Poco's Udon World
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Poco's Udon World (うどんの国の金色毛鞠, Udon no Kuni no Kin'iro Kemari, lit. 'The Golden Furball of Udon Country') 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.
Poco's Udon World, sweetness & lightning, Usagi Drop
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Source: http://www.crunchyroll.com/pocos-udon-world
At first glance Poco’s Udon World is in a similar genre to say Usagi Drop or Sweetness and Lightning: a show about a sole father raising a child[1]. However it’s more of a tourist advert for Kagawa whilst reconciling a son to the memories of his late father.
It’s pleasant enough stuff, especially the tanuki masquerading as human Poco, but ends up being fairly shallow all told. Episode 12 Kakeudon was trying for an emotional reaction that the show lacked the depth to pull off.
The show makes a big thing of the rural Kagawa accent, especially with main character Sōta Tawara returning from Tokyo after the death of his father to clean up the house and close the family udon restaurant. This leads to some fairly creative subtitles on CrunchyRoll, but overall this aspect seems to be well handled in the translation.
On arrival Sōta discovers the tanuki Poco in the kitchen in a human(ish) form and basically adopts him[2]. Slice of life hijinks ensue, mostly showcasing local scenery from the area, with the remainder focussed on the difficulties Poco has maintaining human form[3].
In case the tourism links weren’t obvious, it appears that Kagawa Prefecture has been trying to change its name to Udon Prefecture, and has enlisted an actor Jun Kaname to front it as the “Vice Governor of Udon Prefecture”[4]. This article has a few more details, and here he is doing the episode previews:
Source: http://www.crunchyroll.com/pocos-udon-world/episode-1-bukkake-udon-722095?p360=1
Another aspect of the Kagawa promotion is the insertion of the Gaogao-chan and the Blue Sky shorts. This is a kids Show Within A Show which in universe is being made in Kagawa, with a none-too-subtle message attached that this sort of work can be done successfully in Kagawa, and you don’t have to go to Tokyo for it. Gaogao-chan is strange, and quite amusing in the small doses seen within Poco’s Udon World[5].
There’s a fairly decent cast of supporting characters ranging from childhood friends, Sōta’s elder sister Rinko, to the somewhat nutty staff of the various web design firms Sōta works with/for. I generally had fun watching it, but it’s pretty lightweight stuff.
The art style is a little odd, tending towards some rougher hewn character designs, but I found it quite appealing overall.
Over the course of the series Sōta finds himself remembering more and more about his decision to leave Kagawa to become a web developer instead of inheriting the restaurant, and beginning to regret not explaining things clearly to his father. Alas, there’s just not enough depth to this aspect of the story to generate much of a reaction by the time you get to Kakeudon.
Overall, Poco’s Udon World is a pleasant series to watch that won’t tax your brain too much. Here’s the OP which gives quite a good feel for the show (if you like this, you’ll probably like the show too):
[1] There’s been a fair few of those of late, and I occasionally wonder why this sort of story is becoming so popular at the moment.
[2] Although the direction of the adoption is open to question. It could well be Poco adopting Sōta.
[3] The ears and tail pop out occasionally, usually at embarrassing or comedic moments. As you’d expect.
[4] I don’t know if he’s actually the Vice Governor of Kagawa Prefecture.
[5]Gaogao-chan gets maybe 2-3 minutes at the end of most episodes.
| Poco's Udon World | |
| うどんの国の金色毛鞠 (Udon no Kuni no Kin-iro Kemari) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-Drama, Fantasy, slice of life |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nodoka Shinomaru |
| Published by | Shinchosha |
| Magazine | Monthly Comic @ Bunch |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | August 2012 – February 2019 |
| Volumes | 12[1](List of volumes) |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Seiki Takuno |
| Written by | Natsuko Takahashi |
| Music by | Yukari Hashimoto |
| Studio | Liden Films |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll(streaming)[2] Discotek Media(home video) |
| Original network | NTV, RNC, BS Nittere, Sun TV, MMT |
| English network | Animax Asia[3] |
| Original run | October 9, 2016 – December 25, 2016 |
| Episodes | 12 (List of episodes) |
| Anime and manga portal | |
Poco's Udon World (うどんの国の金色毛鞠, Udon no Kuni no Kin'iro Kemari, lit. 'The Golden Furball of Udon Country') 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 anime television series adaptation by Liden Films aired from October 9 to December 25, 2016.[4][5][6]
Plot[edit]
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 restaurant had 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[edit]
- Souta Tawara (俵 宗太, Tawara Sōta)
- Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura[7]
- The main protagonist and the son of a noodle restaurant owner. Born and raised in the Udon Prefecture (i.e., Kagawa Prefecture), he had been living an uneventful life in Tokyo as a web designer. He comes home after his father's demise to find the restaurant having gone out of business and a young boy that he names Poco hiding there. He grows fond of him and decides to take care of him and constantly worries about what would happen to Poco once he leaves. He regrets leaving his home and his father because of his selfishness and mentions it to his big sister when she expresses her regret of being unable give their father a grandchild. His time spent with Poco often reminds him of how his father lovingly took care of him, which further adds to his regrets.
