is a Japanese

web manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

series written and illustrated by Rimukoro. It has been serialized online via

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

's Comic Newtype website since October 2017 and has been collected in twelve ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series adaptation by

Doga Kobo is a Japanese animation studio formed by former Toei Animation members Hideo Furusawa and Megumu Ishiguro, located in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. The studio was established on July 11, 1973, and is a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation. Although the st ...

aired on AT-X and

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

from April to June 2019.

Plot

Kuroto Nakano is a young

salaryman The term is a Japanese word for salary, salaried workers. In Japanese popular culture, it is portrayed as a white-collar worker who shows unwavering loyalty and commitment to his employer, prioritizing work over anything else, including family. ...

with a very unhappy and stressful life, almost entirely occupied by his job at the company for which he works. One night, after yet another day spent overworking, the moment he opens the door of his home he finds a seemingly young girl with fox ears and a tail cooking dinner for him – her name is Senko, an 800-year-old fox demigod. Senko has been sent to Earth from the spirit world to relieve Kuroto from his unhappy life and help him find happiness again.

Characters

; : : Senko is an 800-year-old

kitsune The , in popular Japanese tradition, are foxes or fox spirits that possess supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, and capable of bewitching people. General overview , though literally a 'fox', becomes in folklore a ' fox spirit', o ...

sent from the spirit world to relieve Kuroto from his overworked and stressful life. She moves into Kuroto's home and acts like a helpful wife and mother. She proudly goes above and beyond for Kuroto, pampering him, cooking for him and cleaning his home. : Senko loves to pamper Kuroto such as cleaning him, massage, groom and gives him lap pillows to ensure he gets enough sleep. She gets sad if Kuroto prioritizes work over his health. To her dismay, Kuroto seems to have a fixation on her soft fluffy tail and ears. ; : : Kuroto is a regular salaryman who lived an unregulated life prior to Senko's arrival. He grew up in the countryside with his grandparents before moving out to the city to work. Kuroto's health and spirit have improved over time thanks to Senko's care. ; : : Another kitsune sent to assist Kuroto due to Senko's initial difficulty in relieving the man from the darkness consuming his heart. Far more conceited and spontaneous than Senko, she sees Kuroto as a servant, thinking that humans should worship the kitsunes sent to help them. She later befriends Yasuko. ; : : Yasuko is Kuroto's next door neighbor. She is a university student and a manga artist, spending most of her time drawing manga in her bedroom. Yasuko is shown to be lazy and messy as she eats microwave-ready meals and rarely cleans her home. As a result, Yasuko appreciates Senko's company whenever the latter comes over to clean up and prepares meals for her. Yasuko is not aware that Senko is a kitsune and mistakes her for a cosplayer. She is also an

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

and loves watching an anime called ''Little Yoko, Inari Girl'', which features a magical fox fighting off an evil tanuki. ; : : A kitsune who is over 1000 years old. Yozora is Senko and Shiro's boss; she was the one that sent them to the human realm to care for Kuroto. Much to Senko's dismay, Yozora loves to playfully seduce Kuroto with her breasts and four tails. ; : : The titular heroine of an anime called ''Little Yoko, Inari Girl''.

Media

Manga

Anime

television series adaptation was announced on December 2, 2018. The series is animated by

and directed by Tomoaki Koshida, with Yoshiko Nakamura handling series composition, and Miwa Oshima designing the characters. Yoshiaki Fujisawa composed the music. The series aired from April 10 to June 26, 2019, on AT-X and various local television stations. The opening theme is performed by

Azumi Waki is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo who is affiliated with Haikyō. She debuted in 2015, playing the role of Sanae Katagiri in the video game '' The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls''. She is also known for her roles as Lapis Rosenber ...

and

Maaya Uchida is a Japanese actress and singer who works for I'm Enterprise. She won the Best Rookie Actress Award at the 8th Seiyu Awards. She is best known for her roles such as Fischl in ''Genshin Impact'', Rikka Takanashi in ''Love, Chunibyo & Other De ...

, while the ending theme is performed by Waki. The series ran for 12 episodes.

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

licensed the series for English-speaking regions and produced an English dub.

Reception

The anime has a rating of 4.7/5 on

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

based on 5.7k votes. LofZOdyssey of Comic Watch gave the anime a 7.6/10 rating, the writer stating, "If you're expecting fast-paced, hyper-energetic slapstick comedy from this show, it's best to put that thought to rest now. ''Senko-san'' was a much slower series than most, and when we pause for a moment, that makes a lot of sense." ''Gadget Tsūshin'' included Senko's

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

("''uyan''") in their 2019 list of the most popular anime-related

buzzword A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply ...

Notes

References

External links

''Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san''
at ''Comic Newtype'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helpful Fox Senko-san, The Animated television series about foxes Anime series based on manga AT-X (TV network) original programming Comedy anime and manga Doga Kobo Science fantasy anime and manga Crunchyroll anime Funimation Slice of life anime and manga Iyashikei anime and manga Japanese webcomics Kadokawa Corporation franchises Kadokawa Shoten manga Muse Communication Seinen manga Webcomics in print Japanese mythology in anime and manga Japanese mythology in popular culture Kemonomimi