Poco's Udon World

Episode 6

This week's Poco's Udon World promptly takes us from the rural quiet of Kagawa to the hustle-and-bustle of metropolitan Tokyo. Getting an extended glimpse of Souta's workplace and meeting his boss and coworkers gives the audience valuable insight into why he's having second thoughts about returning to the city long-term. Although Dahama, the gruff but understanding founder of the company, shows him quite a bit of leniency, and his coworkers are friendly and supportive, Souta clearly feels like he's stagnating in this type of environment.

Surprisingly, Souta doesn't spend much time waffling about whether or not to return to work after receiving a panicked phone call from Hiroshi, a coworker who holds him in high regard. However, since no one in his inner circle is aware of what Poco really is, Souta has no choice but to bring the pint-sized tanuki along for the ride. Upon arriving in Tokyo, Souta informs Dahama that he'd like to extend his vacation in the interest of caring for Poco, once again claiming that the little tanuki is an acquaintance's child. Although Dahama beseeches Souta to carefully think things over before making a decision, Souta quickly decides to return to Kagawa permanently, handing in his letter of resignation the day after Poco experiences a brief bout of illness. Despite being sad to see him go, both Dahama and Hiroshi are ultimately supportive of Souta's choice. Dahama even recommends that Souta seek employment at a web design company owned by one of his associates after returning home. Although we're still not given the full story behind the unfortunate accident Souta experienced during his teenage years, this episode contains several flashbacks of Souta in the hospital in the wake of the incident in question. It's also revealed that he met Dahama during his hospital stay, and though we're never given the specifics of how they became acquainted, it had something to do with web design, which gave Souta hope for the future.

I was pleasantly surprised at several points throughout episode 6. When Poco suddenly fell ill, I assumed it was because he couldn't survive for long outside of Kagawa, but I was pleased to discover that wasn't the case, as it would have forced Souta to move back home purely out of obligation. (I do, however, wish we got to see more of Poco explore and react to the congested streets of Tokyo like a skittish animal.) When Souta decides to return to Kagawa indefinitely, I figured he intended to reopen his father's restaurant, but it looks like he'll have a regular day job. This may ultimately be a good thing, since Souta clearly has an affinity for web design, and moving back home shouldn't entail giving up what he's good at. I'm still banking on him eventually reopening the restaurant, but having him decide to do it at this juncture would be unrealistic.

For a relaxed slice-of-life series (with a paranormal twist), Poco's Udon World does a fantastic job of staying fresh and keeping the audience invested in the characters. Whereas many other shows in this genre follow predictable patterns and employ familiar archetypes, this one aims to tell an entirely new and unique story each week. Now that Souta has officially decided to begin the next chapter of his life, I look forward to seeing what other surprises the coming weeks hold in store.

Rating: A

Poco's Udon World is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.