- Poco (ポコ, Poko)
- Voiced by: Shiho Kokido[7]
- A young boy who is actually a magical tanuki (raccoon dog). He is adopted by Souta after he was found all alone hiding inside the closed-down restaurant.
- Shinobu Nakajima (中島 忍, Nakajima Shinobu)
- Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[7]
- Souta's friend from grade school. He used to go fishing with Souta in the middle of the night before going to school. He is now an orthopedic surgeon.
- Rinko Oishi (大石 凛子, Ōishi Rinko)
- Voiced by: Mai Nakahara[7]
- Souta's older sister. She's terrible with kids, but interacting with Poco and Souta changed that. She can come off as intimidating but she cares deeply about Souta's well-being. She regrets the fact that she couldn't give grandchildren to her father even though it was her own decision. She expresses her regret that they have to let go of the house that they grew up and played together which probably left some impression in Souta. She seems rather close to Souta and constantly worries about him probably because they lost their mother early. Whenever she's together with Souta they reminisce their childhood and their regrets. She has a sad expression whenever they reminisce their childhood probably because of the memories of her mother whom she probably remembers better than Souta does.
- Shunsuke Fujiyama (藤山 俊亮, Fujiyama Shunsuke)
- Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama[7]
- Priest who initially warns Souta that if a child wanders around alone in the area a tanuki could bewitch them - after Poco runs off chasing Kaeru and ends up at the temple. Sae's older brother and part-time DJ.
- Sae Fujiyama (藤山 紗枝, Fujiyama Sae)
- Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa[8]
- Former customer of Tawara Udon, who visited often, she is devastated to find out it is no longer in business upon first meeting Souta. Her workplace is situated around the corner from the noodle restaurant. Shunsuke's younger sister.
- Mai Manabe (真鍋 舞, Manabe Mai)
- Voiced by: Yuko Minaguchi[8]
- Souta's childhood friend. Since graduating from high school, she got married and now goes by Mai Tanaka. She is the mother to two children, Nozomi and baby boy Eitarou.
- Nozomi Tanaka (田中 のぞみ, Tanaka Nozomi)
- Voiced by: Kaede Hondo[8]
- Mai's daughter.
- Fumi Yoshioka (喜岡 ふみ, Yoshioka Fumi)
- Voiced by: Kujira[8]
- Sharp-tongued granny from next door, at first she is critical of Souta upon his return and mistakes Poco as his secret love child.
- Nakajima's Mother (中島の母)
- Voiced by: Akiko Kimura[8]
- Nakajima's Father (中島の父)
- Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hōki[8]
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.
- Gorou Hamada (浜田 吾郎, Hamada Gorō)
- Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda[8]
- Nicknamed Dahama, Souta's boss at 'team satellite', the web design company he works at in Tokyo. He first encounters Souta when visiting a hospital where Souta, as a teen, was a patient due to a leg injury. Seeing his enthusiasm for building Nakajima's fishing website, Dahama invites him to Tokyo after his recovery.
- Hiroshi Nagatsuma (永妻 宏司, Nagatsuma Hiroshi)
- Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana[8]
- Souta's younger colleague at 'team satellite' who looks up to him. Hiroshi is the one that calls Souta back to Tokyo, after he has spent two weeks away in Kagawa, when the company is in trouble due to being right up against a project deadline.
- Manabu Saeki (冴木 学, Saeki Manabu)
- Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi[8]
- President of 'team planet', an advertising agency in Shodoshima, introduced to Souta by Dahama when he becomes a freelancer.
- Yukie Saeki (冴木 雪枝, Saeki Yukie)
- Voiced by: Yū Shimamura[8]
- Works at 'team planet' and Manabu's wife.
- Souta's Mother (中島の母)
- Voiced by: Akiko Kimura[8]
- Souta and Rinko's mother, she died more than 25 years before the current storyline.
- Souta's Father (宗太の父)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Naka[8]
- Former owner of the noodle restaurant Tawara Udon, he is Souta and Rinko's father. Died recently - Souta is still in the mourning period when he returns to his hometown in Kagawa Prefecture.
- Kaeru (カエル)
- Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi[8]
- Frog that lives near Tawara Udon and that Poco often chases.
- Vice Governor (副知事)
- Voiced by: Jun Kaname[7]
- An anime-only character, Udon Prefecture Vice Governor Kaname Jun, a native of Kagawa who provides preview narration and facts about the prefecture.
Gaogao-chan and the Blue Sky[edit]
- Gaogao-chan (ガオガオちゃん)
- Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda[7]
- A space alien from the Nebula M87 who crash-lands on Earth and comes to love it. Gaogao-chan is Poco's favorite TV character.
