TV-Series
Description
Dera Mochimazzi is a talking bird who serves as a noble attendant to the royal family of a tropical, distant land. His original mission was to travel to Japan to find a suitable bride for his country's prince. This mission, however, is derailed shortly after his arrival when he develops a strong and gluttonous affinity for mochi, the traditional Japanese rice cake. He consumes so much of it while staying in the home of Tamako Kitashirakawa, whose family runs a mochi shop, that he gains a significant amount of weight and consequently loses the ability to fly properly.
Physically, Dera is a plump bird, roughly half the size of a human girl, which would place him at about 82 centimeters tall. His body is round and egg-shaped, covered in white feathers with pink ends on his wings. He has a small beak, round dark brown eyes, and large pink dots on the sides of his face. A distinctive feature is the strand of feathers on his head that ends in a pink tip, similar to an "ahoge". Despite his size, he has very small legs and claws, which he often poses in a manner mimicking a fashion model.
Dera's personality is one of his most defining traits. He is exceedingly proud, bossy, and dramatic, often speaking in an exaggeratedly formal tone and seeing himself as above the common people of the shopping district because of his royal status. He frequently addresses others with terms like young girl or young man. He is also a hopeless narcissist and a womanizer at heart, believing that anyone who sneezes in his direction is expressing romantic interest in him. This leads to many comical misunderstandings. Furthermore, he develops a noticeable and one-sided crush on a shy girl named Shiori Asagiri, whom he finds lovely and elegant, showering her with compliments despite her lack of reciprocation.
Despite his many comedic flaws, Dera is not without merit. He possesses a surprising sharpness when it comes to observing the feelings of others. He acts as a self-appointed love advisor, particularly to Tamako's childhood friend Mochizō Ōji, whom he calls young man, and gives him advice on how to confess his long-held feelings for Tamako. In this role, he is loyal and genuinely supportive, wishing to help those around him find happiness.
His role in the story is primarily that of a comedic catalyst and observer. His sudden arrival and subsequent decision to become a freeloader at Tamako's house inject a fantastical and humorous element into the otherwise grounded slice-of-life setting. He is often referred to simply as Bird by Tamako's family, or affectionately as Dera-chan by Tamako herself, as his surname sounds similar to the phrase bad-tasting mochi. A notable running gag is the advanced technology hidden within his body; he has a communication system that activates when he is unconscious, allowing the prince to contact him, and he can also be used as a projector to display video messages from his beak or eyes.
Throughout the series, Dera shows a degree of development. While he begins as a purely selfish and pompous character who has abandoned his mission due to gluttony, he gradually comes to appreciate his new life and the people in it. He misses Tamako and the others when he briefly returns to his home island. In the end, faced with the choice to return to his homeland or stay, his attachment to his new friends and his indulgent lifestyle proves too strong, and he remains in the shopping district, having found a place where he truly belongs.
Physically, Dera is a plump bird, roughly half the size of a human girl, which would place him at about 82 centimeters tall. His body is round and egg-shaped, covered in white feathers with pink ends on his wings. He has a small beak, round dark brown eyes, and large pink dots on the sides of his face. A distinctive feature is the strand of feathers on his head that ends in a pink tip, similar to an "ahoge". Despite his size, he has very small legs and claws, which he often poses in a manner mimicking a fashion model.
Dera's personality is one of his most defining traits. He is exceedingly proud, bossy, and dramatic, often speaking in an exaggeratedly formal tone and seeing himself as above the common people of the shopping district because of his royal status. He frequently addresses others with terms like young girl or young man. He is also a hopeless narcissist and a womanizer at heart, believing that anyone who sneezes in his direction is expressing romantic interest in him. This leads to many comical misunderstandings. Furthermore, he develops a noticeable and one-sided crush on a shy girl named Shiori Asagiri, whom he finds lovely and elegant, showering her with compliments despite her lack of reciprocation.
Despite his many comedic flaws, Dera is not without merit. He possesses a surprising sharpness when it comes to observing the feelings of others. He acts as a self-appointed love advisor, particularly to Tamako's childhood friend Mochizō Ōji, whom he calls young man, and gives him advice on how to confess his long-held feelings for Tamako. In this role, he is loyal and genuinely supportive, wishing to help those around him find happiness.
His role in the story is primarily that of a comedic catalyst and observer. His sudden arrival and subsequent decision to become a freeloader at Tamako's house inject a fantastical and humorous element into the otherwise grounded slice-of-life setting. He is often referred to simply as Bird by Tamako's family, or affectionately as Dera-chan by Tamako herself, as his surname sounds similar to the phrase bad-tasting mochi. A notable running gag is the advanced technology hidden within his body; he has a communication system that activates when he is unconscious, allowing the prince to contact him, and he can also be used as a projector to display video messages from his beak or eyes.
Throughout the series, Dera shows a degree of development. While he begins as a purely selfish and pompous character who has abandoned his mission due to gluttony, he gradually comes to appreciate his new life and the people in it. He misses Tamako and the others when he briefly returns to his home island. In the end, faced with the choice to return to his homeland or stay, his attachment to his new friends and his indulgent lifestyle proves too strong, and he remains in the shopping district, having found a place where he truly belongs.