serve.

Panda's Diet

11. Panda's Diet

12min

10th May 2012

Following an incident at work, Panda feels he is overweight and decides to go on a diet.

Strive for It! Wild Panda

12. Strive for It! Wild Panda

12min

10th May 2012

Panda decides he needs to get in touch with his wild side, so Polar Bear takes him to meet his childhood friend, Grizzly, who runs a bar.

Mr Handa's Remodeling Plan

13. Mr Handa's Remodeling Plan

12min

17th May 2012

Feeling he could do with being more popular, Panda decides to give Handa a makeover, although it ends up turning into a day out with Handa paying for everything.

The Great Love Love Driving Operation

14. The Great Love Love Driving Operation

12min

17th May 2012

Having received his driving license, Penguin is tested by Polar Bear to try and achieve his 'dating license.'

A Magazine Interview Comes By

15. A Magazine Interview Comes By

12min

24th May 2012

Polar Bear is interviewed about his café by a magazine headed up by the editor who is a Shoebill.

Salmon Hunter: Mr. Grizzly

16. Salmon Hunter: Mr. Grizzly

12min

24th May 2012

Panda joins Polar Bear and Grizzly to catch some ingredients.

Rin Rin Deeply Moved! Panda's House!

17. Rin Rin Deeply Moved! Panda's House!

12min

31st May 2012

Rintaro gets excited when he gets to make a delivery to Panda's house and meet his family.

Mr. Penguin's Confession

18. Mr. Penguin's Confession

12min

31st May 2012

The others try to support Penguin as he tries to work up the courage to confess to Penko.

Mr. Handa's Blind Date?

19. Mr. Handa's Blind Date?

12min

7th Jun 2012

Thanks to Panda's interference, Handa is set up by his fellow employee, Kirino, to go on a mixer to meet some girls.

Mr. Handa's Blind Date!

20. Mr. Handa's Blind Date!

12min

7th Jun 2012

When one of the guys cancels, Panda and Polar Bear fill in for the guy's side. However, the girls become more interested in Panda than they are in Handa.

Mr. Penguin's Broken Heart

21. Mr. Penguin's Broken Heart

12min

14th Jun 2012

Penguin gets heartbroken when he assumes Penko is dating Tortoise.

Panda's Night Out

22. Panda's Night Out

12min

14th Jun 2012

Panda joins Polar Bear and Grizzly on a night out, visiting a batting center and a public bath.

Panda, Tired of Boredom

23. Panda, Tired of Boredom

12min

21st Jun 2012

Panda and the Full-time Panda attempt to distract themselves during a boring and rainy day at the zoo, much to Handa's chagrin.

Panda's Advice Room for Troubles

24. Panda's Advice Room for Troubles

12min

21st Jun 2012

Handa once again questions his love life once but finds some peace during his first visit to the Polar Bear's Café.

Tanabata Decorations

25. Tanabata Decorations

12min

28th Jun 2012

As the café prepares for a Tanabata party, everyone has trouble deciding what they should wish for.

Panda's Wish

26. Panda's Wish

12min

28th Jun 2012

Noticing Handa seems to have a crush on Sasako, Panda tries to help him work up his confidence.

Enthusiastic Polar Bear

27. Enthusiastic Polar Bear

12min

5th Jul 2012

As Panda laments having nothing to due whilst Polar Bear wishes he had more free time, Polar Bear takes Panda's place at the zoo pretending to be a panda, proving to be a hit.

Let's Go to the Beach!

28. Let's Go to the Beach!

12min

5th Jul 2012

Polar Bear, Panda and Penguin take a trip to the beach.

Weeding in the Summer

29. Weeding in the Summer

12min

12th Jul 2012

The backyard of the Polar Bear's Café needs weeding, but Penguin seems to be the only one taking things seriously.

Mr. Penguin's Romance

30. Mr. Penguin's Romance

12min

12th Jul 2012

Penguin finally works up the courage to confess to Penko, asking her out every day for a week. However, it turns out he inadvertently asked out seven identical girl penguins, leading to disaster when they all show up on the day.

Mr. Grizzly Goes On an Adventure

31. Mr. Grizzly Goes On an Adventure

12min

19th Jul 2012

As the café starts serving a shaved ice dessert called "Polar Bear", Grizzly gets the wrong idea and believes Polar Bear had been eaten by otters.