- Mimi (ミミ) and Momo (モモ)
- Voiced by: Yui Makino and Shiho Kokido[7]
- Two kind mechanics who Gaogao-chan comes to live with.
Media[edit]
Manga[edit]
The original manga by Nodoka Shinomaru began serialization in Shinchosha's Monthly Comic @ Bunch magazine in August 2012.[9] So far, twelve tankōbon volumes have been released by Shinchosha under the label Bunch Comics.[10]
Volume list[edit]
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 8, 2012 | 978-4-10-771688-0 |
| 2 | June 7, 2013 | 978-4-10-771709-2 |
| 3 | December 9, 2013 | 978-4-10-771727-6 |
| 4 | July 9, 2014 | 978-4-10-771759-7 |
| 5 | December 9, 2014 | 978-4-10-771790-0 |
| 6 | August 8, 2015 | 978-4-10-771838-9 |
| 7 | February 9, 2016 | 978-4-10-771876-1 |
| 8 | October 8, 2016 | 978-4-10-771925-6 |
| 9 | January 1, 2017 | 978-4-10-771947-8 |
| 10 | November 9, 2017 | 978-4-10-772025-2 |
| 11 | September 7, 2018 | 978-4-10-772117-4 |
| 12 | March 9, 2019 | 978-4-10-772167-9 |
Anime[edit]
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation was announced to air in October 2016.[11] 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.[4][6] It premiered on October 9, 2016 on NTV[a] and later premiered on RNC on October 16, 2016.[8] The opening theme is 'S.O.S.' by Weaver[12] and the ending theme is 'Sweet Darwin' by GOODWARP.[8]Crunchyroll streamed the show as it aired, while Discotek Media will release the show on Blu-ray May 26, 2020.
Episode list[edit]
| No. | Official English title[b] Original Japanese title[13] | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 'Bukkake Udon' 'Bukkake Udon' (ぶっかけうどん) | October 9, 2016 |
| 2 | 'Kotoden' 'Kotoden' (ことでん) | October 16, 2016 |
| 3 | 'The Red Lighthouse' 'Aka Tōdai' (赤灯台) | October 23, 2016 |
| 4 | 'Yashima' 'Yashima' (屋島) | October 30, 2016 |
| 5 | 'Chicken on the Bone' 'Honesuke Tori' (骨付鳥) | November 6, 2016 |
| 6 | 'Tokyo Tower' 'Tōkyō Tawā' (東京タワー) | November 13, 2016 |
| 7 | 'Ritsurin Garden' 'Ritsurin Kōen' (栗林公園) | November 20, 2016 |
| 8 | 'Shoudo Island' 'Shōdoshima' (小豆島) | November 27, 2016 |
| 9 | 'Dried Sardines' 'Iriko Dashi' (いりこだし) | December 4, 2016 |
| 10 | 'Reservoir' 'Tameike' (ため池) | December 11, 2016 |
| 11 | 'Takamatsu Festival' 'Takamatsu Matsuri' (高松まつり) | December 18, 2016 |
| 12 | 'Kakeudon' 'Kakeudon' (かけうどん) | December 25, 2016 |
Notes[edit]
Poco S Udon World Dub
- ^The series premiered on NTV at 25:55 on October 8, 2016, which is equivalent to 1:55am on October 9, 2016
- ^All English titles are taken from Crunchyroll.
References[edit]
Poco's Udon World Characters
- ^'Nodoka Shinomaru's Poco's Udon World Manga Ends With 12th Volume'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^'Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2017 Anime Lineup'. Crunchyroll. January 20, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^'Animax Asia to Simulcast Flip Flappers, Poco's Udon World'. Anime News Network. September 28, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ ab'Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari Manga Gets TV Anime This Year'. Anime News Network. February 8, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^うどんの国の金色毛鞠TVアニメ化決定 web＠バンチ [Udon no Kuni no Kin-iro Kemari TV Anime adaptation decided web @ Bunch] (in Japanese). web @ bunch. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ ab'Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari Anime Unveils 1st Promo, Main Cast, October Premiere'. Anime News Network. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ abcdefgh'Tomokazu Sugita, Mai Nakahara, Jun Fukuyama Join Poco's Udon World Anime's Cast'. Anime News Network. July 21, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
- ^ abcdefghijklmno'Poco's Udon World Anime Reveals More Cast, Ending Theme Artist, October 8 Premiere'. Anime News Network. August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
- ^月刊コミック＠バンチ 2012年8月号 (in Japanese). Shinchosha. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^うどんの国の金色毛鞠 12 (BUNCH COMICS) [Udon no Kuni no Kin-iro Kemari 12 (Bunch Comics)] (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^'Poco's Udon World TV Anime Will Have 12 Episodes'. Anime News Network. March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- ^'Weaver to Perform Poco's Udon World Anime's Opening Theme'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
- ^'STORY'. udonnokuni-anime.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
Poco's Udon World Dub
External links[edit]
- Official website(in Japanese)
- Anime official website(in Japanese)
- Poco's Udon World (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia