Usagi Drop

I watched this series some time ago and just decided to blog about it.  Usagi Drop is an awesome little series.  It’s one of the super-short, 11 episode series, but it packs a lot into that time frame and for once I think the length is perfect.

Usagi Drop is a slice of life series, a series about everyday life.  The story follows a section of the lives of Kawachi Daikichi and Kaga Rin.  Daikichi is a 30 year old bachelor with a regular life, including a good job and a comfortable routine.  He attends his grandfather’s funeral one day and discovers that his grandfather has an illegitimate child, a 6 year old girl named Rin.  Rin’s mother has abandoned her.  At the funeral Daikichi’s family has also discovered Rin and is freaked out and embarrassed by her presence.  They also have no idea what to do with this little girl.  Daikichi alone seems to see how lost and alone Rin is.  On the spur of the moment, and against the advice of his parents and sister, Daikichi decides to take her in, and the story begins.

The plot is simple and heart-warming.  Daikichi and Rin learn to live with and love each other.  Daikichi goes from being a care-free bachelor, to raising a young girl child.  Watching him deal with every aspect of that is fun.  Simple things like rushing from work to pick Rin up at school, or handling her bed-wetting, or dealing with her illness are all interesting and amusing.  All the little things that make up raising a child actually cause Daikichi to grow up himself.  At first he can't believe her mother would abandon her, so he tracks down Rin’s mother and confronts her.  Diakichi quickly realizes that not only does she not want Rin, but that being with her is not what’s best for Rin.  He eventually comes to realize that he wants to keep Rin with him and raise her, that they belong together and that being a parent has it’s own rewards despite the freedoms lost.

The various scenes that Diakichi and Rin go through are really wonderful, like planting her own tree to grow as she grows, and Daikichi’s family becoming more and more accepting of Rin as she becomes solidly part of Daikichi’s life.  Rin makes a friend at school, a boy named Kouki who happens to be being raised by a single mother, Nitani.  Nitani and Daikichi become friends too along the way and help each other out with both children.  

 If you like slice of life anime you should definitely watch this one. At times it’s almost painfully cute, but also very heart-warming to watch.  The characters are well-developed and Rin is absolutely darling, as well as being her own person.  Although this is not my favorite type of anime, this one was definitely worth watching.