Okko's Inn

Okko's Inn (若おかみは小学生！) is a series of Japanese children's novels, written by Hiroko Reijō and illustrated by Asami. Kodansha released twenty volumes between 2003 and 2013 under the imprint of Aoi Tori Bunko. A manga adaptation with art by Eiko Ōuchi was serialized in Kodansha's shōjo manga Nakayoshi and collected in seven tankōbon volumes.

Plot
After surviving a car accident where her parents die, Oriko "Okko" Seki moves in with her grandmother Mineko at the Hananoyu Inn, a ryokan. There, Okko befriends the ghost of a boy named Makoto "Uribo" Tachiuri, the late childhood friend of Mineko. Okko becomes the junior innkeeper. At first, she finds her job exhausting, but Uribo encourages her.

Okko invites a disheveled man and his son Akane to the inn, since it "rejects no one". The staff learn of the death of Akane's mother and of his recalcitrance due to his grief. He requests a cake from the kitchen. The inn has none, but Okko feels inspired to make a new recipe for a "hot bath" pudding resembling hot spring water. Akane and his father are impressed by the pudding and the shrine. Okko assists everyone and Akane's father writes a magazine review praising the inn.

At school, Okko meets Matsuki Akino, a selfish girl with a pink colored lolita fashion whose family runs Harunoya, a competing inn. Uribo tries to provoke Matsuki by painting her face, but a blond girl ghost retaliates by painting Okko's. The ghost is revealed to be Miyo, Matsuki's late sister. She mocks Okko and her innkeeping abilities. But since Okko can see her and talk with her, Miyo plans to move in at Hananoyu Inn instead of Harunoya. Okko uses a bell received from her late grandfather and accidentally releases Suzuki, a baby demon, whom Okko greets with a bad temper. Okko becomes cheerier, though Suzuki notices Okko is losing the ability to see ghosts.

One of the guests is a fortune teller named Glory Suiryo. She invites Okko on a shopping trip. On the way Okko is paralyzed by a flashback, but Glory comforts her. Okko imagines her parents near her. Soon, a boy named Shota Kise and his father, who has recently recovered from traumatic injuries, bring their family to the inn. The father finds his food bland and unsatisfying. Okko remembers Matsuki was working on a menu. Setting aside her rivalry to please Mr. Kise, she visits Matsuki at her inn to ask for help. Matsuki gives her a sample of beef and cooking tips for food that Shota's father does not find so bland. But then the Kises reveal Shota's father survived a road accident where he hit another car and became comatose. The family that was in the other car died in the crash, leaving their only daughter alive. Okko realizes that Mr. Kise had inadvertently caused her parents' deaths and hurriedly leaves. Glory consoles Okko. She sees the Kises preparing to leave the inn, much to their son's distress. Okko invites the Kises to stay at the inn. Months later, Okko and Matsuki perform a ritual dance at the festival. The ghosts move on to their next life to visit them again someday.

Release
An anime television series aired from April 8 to September 23, 2018, and was produced by DLE and Madhouse. The anime film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2018 and on September 12 in France and September 21 in Japan. It was licensed by GKIDS in North America, and was released in the United States on 22 and 23 April 2019. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on July 2, 2019.

Novel
The novel series has over 3 million volumes in print.

Anime film
Okko's Inn received the Excellence Award in the animation category at the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival. The film was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature - Independent.