A Strange Restaurant

32. A Strange Restaurant

12min

19th Jul 2012

A salaryman from another town arrives at the Polar Bear's Café for the first time and is astounded by the various customers.

Let's Go Camping!

33. Let's Go Camping!

12min

26th Jul 2012

Polar Bear, Panda, Penguin and Grizzly go on a camping trip together, where Penguin and Grizzly find they have a lot in common whilst trying to keep Polar Bear and Panda in check.

Rin Rin and the High School Girl

34. Rin Rin and the High School Girl

12min

26th Jul 2012

A high school girl is asked by Rintarou to accompany him to the zoo, believing it to be a date, only to find he just wanted someone to talk about how cute Panda is.

The Cafe's Ghost Stories

35. The Cafe's Ghost Stories

12min

2nd Aug 2012

The café decides to hold a night of telling ghost stories, much to an easily-frighted Handa's dismay.

Panda Runs Away from Home

36. Panda Runs Away from Home

12min

2nd Aug 2012

Panda decides to run away from home when his mother decides to lump his birthday celebration with his siblings.

There Are Many Kinds of Penguins

37. There Are Many Kinds of Penguins

12min

9th Aug 2012

As Penguin joins the gang to the pool along with his nephew, he ends up having to deal with an easily irritated king penguin and the Penko sisters.

What Is Baisen!?

38. What Is Baisen!?

12min

9th Aug 2012

After becoming amazed by the taste of the Polar Bear's Café brand of black coffee, a man named Misaki decides to become the pupil of a tree kangaroo in order to learn how to roast coffee beans.

The Ideal Single Life

39. The Ideal Single Life

12min

16th Aug 2012

Panda imagines a dream life living on his own. After struggling to find a place that meets his expectations, Panda, along with Penguin, check out where the other animals live.

Summer Festival

40. Summer Festival

12min

16th Aug 2012

Polar Bear and Grizzly run a stand together at a summer festival, joined by a relative of Panda's, Lesser Panda. After selling everything, the gang enjoy the sights of the festival.

Panda Is No Longer a Panda

41. Panda Is No Longer a Panda

12min

23rd Aug 2012

Panda is reassigned to one part of the zoo after another — even serving as a zookeeper.

Mei Mei's Prince

42. Mei Mei's Prince

12min

23rd Aug 2012

Panda's sister Mei Mei goes on about her crush on Mr Handa. However, after seeing Handa and Ms Badger at a realty office, Panda believes that the two are getting married.

Sales Penguin

43. Sales Penguin

12min

30th Aug 2012

The trio of Pygoscelis penguins from the water park try to figure out how to sell their excess of penguin cards, eventually settling on creating a concentration game with them, which becomes a hit.

Mr. Penguin's Picnic

44. Mr. Penguin's Picnic

12min

30th Aug 2012

Penguin ends up having to date all the Penko sisters equally, but still has trouble telling them apart. Sasako suggests he give the sisters differently colored ribbons to better identify them, but it backfires when they decide to trade them with each other.

Mr. Handa's Discussion

45. Mr. Handa's Discussion

12min

6th Sep 2012

Mr Handa meets up with Polar Bear to ask his advice on how to ask Sasako out, but Polar Bear seems to be more interested in the food where the meeting takes place. Meanwhile, Sasako winds up serving several good-looking men who come into the café, which worries Panda and Penguin.

Panda Mama's Daily Life

46. Panda Mama's Daily Life

12min

6th Sep 2012

Panda Mama goes to buy walnuts and learns the trick of stuffing the bag full from Mama Red Squirrel, and then endures a lecture from King Penguin Mama on how to eat at an all-you-can-eat cake buffet. The group then decides to eat at Polar Bear's Café, where they end up taxing his sanity.

Panda's Apprenticeship

47. Panda's Apprenticeship

12min

13th Sep 2012

Panda decides he wants to become someone's apprentice but is rather picky about who his master is. He eventually settles on becoming Sloth's apprentice, but quits due to not being able match his levels of laziness.

A Sports Day Filled with Animals

48. A Sports Day Filled with Animals

12min

13th Sep 2012

Polar Bear abruptly tasks Sasako with being the emcee of a sport competition for animals (in which Handa is the only human participant), while Panda Mama and Mama Red Squirrel quarrel over how to prepare rice balls.

