Gingitsune (Crunchyroll) was a delightful anime, my favorite of the season. It is a simple show, cheerful, upbeat and heartwarming without being boring or insipid.


The stories may seem lightweight but they are well-written, with a lot of nice subtle touches. The characters are great and I only regret not being able to spend more time with them.

I can easily imagine an American version of this show: it would probably be about a pastor’s daughter who has an angel for a friend, and it would probably be unwatchable. Somehow Japanese television seems better at dealing with religious subjects without sounding preachy or inane.

Perhaps it is because they have so little religious diversity (the vast majority practice an eclectic mix of Buddhism and Shinto) which means that the writers are less worried about offending someone. When everyone has the same religion they feel comfortable joking about it.