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Poco's Udon World
Episodes 1-2

by Amy McNulty,

How would you rate episode 1 of
Poco's Udon World ?
Community score: 4.2

How would you rate episode 2 of
Poco's Udon World ?
Community score: 4.4

If seinen slice-of-life is your bag, Poco's Udon World is fall season appointment viewing. In addition to featuring a main character who's ancient by anime standards (30!), the show finds our hero dealing with issues that affect a sizable chunk of the target demo—leaving home, feeling unfulfilled in one's professional life, and reconnecting with childhood roots. Despite featuring a sprinkling of fantastical elements, the bulk of the show's drama and its central character's struggles feel very grounded and believable.

Following the death of his father, 30-year-old Tawara Souta returns to Kagawa Prefecture (also known as “Udon Prefecture” in light of its enormous number of udon restaurants) to attend his dad's funeral and get the old man's affairs in order. As it turns out, Souta and Dad didn't part on the best terms. Fed up with rural life, Souta was dead-set on attending college and subsequently living and working in Tokyo—much to the chagrin of his late father, who wanted him to succeed the family's udon restaurant. Shortly after arriving at the restaurant (which is connected to the Tawara family's residence), Souta encounters Poco, a mysterious little boy who instantly takes a shine to him and is later revealed to be a tanuki. Fortunately, Souta quickly comes to terms with his bizarre situation and decides to assume guardianship of Poco for the duration of his stay—however long it turns out to be.

Poco's Udon World both embraces and subverts the “adorable child changes the life of jaded young adult” gimmick found in series like Bunny Drop, Barakamon, and Sweetness & Lightning. Making the child a supernatural entity puts an interesting spin on things without causing the show to stray too far from its slice-of-life roots. Despite not being human, most of Poco's behaviors and mannerisms are perfectly in line with the children from the aforementioned shows. Hearing him repeat Souta's name on an infinite loop can get a little grating, but I suppose it's unfair to expect a mythical creature with a limited grasp of human speech to possess a more expansive vocabulary. Personally, I think he's cutest in full tanuki form, but I can see how the story prospects would be limited if he spent the entire series as a pet instead of a foster son.

Like Barakamon and Non Non Biyori, the visuals and overall art direction nicely convey a distinct rural atmosphere. When Souta's friend Shinobu bemoans the fact that the younger generation won't stick around, the scenery immediately illustrates why. Souta's hometown is equal parts beautiful and desolate, and it isn't hard to see why the lack of modern-day stimulation is a turn-off to young adults. The glossy effect attached to every character and background also helps punctuate the serene, relaxed mood.

As is often the case with prodigal son stories, I'd say it's pretty much a given that Souta, after some requisite trial and error, will decide to remain in his hometown and reopen the family business. The real meat of the story will come from seeing how he works through his unresolved feelings about his childhood and comes to terms with his life choices. Whether Poco will serve as the driving force behind Souta's awakening or simply offer encouragement from the sidelines remains to be seen, but at the moment, my money's on him being somewhere in the middle. (Plus, there's no way Souta can take Poco back to Tokyo with him, so I'd say he's back home for the long haul.)

If it continues on its current path, Poco's Udon World may blossom into one of the year's top dramedies. Funny, emotional without being cloying, and well-paced, this show deftly combines the familiar with the unexpected. Poco can be a little annoying at times, and the second episode is completely udon-less, but so far, the show has done an admirable job of establishing its setting and lead characters.

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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