Mr. Penguin's Hobbies

49. Mr. Penguin's Hobbies

12min

20th Sep 2012

Penguin puts on an art exhibition, although none of the paintings are original and go unappreciated by the customers. After Polar Bear and Panda see the exhibit, they and Penguin discuss what hobbies they and other café regulars have.

Their Childhood Days

50. Their Childhood Days

12min

20th Sep 2012

As Polar Bear gets Grizzly to help out with a few things, he tells about how they first met.

The New Panda

51. The New Panda

12min

27th Sep 2012

As Full Time Panda takes on a side job, he starts to worry when he learns a temp Panda will be coming to the zoo, feeling he might be replaced. As Temp Panda arrives and acts rather sternly towards the other pandas, a ballot is held as to who should be the central panda.

Reunion at the Grizzly Bar

52. Reunion at the Grizzly Bar

12min

27th Sep 2012

At the Grizzly Bar, a Tiger, Wolf and Lion have a little reunion. As they lament how they've lost their youth, Polar Bear, who used to be a rap artist, gives them a surprise performance as a present.

Animal Field Baseball

53. Animal Field Baseball

12min

4th Oct 2012

The zoo animals from the Polar Bear's Cafe and the wild animals from Grizzly's bar face off against each other in a baseball match.

What's Jacu Coffee!?

54. What's Jacu Coffee!?

12min

4th Oct 2012

The Red Squirrels teach Misaki about how coffee changes taste depending on how much it has been roasted.

Panda's Apology

55. Panda's Apology

12min

11th Oct 2012

Polar Bear attempts to fill in for Panda but is questioned by the police. As way of apologise, Panda decides to give Polar Bear a day off by working at the cafe, though it's not as easy as he thinks.

RinRin Is Invited

56. RinRin Is Invited

12min

11th Oct 2012

RinRin is invited out drinking by Full Time Panda, who is curious as to why he considers Panda to be cute but not him.

Panda's New Part Time Job

57. Panda's New Part Time Job

12min

18th Oct 2012

Panda goes through various part time jobs, including a car dealership, a stock marketer and a lecturer, where he somehow manages to make the respective companies successful and even become a CEO.

Mr. Penguin Goes Flying

58. Mr. Penguin Goes Flying

12min

18th Oct 2012

Penguin has aspirations of flight so the others try various attempts to get him airborne.

Halloween

59. Halloween

12min

25th Oct 2012

Polar Bear, Panda and Penguin go trick or treating on Halloween, getting some curious treats from the homes they visit.

Llama Day

60. Llama Day

12min

25th Oct 2012

Tired of being passed over all the time, Llama suggests the zoo should hold a Llama Day. However, the animals struggle with coming up with ideas to make Llama more appealing.

Mr. Penguin's Dilemma!

61. Mr. Penguin's Dilemma!

12min

1st Nov 2012

As Penguin is put under the pressure to choose one of the Penko sisters, Llama helps him to differentiate between them, but this soon backfires.

Idol: Yama Arashi!

62. Idol: Yama Arashi!

12min

1st Nov 2012

Panda Mama goes with King Penguin Mama to a concert by porcupine pop group Yama Arashi.

The Café Garden

63. The Café Garden

12min

8th Nov 2012

Polar Bear takes the others to see the café's garden where all the ingredients are grown.

Sales Penguin's Sales

64. Sales Penguin's Sales

12min

8th Nov 2012

The sales penguins attempt to pitch their penguin trading card game to Handa so they can sell it in the zoo's shop, even suggesting they hold a penguin themed hero show to attract customers.

Panda Corner's Contest / Coffee Roaster Masaki

65. Panda Corner's Contest / Coffee Roaster Masaki

12min

15th Nov 2012

Panda becomes depressed as the penguin hero show appears to take customers away from the panda corner. Rin-Rin suggests to Panda that the zoo put on a photo contest to attract more customers. Meanwhile, Masaki has a go at roasting coffee, learning the meaning behind hand picking coffee beans. Despite some initial interest in the photo contest, the panda corner is still overshadowed by the penguin show, which Penguin also participates in. Thus Polar Bear suggests the Panda family put on their own performance, which proves to be a big hit.

