Nakano is in a rut. A young, single man, he works long hours dutifully at the computer, and then goes home to an empty apartment, empty even of food. He doesn’t have time to call his mom or visit home, even on days commemorating his beloved, deceased grandmother. But into this frustration arrives relief in the form of a cute, 800-year-old fox spirit named Senko, descending to pamper Nakano to his heart’s content! A special encounter indeed…but could Nakano be special in some way as well?
I’ll be completely honest—I don’t know what to think of this series. Steeped in Japanese folklore about kitsune, while also fitting into the modern mentality of overwork, there seems to be a very specific audience for this show—men who want to be pampered themselves as they watch Senko do the same, and then experience it, too (?), during the end scene where she speaks directly to the camera. It’s both engaging and odd, as is the way Senko is portrayed—the episode is mostly innocent for as loli as she seems, Senko is fully clothed and not sexualized, apart, that is, from a strange scene where she is stimulated by Nakano’s fervent petting of her tail. Throw in some heartfelt segments and flashbacks that not only reveal a deeper story but also provide very pretty animation to contrast with the ugliness of the rest of the episode, and you’ve got a whole lot of hmmm—also as in, “Hmmm…not sure if I’ll try episode two.”
The Helpful Fox Senko-san can be streamed on Funimation.
There’s a lot of first impressions lately.
There are! We always do them at the beginning of each new anime season.
I just saw this
Yesterday I started crushing on someone in my leadership club but he likes me as a friend:(
Do you want me to still tell you about him today?
Hey Fiona and Rachel, please avoid going into anything too personal here on the site. Remember this is a public space. A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t say it in a public space like school, where someone can overhear you, don’t say it here.
He doesn’t go to our school
I’m not sure it matters, Fiona. If anyone looks up your names, they could find your comments here. This is a great place to have public conversation about anime—it’s a terrible place to have private conversation about most any other topic.
Oh ok
[…] Isekai slice-of-life is not the only place you will find this theme of finding rest. This theme pops up in various other slice-of-life series taking place in the modern world, like The Helpful Fox Senko-san, in which an 800-year-old fox goddess helps an overworked salaryman relax when he gets home. In this case, rather than trying to directly resolve his working situation (at least at first), Senko aims to get the worker, Nakano, to get more rest during his time at home by putting work and other stressful things out of mind and accepting her pampering. The show is a reminder that rest goes beyond simply working fewer hours and includes what we do with our time off the clock. […]