If you are looking for an anime series that is not long, more on the happy side, filled with humor and for the most part, is fun to watch, then definitely give “The Helpful Fox Senko-san” a try! You may find it to be quite delightful!
TITLE: The Helpful Fox Senko-san – The Complete Series
ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2019
DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)
BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 4×3, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Subtitles: English
COMPANY: Funimation
RATED: TV 14
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Originally created by Rimukoro
Directed by Koshida Tomoaki
Series Composition by Nakamura Yoshiko
Character Design: Oshima Miwa
Art Director: Miyake Masakazu
Music by Fujisawa Yoshiaki
Anime Production: Doga Kobo
Featuring the following voice talent
Suwabe Junichi/Aaron Campbell as Nakano
Waki Azumi/Kristen McGuire as Senko
Kitamura Eri/Dawn M. Bennett as Yozora
Sakura Ayane/Hayden Daviau as Kōenji
Uchida Maaya/Kristin Sutton as Shiro
Nakano gets no respect as an overworked and undervalued salaryman—until the day he comes home to a demigod whose only purpose is to pamper him! Turns out, a cute little fox-girl can make big things happen.
From mangaka Rimukoro comes an anime adaptation of his manga series “Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san” (The Helpful Fox Senko-san).
The manga series has been ongoing since October 2017 and the anime adaptation courtesy of Doga Kobo was broadcast on Japanese TV back on April -June 2019 and now the anime series has been released in North America courtesy of Funimation.
The anime series revolves around a salaryman named Nakano Kurota, an overworked salaryman who is always asked to stay late from work and is exhausted and barely eats because he’s always working.
One day when he arrives after a long day at work, he discovers a girl cooking at his home.
He finds out that the girl is actually an 800-year-old kitsune (fox) spirit, a fox demi-god, who was sent from the spirit world to relieve him from his stress from work.
She does everything to make him happy, to make sure he gets enough sleep, eats well and for Nakano, it’s been so long since he had a home cooked meal and ate with someone.
Meanwhile, as Nakano becomes happy with having Senko take care of him (especially with his weird obsession with her fluffy tail and ears), both make friends with his neighbor Koenji Yasuko, a university student and manga artist who believes Senko is a hardcore “Little Yoko, Inari Girl” anime series cosplayer, an anime that she happens to love.
Meanwhile, for Senko’s boss Yozora and another kitsune named Shiro, both feel that Senko should quickly do her job and return to the spirit world, but as both Nakano and Senko enjoy spending time with each other, is Senko’s time with Nakano limited?
In some ways, this story of a magical girl or spirit coming to help a human who is in pain or in some sort of suffering has been done before numerous times. From “Video Girl Ai”, “Tenchi Muyo”, “DxD”, “Ah! My Goddess”, I have to admit that I was a little worried about watching this anime series, because the main character is an older man and the female character taking care of him and cares about him has an appearance of a young girl.
The series sidesteps that taboo factor by making Senko a fox demi-god who is 800-years-old and for the most part, there is nothing sketchy or taboo about this anime series. If anything, it’s about Senko doing all she can to help heal Nakano (which I won’t spoil).
Throw in an otaku neighbor, who befriends Nakano and Senko and add two more kitsune demi-gods, if you watched similar anime series, “The Helpful Fox Senko-san” adds nothing new and for some, it will be quite predictable.
But yet, for those who enjoy these type of stories, will find “The Helpful Fox Senko-san” to be a delifghtful, entertaining anime series. If anything, Nakano is a person that many probably can sympathize with. Overworked, stressed and doesn’t have a great life and he’s been living this life for years with no escape. Until he meets Senko-san, a person who takes care of him and helps nurse him back to being healthy and happy and experiences things that he has forgotten.
As for the Blu-ray, the anime series features an episode 8 audio commentary, a video compilation “Super Senko-san Time”, promotional videos, web previews and textless opening and closing songs.
The anime series does have a hint of softness, as can be expected from a TV series. Presented in 1080p High Definition, for the most part, the anime is colorful, while both Japanese and English soundtracks are well-done.
If you are looking for an anime series that is not long, more on the happy side, filled with humor and for the most part, is fun to watch, then definitely give “The Helpful Fox Senko-san” a try! You may find it to be quite delightful!
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