“Tokyo's expansion threatens magical tanuki; they unite to defend their forest using shapeshifting against human development.”
Pom Poko
平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ
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AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Tokyo's expansion threatens magical tanuki; they unite to defend their forest using shapeshifting against human development.
With the increasing need for Tokyo to expand as one of Japan's major cities, inevitable sacrifices must be made so that changes can take place. One of these sacrifices is that the room for nature and wildlife to flourish will decrease significantly over time. As this decline continues, many animal communities experience the brunt of urbanization. One such community known as the "Tanuki," a type of magical shape-shifting mammal, is caught up in a struggle to defend their beloved forest from being absorbed by the looming threat of an expanding Tokyo. As more and more Tanuki find themselves with nowhere to hide and territorial fights become increasingly regular amongst the different factions of the community, the elder Tanuki Oroku decides that something must be done. For the sake of their home as well as the safety of their future generations, the Tanuki unite as one with the hope that together they may be able to repel mankind's construction projects and scare them away from the forests using their shapeshifting abilities. But as they begin their first attempts at sabotage, the Tanuki soon realize the operation will be no easy task. Will they reclaim their forest as a united community, or will they be torn apart by a war against humanity, blinded by anger and pain after witnessing nature's destruction?
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 38 sampled reviews
What 38 viewers settled on.
Polarized
σ 1.92 · split reception
4.5 pts
Recommenders 8.0 · others 3.5
↓ 1.08
Running avg · Dec 2008 → Apr 2026
- 9 “Pom Poko is defiantly a great movie and is from Studio Ghibli. It had a rather unique and different view on the animals and had a vary good story. Its a wonderful movie about the raccoons trying to...”
- 7 “Literally just a movie about raccoons (or tanukis if you wanna sound cool) swingin they massive bawlsacks around and transforming them into various things. Cool visuals and really sad ending but...”
- 7 “I don't know why I always thought I wasn't gonna like this one. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to. A great mix of Japanese mythos and addressing the ongoing crisis of environmental...”
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- Format 1 × 119′ eps × min
- Total runtime 1h 59m all episodes
- Aired Jun 1994 – ongoing
- Source Movie media type
- Rated G All Ages
- Ref. BS-0936 catalog
Produced by
- Daiei Producer
- Nippon Television Network Producer
Licensed by
- Disney Platform Distribution Licensor
- GKIDS Licensor