Usagi Drop

Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor working a respectable job but otherwise wandering aimlessly through life. When his grandfather suddenly passes away, he returns to the family home to pay his respects. Upon arriving at the house, he meets a mysterious young girl named Rin who, to Daikichi’s astonishment, is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter!

The shy and unapproachable girl is deemed an embarrassment to the family, and finds herself ostracized by her father's relatives, all of them refusing to take care of her in the wake of his death. Daikichi, angered by their coldness toward Rin, announces that he will take her in—despite the fact that he is a young, single man with no prior childcare experience.

Usagi Drop is the story of Daikichi's journey through fatherhood as he raises Rin with his gentle and affectionate nature, as well as an exploration of the warmth and interdependence that are at the heart of a happy, close-knit family.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Usagi Drop
Side story:	Usagi Drop Specials

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Characters & Voice Actors

Kaga, Rin

Main

Matsuura, Ayu
Japanese

Kawachi, Daikichi

Main

Tsuchida, Hiroshi
Japanese

Nitani, Yukari

Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

Nitani, Kouki

Supporting

Sakai, Noa
Japanese

Yoshii, Masako

Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Kawachi, Kazumi

Supporting

Uchiyama, Yumi
Japanese

Gotou

Supporting

Kano, Yui
Japanese

Mi-chan

Supporting

Hirakawa, Daisuke
Japanese

Kawachi, Kenji

Supporting

Itou, Masakazu
Japanese

Maeda, Haruko

Supporting

Ueda, Kana
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Nakatake, Tetsuya

Producer

Matsushita, Keiko

Producer

Kamei, Kanta

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Wakabayashi, Kazuhiro

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"Sweet Drops" by Puffy

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Ending Theme

"High High High" by Kasarinchu

Reviews

Sep 22, 2023

ranade_anita

Recommended

"Usagi Drop" is an anime that deserves a solid 8/10 rating for its heartwarming story and endearing characters.

"Usagi Drop" follows the life of Daikichi Kawachi, a 30-year-old bachelor who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of a young girl named Rin after her grandfather's death. The series explores the challenges and joys of parenthood as Daikichi learns to navigate the complexities of raising a child, all while balancing his work and personal life.

The characters in "Usagi Drop" are beautifully crafted and undergo significant growth throughout the series. Daikichi's transformation from a carefree bachelor to a responsible father figure is heartwarming to witness, and Rin's development as a ... child adjusting to her new life is equally touching. The supporting characters, including Daikichi's family and friends, add depth and relatability to the story.

This anime excels in portraying the themes of family, responsibility, and the sacrifices parents make for their children. It evokes a wide range of emotions, from heartwarming moments of familial love to the challenges and uncertainties of parenthood. "Usagi Drop" explores these themes with sensitivity and authenticity.

The animation style of "Usagi Drop" is simple yet effective, allowing the focus to remain on the characters and their emotions. The character designs are charming, and the backgrounds capture the everyday beauty of suburban life in Japan.

The soundtrack of "Usagi Drop" is subtle and enhances the atmosphere of each scene. It complements the gentle and heartwarming nature of the series without overshadowing the storytelling.

The pacing of the anime is well-suited to its slice-of-life genre. It takes its time to explore the everyday moments and challenges of parenthood, making it feel authentic and relatable. However, some viewers may find certain episodes slower due to the deliberate focus on mundane tasks.

"Usagi Drop" is a touching and heartwarming anime that offers a refreshing take on the concept of family and parenthood. Its well-developed characters, emotional depth, and gentle storytelling make it a standout series in the slice-of-life genre. While it may not be a perfect 10/10 for everyone, it certainly earns a solid 8/10 for its ability to evoke genuine emotions and resonate with viewers on a personal level. If you're looking for a heartwarming and emotionally resonant anime, "Usagi Drop" is a must-watch.

The decision not to adapt the later volumes of the "Usagi Drop" manga into an anime was excellent because the anime's charm lay in its heartwarming and wholesome portrayal of Daikichi's relationship with Rin. By avoiding the controversial and potentially uncomfortable romantic developments in the manga, the anime was able to stay true to the original tone that had initially attracted viewers.

