Yuki Nonohara's life sucks. So bad, that she's contemplating her next step in front of a railway crossing. But then a tanuki next to her starts speaking:
"Are you tired living as a human? Why not become a tanuki?"
With that, she's forcibly transformed into a tanuki, but also regains her will to live...
Omae, Tanuki Naranee Ka? provides examples of the following tropes:
- Androcles' Lion: Subverted by Tanukichi. After Riku nursed him back to health, he intended to return the favor, but then couldn't bear the thought of her being with someone else and made a move on her. They're happily married ever since. Played straight by Rin, who was rescued from a flood, and has been working for the teahouse owner ever since. The teahouse owner is fully aware of the tanukis around her.
- Chained Heat: Koganemaru's favorite trick to make 2 people get along with each other. If they ever separate over a certain distance, both will be transformed into tanukis. He remarks that for such an old technique, it remains as effective as ever.
- Driven to Suicide: The Tanukis are looking for these kind of people, seeking to bolster their numbers. Most of the time the suicidal person learns to appreciate and enjoy life more and regains their will to live.
- Forced Transformation: Most of the time, the first tanuki transformation is forced on the human.
- Interspecies Romance: Yuki is starting to fall for Koganemaru, and the feeling is mutual. Tanukichi is also married to Riku.
- The Reveal: Tanukichi's marriage to Riku is a sham, since the marriage 'certificate' is a crudely written piece of paper by Riku while drunk. And Riku herself knows that her partner is actually a tanuki. Both are blissfully happy, though.
- Tanuki: They exist and can comfortably slip into human society. Koganemaru's human form is a handsome blond man, and he works by foraging mountain produces to sell.
- Token Evil Teammate: Azukimaru is not like the other tanukis. He revels in chaos, and seeks to drag down other people into further self-destructive behavior and ultimate despair. Unfortunately for him, fate seems to conspire to foil his gambit every time, ultimately turning it into a good thing.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: The tanukis can freely shift into human form, and can even take the form of different persons. Yuki eventually learns how to shapeshift into tanuki form freely.
