Kinoko Inu

Grief-stricken over the death of his last family member, his dog Hanako, picture book writer Hotaru Yuuyami suffers from writer's block for nearly two months. Despite his childhood friend and editor Tsubaki Uehara's best efforts, nothing seems to alleviate his pain. But all of this changes one day with the sudden apparition of Kinoko Inu, a mysterious mushroom from his garden that turns into a dog-shaped animal. Much to the great dismay of Tsubaki, Hotaru hastily invites the creature into his abode.

Days after Hotaru and Kinoko Inu start living together, the strange mushroom-dog decides to burn the last of Hanako's personal belongings in order to alleviate Hotaru's depression. However, the cohabitation between the overworked writer and his mischievous guest proves more difficult than expected, and Hotaru must let go of his grief if he wants to properly take care of Kinoko Inu.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kinoko Inu Main

Kobayashi, Daiki Japanese

Yuuyami, Hotaru Main

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Uehara, Tsubaki Supporting

Senbongi, Sayaka Japanese

Amano, Ayumi Supporting

Hatano, Wataru Japanese

Uehara, Anzu Supporting

Hinano Japanese

Plum Supporting

Kuno, Misaki Japanese

Yara, Itsuki Supporting

Terashima, Takuma Japanese

Amano, Komako Supporting

Nagase, Anna Japanese

Asano, Kagetoshi Director

Yoshida, Kouhei Sound Director

IBERIs& Theme Song Performance

HY Theme Song Performance

Reviews

Oct 31, 2024

moozooh

Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

I wasn't planning on writing any reviews for this season, but Kinoko Inu surprised me. Twice, in fact: once when its first episode turned out to be the most emotionally striking premiere of the season (if not the entire year), and then once more when I saw its rating stabilizing in the criminal range of the low 6s—which it did not deserve AT ALL. The first surprise was a happy one; the second, not so much.

So what are we dealing with here with Kinoko Inu? I assume that most people would look at the poster and think this is another lighthearted kids' show like Bananya ... or Chi's Sweet Home. Let's just say it's anything but, and the manga it's based on is published in a seinen magazine alongside Monster Musume (yes, *that* Monster Musume). It deals with pretty heavy themes, and perhaps more so than making you smile, it's prone to making you cry. The fact that it maintains a positive outlook and uplifting tone doesn't change the fact that some of scenes it shows are emotionally devastating and cut very deep for everyone who has experienced the death of a loved one.

Kinoko Inu opens with our protagonist Hotaru, a writer in his early twenties, finding himself stuck in a debilitating, self-perpetuating loop of grieving over the loss of his beloved dog Hanako, his only remaining family member throughout most of his life. That is when the eponymous Mushroom Pup suddenly sprouts in his backyard and tries to help Hotaru move on from the tragedy—sometimes using very... unconventional methods. It's a heartwarming and occasionally funny story about family and processing loss, and there aren't many of those coming out these days that focus on such heavy subject matter with the nuance and delicacy it deserves.

The first episode came out of the left field and completely blew me away, and I was naturally afraid that the rest of the show wouldn't be able to live up to it. Thankfully, episodes 2 and 3 just kept hitting me in the feels, so it looks like it might keep up this momentum to emerge as one of the true hidden gems of the season. It's doubly impressive that, so far, it manages to beat Natsume's Book of Friends at its own game while airing alongside it, but somehow, here we are. So move aside, Nyanko-Sensei: you are only the second-best adorably round pet character this time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 17, 2024

EveAleon-88

Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

At this point I can already say that this series is criminally underrated.

I especially recommend it if you are looking for a calm and emotional slice of life, where the unexpressive main character must overcome the depression of losing his beloved dog. In turn, our main pet cleverly tries to understand human emotions, and in this way be able to make its owner happy.
Saving the distance, I think that in some points it has similarities with Natsume Yuujinchou, so you will probably like it if you are a fan of that style.

There are fewer and fewer animes that I can recommend per season. And the ... truth is that this is one of them.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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	Poll: Kinoko Inu Episode 10 Discussion Serafos - Dec 5	4 replies	by darcwizrd »» 11 hours ago
	Poll: Kinoko Inu Episode 1 Discussion KANLen09 - Oct 3	34 replies	by narutosister »» Dec 8, 5:01 PM
	Poll: Kinoko Inu Episode 9 Discussion RKASHYAP621 - Nov 28	8 replies	by yasashii_akuma »» Nov 29, 7:19 PM
	Poll: Kinoko Inu Episode 8 Discussion Serafos - Nov 21	9 replies	by traed »» Nov 27, 9:21 PM
	Poll: Kinoko Inu Episode 5 Discussion Serafos - Oct 31	8 replies	by KANLen09 »» Nov 19, 7:57 AM