First Impression – Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
Ahhh, the big rainbow arc of noodles in the sky…
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There are two types of shows I’ve been seeing a lot of recently: cooking shows and shows about single dads raising adorable kids. Sometimes, the two of them get combined into heartfelt tales about dads trying their best to cook a delicious meal to share with their child. It’s the perfect way to bond. This time, the child is a feral, shape-shifting tanuki. |
The star offender of cooking tanuki in hot pots is in my icon…and thankfully, she doesn’t make an appearance in this show to concoct a special tanuki udon. That would be an unexpected twist though. Alas, Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari is a quiet and sweet show about a wayward 30 year old raising a cheeky tanuki boy on his own.
Hmm, maybe Souta should get some meat on his bones before cooking him
Basically, Souta left his hometown to go to Tokyo, disappointing his father by not taking over his esteemed udon shop. That would be the end of it if it weren’t for the fact that Souta is currently unemployed and that his father recently passed away. He has some rather complex emotions about the whole matter as well. On one hand, he hated how kids teased him for smelling like soup stock (which is weird because soup stock smells super good and I’d wear it as a perfume in a heartbeat), and there’s also some weird, untold story about a broken leg. On the other hand, his father passed away and now his store is rotting away as tourists and locals alike poke around, looking for a taste of Tawara’s long-lost udon. It’s a pretty depressing affair, and now Souta is jobless and back at home wondering what to do with his life. It’s only the first episode, so none of that drama is laid on too thick. We just get a few teasing glimpses at Souta’s deeper issues that he tries so desperately to hide.
Along the way, we’re sure to learn about Souta’s past and see him come to grips with HOW AWESOME IT IS TO MAKE UDON! However, he can’t do it alone. This growth will largely be propelled by a tiny yet formidable guest…one with a tail and ears. Although he can’t even utter his own name yet, I can tell by the english title of the show “Poko’s Udon World”, that he’s called Poko. You can guess by the fact that they gave him literally the most obvious tanuki name ever and from all the spoilers in the OP that they just couldn’t wait to tell us that Poko was going to be a tanuki. It would have been a nice surprise if we didn’t see it coming…But I suppose then they might get less viewers if it wasn’t in the promo material. Afterall, it seems the whole tanuki thing is pretty darn important.
As soon as Souta finds out his guest is something a bit more special than a lost child, he immediately hides him. This likely means that Souta will have to be secretive about his new house guest, since he doesn’t want anyone else to find out he’s raising a tanuki. There may be a select few people he can trust, such as the monk (who had a tanuki charm hanging from his fan!). It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with not only being stuck with this kid, but figuring out how to deal with a tanuki. How much is he different from a regular kid? Will he learn to speak more? If other people find out, will they hurt him?
I love the premise of this show, but what I absolutely adore is the way it makes me feel. The iyashikei vibes are strong with this one. It’s a soft, heart-warming show with plenty of cute moments and a good eye for beautiful nature shots. I was instantly soothed. If shows like Bunny Drop and Sweetness and Lightning are your thing, this is definitely for you.
Awwwww
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Well, she’ll make a return when the second season of the show she’s in comes around. So, brace yourself.
Article: The Eccentric Family TV Anime Gets 2nd Season (Updated)
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I KNOW I’M SO HYPED
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
The Japanese title’s a little more longwinded – it translates to “The Golden Furball’s Udon World”. It’s started as a seinen manga that’s still ongoing at 9 volumes.
Since the anime’s set in Japan’s Kagawa prefecture, the local government’s using the opportunity to use the anime to promote tourism in that prefecture.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
lol furball.
Ahh I want to go here too now
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
LOL…soup stock as perfume…
Yeah, this one looks super-indulgent, pretty typical for most iyashikei anime, and I mean that in a good way. It works best when it’s somewhat predictable, and meets expectations. That can be schmaltzy if done poorly, but this one looks like it’s hitting all the right grooves.
Meat on his bones? No, gotta keep it tender for that veal!
Or the older dude can learn to make his dads udon as time goes by, and Poko is the “magic” he needs to reconnect…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I love anything that smells like food…
They really go for the relaxing/cute shots as much as possible…but yep, it still works. I’m looking forward to when they get cooking! At least…I hope they do.