My Life as Inukai-san's Dog: Has anime gone too far? 

One of the most interesting series from the Winter 2023 anime season was the My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog anime series, being streamed internationally on HIDIVE as it aired in Japan. The series is certainly interesting, but it found success and rave reviews within the niche audience it was able to secure internationally.

However, despite being categorized in the erotic comedy or ecchi genres, some fans are questioning or even arguing that My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog goes just a bit too far. While taste and opinion on this matter are subjective, there certainly is a good case for arguing that the series simply takes the creative and cultural liberties of the genre too far.

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Questionable moments within My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog have some calling it everything wrong with anime

My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog follows protagonist Pochita, who is originally a high school boy. However, he suddenly finds himself turned into an Akita dog and is taken in by classmate and crush Karen Inukai. Pochita then lives with Karen as her pet dog and, despite desiring to be turned back to a human as soon as possible, is unable to resist the allure of living his life as her pet dog.

While he does gain the ability to later change between a dog and a human, it doesn’t exactly end his role as Karen’s dog. A major part of this could be that Karen likes to have a “skinship” with Pochita. Skinship is an originally Japanese term used to describe a platonic relationship in which both parties spend time naked with each other, hence the use of the word “skin.”

Although the textbook definition of the term and its implementation in My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog is purely platonic, it’s nevertheless a difficult pill for many to swallow. This is due to the connotations that a skinship inherently has. Despite being claimed to be and portrayed as purely platonic, the s*xual vibe of the act is impossible to separate, especially when a “dog” is involved.

There are other scenes within the series which also use s*xual situations in uncomfortable ways. One example of this is when a supporting character, Usagi Tsukishiro, begins stimulating herself against a table. Even Usagi’s voice actress Yuri Kozakai expressed visible discomfort as the scene played out during a live promotional broadcast, laughing nervously or staring with a visibly shocked expression.

While many Japanese fans spoke up to defend the voice actors, almost no defenses were made for the My Life as Inukai-San’s Dog series itself. In fact, some fans went as far as to call it “one step away from a true hentai,” adding that certain voice actors and actresses are “not proud” to work on such series.

There’s something to be said for a series alienating even those who were instrumental in producing it, such as voice actors and key staff. While the television anime adaptation of author and illustrator Gosei Furukuawa’s (pen name Itsutsuse) manga openly markets itself as an erotic comedy, it’s likely pushing the envelope just a tad too far in that category.

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