It takes the exact desperation engine of the idol grind and drops it in a dying zoo on the edge of Sendai, and the joke lands because nothing else changes. Tange still barks the order from the top, Matsuda still gets sent out to scout fresh talent, and the seven recruits are animals now, which somehow makes the whole business model funnier and sadder at once. Ten shorts, zero stakes inflation, no speeches about believing in yourself. If you know how much of the parent series is just people trying to keep a small operation in a northeastern city from going under, watching that same anxiety play out as a zoo attendance problem is the best kind of inside joke. Put it on when you want the fondness without the fifty minute cry.

A small zoo on the outskirts of Sendai in northeastern Japan is close to shutting down and faces absorption by I-1 Park. After even its last animal, an elephant, dies, head zookeeper Tange sends breeder Matsuda out to find a new animal unit. Matsuda posts an ad promising idol status along with three meals and a nap, and seven girls in animal costumes sign on, each with her own reason. Minami the tiger is drawn by the free food, Yoshino the bear simply wants to help, Miyu the eagle craves attention, Airi the shark dreams of idol fame, Nanami the wolf is focused on her career, Kaya the crocodile hopes to change herself, and Mayu the lion wants to eat and sleep. These short comedy episodes ask whether this odd new lineup can pull the zoo back from the brink.