Usagi Drop explores a theme so commonplace that I'm frankly shocked any anime studio picked it up. Production I.G. has, however, been known for producing works for bonafide adults at least as often as for forty year-old babies. On balance, I think they've done better than most, but I digress.

Based on the manga by Yumi Unita (available stateside from Yen Press), Bunny Drop is the story of Daikichi Kawachi, a single salaryman, and Rin, the six year-old illegitimate daughter of his newly-late grandfather. They meet when the family gathers for the old man's funeral, and she is visibly less standoffish around him than the others. Daikichi agrees to take care of his little ...aunt, and soon learns of the challenges of parenthood. His crazy work hours are the first hurdle, and there's the nagging question of what happened with the girl's mother.

Let me tell you, folks: this might be the feel-good series of the year. Rin is adorable, and Daikichi's sacrifices to provide her a home are something to admire. The two share a mutual respect for one another that is simply intoxicating. And because he took her in, a number of new experiences present themselves to him that might not have before, like meeting that attractive single mother at the nursery school....

I'd like to fill all of my virtual TV time slots with this show and call it a month, but alas, I press onward, in hopes of finding more anime worth watching.