Dekineko is essentially a way better “Senko-San”. While we’ve seen these types of stories with an inept adult who’s taken care of by a magical spirit before, Dekineko is unique in that Saku subverts some common tropes. Instead of it being a guy who’s useless with things around the house, it’s a beautiful woman who literally can’t do anything besides getting drunk and practicing martial arts. The unique take on the set-up makes for some really hilarious situations.
To the outside world, Saku has everything figured out and is the ideal “high-spec” senpai who anyone would want to marry. In reality, she’s only able to put on such a strong front for the world because of the support that Yukichi gives her. While the two often buttheads, it’s undeniable how much love they have between them. The wholesome dynamic and mutual sense of appreciation between Saku and her cat are palpable. I mean seriously, can you imagine cleaning up after someone every single morning, afternoon and night? That’s real love. We all need a Yukichi.
Saku also happens to be one of the most relatable characters I’ve seen in anime. She is the personification of a young adult trying to make it in this world and it’s easy to see yourself in her. Obviously things are played up for laughs and dramatized, but there is a degree of realism to her that few characters capture. Sadly, we don’t all have a Yukichi to care for us.
Many will praise the gorgeous art and animation and point to that as a reason you should watch this, and while true it does have some amazing production values, I think that’s selling Dekineko short. It’s a good anime simply put and the straightforward, but effective story can stand on its own merits. The daily adventures of Saku and Yukichi are so fun to watch. It’s stories like these that remind us of what’s important in life. As long as you come home to people that love and appreciate you, you’re living a great life. Endearing moments like Saku calling Yukichi on the phone because she misses him and his cooking, or thanking him for putting up with her incompetence just work so well in this one. It’s truly fluff in the best sense of the word. Airing on Fridays after a long week was a perfect spot for this one.
Saku and Yukichi are the heart of the story, but there’s some really good side characters in this one as well! Saku’s manager and co-workers are awesome and I loved seeing them praise her the whole time not knowing Yukichi is behind her success. Lots of really funny scenes between all of them. There were some subtle romance hints between Saku and one character that I wish would have got explored more, but when you got someone as good as Yukichi at home, how could you date someone?
When all’s said and done, Dekineko should go down as one of the best slice of life shows of the year. Film like production values, a waifu of the season candidate in Saku, adorable slice of life moments and a heartwarming plot that you can’t get enough of. Simply put, this was like anime crack and I want it injected straight into my veins, asap. A brilliant watch.
Dekineko gets 9 out of 10.
