With You and the Rain

 With You and the Rain (雨と君と) is a 12 episode slice of life series based on the manga of the same name by Nikaido Ko.  The series originally aired during the Summer of 2025.

     Fuji, a quiet and introverted novelist, comes across an abandoned animal on a rainy day.  The small creature, huddled in a box with a note asking to be adopted pulls at her heart strings enough to take it in.  She isn't sure what type of animal it is, when she asks it if it's a dog it replies by writing on a piece of paper that it is a dog...  In reality it's a tanuki and this is a world in which tanuki might not be common?  Fuji never gives her new 'dog' a name, only refering to it as kimi (you in English) and goes about her life, adjusting to this interesting creature being a part of it.

    Fuji is reluctant to interact with others, preferring solitude and contemplation.  She has achieved an amount of success with her writing and enjoys a mostly peaceful existence.  Her life begins to open up a bit to others with Kimi in it and she begins to befriend her neighbors child, a young girl of German and Japanese heritage.   Her father, whose personality is the exact opposite of Fuji, frequents her apartment in order to spend time with Kimi...who in turn doesn't like the attention.  But she remains connected to the world with those few people around her and wonders idly about the life of Kimi before they met.

    This is a very calming and subdued slice of life series that doesn't concern its self with lessons, over arcing plot or resolution.  The viewer is peeking in at a slice of time in a woman's life adjusting to adopting a pet....albeit a strange one.  The artwork helps convey the atmosphere with its simplistic and reserved elegance.  Kimi is fun and mischievous, but subdued in its antics.  The perfect companion for the reserved and concise Fuji.  Her air is enhanced by the fantastic voice acting provided by Hayami Saori...but I may be speaking from a biased fanboy position!

    This was a perfect slice of life series for me.  The point of interest character was an adult going about their normal life.  We see glimpses into her mindset and her past as w take the journey but there is no rush to accomplish anything over the course of the story.  All in all, its a really well put together package for what its supposed to be.  Its not flashy, exciting or thought provoking.  Its just a nice warm cup of hot cocoa and a warm fuzzy blanket on a cold rainy Autumn afternoon.  Perfect.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.