On the outside, Oji Mitsutaka is your typical section leader businessman with all that comes with it—a good-paying job with dependable employees under him, a decent apartment he shares with his college-bound nephew, and even a divorce for good measure! However, once he gets behind closed doors, our salaryman divorcee indulges in his dark secret. Mitsutaka…really likes cute things. Like, REALLY likes cute things; in particular, a mascot character named Pugtaro. Having been told all his life that guys shouldn’t like cute, adorable things, and being ostracized for it while in school, Mitsutaka keeps his love of all things kawaii under wraps…so much so that he never told his ex-wife, who divorced him because of his secrecy. However, after a fateful interaction with fellow section and closeted cat lover Naruto, can Mitsutaka keep his love of all things kawaii under wraps? What will his subordinates think if they find out that their section chief has a thing for cute pugs? Cue the Businessman Shenanigans!
When I saw the premise for this anime, I IMMEDIATELY knew I would relate to it PRODIGIOUSLY. A single, 41-year-old uncle who was ostracized for liking things that could be seen as outside the pale is basically me, minus the whole divorce thing, thankfully. Heck, you could argue that what Mitsutaka has gone through is something all anime fans of a certain age have gone through once upon a time—being ridiculed for liking anime and having to keep that love under wraps for fear of future ridicule or shaming from those close to us! Heaven knows it’s something I still wrestle with, though thankfully I’m a lot more comfortable in my otaku skin. I also love that we get an antagonist of sorts in the form of Naruto, who keeps up a very cold and stern exterior while also hiding his own vices in the form of cats…who don’t seem to like him. Uhh…Sakaki, is this your dad?
Finally, I have to say, Mitsutaka’s nephew Masumi reminds me so much of my own nephew—a hard-working young man who never wants to cause trouble for others. Oddly enough, when he was little, my nephew bought me a FLCL wall scroll with his own money as a gift, similar to how Masumi bought his uncle the Pugtaro sweatshirt. Seriously, did this show take stuff from my life and make an anime?! Are we going to see Mitsutaka writing for a Christian anime blog while watching football?!
From a production standpoint, Studio Liden Films put this show out, and they’ve brought us quite a few of my favorite Slice of Life/Comfort shows like Insomniacs After School, Tonari no Yōkai-san, and Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. This show looks really good, and Mitsutaka’s “Kawaii-mode” chibi is particularly funny with his adorable Pugtaro hoodie. The OP, “LIKE” by Yusei Yagi, is cool, but I’m not a big fan of the ED, “Tōtoi (Heart) Kaiwai”; it’s not my favorite…it’s a little too bubbly. But hey, I guess you could argue it follows the show’s flow.
So where does that leave us with Uncle’s Obsession with Cute Things? Oh, of course I’m gonna be following this one, and I highly recommend you do too, especially if you’re an oldtaku like me (and a good chunk of the Beneath the Tangles writing staff…looking at you boss). Mitsutaka is quite possibly the most relatable character of the year, and following his antics as he tries to balance his love of all things adorable and his public facade promises to be entertaining.
Uncle’s Obsession with Cute Things is available for streaming on Crunchyroll
