Okko's Inn facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids 若おかみは小学生！ (Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!)
Okko's Inn
Okko's Inn movie poster
Genre	Family
Novel series
Written by	Hiroko Reijō
Illustrated by	Asami
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children's literature
Imprint	Aoi Tori Bunko
Original run	2003 – 2013
Volumes	20 (list of volumes)
Manga
Illustrated by	Eiko Ōuchi
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Imprint	Kodansha Comics Nakayoshi
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	2006 – 2012
Volumes	7
Anime television series
Directed by	Mitsuyuki Masuhara Azuma Tani
Written by	Michiko Yokote
Music by	Takeshi Hama
Studio	DLE Madhouse
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	April 8, 2018 – September 23, 2018
Episodes	24
Anime film
Directed by	Kitaro Kosaka
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Keiichi Suzuki
Studio	DLE Madhouse
Licensed by	^BI Manga Entertainment ^NA GKIDS
Released	June 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)
Runtime	94 minutes

Okko's Inn (若おかみは小学生！, Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!, transl. "The Young Innkeeper Is a Grade Schooler!") is a popular story series from Japan. It started as Japanese children's novels written by Hiroko Reijō and drawn by Asami. The publisher Kodansha released twenty books between 2003 and 2013.

Later, a manga comic book version was made with art by Eiko Ōuchi. It was published in the Nakayoshi magazine, which is known for shōjo (girls' manga). This manga was collected into seven volumes. The Okko's Inn movie was even nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature - Independent!

Meet the Characters
The Story of Okko's Inn
Release Information
See also

Meet the Characters

Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in Okko's Inn:

Oriko Seki (関織子, Seki Oriko) / Okko (おっこ): Voiced by: Seiran Kobayashi (Japanese); Madigan Kacmar (English); Okko is the main character. She is a brave and kind elementary school girl. After a big change in her life, she moves to her grandmother's inn and becomes a junior innkeeper.

Makoto Tachiuri (立売誠, Tachiuri Makoto) / Uri-bō (ウリ坊): Voiced by: Satsumi Matsuda (Japanese); KJ Aikens (English); Uri-bō is a friendly ghost boy. He helps Okko and encourages her to do her best. He has a special connection to the inn's past.

Matsuki Akino (秋野真月, Akino Matsuki): Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Carly Williams (English); Matsuki is a girl from a rival inn. She often wears fancy clothes and loves to quote books. At first, she and Okko don't get along, but their relationship changes over time.

Mineko Seki (関峰子, Seki Mineko) / Granny (おばあちゃん, Obā-chan): Voiced by: Ichiryūsai Harumi (old), Kana Hanazawa (young) (Japanese); Glynis Ellis (old), Fiona Fatuova (young) (English); Mineko is Okko's grandmother and the owner of the Hananoyu Inn. She is wise and teaches Okko everything about running a traditional Japanese inn.

Etsuko Tajima (田島エツ子, Tajima Etsuko): Voiced by: Ichiryūsai Teiyū (Japanese); Noelle DePaula (English); Etsuko is a kind staff member at the Hananoyu Inn.

Kōnosuke Minoda (蓑田康之介, Minoda Kōnosuke) / Kō (康さん, Kō-san): Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (Japanese); Scott Williams (English); Kō-san is another helpful staff member at the inn.

Suzuki (鈴鬼): Voiced by: Etsuko Kozakura (Japanese); Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English); Suzuki is a small, mischievous demon. He becomes friends with Okko and helps her, even if he sometimes causes a little trouble by taking food.

Kosui Kanda (神田幸水, Kanda Kōsui): Voiced by: Osamu Shitara (Japanese); Nicolai Gorden (English)

Glory Suiryo (グローリー水領, Suiryō Gurōrī): Voiced by: Chiaki Horan (Japanese); Brittany Cox (English); Glory is a fortune teller who visits the inn. She becomes a supportive friend to Okko.

Shoji Seki (関正次, Seki Shōji): Voiced by: Hirohide Yakumaru (Japanese); James Weaver Clark (English); Okko's father.

Sakiko Seki (関咲子, Seki Sakīko): Voiced by: Anju Suzuki (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (English); Okko's mother.

