Dog-themed Mr. Osomatsu spin-off anime ‘Matsuinu’ drops this October

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September 1, 2023
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Osomatsu fans, rejoice – you are being fed this Winter.

If you’re a fan of the Osomatsu-san anime (or its predating manga, Osomatsu-kun), you may be aware of the Matsuini merch series, one of many ‘Collab AUs’ that the Osomatsu brand has created. What was once a cute collection of plushies, keychains and stationary that imagines the iconic Osomatsu sextuplets as round and fluffy doggos is now becoming a full-fledged TV show, according to Anime News Network.

A promotional image of the Osomatsu sextuplets posing alongside their doggy counterparts.

The Mr Osomatsu anime began serialization in 2015 to celebrate Fujio Akatsuka, mangaka of the original 1962 manga series, on his eightieth birthday. Since then, the anime has received multiple animated films, a second manga adaptation, a live-action film, and a couple of games (including an otome, naturally) on top of a truly impressive amount of collab merchandise series.

These sets are usually themed around AUs that set the sextuplets in new and interesting scenarios, such as Host Matsu, Butler Matsu, Jazz Matsu, Oni Matsu, Teacher Matsu, Wolf Matsu, Zodiac Matsu… seriously, there are a lot.

The Osomatsu dog plushies enjoy a day at the park, courtesy of the Matsuini Nikki Twitter account.

One of the most popular of all these sets is Dog Matsu, or Matsuini, most well known for its delightfully round and squishy-looking plushies which started appearing in arcades by 2017. Enthusiastic fan response led to a truly dizzying amount of canine Osomatsus, including video game cameo appearances, two dedicated Twitter accounts, collaboration cafes, and much more besides.

Now, in just a couple of months, we’ll finally be able to see the doggy Osomatsus in action as part of their very own show. The news was announced on the official Matsuinu website, alongside a sneak preview of the show’s key visual.

Osomatsu spin off Matsuinu key visual — Our first glimpse at the Matsuinu anime.

Will those Osomatsu boys be the same in the bodies of chihuahuas and shiba inus? Or will their new forms give these sextuplets a new lease on life? I, for one, can’t wait to find out.

According to the official site, the Matsuinu anime will begin airing on October 7th in Japan, starting at 7am in TV Tokyo’s ‘Iniminimanimo’ program. Let’s hope that we get some English-language subs and dubs sooner rather than later!