Panda Corner's Project

66. Panda Corner's Project

12min

15th Nov 2012

Wolf's Occupation Change

67. Wolf's Occupation Change

12min

22nd Nov 2012

Wolf ends up quitting his job at a bakery, so Tiger recruits him for his sweets shops. After Wolf hears about a position at a famous bakery from Panda-Mama, Tiger encourages Wolf to go for it, and he manages to get the job.

Mr Penguin's New Love

68. Mr Penguin's New Love

12min

22nd Nov 2012

The gang hear from Llama that Penguin has been visiting the neighbouring town's Brown Bear Cafe. As Polar Bear decides to check it out, he learns Penguin has gained a crush on the waitress penguin there, deciding not to come to Polar Bear's Cafe until he works up the courage to ask her out.

Sloth Wants to Work

69. Sloth Wants to Work

12min

29th Nov 2012

Sloth starts working part-time at the cafe, though it doesn't prove easy with his speed.

Mr. Handa's Present

70. Mr. Handa's Present

12min

29th Nov 2012

Handa asks for Polar Bear and Lesser Panda's help in figuring out what to get Sasako for Christmas.

Grizzly's Hibernation Preparations!

71. Grizzly's Hibernation Preparations!

12min

6th Dec 2012

The pandas look for ways to hibernate at the zoo, but Handa calls them out on it. Grizzly takes Polar Bear shopping for a pillow to sleep on during hibernation.

Grizzly's Hibernation!

72. Grizzly's Hibernation!

12min

6th Dec 2012

When Grizzly does get to hibernate, he is rudely interrupted by Polar Bear, who takes him to the driving range. When Panda and Penguin turn up, Grizzly, cranky from lack of sleep, takes them all out to a hot pot bistro.

Christmas Planning

73. Christmas Planning

12min

13th Dec 2012

Panda wonders whether he'll get a present for Christmas — until Rin Rin shows up with a knitted pochette for Panda, which the latter accepts reluctantly.

Christmas Trouble

74. Christmas Trouble

12min

13th Dec 2012

Penguin, eager to show off his storytelling, tries in vain to find a party to appear at before deciding on Bar the Grizzly. Panda and Mei Mei argue over whose picture should be sent to Handa as a Christmas present, and Llama and Alpaca use their wool to create scarves and other garments.

Big Cleaning at the Café

75. Big Cleaning at the Café

12min

20th Dec 2012

Polar Bear ropes in everyone to do some spring cleaning around the cafe before Panda-Mama brings a salmon for everyone to have hotpot.

For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

76. For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

12min

20th Dec 2012

Polar Bear, Panda, Penguin, Sasako and Llama spend New Year's Eve together, where they reminisce about the past year. They are soon joined by the other animals to see the New Year in.

The Animals' Hidden Talent Competition

77. The Animals' Hidden Talent Competition

12min

10th Jan 2013

As the New Year rolls in, the Polar Bear's Cafe holds a hidden talent contest.

New Year's Guest

78. New Year's Guest

12min

10th Jan 2013

Penguin comes to visit Panda's home whilst the cafe is closed, which doesn't please Panda very much.

The Hammock Sea

79. The Hammock Sea

12min

17th Jan 2013

Polar Bear sets up a hammock in his garden and invites Panda and Penguin to laze around with him.

Panda Mama's Gardening

80. Panda Mama's Gardening

12min

17th Jan 2013

After Panda upsets Panda-Mama by eating her tulips, he tries and find something to replace them.

Scattering Beans with Everyone

81. Scattering Beans with Everyone

12min

24th Jan 2013

The café holds a Setsubun event, where everyone takes turns being the ogre.

The Café in the Afternoon

82. The Café in the Afternoon

12min

24th Jan 2013

Sasako and Llama reminisce about their elementary school days.

Polar Bear's Insomnia

83. Polar Bear's Insomnia

12min

31st Jan 2013

The gang try and help Polar Bear as he has trouble sleeping due to insomnia.

Mr. Grizzly' First Love

84. Mr. Grizzly' First Love

12min

31st Jan 2013

Polar Bear and Grizzly think back to their high school days, where Grizzly had a crush on a girl Grizzly named Tsukiko.

Pun Café

85. Pun Café

12min

7th Feb 2013

Fed up with Polar Bear's annoying puns, Grizzly and Penguin try to get everyone in town to beat Polar Bear at his own game.

