Okko's Inn

Okko's Inn (若おかみは小学生！, Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!, transl. "The Young Innkeeper Is a Grade Schooler!") is a series of Japanese children's novels, written by Hiroko Reijō and illustrated by Asami. Kodansha released twenty volumes between 2003 and 2013 under the imprint of Aoi Tori Bunko. A manga adaptation with art by Eiko Ōuchi was serialized in Kodansha's shōjo manga Nakayoshi and collected in seven tankōbon volumes.

Okko's Inn
North American film poster
若おかみは小学生！
(Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!)
GenreFamily[1]
Novel series
Written byHiroko Reijō
Illustrated byAsami
Published byKodansha
ImprintAoi Tori Bunko
DemographicChildren's literature[1]
Original run2003 – 2013
Volumes20 (list of volumes)
Manga
Illustrated byEiko Ōuchi
Published byKodansha
ImprintKodansha Comics Nakayoshi
MagazineNakayoshi
DemographicShōjo
Original run2006 – 2012
Volumes7
Anime television series
Directed byMitsuyuki Masuhara
Azuma Tani
Written byMichiko Yokote
Music byTakeshi Hama
StudioDLE
Madhouse
Original networkTV Tokyo
Original run April 8, 2018 – September 23, 2018
Episodes24
Anime film
Directed byKitaro Kosaka
Written byReiko Yoshida
Music byKeiichi Suzuki
StudioDLE
Madhouse[2]
Licensed by
ReleasedJune 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)
Runtime94 minutes[2]

Plot

After surviving a car accident where her parents die, Oriko "Okko" Seki moves in with her grandmother Mineko at the Hananoyu Inn, a ryokan. Okko there befriends the ghost of a boy named Makoto "Uribo" Tachiuri, the late childhood friend of Mineko. Okko becomes the junior innkeeper. At first, she finds her job exhausting, but Uribo keeps her spirits up.

Okko invites a disheveled man and his son Akane to the inn, since it "rejects no one". The staff learn of the death of Akane's mother and of his recalcitrance due to his grief. He requests a cake from the kitchen. The inn has none, but Okko feels inspired to make a new recipe for a "hot bath" pudding resembling hot spring water. Akane and his father are impressed by the pudding and the shrine. Okko successfully assists everyone and Akane's father writes a magazine review praising the inn.

At school, Okko meets Matsuki Akino, a selfish girl with a pink colored lolita fashion whose family runs Harunoya, a competing inn. Uribo tries to provoke Matsuki by painting her face, but a blond girl ghost retaliates by painting Okko's. That ghost is revealed to be Miyo, Matsuki's late sister. She mocks Okko and her innkeeping abilities. But since Okko can see her and talk with her, Miyo plans to move in at Hananoyu Inn instead of Harunoya. Okko uses a bell received from her late grandfather and accidentally releases Suzuki, a low key demon, whom Okko greets with a bad temper. Okko becomes cheerier, though Suzuki notices Okko is beginning to lose the ability to see ghosts.

One of the guests is a fortune teller named Glory Suiryo. She invites Okko on a shopping trip. On the way Okko is paralyzed by a flashback, but Glory comforts her. Okko imagines her parents near her. Soon, a boy named Shota Kise and his father, who has recently recovered from traumatic injuries, bring their family to the inn. The father finds his food bland and unsatisfying. Okko remembers Matsuki was working on a menu. Setting aside her rivalry to please Mr. Kise, she visits Matsuki at her inn to ask for help. Matsuki gives her a sample of beef and cooking tips for food that Shota's father does not find so bland. But then the Kises reveal Shota's father survived a road accident where he hit another car and became comatose. The family that was in the other car died in the crash, leaving their only daughter alive. Okko realizes that Mr. Kise had inadvertently caused her parents' deaths and hurriedly leaves. Glory consoles Okko. She sees the Kises preparing to leave the inn, much to their son's distress. Okko invites the Kises to stay at the inn. Months later, Okko and Matsuki perform a ritual dance at the festival. The ghosts move on to their next life to visit them again someday.

Voice cast
Characters Japanese English
Oriko Seki (関 織子, Seki Oriko) Seiran Kobayashi Madigan Kacmar
Makoto Tachiuri (立売 誠, Tachiuri Makoto) Satsumi Matsuda KJ Aikens
Matsuki Akino (秋野 真月, Akino Matsuki) Nana Mizuki Carly Williams
Mineko Seki (関 峰子, Seki Mineko) Yōko Asagami (old)
Kana Hanazawa (young)		 Glynis Ellis (old)
Fiona Fatuova (young)
Kōnosuke Minoda (蓑田 康之介, Minoda Kōnosuke) Masaki Terasoma Scott Williams
Etsuko Tajima (田島 エツ子, Tajima Etsuko) Teiyū Ichiryūsai Noelle DePaula
Suzuki (鈴鬼) Etsuko Kozakura Colleen O'Shaughnessey
Glory Suiryo (グローリー水領, Suiryō Gurōrī) Chiaki Horan Brittany Cox
Shoji Seki (関 正次, Seki Shōji) Hirohide Yakumaru James Weaver Clark
Sakiko Seki (関 咲子, Seki Sakīko) Anju Suzuki Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld

Release

An anime television series aired from April 8 to September 23, 2018, and was produced by DLE and Madhouse.[5] The anime film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2018[6] and on September 12 in France[7] and September 21 in Japan.[2] It was licensed by GKIDS in North America, and was released in the United States on 22 and 23 April 2019.[4] The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on July 2, 2019.[8]

Reception

Novel

The novel series has over 3 million volumes in print.

Anime film

Okko's Inn received the Excellence Award in the animation category at the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival.[9] The film was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature - Independent.[10][5]

References
  1. "Okko's Inn Anime Film Opens in the U.S. on April 22–23". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  2. "若おかみは小学生！ : 作品情報" (in Japanese). eiga.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. Stevens, Josh (June 26, 2019). "Manga UK Announces Dub-Only "Okko's Inn" Limited Release". Anime UK News. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  4. "Okko's Inn'". Fathom Events. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  5. Loo, Egan (March 7, 2018). "Okko's Inn Children's Book Series Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  6. Annecy Film Festival. "Feature Film in Competition 10: Okko's Inn". www.annecy.org. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  7. AlloCine, Okko et les fantômes, retrieved 2019-07-03
  8. "GKIDS, Shout! Factory to Release Okko's Inn Anime Film on BD/DVD". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  9. Rafael, Antonio Pineda (March 1, 2019). "Hisone and Masotan, Penguin Highway, Origin Win Media Arts Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  10. Sherman, Jennifer (December 2, 2019). "Promare, Okko's Inn, Weathering with You Anime Films Nominated for Annie Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
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