A Boss and His Secret Mascot: Uncle's Obsession with Cute Things Premieres Today on Crunchyroll

Fall's most relatable new comedy might be about a secret no boss would ever admit to. Uncle's Obsession with Cute Things premieres Sunday, October 4, on Crunchyroll as part of the platform's Fall 2026 simulcast lineup — and its premise is pure comfort-viewing gold.

The setup is simple and instantly charming: a respected boss harbors a secret obsession with a mascot named Pugtaro. Behind the stern exterior and the corner-office authority lies a soft spot for one adorable mascot, and the comedy writes itself as he tries to keep that devotion under wraps. It is the classic double-life gag, but with a twist only anime would attempt — the double life is about cuteness, not crime.

Liden Films' latest

The series is produced by Liden Films, a studio with a wide-ranging catalog that has shown it can handle both intense action and gentle character comedy. Here the mandate is clearly the latter: a low-stakes, high-charm comedy built around a character whose hidden soft side is both the joke and the heart of the show. Studios with range often do their best work when they get to play against type, and this is a promising change of pace.

The premiere was listed among Crunchyroll's new October subtitled premieres, with press coverage in early October spotlighting it as one of the fresh titles joining the fall slate. In a season packed with returning heavyweights and genre epics, a quiet comedy about a grown man and his mascot might be exactly the palate cleanser viewers are looking for. Not every fall premiere needs world-ending stakes — sometimes the highest stakes are getting caught.

There is a reason premises like this keep working. The gap between who a character is supposed to be and who they secretly are is one of comedy's oldest engines, and a respected boss melting over a mascot named Pugtaro is a gap wide enough to drive a whole series through. Expect workplace hijinks, near-miss reveals, and at least one scene where the secret nearly blows up at the worst possible moment.

Uncle's Obsession with Cute Things is streaming on Crunchyroll starting today. If you have ever hidden your love for something adorable, this one is for you — and if you have not, the boss would like a word.