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Poco's Udon World
Episode 9

by Amy McNulty,

How would you rate episode 9 of
Poco's Udon World ?
Community score: 4.5

Souta and Poco's relationship undergoes more growth in the latest new Poco's Udon World. By the end of last week's episode, Souta had come to view Poco as more of a child than a pet, but his new take on the situation is challenged when Poco fully regresses to animal form. Until this point, Poco's partial transformations have largely been used as a vehicle for humor, but as episode 9 illustrates, this particular plot point can effectively be used to drive drama.

When a heartbroken Hiroshi shows up at Souta's house demanding homemade Sanuki udon, the gang attempts to recreate the late Mr. Tawara's recipe. (Souta is finally making udon on a show called Poco's Udon World!) Unfortunately, when Poco finds himself unable to retain his human form, things take a turn for the bizarre, and Hiroshi comes dangerously close to learning the little tanuki's secret. Rather than panic over this development, Souta approaches the situation with calm resignation and assures Poco that he'll treat him the same regardless of what form he takes. Although an unseen force helps Poco reassume his human form, it's implied that maintaining this appearance long-term is becoming progressively more difficult for him.

Although things end on a relatively happy note, we're left with the impression that rough times are ahead for Souta and his adoptive son. With Poco having less control over his reversions to his original form, taking him out in public and having him around other humans is bound to become riskier. Since the show has largely focused on Souta's quarter-life crisis until now, the more fantastical elements never registered as particularly important. However, with the season winding down, it seems like that's all about to change.

Hiroshi is an odd choice to be getting so much screen time, especially since he was introduced relatively late in the show. Considering Nakajima initially seemed like a more important character, I would have never expected Hiroshi to be the first to come this close to finding out the truth about Poco not once, but twice now. Still, despite primarily functioning as comic relief, Hiroshi comes across as genuinely sympathetic toward the end of the episode when we learn that he was ostracized by some of his colleagues shortly after starting work at Dahama's company. Since Souta and Dahama were the only ones who stood up for him, it's easy to see why he's so attached to them. This may also explain his unyielding desire to prove himself. However, now that he's had the supporting character spotlight for three episodes, I wouldn't mind taking a Hiroshi break and checking in with Nakajima or Rinko.

The audience is somewhat cheated when the narrative mostly skips over Souta's meeting with Manabu Saeki, who's apparently not only going to be Souta's boss, at least on a freelance basis, but he's also none other than the creator of Gaogao-chan. (This makes his Gaogao-centric fishing boat slightly less creepy.) The fact that he's the man behind everyone's favorite space lion seems like a bombshell that should have been treated with more importance. It's possible that he's a character who works best in small doses, but as it stands, the show seemed geared toward the audience spending more time with Manabu and his long-suffering wife/business partner, and it failed to deliver there.

The connection between Souta and Poco is as palpable and sweet as ever. Now that Souta is fully committed to living with Poco for the foreseeable future, the next step may be to reveal Poco's true nature to his friends and family—especially if the transformation magic can no longer be depended on. With any luck, Souta will be able to find a solution that works for everyone before Shinsuke, the eccentric monk, puts all the pieces together and outs the secret for him.

Rating: B+

Poco's Udon World is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.


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