The Summer 2025 Anime Preview Guide - With You and the Rain

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One evening, while walking home in the rain, a woman finds an animal in a box, waiting to be adopted. In fact, he tells her he wants to be adopted, by writing the words on the box himself. Convinced that her new pet is a dog, she brings the animal home and they begin their peaceful new life together, but she's not sure he really is a dog.

With You and the Rain is based on the manga series by Kō Nikaido. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.

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Episode 2
Richard Eisenbeis
Rating:

In my life, I've found that the kindest people are those who don't see themselves as particularly kind. In their eyes, kindness is a conscious choice; you have to stop, think, and choose to do something kind. They aren't doing that; therefore, they don't see themselves as kind. It never really occurs to them that they could be naturally kind—that they could do kind things just by pure instinct.

This is the sort of person Fuji is. She doesn't go out of her way to be kind, but when given a set of choices, she chooses the kindest one without even thinking about it. This is why she helped the tanuki dog when it asked her, why she accompanies her child neighbor to the park, and why she gives her dad the tea he bought for her. Even the fact that she is avoiding her father is out of this sense of kindness—she is struggling with life in general at the moment and doesn't want him (and, by proxy, her mother) to worry.

To put it another way, this episode is a character study for Fuji. Through all her silly little interactions with her tanuki dog—and the people they meet while out and about—we learn more about who she is.

We also get a bit more about her furry companion. The tanuki dog is fully aware that it is deceiving Fuji and is doing what it can to avoid being found out, especially when it comes to getting its photograph taken. Luckily, everyone it's encountered so far either can't tell the difference between a tanuki and a dog or doesn't care to point things out.

All in all, this looks to be a silly yet heartfelt little anime. It's got chill vibes, deep characters, and a ton of little laughs. If any of that sounds even remotely appealing, give it a watch.

Episode 1
Rating:

Let's start on a bit of a side note. Of all the characters on the show, Family Guy's Brian gets the most laughs out of me—and it's always from the same basic joke. We all know that Brian is a dog, but he acts so human most of the time that it's astonishing any time his dog instincts override his human personality.

With You and the Rain is built on a similar joke where we never know when the tanuki dog is going to act like a tanuki dog or a human. This constant uncertainty keeps us engaged as viewers and primes us for laughter when the chips fall where they may.

Then there's the running gag that Fuji thinks she is a dog owner—and that dogs can do things like understand (and even write) Japanese. Yet, Fuji is so pure in her thoughts and actions that her total ignorance about pets (and her willingness to accept her takunki's dog's actions as “normal”) comes off as heartwarming more than anything else.

The anime also employs a lot of great show-don't-tell techniques. A lot of Fuji's personality comes through her actions rather than her words. Things like giving up her umbrella to an old woman and her reading in the bath speak volumes about who she is and what drives her. Her apartment likewise tells this story with its numerous books and clearly defined working space.

My only worry about this show is wondering how long it can stay engaging. Currently, the show only has two core jokes, and while they could carry a feature-length film, I worry that they may struggle to sustain a full season of anime. That said, I'm looking forward to the next episode to see if and how the story will expand as more and more characters meet Fuji and her takunki dog.

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Episode 2
Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

You can't fool a dog's nose. Kinako the Shiba Inu immediately clocks Kimi (the only way his person addresses the tanuki; I'll use it rather than calling him “it” like the subtitles do) as “not a dog and probably not a cat.” She has zero intentions of letting that creature near her humans for a little while. In a shift that's emblematic of With You and the Rain, Kinako eventually decides that Kimi is fine, no matter what he is. And while there's almost certainly a lovely metaphor in there, right now this is just a show about a woman, her pet, and her enthusiastic grandparent-ready father.

There's something wonderful about the way both her dad and Kinako end up embracing the tanuki. After all, neither of them is wrong when they initially class him as either “Other” or “yokai;” those are both emphatically what Kimi is. If the writing wasn't a giveaway, the fact that he can transform his headleaf into a flower should be a pretty big clue – and perhaps an indication of why he decided to be adopted. Most tanuki in mythology use the leaf to transform; they don't transform the leaf. That Kimi is going about it the wrong way may mean that he's not very good at being a tanuki and figured that being a dog would be a better plan.

