Poco's Udon World is a Japanese manga series written by Nodoka Shinomaru. It began serialization in Shinchosha's magazine Monthly Comic @ Bunch in 2012 and has been collected into twelve tankōbon volumes. An animetelevision series adaptation by Liden Films aired from October 9 to December 25, 2016.
Plot
The series revolves around the complicated but normal life of Souta Tawara, a young web designer from Tokyo who decides to return to his hometown in Kagawa following the death of his father and to take a break from the city. Upon his return, he sadly learns that the family restauranthad gone out of business during his absence; while reminiscing about his childhood, Souta walks inside the closed down restaurant and discovers a blonde haired little boy wearing rags sleeping inside a cooking pot. Then, Souta realizes that this child is a shape shifting tanuki that has been inhabiting Kagawa for many years. Thinking that the boy has been living a lonely life, he decides to adopt him and name him Poco. Each episode follows the heartwarming relationship between Souta and Poco, and through the time they spend together, Souta recalls his own past, the place he left behind for the city, and the relationship he had with his father.
Characters
Surgeon and Director of the local hospital, he operated on Souta when he sustained his leg injury as a teenager. He argues frequently with his son who works at another hospital in Ritsurin, raising doubts as to whether Shinobu will take over his hospital.
The original manga by Nodoka Shinomaru began serialization in Shinchosha's Monthly Comic @ Bunch magazine in August 2012. So far, twelve tankōbon volumes have been released by Shinchosha under the label Bunch Comics.
Volume list
Anime
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation was announced to air in October 2016. The anime is produced by Liden Films, directed by Seiki Takuno and written by Natsuko Takahashi. Eriko Itō handles the character designs and Yukari Hashimoto is composing the music. It premiered on October 9, 2016 on NTV and later premiered on RNC on October 16, 2016. The opening theme is "S.O.S." by Weaver and the ending theme is "Sweet Darwin" by GOODWARP. Crunchyroll streamed the show as it aired, while Discotek Media will release the show on Blu-ray May 26, 2020.
