Netflix’s My Melody & Kuromi Is the Cutest Stop‑Motion Show — and It Secretly Goes Full John Wick

Netflix added My Melody & Kuromi to its catalog in late July. The show is a 12-episode stop-motion anime that centers on Sanrio characters My Melody and Kuromi, and each episode runs about 10–13 minutes.

– What the series is and where it’s available
– Main characters and animation style
– Notable scenes and tone
– Episode count, runtime, and related older series

What the show is

My Melody & Kuromi is a stop-motion anime released on Netflix in late July. The series focuses on My Melody and Kuromi, two Sanrio characters who live in the same town called Mariland. The show uses felt-made character models and handcrafted sets, and it runs for 12 episodes in its first season.

Characters and setup

The series follows My Melody, who runs a bakery, and her neighbor Kuromi, who operates a sweets shop. My Melody’s staff includes Piano-chan (a pink sheep) and Flat-kun (a blue mouse). The two lead characters have a competitive, frenemies-style relationship; a baking contest is a key plot point in the season.

Animation and details

The production uses stop-motion with felt figures. Scenes show handcrafted props and small visual details, for example repeated motifs on character costumes and miniature set dressing. The show also alternates cute moments with darker or more surprising sequences, and it mixes light-hearted bakery scenes with scenes that include makeshift weapons and aggressive encounters between characters.

Tone and notable sequences

The series blends whimsical, childlike visuals with unexpectedly intense moments. For example, Piano-chan performs several physically dynamic actions, including using a bo staff to maneuver and using cleaning sprays during a fight against moldy cookies. The show contains sequences that some viewers may find more intense than typical Sanrio fare, such as portrayals of conflict and scenes involving anthropomorphized food in peril.

Length, language options, and related titles

My Melody & Kuromi’s first season has 12 episodes, each about 10–13 minutes long. The Netflix release includes both Japanese and English audio options. For viewers interested in older Sanrio animated titles, Kuromi first appeared in the 2005 series Onegai My Melody, which is available on YouTube.

Context and other media

My Melody as a character dates back to 1975; her design was inspired by the red hood from the classic fairy tale. The series also touches on visual and emotional reactions that fans sometimes describe with the term cute aggression, due to the contrast between the characters’ appearance and some of their actions.

For comparison to other stop-motion work, the show has been discussed alongside titles that received attention in online communities, such as Tiny Chef.

Availability and what to expect

The show is available on Netflix. Episodes are short, which makes the season easy to watch in a single sitting. Viewers can expect handcrafted stop-motion visuals, Sanrio character designs, a mix of gentle and more intense scenes, and a story built around friendship, rivalry, and a baking contest. For further background on My Melody, see My Melody’s history.