SoraRabbit Short Hop 014: Bunny Snacks Part 1

Welcome to my latest Short Hop! You may remember a long time ago I covered a seriously cute anime about banana/cat hybrids called Bananya. And then I went on to also cover the second season. Since then I’ve been hoping to find another cute work to cover. After a long search I found something that fits the bill and will max out our cuteness quotas beyond previously experienced levels.

It should be pretty clear to anyone reading this blog that I love rabbits. Heck, it’s in my screen name! So naturally I gravitate towards things that have to do with rabbits. My favorite book is Watership Down. My favorite tabletop game is Killer Bunnies. I have several plushie rabbits and various rabbit-themed knick knacks. I have two pet rabbits who I love. The list goes on. So when I come across a manga that features two cute cartoony rabbits, of course I’m going to check it out. That is how I discovered the subject of this Short Hop.

Today I take you on a new journey… a journey of two cute rabbits told in an unexpectedly adorable manga called Taberareusa. As the story begins, Rabbit Dad and his son are stuck out in the cold as it snows and they’ve run out of food. The poor rabbits are freezing and hungry.

Aww. Poor bunnies! (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

Rabbit Dad swears that if they are reborn his son will get all the food he wants. And then, holding onto each other with their little paws, they perish.

Bet you didn’t expect this post to be so tragic! (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

That’s right, in the first few panels of this super cute funny animal manga the two main characters die of starvation. How could I do this to you? Didn’t I say it was going to be cute? Am I playing with your emotions? This is tragic and sad and I bet you have no idea where this is going next, do you? Hmm? Go ahead, take a wild guess.

What the,,, ? (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

If you guessed that they would be reborn as a series of sweet snack treats and eaten repeatedly, also consuming their own bodies to climb the reincarnation ladder, then good job. You’re just as messed up as this manga and you probably cheated to come to this conclusion!

Munch munch. (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

Yes, the concept behind Taberareusa is a father and son rabbit die and are stuck in a cycle of death and rebirth that involves them becoming various bunny-shaped snack treats. As the story continues it’s revealed that there is a great mystery at work, forces working against them, and others trapped in the same cycle as them. A story that begins with depressing animal death continues on to become insanely adorable and funny, with fully realized characters and an aspect of mystery to drive it all forward. After the initial shock I encountered upon starting to read this manga, I found myself completely invested and obsessed with it and I knew that I had to share it with you all. (Plus I couldn’t resist messing with you in the intro. Hehe.)

Note that no official translation of this manga has reached America yet (fingers crossed!) so the version that I’ve been reading was translated by a fabulous group called Coffee Break Scanlations. All credit for the dialog goes to their tireless work. The translated title is “Let Me Eat You” if you would like to read it yourself, which I highly recommend. I have been reading it on a manga site, but the original work was produced by a mangaka that goes by the name Umibird and is published on the Comico Japan site. (I’m still attempting to locate it to support the artist, but without being able to read Japanese, it’s difficult to navigate the site. If I manage to find a way to donate to the artist, I will update this post. And it goes without saying that as soon as there’s a way to buy an official translation, I’ll be all over that.)

I am not going to give a plot breakdown by chapter for this, because I absolutely want you all to experience it for yourselves, but I will break down the overarching story and some of the story arcs. As I worked on this post, I ended up with enough material for several Short Hops. I’m going to start with a two part summary and review. If there’s enough positive reaction, I will continue the series. (Because I really do want to share more of this as I go! Plus if we get the word out, maybe we’ll get a release over on this side of the world and the Mangaka can get the compensation they deserve!)

At the time of this writing, I have read the first 26 chapters of this manga. From what I can see, the story ended with Chapter 154 in June of 2020.

I guess this could count as a content warning? (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

So, as shown earlier, the rabbits are reborn first as Daifuku, which is a type of mochi with sweet filling. They’re about to be devoured by an excited little girl. Rabbit Son promptly begins eating his own sugary body, which horrifies his father. Rabbit Dad soon gets speared by an elderly woman while the little girl is washing her hands. Thankfully, they feel no pain in their new edible bodies.

Ah, to be reborn as pancake toppings… (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

After this the father and son are reborn as decorations on a strawberry cake and then as cream on a stack of pancakes. This is where we learn that Rabbit Dad once had a wife who wanted to eat pancakes. Rabbit Wife left Rabbit Dad because he didn’t care to try new foods.

Aww, Rabbit Wife is adorable. (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

In their next life they’re marshmallows on toast, and this is where the plot thickens. (Just a little.)

Plot twist! (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

Yes, that is Rabbit Wife, reborn as a human girl! She can almost hear Rabbit Dad’s voice and appears to have retained her memories of her previous life as a rabbit! She is sad that she can’t see them, but understands that she is no longer a rabbit, and so cannot be with them. She hopes wherever they are that they are happy and have enough to eat. (If only she knew!)

There’s a funny part here where another marshmallow becomes burnt and is censored because Rabbit Dad says it’s too horrible to look at. Rabbit Dad resolves to find a way to get his wife’s attention, no matter what. Unfortunately she can’t hear him in his marshmallow form, although she can sense that he and Son are nearby. Rabbit Wife/Human Girl cries without knowing why and eats the toast to make herself feel better.

A new character emerges! (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

The next story arc involves Rabbit Dad reborn as a rice ball in red bean soup and to his shock, Son has this time been reborn as a chestnut in a matcha roll! He can move around now, while Rabbit Dad can only move his ears a little. The other rice ball in the soup turns out to be a reincarnated bird who Rabbit Dad starts calling Pigeon-Sempai. Pigeon-Sempai explains that he also died of starvation and has found himself reborn as different kinds of food. With a powerful stare of determination, Rabbit Dad convinces his stoic new friend to help them on their quest! The helpful bird explains that he’s eaten a lot and now has grown feet and can move around, like Son. The key to their new lives is eating as much as they can before being eaten themselves.

I prefer when my food is rabbit-like. (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)

So that’s the first six chapters and a breakdown of the concept. The way things work in their world is that the humans can’t hear them or tell they’re alive, but they can see that they have rabbit ears. (Rabbit Dad’s ears are longer than Rabbit Son’s, by the way. That’s how you can tell them apart.) Rabbit Wife is out there somewhere, representing the end goal of their adventures. And now they have a new ally in the serious and mature Pigeon-Sempai. But what exactly is going on? So far we know they’re stuck in a loop and that there are others who are caught in that same loop. But why? And how do they get out of it? Tune in next time for the continuation!

Angel bunnies! (Credit: Umibird, Coffee Break Scanlations)