Since it’s a Soviet-Japanese joint production, “Chiisana Penguin Lolo no Bouken” is an anime that doesn’t really feel like an anime. The animation style, dialogue and story progression seem distinctly non-Japanese, and the credits (and voice acting) are all in Russian. Japanese staff did work on this, however, and the background music in particular sounds like something you’d hear in a Japanese production. This 3-episode OVA is about an Adelie penguin named Lolo and his friends and family, and it follows him from when he hatches from his egg as he grows into an adult. Inquisitive and rambunctious, he gets into lots of dangerous situations whilegoing on adventures with his friends.

While the penguins do look cute, their actions sometimes contradict their cuteness and make the viewer realize that life for these creatures is indeed “survival of the fittest.” We see them stealing rocks from each other to make nests, for example. There’s also a scene where Lolo’s parents spank him (of course, this isn’t natural penguin behavior). There are also lots of predators that the penguins have to watch out for, and these are depicted menacingly — the killer whales and the seals, in particular, look frightening. Another interesting narrative choice here is that the penguins seem to be able to communicate with the “good animals,” like the dogs and the blue whales, but not the “bad animals,” like the skua gulls. There are also bad and good humans, and the bad ones are shown to be ugly while the good human is not.

Plot-wise, this OVA tells a series of connected stories that are entertaining and suspenseful to watch, and that convey the harshness of nature and what being part of the food chain entails. These stories culminate in a conclusion that is largely satisfying but open-ended. Some of the major developments at the end happen too suddenly, and the characters’ reactions to them are glossed over. There are a few plot developments, particularly in the final episode, that don’t make much sense. In general, however, the story and characters are pretty good.

Regarding technical aspects, the animation is usually fluid, although it can be blocky at times, and they recycle some shots. Also, sometimes the penguins look like they're smiling when they're saying something serious. The background music is appealing and kind of relaxing, in a way. I can’t comment much on the quality of the voice acting since it’s in Russian, but it sounded okay.

There is some potentially objectionable content, most of which I think got cut for the English-language releases of this OVA. There’s the aforementioned scene with Lolo’s parents spanking him, there’s some violence as characters are almost eaten by other animals several times, and there are some deaths (with blood shown).

Overall, although “Lolo” has a few issues, it’s a solid watch.