Tono to Inu

The manga began as a short-run serialization on Comic Polaris from March 19 to April 8, 2021, and then started full serialization on October 14, 2021.

It is published by Flex Comix under the Polaris COMICS label.

At its heart, the story follows an impoverished former daimyo, known simply as Tono or “the Lord,” and his cheerful dog.

The contrast is the whole charm: a stern, intimidating ex-lord paired with a tiny, utterly uninhibited corgi.

The series mixes period-drama flavor with cozy slice-of-life comedy.

Instead of battles and political intrigue, it offers shopping trips, neighborhood encounters, and lots of dog-powered chaos.

After falling from status and wealth, the lord now lives a much quieter life.

That quiet does not last, because he ends up sharing it with a lively dog who completely ignores his dignified aura.

The dog is a Welsh Corgi and becomes both companion and troublemaker.

Much of the humor comes from the lord trying to maintain composure while the dog barrels through life with total confidence.

Though the title focuses on the pair, some stories also feature other dogs and people in their community.

That gives the series a warm, lived-in world beyond the central duo.

Tono

Tono is the former daimyo at the center of the story.

He looks fierce and imposing, but underneath that hard exterior he is gentle, responsible, and easily melted by his dog.

In the anime, Tono was played in four different broadcast versions, each with a different voice actor.

Those actors were Akio Otsuka, Tomokazu Sugita, Shunsuke Takeuchi, and Masaki Aiba.

Inu

Inu, the dog, is a Welsh Corgi whose energy drives much of the series.

Cute, unpredictable, and impossible to control, the dog turns the lord’s daily life into a constant stream of small adventures.

Before the series began, Rie Nishida had been asked to create a one-shot manga centered on a dog.

She designed the dog character using her own Welsh Corgi Pembroke as a model.

Nishida also chose a setting inspired by the Sengoku to Edo-period aesthetic, which she personally liked.

That historical framing gives the series its distinctive look while keeping the tone playful rather than heavy.

She later explained that she wanted to draw more interaction among residents and neighbors, rather than stories confined to a single interior space.

As a result, backgrounds and everyday town scenes became an important part of the manga’s appeal.

As of March 13, 2026, Tono to Inu had 6 collected volumes in print.

The release dates were September 15, 2022; May 15, 2023; February 15, 2024; October 15, 2024; July 15, 2025; and March 13, 2026.

The series found a strong audience online thanks to its mix of softness and comedy.

One episode-like manga story, “Staying-at-Home Corgi and a Lost Puppy,” received about 106,000 likes on Twitter.

That popularity reflects what readers respond to most.

The manga is gentle, funny, and full of expressive animal behavior that feels instantly lovable.

The television anime adaptation aired from October 10, 2024, to March 27, 2025.

It was broadcast on TOKYO MX and MBS and ran for 24 episodes.

One of the anime’s most unusual features was its four-version format.

Each episode was broadcast in four editions with a different voice for Tono: Wanwan!, Potepote!, Kunkun!, and Mofumofu!

This gimmick gave the same core material a different flavor depending on the actor’s performance.

It also made the adaptation stand out in a crowded anime season.

The anime was directed by Haruki Kasugamori.

Music was composed by Hayato Miyazaki.

Animation was produced by OLM and Live2D Creative Studio.

The production committee was credited as the “Tono to Inu” Production Committee.

A notable point in industry coverage was that the series was described as the first fully Live2D-produced commercial anime work.

That made it an interesting technical experiment as well as a cute comedy series.

Live2D Approach

Although Live2D originally began as an animation tool, it became more widely used in games.

As the technology advanced, the company behind it began pushing more seriously into animation production.

Tono to Inu became a major step in that effort.

Before making it, the staff reportedly spent time researching how Live2D could work effectively in screen-based storytelling.

The production flow was broadly similar to standard animation, but Live2D required special handling for movement.

Because it works by animating illustrations, it cannot reuse motion in the same way that 3D models can.

The dog in particular required careful part separation and flexible construction.

This helped preserve range of motion and supported natural-looking animal movement and fur detail.

Some actions were harder than others.

Large, dramatic motions such as somersaults required extra materials and individual solutions, so the staff had to build know-how through actual production.

Key anime staff included:

Original creator: Rie Nishida.

Director: Haruki Kasugamori.

Chief animation supervisor and series direction: Miyuki Kunisada.

Art director: Narue Kurosawa.

Director of photography: Takuya Miyashita.

Editor: Takahiro Adachi.

Sound director: Noriyoshi Konuma.

Music: Hayato Miyazaki.

Animation producer: Genjiro Ishikawa.

The theme song was “Little Lovers.”

It was performed by SUPER★DRAGON.

The lyrics, composition, and arrangement were by Sohei Mishima.

The song matched the series’ light, affectionate mood.

The anime’s episodes used simple, storybook-like titles such as “Tono and the Dog,” “Tono and the Territory,” “Dog and Staying Home,” and “Dog and a Lost Child.”

These titles reflect the series’ focus on tiny incidents, everyday emotions, and small-scale comedy.

The final broadcast episode was titled “Dog and Their Meeting.”

That title gave the end of the season a gentle, reflective feeling.

A Blu-ray box set was released on April 2, 2025.

It included all 24 episodes in all four Tono versions, making it a particularly rich package for collectors.

The anime drew attention not only for its charm but also for its use of Live2D.

Writer and VTuber Aoi Ren, writing for AUTOMATON, said the production changed their view that television anime and Live2D were a poor match.

After seeing presentations and interviews with the production team, they came away impressed by how natural some difficult movements looked.

They suggested that, as production methods improve, even challenging actions may become easier to standardize in future Live2D animation.

The series has had an official manga page through Comic Polaris and an official TV anime website.

It also maintained an official social media presence through its dedicated X account.