The Story of Okko's Inn

A New Beginning for Okko

The story begins with Oriko "Okko" Seki. Her parents sadly pass away in a car accident. This happens on their way home from a festival. Okko survives the accident. After she recovers, she moves to the Hananoyu Inn. This traditional Japanese inn is run by her grandmother, Mineko.

Soon after arriving, Okko discovers something amazing. She can see ghosts! One of these ghosts is a boy named Makoto Tachiuri, or "Uri-bō." Uri-bō was a childhood friend of Okko's grandmother. He encourages Okko to take over the inn when she grows up. Her grandmother then makes her the "junior innkeeper." Okko even gets her own special kimono to wear for her new role.

Learning to Be an Innkeeper

At first, Okko finds the training very tiring. Being an innkeeper is a lot of work! But Uri-bō is always there to cheer her up. He helps her keep her spirits high.

One day, a man and his son arrive at the inn. The son has a fever and looks very upset. Uri-bō tells Okko to invite them in. The Hananoyu Inn welcomes everyone. The staff learns that the boy's mother had recently passed away. This made him angry and sad. He missed eating cake with his mom.

The inn doesn't have cake, but Okko gets an idea. She invents a new dessert: a "hot bath" pudding! It looks like hot spring water bubbling up. The pudding is delicious. The boy and his father find comfort in eating it. Okko realizes how much joy she can bring to people through her service. Later, the father writes a great review of the inn. This makes Okko a small celebrity!

New Friends and Challenges

At school, Okko meets Matsuki Akino. Matsuki's family owns a huge, fancy inn called Harunoya. Matsuki is often quiet and wears pink Lolita fashion. She loves to quote from books. Her classmates sometimes tease her. Okko and Matsuki don't get along at first.

Uri-bō tries to play a trick on Matsuki. But then another ghost girl appears! She paints Okko's face in return. This ghost introduces herself as Miyo. She is Matsuki's older sister, who died when Matsuki was young. Miyo teases Okko, calling her a "sillykeeper." But since Okko can see and talk to her, Miyo decides to stay at Hananoyu Inn.

Okko also finds a strange bell that belonged to her late grandfather. When she rings it, a young demon named Suzuki appears. Suzuki is quiet but becomes friends with Okko. He has a habit of secretly taking food. Suzuki, Uri-bō, and Miyo all team up. They help Okko with her chores around the inn.

As Okko becomes happier, Suzuki notices something. She starts to see the ghosts less clearly. One guest at the inn is Glory Suiryo, a fortune teller. Glory becomes close to Okko. She invites Okko on a shopping trip. During the drive, Okko has a sudden memory of the car accident. It makes her feel scared. But Glory and the ghosts comfort her. They continue their trip, and Glory buys beautiful clothes for both of them.

Facing the Past

Okko sometimes dreams about her parents. She hopes they might still be alive. But one evening, the Kise family stays at the inn. This family includes a little boy named Shota. His father has just left the hospital. The father can only eat plain, healthy food. He finds the inn's food boring.

Okko remembers that Matsuki was working on healthy recipes. So, putting aside their rivalry, Okko visits Matsuki's inn for help. Matsuki gives her tips on how to cook tasty, healthy food. Shota's father loves the new meals!

Then, the Kises share something difficult. Shota's father had been in a coma for months. This was after an accident where his car crashed into another family's car. The parents in that car passed away. Okko suddenly realizes the truth: it was her parents who were killed in that accident. The reality of their deaths finally hits her, and she runs away crying.

Glory finds Okko and tries to comfort her. The ghosts also try to help. Okko sees the Kises leaving the inn. They feel bad about staying there because of the accident. But Okko gathers her courage. She tells the Kises that they are welcome to stay. Everyone is welcome at the Hananoyu Inn. Okko is happy that she could make the Kises feel better.

Months later, Okko and Matsuki perform a special dance. It's at the same festival Okko went to with her parents. The ghosts tell Okko that they will move on to their next lives. But they promise to visit the Hananoyu Inn again someday, as living guests.

Release Information

The Okko's Inn story was made into an anime television series. It aired from April 8 to September 23, 2018. The TV series was produced by DLE and Madhouse. A feature film was also made.

The Okko's Inn film first showed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2018. It was released in France on September 12 and in Japan on September 21 of the same year. In the United States and Canada, the film was licensed by GKIDS. It was shown in the United States on April 22 and 23, 2019. The film was later released on DVD and Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on July 2, 2019.