Nekopara, Episode 10: Oh Nyo! Bell Renewal Exams

Vanilla and Chocola need to renew their bells, the public cat licenses, and their elder cat sisters insist on tutoring them.

Episode 10: “Oh Nyo! Bell Renewal Exams”

Hmm.

Nekopara added a big helping of sketch comedy to its usual meal of slice-of-life anime. The premise was that Chocola needed extra help to study for her bell renewal test, the other cats wanted to help her, Vanilla followed along, and Cacao wanted to see how to get her own bell when she gets old enough. This meant there was a lot of material for jokes about overcoming cat instincts and how these cats view human rules and etiquette.

The best part of the Nekopara episode was how the older cat girls insisted on dressing as schoolteachers for their tutoring sessions. That’s combining at least three fetishes for each girl. Cat ears, glasses, and your favorite type of schoolteacher fashion. I liked how Coconut chose the gym teacher outfit.

One more thing to note as Nekopara winds down its season is how close Cacao and Chiyo have become, and how the other cats have noticed their special friendship. The next episode will probably introduce the dramatic arc that will find its resolution in the season finale, and I still expect it to tug at heartstrings as Cacao leaves Chocola and Vanilla. I’d be happy to be wrong, because I don’t want to see Chocola cry. Let’s protect those cat smiles!

Heh.

Yay! Chiyo came to visit with Cacao!

Uh oh. Is Chocola ready for her cat license renewal? Nyanyanya~gan! Oh nyo! Kitty comforting means licking cheeks. Oh, right. Cacao needs to know what a cat bell does. She’s been an illegal kitten, running around outside! It took ten episodes before Nekopara addressed the whole bell situation. This is adorable. Both Chiyo and Cacao need a booster chair to sit at a table properly.

After seeing a clumsy Chocola, Vanilla insists on doing practice tests for their cat license. Ooh. it’s the dreaded chin-scratching test. Chocola failed. The big sister cats will help. Uh, doing their chores isn’t cat bell training. Ah. Chocola and Vanilla caught on after Coconut bribed them with ice cream.

Oh yeah! Nekopara shows you it’s real training because somebody pulled a ninja scroll out of their cleavage! Chocola is such an airhead. She didn’t remember that scroll, or where Coconut keeps it, from the last time she and Vanilla studied for the bell exam.

Azuki in glasses and a suit doesn’t make her look any more grown up. Making sure the front door locks properly is not just a cat problem. Vanilla raises both hands to cross the street, like she’s a criminal. Did Vanilla just make an ageist joke? Azuki is training her H-1B Visa replacement… Har. Nekopara made the tan, genki cat girl Coconut a gym teacher. Wearing glasses! Cinnamon and Maple are going to wear glasses too, I hope.

Ahahaha! I’m dying. There’s a box test against cat instincts! If Vanilla fits, she sits. We’ve mentioned Maru the cat before, so we just have confirmation that box sitting is a big deal in the Nekopara universe. Ohohoho! The cucumber jumping test!

I did not know about this thing cats do with paper screens. Nekopara is very educational. Coconut is a good teacher by negative example. I wonder how often Shigure has scolded Coconut for this naughty behavior.

Oh boy. What kind of training is Cinnamon going to give Chocola and Vanilla? Ha! She’s dressed like the school doctor. The doctor’s office is where all the naughty things happen, yes? Oh, Cinnamon. She goes all out with the stranger danger scenario. What is she wearing under that trench coat? Can Cinnamon get through a lesson about the birds and the bees, and the flower and the trees? What kind of sex education does the bell renewal test cover? Let’s not get into the tricky question of where kitten girls come from in Nekopara. Cinnamon only did the flower parts and didn’t have time to get moist!

Oh my. Maple as the serious teacher with those red-rimmed glasses! That’s a good rule for everyone, not just the cats in Nekopara — don’t climb up a place you can’t climb down from. Cacao doesn’t seem to have that problem. Needles are scary for everyone too. Alright, I like this lesson. Learning to use a hot bath! Aw. Cacao is still a kitten scared of water.

Chocola does different training in the eye catch as Vanilla cheers her on. Chocola obviously needs to train harder.

The big test day! Do your best! The best test is chin scratches, according to Shigure. Chocola’s chin scratches don’t count! This is a long wait for Cacao. Success! How long do these licenses last between renewals, anyway?

Confirmation that Coconut wears pantyhose in the Nekopara anime instead of the fishnets from the game. Fun. Shigure takes the three cats on their own little date to celebrate. This is healing anime fan service. Cute cats do cute cat things at a shrine and a restaurant. Oh, it’s heaven. Conveyor belt sushi! Those plates are piling up. More fan service as Shigure scouts the competition. There are all kinds of “theme” cafés in Akihabara. It looks like Cacao liked the butler café the best. Big, successful day for Shigure and her youngest cats.

Artist Henreader captures younger interpretations of Vanilla and Chocola in the end card.