It sneaks up on you. You come in for a cute hamster birthday special and end up watching a small orange rodent walk out the door to find out whether the story Laura told him about where he came from is actually true. The trio is perfect casting: Boss, all bluster and dirt-mound bravado, and Oxnard, who would carry that sunflower seed into a hurricane, tagging along because Hamtaro shouldn't do this alone. Meanwhile the rest of the Ham-Hams are back home stringing up a surprise party for a friend who has quietly gone looking for his mother, and the show never underlines the ache in that. No spectacle, no stakes bigger than a hamster's walk, just steps counted one at a time. Kids watched this and giggled. Adults watch it now and get quiet.

Just in time for his birthday, Hamtaro hears from Laura about where he came from, though it is unclear whether her account is true. To find out, he heads off with Boss and Oxnard to visit his mother. While the three are away, the other Ham-Hams stay behind and quietly put together a surprise birthday party for him. The single-episode OVA sets this adventure in a lighthearted, comedic tone, with a trip to find his mother on one side and friends planning a surprise celebration on the other.