The joy of this second episode is watching Kimi settle in. His person has wholeheartedly accepted him, perhaps better than she accepts herself, given the three times she tells Kii that she's not that nice when that doesn't seem to be the case at all – and now the people around her are learning to as well. Not that Kii ever doubted Kimi's bona fides as a pup, but both of Fuji's parents were skeptical. I find it funny that her mother's measure of Kimi's canineness was to ask him to do tricks; she knows her daughter only recently adopted him, so why would she assume she'd taught him already? Not that Kimi does himself any favors by getting stuck in the trashcan, but honestly? That one moment is the most doglike he's been across both episodes.

There may not be tons to say about With You and the Rain from a review or analytical perspective, but its warm heart and Kimi's antics help to make it a delight. It doesn't matter if he's a dog or a tanuki – what matters is the way he and his person interact and how happy it makes them both.

Episode 1
Rating:

Not every series can pull off nothing happening. There's an art to it – the nothing has to hit just the right notes of quiet contemplation, to have little bursts of “something” to offset the lack of intense plot or action. With You and the Rain won't hit that sweet spot for everyone, but I think pet people will find that it's more successful than not, because at the heart of this first episode is the relationship between Fuji and the “dog” she brings home.

That “dog” is, of course, not a dog at all, but a tanuki. Tanuki in Japanese folklore are trickster figures, most frequently seen transforming into other creatures or objects. However, if Fuji's new pet has that power, they're terrible at using it. They've got the all-important leaf on their head (often a catalyst for tanuki transformation), but if they were actually any good at transforming, you'd think they'd have made themselves look like a dog instead of just writing “I'm a dog” on a piece of paper. Or, at one point, claiming to be a cat without any attempt at looking like one. Perhaps a lack of traditional tanuki skills was what led them to try to be adopted by a human in the first place.

Whatever their reason, though, it's hard to argue that the tanuki and Fuji are a good match. As anyone who has taken in a stray knows, sometimes it's the animal who chooses you rather than the other way around, and that seems to be what happened here. Yes, the tanuki was in a box on the street, but it was Fuji who they decided to go home with, and we can see a kindred spirit between them. For one thing, Fuji is entirely happy to accept them for who they say they are, which can be a vanishingly rare gift to receive. But they also fit seamlessly into each other's lives, and there's a sense that Fuji was lonely before. She has a brother and an enthusiastic (and probably exhausting) father, but as a novelist, she spends most of her time alone. She's the sort of person who gives away her umbrella and walks home in the rain anyway, putting others above herself, and that may tie in to why she took the tanuki home in the first place. But with her new pet, she can see that her actions are appreciated, and as many a dog owner can attest, walking a pet is a great way to interact with people, something Fuji seems to be lacking. She and the tanuki complement each other, offering the care and companionship that each of them lacked.

The furry little guy is also adorable, and the little buzzing-whispering sounds they make are perfect. (I have no idea if that's what tanuki actually sound like.) The cool blues of the color palette complement both the idea of “rain” and the peace that Fuji and her new friend find together, and the brighter hues used during comedic moments are a nice jolt without being jarring. As a fan of the manga, this is exactly what I was hoping for, and in this increasingly stressful world, this series may be the calm spot we need.

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Episode 2
James Beckett
Rating:

It's funny: With You and the Rain is one of the few slice-of-life anime I've seen where the thought of just chilling with the characters for twenty minutes or so every week sounds like it could make for appointment-viewing television. I'm normally the kind of guy to get bored and distracted from these kinds of programs, even the ones that I genuinely enjoy. This entire second episode of With You and the Rain might have mostly just been Fuji and Tanuki hanging out at the park with a cute little girl and Fuji's embarrassing father, but the vibes were just so immaculate, you know?

