Netflix may be in hot water with subscribers, but its latest show, Old Enough!, has taken the Internet by storm. The Japanese reality program (called Hajimete no Otsukai in Japan, which translates to My First Errand) has technically been around for over 30 years, with its first episode aired back in 1991. Adventurous children are carefully followed by a camera crew as they complete mundane tasks like buying food, picking up dry cleaning, or making juice. With the cheers of other townspeople leading them on (and keeping them safe), Japanese parents encourage their kids to take the first steps toward independence at an early age, with wholesome and humorous results.
After acquiring streaming rights to Nippon Television, the network that produces Old Enough!, Netflix released 20 episodes on March 31. Shot documentary-style, Old Enough! in Japan airs intermittently with episodes that are hours long, which Netflix condenses to about 15 minutes. Keeping the original audio and providing English translations for international viewers, Nippon's production team uses plenty of safety precautions to make sure nothing happens to the children while they complete their tasks. Between the cameramen running after the small participants to their parents scoping out all routes beforehand, the narrator's sarcastic and sassy rhetoric elevates the experience even more.
With Old Enough! available in over 100 countries, fans across the globe are obsessed with watching how the small children navigate around town to complete tasks on their own. The kids chosen to participate are only around 5-years-old, with some even as young as 2. With mics tucked into a bag they wear, viewers enjoy watching and listening to each child's thoughts, and it's easy to become enthralled with their journey across the street or down the block. With the kids being so young, their pure spirits are quick to bring a smile to anyone's face. The first episode, for example, features almost-3-year-old Hiroki, who is sent to the store to buy fish cakes, flowers, and curry. It's not until Hiroki is almost home that he realizes that he forgot the curry, and instead of crying, Hiroki quickly turns around and goes back for the item.
While the children are no doubt the stars of the show, fans of Old Enough! also enjoy the chance to view Japan from an up-close perspective. Taking place in small towns and villages instead of metropolitan cities like Tokyo, Old Enough! gives viewers an insight into beautiful unseen or unmentioned places, such as an episode that features two 3-year-old friends climbing the 200 steps of their local shrine. These rural areas provide a great backdrop to the program and also give the kids more challenges, like another episode that shows one toddler trying to pick a cabbage that was firmly on its stem.
In the end, Old Enough! is Netflix's newest feel-good show that tugs at the heartstrings. While there is some debate as to how safe the show is for the children (as well as how effective the parenting style is) the short episodes are quick to get through, leaving viewers wanting more. For adults, walking down the street to run an errand is nothing, but for these adorable kids, it's a tremendous effort that deserves applause regardless of the outcome. With the young ones seeing their tasks until the end, despite their tears and fears, Netflix has struck gold with this series despite the streaming services' recent issues.
Old Enough! is currently streaming on Netflix.