My Life as Inukai-san's Dog (Episode 1) – Shake

He woke up cold and confused. Then, his crush picked him up off the street and carried him home, which wasn’t any less confusing. It wasn’t until she took him into the bathroom that he realised he had become a dog!

My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog (Episode 1) – Shake

What happened?

Her name was Karen Inukai. She was his classmate and, although they had barely spoken, he had the biggest crush on her. So, why was she taking him home and how was she carrying him? The inside of her house seemed oddly huge. In fact, she seemed taller. What was going on? Then, she took him to the bathroom and started to undress. Hold on! What? He tried to look away, but it was impossible. Then, she picked him up and put him in her lap. He stared in disbelief as he realised he had been turned into a dog.

Karen climbed into the bath with him and washed him. She seemed happier than he had ever seen her. Normally, she was cold and distant so this side of her was surprising. Not as surprising, however, as when she nibbled on his nose. Once out of the bath, she took him to her bedroom and decided to see if he knew any tricks. Of course, he could understand everything she said, but if he performed for her, would he really be a dog? Reluctantly, he sat. When he performed a handshake on request, she named him Pochita!

My Life as Inukai sans Dog Episode 1 Karen Inukai finds him

What did you think?

I started this episode having seen several very dismissive reviews and as such came in with fairly low expectations. I think that helped, however, even then I found myself wondering if I should continue. This was a pretty odd episode. Mostly down to Karen and the way she responded to Pochita. The nose nibbling was the moment I started to wonder what I had gotten into. That said, the idea of the protagonist being a dog is a clever way of utilising the lower-angle shots that ecchi anime is famous for and actually have a reason for it.

The other saving grace is that these are twelve-minute episodes so watching another episode would be like finishing a regular-length episode so I decided to continue. There were some questions that needed answering such as how did he become a dog… all right, that’s the only question that really needs answering. I think the less we know about Karen and her strange obsession with Pochita the better. This could get a bit weird… well, weirder, anyhow!