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Apr 8, 2022

squish

Mixed Feelings

(minor spoilers ahead)

It has been several days since I completed Usagi Drop, and I'm still thinking about this series.

Despite my relatively low score, I truly think Usagi Drop is a work of art. What makes something art, for me, is not whether it is enjoyable or "good" from an entertainment perspective, but how much it makes me feel and think about my own existence. Usagi Drop did a very good job at the latter two things.

I based my score on my overall enjoyment of the show, however. I do think that it probably deserves its relatively high rating (currently over 8.0 here on MAL), but ... I personally found a lot about the series unenjoyable. I want to say that I'm probably not part of its target audience. I don't have children, nor do I ever aspire to be a parent. I definitely identified more with the child Rin than father-figure Daikichi.

Usagi Drop is as its core a story about the mundanity of life. From brushing your teeth to cooking meals to catching a fever, we go through it all with Daikichi and Rin. Daikichi is an interesting character, because he clearly cares about Rin, and considers himself "somewhat" of a parental figure. The show is basically about how he navigates life as a new "father," and he spends a lot of time comparing himself to other parents in his life, learning from them, and contemplating the life he has signed up for.

For some strange reason, though, at one point Daikichi admits that he doesn't see himself as Rin's father. What is he, then? Interestingly, whenever something outside of his scope of parental capabilities crops up, he relies on the women in his life to help him parent Rin. In many scenes, these women are doing most of the work, while he kind of just sits there and acts like Rin's friend. This is part of my issue with the series - although Daikichi has put himself in a parental role, a lot of time he doesn't act like Rin's parent. Knowing about the end of the manga makes this fact even weirder (and, unfortunately, did sour my enjoyment of the anime as a whole).

Rin doesn't fully act like a child, either. She is markedly less childish than all of her peers, and has a level of maturity far beyond a normal 6-year-old. Some of this could be blamed on her trauma, but I think a great opportunity was missed here with regards character development. Much more could have been explored with her character and her pain around having lost her father, but instead we got a pretty one-dimensional Mary-sue.

In the first few episodes, this series seems like it is going to be a heartwarming, comfy story with not much conflict. And it really doesn't have a ton of conflict. Most of the time I was waiting for something interesting to happen. But it doesn't really have many heartwarming scenes, either, in my opinion. Aside from Daikichi, it seems as though every other adult in this show is miserable. One of the themes explored is the sacrifices parents make in order to be parents at all, and whether or not those sacrifices are worth it. I didn't think the way the show answered this question was very satisfying. Realitsic, maybe, but definitely depressing. For the 5% cute moments we get between the children and their parents, the other 95% of the show is, to put it bluntly, pretty boring and hard to watch. If anything, I found it to be a chillingly realistic portrayal of what parenthood is probably like for many.

Despite all this, Usagi Drop is not without its redeeming qualities. Episode 6 brought me to tears. There were plenty of heartwarming moments that, coupled with its deep themes about life and parental sacrifices, make the series worth having watched. But what started out in the first couple episodes as a seemingly comfy slice-of-life turned into something that dragged on, felt a little too realistic, and left me feeling extremely melancholy. As someone who values anime as a source of escapism, I didn't get much enjoyment out of this one. I do understand why many treasure this series, but it's probably not for everyone.

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Aug 18, 2022

WallflowerSoju

Not Recommended

Spoiler

It seems like a nice slice of life dad/daughter anime until you realize the manga exists.
Beware of the true ending for this, and watch based on just seeing this anime from the top layer and what is only presented. A lot of CP folks will like this and the manga, so check the reviews carefully!

Spoiler CW:
Certain manga's should not see an anime adaption, and while it was at it's base level not bad of an anime you can't watch this with knowing what the true relationship is under the depths. It's grooming. This whole premise is grooming his future wife and it's no longer wholesome. ...

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Live Action JSeanaY - Aug 18	14 replies	by imjayhime »» Aug 24, 7:19 PM
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