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So recently, I finished watching the cartoon Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol on my server. Have you never heard of it? Can’t blame ya! It’s certainly one of the most obscure cartoons I've ever watched!

This is a 1994 animated TV series created by Beijing Golden Panda Animation Company and dubbed by Saban Entertainment, which also co-produced it, according to some sources. So we’re talking about a Chinese cartoon from the 90s, and I think this is the first one of its kind that I watched. And not only that, but it was dubbed by Saban!

As for the plot of the series, from wiki: “Jin Jin is a panda living in Pandaland. His home ends up destroyed by Grimster, a henchman of the evil Dr. Mania. Dr. Mania plans to regress the Earth back to its primitive times before humans had developed over parts of nature. Now Jin Jin travels to stop the plot of Dr. Maniac, find the New Pandaland, and even save some endangered species along the way.”

This summary already shows a big issue in all 26 episodes of this cartoon. How...nonsensical and batshit insane it is xD. “Dr. Mania plans to regress the Earth back to its primitive times before humans had developed over parts of nature.” It mentions this, but for the life of me, I never saw that mentioned in the entire cartoon. I’m not even sure if this is made up or if I lost one line of dialogue with this explanation, since there are times when the audio is terrible.

The cartoon has many things like this, this...randomness to it. It’s very common for things to just happen for no apparent reason. Or for pretty much nothing happening for many minutes straight. You just don’t know what to expect from each episode, for good or for worse, haha.

It’s kinda a crazy cartoon, aided by Jin Jin not being alone in his adventures. He forms this non-official “panda patrol” team when he meets Rudy, Benji, and Squawk. There isn’t much to say about any of them. I can’t even explain why they decided to join this panda they just met and take him to Pandalanda because the cartoon sure doesn’t explain that. It just feels like they had nothing better to do!

Now, a bit about the main cast:

Jin Jin, our main character, is a panda that survived an attack on his homeland made by a goon of Doctor Mania, and now he wants to journey to Pandaland. Technically, he already lived there with his family, but after the attack, he got separated from his family, and now he has to find the “new” Pandaland, which is the new place his family and friends have moved to. More on this later.

He’s very naive, though brave, and knows nothing about the outside world, but somehow everything works out fine, in the end, thanks to his friends and his uh “panda power”. We never see any evidence of this panda power, though...I’m not sure if this was a completely made-up thing by the dub, and again, more about the dub later.

Rudy Redbone: the strongest member of the Panda Patrol, given that he is a dog who’s a master of karate! Maybe that’s the reason he joined the party, then somehow he is separated for a long while and joins them again near the very end. Again, don’t expect me to explain why this and the other two guys want to help Jin Jin go to Pandaland since the cartoon (at least the dub) never really gives a reason, so just feel they had nothing better to do xP.

Benji: a lovely monkey that is a bit cheesy and a good performer, with tricks and all, and tends to have a hate boner with Squawk. He is a nice guy, though, and like Squawk, is always there for Jin Jin.

Squawk: A parrot that is quite smart and knows things that make you wonder what his age is and if he has already traveled the world or something. Sometimes he gets into silly fights with Benji since he likes to tease him.

Dr. Mania: our antagonist. Now, from what I understood from the dub, he wants to capture Jin Jin to harvest his “panda power,” and he does have the intelligence and resources to do that since he has his own evil base on his private island. He has two goons, Grimster (a gorilla-man hybrid or something) and Hopper ( a hybrid of a grasshopper and chemicals). They are basically his slave who do whatever he says and always try and fail to capture Jin Jin.

Narrator: You guys know Samurai Pizza cats and the narrator there? It’s kinda the same thing. I don’t know if this is common in Chinese cartoons, but despite never being seen, the narrator talks so damn much that he’s basically a character. He’s a smartass and is funny (well, the show considers him funny since he’s also always making jokes about the situation), and commonly, he becomes annoying, though I don’t know how much of that is the dub’s fault. From what I saw, the SPC’s narrator was much better.

Starting with the end of episode 1, we see Jin Jin pretty much on this wild-goose chase all around most, if not all of China (and I think other countries too), looking for the new Pandaland. It’s insane how he has no idea where that place is supposed to be, and yet it must be crazy far away, given he travels so far and has never met anyone who has even heard of it before. Again, this is part of why this show is just...broken and random. It’s also reflected in the world-building or setting of this cartoon.

You see that in how the animals here behave. It’s all over the place. You have animals like Jin Jin, who walks on his two legs and wears clothes. You have others that are 100% ferals and talk. And you also have others that are 100% ferals and don’t talk like they are normal animals. Why are some animals so different from others? Who knows. It makes no sense, and the only time I think I saw such a messed-up setting similar to this was with BNA (Brand New Animal), though BNA isn’t as bad as this cartoon,n even if it sure has its own share of issues xP.

In many of the episodes, you have those “character of the week”, which are those characters that only show up in that episode, or at most 2 or 3. They either help Jin Jin in his journey or try to capture him for whatever reason. Some of those guys are good furry-wise, and I wish they could replace Grimster and Hopper or something. It gets old quite fast to see those two trying and failing to capture Jin Jin. And yes, this happens every episode xP.

Another weird issue with this show is what I can only call those weird plot holes. I have no idea if they were there in the original Chinese version as well; maybe they were created by the dub. One good example of that is what happens with Beatrice.

She is this human woman who I think is a scientist, and she says she wants to help Jin Jin go to Pandaland and even live there! In the next episode, though, for whatever reason, they go to this circus, and...not only is Jin Jin captured by the ringmaster to help with new tricks for the circus, but Beatrice just disappears. Never to be seen again. And the writing of the series is all like this!

Maybe some of those weird plot holes are explained in the original version, but I can’t speak Chinese. And I really wondered about this, given how the last episode plays out...

Now I will talk about my issues with the series’s ending. If you want to avoid spoilers and want to see what the series offers for furries, which is the main point of my review, then please scroll down to the “KEMONO SCALE JUDGEMENT” section!

SPOILERS FOR ENDING

So, in the last episode, the Panda Patrol is inside a plane that is taking them to Pandaland. Then, suddenly, we get this weird and out-of-nowhere clip show of the entire series, and one of the two goons says he’s picking a signal from a homing beacon that says “Pandaland”. And...that’s really it!!

We never see the characters arriving there, Jin Jin meeting his family, etc. It just feels like the episode kinda decided to end, except this was supposed to be the ending of the series. So I really wondered if that’s just how it is or if the dub fucked up big time.

So I talked with my buddy @Lionxie and he directed me to the best source possible: the cartoon with the original audio in https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15b411x7h3/?spm_id_fro...

This proves that the cartoon did an actual opening and not the...nonsense that the dub did with the opening xD. Not only that, but Lionxie translated for me the ending, and it’s basically the same thing! So the cartoon really just...ends. Like this! By saying the characters did achieve their goal, but not showing it!!!

That’s a biiig turn-off, but eh, it is what it is. While it suck, it’s not like most cartoons back then even had a “main plot” to speak of, especially cartoons like this one. So it might not be such a big deal to many, but yeah.

END OF SPOILERS

Honestly, this cartoon is quite a hot mess, both in a good and a bad way. Some episodes are better than others, but it is almost always the same thing: Jin Jin and his patrol meet the character of the week, who might be good or bad, and while dealing with whatever the character’s deal, they later have to escape from Dr Mania’s goons. That’s it, with only a few exceptions like the last episode.

Because of stuff like this, I can’t say that Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol is an easy watch. The randomness alone might be a turn-off for some people. Maybe it was almost a hate watch for me in most of the episodes, haha. I suggest you try watching like three episodes, since that should be enough for anyone to see if this would be worth a watch for any reason! This is the only Chinese cartoon of the time I’ve seen, and I don’t know if they’re all like this.

KEMONO SCALE JUDGEMENT

One thing that didn’t disappoint was the furry characters. And it’s a shame that, aside from the main characters, all the best ones are those characters of the week that only show up for one or two episodes and never again. But they are there, so that’s a plus.

And it’s because of them that I will try and start something on my mind for a while! IT’S KAMIKAZETIME!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idA7RsiOpqA

Ok, maybe it’s not a big deal. I just thought it would be fun, given my experience with loooots of anime AND kemono, if I started to write reviews for cartoons or anime with furry characters (maybe games too). And given that’s the main thing (for me) of such media, I would also rate the furry characters and the presence of them in the anime or whatever it is that we’re talking about here!

So! Let’s use what I’m calling the “Kamikaze Scale”. I thought about going basic and just calling it the “Kemono Scale,” but eh, not everything I wanna talk about has kemono since not made in Japan. And it’s my review and opinion, so...Kamikaze Scale it is!!!

How does it work? It’s easy. I will give the show or whatever it is a rating that goes from one (1) to five (5), with five being the highest number on the scale. I will explain each with examples, like the subject in question is an anime:

1 - The “furryness” is kinda barely there, if at all. Maybe it’s just one character that is furry? Maybe just one enemy of the week that shows up? Or maybe the furry is part of the main cast but is a normal dog and doesn’t even talk? Stuff like that. So, usually, things that only have one mascot as a furry and that’s it would be here. Or, depending on the case, only a few monsters or something.

Example: Shoujo Kakumei Utena/ Revolutionary Girl Utena

I like this anime a lot, and it’s a big shame that the ending was very fucked up since they didn’t adapt the rest of the manga as they should have. It’s still a good anime if you can ignore the ending, though. But furrywise...it’s only one in the Kamikaze Scale since all we got is Chu-Chu, Anthy’s cute monkey pet!

2 - This time, the furryness is spreading a bit more! Maybe we have a few nice monsters here and there. Maybe the mascot character this time not only can talk, but it’s one of the gasp main characters!? And maybe he isn’t even the only furry character that shows up more than once! It’s common to see two or maybe three in this aspect.

Example: Cardcaptor Sakura

One of CLAMP’s best works, hands down. I don’t even think I need to talk much about it, given how famous it is, heh. And if you know it, then you know why it’s here!

If we go only by the number of furry, then only the cards alone would maybe put this at 3 on the scale! But since we only have two furry that talk and (and the furry cards only show up once each...) such then I feel it’s fairer to put it here and yes! Of course, I’m talking about Kero and Suppi!!

And yes, I know about Clear Arc, but...ehh...maybe this should be a discussion for another journal?

3 - Things are getting better! Now there can be quite a few furry guys around! And maybe a good number of them are side characters or something! This is where the scale also gets tricky because there’s a faint line between what goes here and what goes to the number 4.

That will really depend on the anime, but I would evaluate it on its all. For example...I would say Pokémon belongs here, while Digimon belongs in number 4.

Why? Because by the end of the day, while the anime is called Pokémon, really...how many Pokémon are actual characters? How many times don’t we have to stop and see humans doing whatever on the screen instead of watching Pokémon? See my point? At least, since they can talk, it’s much easier to make the Digimon be actual characters on their own. Even when they also have the same issue, they have to share their precious screen time with human characters.

That’s on a general view, since if I go and evaluate each season ofPokémonn and Digimon, then obviously each of them would have their own place in my scale. But now you guys should have some idea of what makes something belong in any of those numbers, especially 3 and 4.

4 - That being said, my scale doesn’t only evaluate the furryness itself, even if it is the most important factor, but other stuff like how much the furry characters are used, their importance, if the anime itself is good, if I could recommend it even if it had no furs, etc.

So, with that in mind, this is why I can put stuff like K.O. Beast in here even if technically it would have fewer furry characters compared to Pokemon or Digimon, but then again, if we go ONLY by numbers, then Pokemon and Digimon would always be number 5 xP!!

Now that this was made clear, why is K.O. Beast here? Why, it’s only one of the best OVAs of its time, and it has a nice number of hot kemono. I even commissioned stuff based on it a couple of times, such as in:

https://inkbunny.net/s/2758637

https://inkbunny.net/s/2882295

https://inkbunny.net/s/3030994

Speaking of which, a big thank you to my buddy @Theunnamedpawn for not only recommending this amazing OVA but also just being a great friend and joining me to commission so many great Rule 34 pics :3!

And it also has one of the goddamn BEST anime openings I have ever heard!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jow0MCQ5-0

This OVA is sooooooo close to hitting number 5! It’s a shame the second half of the OVA isn’t as good as the first episodes, or else it would be there! But I still recommend it, and maybe it’s one of the things I need to do a detailed review one day x3!!

5 - Aaaand here we are...the amazing and legendary number 5! I think that it’s obvious, really. It’s very hard to reach this spot, sadly, but it does happen! If your anime doesn’t have human characters OR barely has them at all, then chances are it’s already on number 4...or it belongs right here. To only give one very famous example, which I’m sure many of you already have in mind, and you’re right...Beastars. That anime is just...HMM! Chef kiss

So, with this in mind, I think Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol deserve...*points dramatically at the cartoon* A THREE OUT OF FIVE OF LOF IN THE KAMIKAZE SCALE!!!

Oh...LoF as in “Level of Furry” pronounced as in “Loaf”.

I feel it’s a fair rating since it’s a cartoon that has one furry as the MC, two or three (depending on the episode) that are part of the patrol with him, and a fair number of other furry characters that show up during the cartoon. Some are important for the plot and the episodes they show up in. One could even argue that there are enough numbers to get this a four, but I think there are still too many humans getting in the way. Besides 99% of the side furry characters only show up in the episodes they appeared in and never again. And if that’s not all, the world lore and setting are just broken, heh. Why the heck are some animals anthro that wear clothes while others are 100% normal animals? That alone makes the cartoon lose one point for the LoF on the scale!! If BNA has world-building more consistent than your cartoon, then you screwed up somewhere! xP

I think I recommend this cartoon for fans of those cartoons that are just nonsensical, but otherwise it can be a hard watch even for fans of Chinese cartoons of that era, and like some cute furs like Jin Jin. You can watch the whole thing dubbed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG5k-YcmBQc&list=PLP2DmXuicoCRB2tLbGMLofWUlqv0BH6Vw thanks to Frank D for helping to make sure this cartoon isn’t lost media!

The best furry character this time is...Jin Jin! But it's a matter of taste since it will depend on how much you would like each of the main characters~

The "kemono in the refrigerator" this time is...hmm...all of the furry characters aside from our heroes show up at least in most of one episode, so once again it will depend on who you feel you would like to have seen more of. I wouldn't mind if we had seen more of the kangaroos in episodes 16 and 17!

Aaaand that’s it for this one! Hope you guys enjoyed reading this review. Please leave your comments and opinions about it, and also about Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol, if you happen to have watched it or maybe wanna check it out, thanks to this review xD. I want to leave those journals as a place where people can discuss the respective things being reviewed here!