Take me away to Neverland

Also known as Poco's Udon World, this is a show about a web designer from Tokyo named Souta who returns to his hometown after his father's death, intending to clean up his family's old Udon shop so he and his sister can sell the property, only to encounter a mysterious little blonde boy. The child appears to have no family around and being a toddler, has limited verbal skills. Souta winds up trying to take care of the child and figuring out exactly where the kid came from, the answer of which is revealed at the end of the first episode (or in the opening credits):

( Minor spoiler. )

Despite this complication Souta winds up taking Poco (as he dubs the kid) in, telling his friends and relatives that Poco's a friend's child, who he's taking care of temporarily. What follows is a primarily slice of life/magical realism story, as Souta learns to take care of a small child, reconnects with old friends and his hometown, figures out what he wants to do with his life next, and tries to come to terms with his father's death, all while Souta and Poco try to keep Poco's secret, er, secret. 

This show is pretty much my jam: Myths and magical realism meet familial relationships and mundane, yet crucial, life decisions, mixed with generous portions of Utterly Adorable and sprinkled with bits of surprising sadness. I feel like some people might have mixed feelings about the ending but due to the nature of Poco- both as a child and related to Poco's secret- I thought it was kind of inevitable, and all the characters at least all end the story happy and prepared for the future.

Some random things I liked ( More spoilers. )
Anyway, if you're in the mood for a short (12 episodes) anime with a lot of slice of life cuteness, Udon no Kuni is well worth a look.

In a large, Japanese city in a near-future setting, there exists a team of heroes known as the Gatchaman Crew.

Gatchaman are a kind of henshin hero (think Power Rangers or Sailor Moon) that have special powers based on their own personalities, and originate from their NOTEs- literal notebooks that represent their souls and can be used to communicate with fellow G-Crew members.

The G-Crew are selected and guided by a mysterious council of aliens, represented by a cryptic man named JJ and to a lesser extent, a tiny panda-like alien named Paiman, who serves as the squadron leader. Their mission is to protect the earth from malicious aliens, such as the MESS, an ever shifting cube made of cubes that absorbs humans and other things within it. 

Complicating the G-Crew's mission are some guidelines they're required to follow, such as keeping their existence a secret from most humans, something they can accomplish with a power known as the "Amnesia Effect" which prevents non-Gatchaman from seeing or hearing them. (Though they can be felt if they bump into anyone during a fight.)

The story starts out with the recruitment of a new Gatchaman, an eternally cheerful and artistic teenaged girl named Hajime Ichinose. Hajime is quick to befriend the other Gatchaman but is also just as quick to question their rules and follows her own impulses, something that frustrates fellow Gatchaman Sugane Tachibana, a more straight-laced teenage boy who takes his position as a Gatchaman very seriously.

( However, lest you think this is just a monster of the week kinda show... )
It's a little... complicated to sum up, partly because this show is kind of weird. But I am enjoying it!