The Secret to Delicious Coffee

86. The Secret to Delicious Coffee

12min

7th Feb 2013

Masaki is told how coffee can taste different depending on how it's prepared, and wonders if he can win over the Red Squirrels with advice from Polar Bear.

Mr. Full-Time Panda, Mr. Llama and Rin Rin

87. Mr. Full-Time Panda, Mr. Llama and Rin Rin

12min

7th Feb 2013

Affter a long day at work, Mr. Full-time Panda and Mr. Llama decide to have a few drinks. They later invite Rin Rin, who takes the drunk Panda and Llama to Grizzly's bar, where everyone there gets drunk into the morning.

The Everyday Zoo

88. The Everyday Zoo

12min

14th Feb 2013

Panda is shocked to learn that Full-Time Panda has been transferred to a zoo in Singapore. He agrees to work full time until another panda is hired, causing some worry amongst his friends.

The Zoo in the Rain

89. The Zoo in the Rain

12min

14th Feb 2013

When a Valentine's couple end up insulting Panda after two weeks of straight work, Penguin stands up against them. Panda soon cheers up after a new part-time panda is found and gives his thanks to Penguin.

Rin Rin and Mei Mei's Super Exciting Plan

90. Rin Rin and Mei Mei's Super Exciting Plan

12min

21st Feb 2013

Rin Rin and Mei Mei find they have some common interests and work together to think of a plan to get closer to Panda and Handa. However, Rin Rin ends up catching a fever, so Mei Mei decides to instead look after him.

Smelt Fishing

91. Smelt Fishing

12min

21st Feb 2013

Polar Bear and the others go to the frozen lakes to do some smelt fishing, though soon get distracted. After Grizzly helps to catch a whole bunch, Polar Bear sets up an igloo cafe to make use of their ingredients.

Doll Festival

92. Doll Festival

12min

28th Feb 2013

The younger penguins set up a display for Hina Matsuri, which goes a little awry when the cafe-goers make their own contributions. Grizzly is called in to help them set it up, only to realize that, besides Sasako, there are no girls around to celebrate it.

The Animal Doctor

93. The Animal Doctor

12min

28th Feb 2013

Polar Bear develops a fever and goes to the animal hospital for some medicine. Panda and Penguin decide to come over to look after him, only to end up catching fevers themselves.

South Pole Squad Penguinger

94. South Pole Squad Penguinger

12min

7th Mar 2013

The Pygoscelis Penguins are approached by a TV studio to do a televised version of South Pole Squad Penginger alongside Yama Arashi, with some of the other animals making cameos.

Even More, What Is Roasting?

95. Even More, What Is Roasting?

12min

7th Mar 2013

Polar Bear teaches Masaki how a coffee's richness differs based on how it is prepared. He later learns Tree Kangaroo will let him start roasting his own coffee beans.

Sloth's Trip

96. Sloth's Trip

12min

14th Mar 2013

Panda and the others end up joining Sloth on a long walk to the hot springs, wanting to get their on his own two feet.

I Became a Doll

97. I Became a Doll

12min

14th Mar 2013

The group become paper dolls as they converse in the real world.

White Day

98. White Day

12min

14th Mar 2013

Handa tries to figure out what to get Sasako for White Day.

Mr. Grizzly's Reunion

99. Mr. Grizzly's Reunion

12min

21st Mar 2013

Grizzly is visited by his mother, who embarrasses him a little when she starts serving home cooking in his bar. After trying it for himself, however, it soon turns out to be a big hit.

Mr. Llama's Time Capsule

100. Mr. Llama's Time Capsule

12min

21st Mar 2013

Llama, Sasako and the others visit their hometown to find a time capsule Llama buried five years ago. Upon arriving, however, they discover the tree he buried it under is in the middle of a private property.

Mr. Peguin's Secret

101. Mr. Peguin's Secret

12min

28th Mar 2013

Panda becomes curious about what Penguin does when he's not at the cafe.

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Spring

102. Cherry Blossom Viewing in Spring

12min

28th Mar 2013

Polar Bear becomes downhearted when Penguin expresses interest in moving house, though feels relieved once he hears he just intends to renew his apartment lease. Afterwards, everyone gathers around to have a cherry blossom viewing party, looking back on the year they've spent together.

First air date

5th Apr 2012

Last air date

28th Mar 2013

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

ja

Networks