Bunny Drop

I wish to recommend a very enjoyable Manga series, called Bunny Drop (Usagi Dorropu) by Yumi Unita, as well as the subsequent 2011 film adaptation by SABU.

The plot follows thirty-year old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year old daughter of his grandfather.
The girl is an embarrassment to all his relatives and is treated as an outcast. Annoyed by their attitude, Daikichi decides to take care of Rin himself, even though he is single and has no experience raising a child. As Rin becomes part of his life, Daikichi experiences the hardship of a single parent.

It’s both a touching and entertaining tale, showing the joys and frustrations of family life. The characters are honest and realistic, which surprises me given the conventional culture and family life in Japan.

Both the manga and the movie are simple, even minimal, which all the more puts the focus on the story.

I am not going to reveal much of the plot, but it makes you appreciate expressions like “A life without a child is a life without a purpose” or the late Steve Jobs’ “Having children is 10,000 times better than anything I’ve ever done.”