I think the cast might be the secret to this show's success. Oh sure, Tanuki is great, and could probably carry the whole show just by his otherworldly powers of soul-obliterating cuteness, but all of the human characters are excellent in their own right. Fuji might be pretty quiet and introverted, but the show meticulously characterizes her through her subtlest of actions and reactions, even if we're just talking about the slight pauses she takes in trying to explain why she attempted to ghost her well-meaning but overbearing father. She's the perfect counterpart to the incredibly animated Tanuki, and you will only be further reminded by the end of this episode that these two are soul-mates. Did you even hear those adorable little snores Tanuki was making when Fuji tucked him in at night? Only a creature that is perfectly at ease in its forever home is capable of making such noises of contentment.

Kii and Fuji's parents are also great. I love the fact that Kii instantly recognizes Tanuki as a dog who just so happens to wear a magical leaf on his head at all times and is capable of intelligent human speech in written form. I thought that having anyone other than Fuji be fooled would kill the joke, but I will accept Kii's ignorance in the matter, both because she is a child and because she is a tiny little girl who might not even know what a Tanuki is. Fuji's interactions with her mother and father make it very clear which parent she has inherited most of her personality from (it's the one that doesn't spend hours loudly yelling in a public park about how cute and possibly demonic the “dog” is, that's for sure).

It's genuinely difficult to create characters that feel this “real” in a world where a magical, intelligent tanuki is the driving force of the story, but With You and the Rain makes it look effortless. I always knew I would be checking in on this show fairly regularly, if only to show my wife all of the cute Tanuki bits, but I might honestly end up putting it near the top of my summer watchlist. The world has gone to hell in so many ways, it seems, so I don't think anyone will fault me for a weekly vacation to the version of Japan that lets me chill out with an adorable Tanuki pal and all of his humans. That's the life we all deserve, darn it.

Episode 1
Rating:

You can get a grip on the sole underlying joke of With You and the Rain just by watching a trailer for the show, or even reading that summary at the top of the page. Fuji is a single novelist living on her own who thinks she has just adopted an abandoned dog she found in a box on the street. The “dog” is clearly a tanuki. It's the most obvious thing in the world. It has little round ears, a big bushy tail, and that little leaf resting on its head at all times. Additionally, it is capable of communicating in perfect Japanese by writing things down on cue cards. Fuji does not realize this. Everyone she encounters instantly recognizes her mistake, but the tanuki begs them to keep up the ruse, and come on, who the hell is going to say “No!” to a face like that?

Normally, I struggle to get into these iyashikei types of slice-of-life shows. I usually need a bit more friction and some kind of recognizable plot in my anime episodes to stay engaged. That said, when it comes to shows that are just about vibin' and chilling out with a couple of nice cartoon goofs, With You and the Rain is doing such a good job that even I can get down with the overwhelmingly laid-back atmosphere and pacing. The animation from Studio Lesprit is clean and evocative, the music is gentle enough to lull you into a cozy nap, and we get just enough out of the scant few supporting characters Fuji meets in this premiere to keep the routine from getting too repetitive.

Let's be real here, though: There is one secret weapon that With You and the Rain wields with such devastating precision that there was never really any chance that this show wouldn't be a good time for most people, and that weapon is the tanuki. The son-of-a-gun is just so abhorrently adorable that it almost becomes impossible to handle. At the very least, you will likely find yourself making all manner of embarrassing, involuntary noises of glee with every one of the tanuki's antics. The “dawwwwwwwws” and “aaaaaaaaaaaaghs” and “ohmygodhoneycomelookatthetanukicanyouevenbelievethisnonsenses” that were flying out of my mouth scared my own little critters right out of my office. Can you blame me, though? Like, what am I supposed to do when the tanuki is sitting in his little bathtub and he's spinning his leaf around in the water like it's a pool toy? Yeah, that's what I thought.

With You and the Raini is a tricky premiere to rate, because I typically calibrate these scores based on how invested I am in continuing to watch the series after its first episode. Like I said, I don't usually go out of my way to watch anime as low-key as this one, and I'm not even sure if antics as unbearably charming and sweet as the tanuki's are enough for me to keep coming back week after week. Still, this is about as good as any of these cuddly pet cartoons is bound to get, so I recommend that anyone remotely curious about Fuji and her exceptionally talented “dog” give the show a try.

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