One fine day, Fu Yamanaka's life is changed forever when a little fox girl appears in front of her, declaring Fu her savior and wanting to repay Fu for having saved her life. The little fox, Hana, soon finds she doesn't want to leave, and Fu's uncle, Gen, is all right with her staying and becoming his coffee shop's mascot.
Thus begins the story of Hana the Fox Girl (Shima Shima Hanako) by Chima. The manga is a cute Slice of Life story with occasional bits of supernatural fun thanks to Hana herself and her big brother, the talking dog Tsugumori. The manga ran in Manga Box from 2014 to 2015.
Tropes:
- Asian Fox Spirit: Hana can switch between a fox form and a mostly-human form with a fox's ears and tail. She also tends to breathe fox fire when she's embarrassed.
- Better with Non-Human Company: The serpentine Haru recalls a time in her childhood where she was ostracized by her human classmates during a field trip, and found solace eating her lunch alongside multiple snakes that allowed her to rest with them.
- Carnivore Confusion: As a Furry Reminder, Hana feels inclined to try and take a bite out of a fish-like mermaid when one enters the store in chapter 7. She needs to be reprimanded to not eat customers, which she has a hard time wrapping her head around, although it's perhaps only because of her age. Said mermaid doesn't actually mind, and by the end tries to pay with her tail in lieu of money by offering to have it cut off, and getting teary eyed with joy from something as simple as Hana agreeing not to eat her.
- Cheerful Child: Fox spirit she may be, but Hana's also a sweet little girl.
- Children Are Innocent: Hana, obviously. Highlighted in chapter 8, when Haru Sakamoto explains that she is a snake and was raised by human parents and, thus, has attended school. Everyone in the cafe thinks to themselves "Even though you're a snake?" Not Hana though. In her innocence, Hana says it out loud.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Hikaru can be like this regarding Fu. She's determined to protect Fu's chastity from men, and gets into an argument with Hana over which of them is closer to her.
- Cuteness Proximity: Fu can get positively gushy when Hana's being especially cute. The second chapter equates this to Maternal Instinct. Fu's uncle exploits this by advertising being able to snuggle Hana.
- Does Not Like Men: Hikaru does not trust men not to try and seduce Fu. The only reason she accept Tsugumori is because she takes him as a pet.
- Doorstop Baby: Fu's uncle tells Hana and Tsugumori that Fu was found abandoned under a bridge as a joke. They take it seriously and rush off before he can clear up the misunderstanding. Gen decides not to bother.
- Drives Like Crazy: Aoi is a terrible flyer. Hana compares it to roller coaster they'd seen on TV "but with waaaaay more spins and turns!" Fu's actually curious to try it out.
- Freaky Is Cool: After being encouraged to try and make more friends, Haru transforms back into her giant snake form, to which the others respond positively.
- Friendless Background: Haru grew up without any friends because natural tendencies that came from being a snake, such as easily catching frogs or attracting other snakes on a school field trip, scared her classmates. The field trip showed her eating lunch with the snakes. In sympathy, Fu eagerly becomes her friend.
- Furry Reminder:
- Adorable as she is, Hana is still a fox and, thus, still a predator. This shows in the second chapter when she catches and kills a bird for breakfast and later when she can't help herself biting the tail of a mermaid who visits the coffee shop.
- When Hana expresses an interest in going to school, Fu worries about her potentially attacking the livestock, such as chickens, kept on the grounds.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Kaihama explains that mermaids can regenerate from just about anything so long as more than 2/5 of their body is intact. In fact, having lost the fish she was going to use as payment at the coffee shop, offers up some of her own fin as compensation. Fu hastily declines, saying she can just pay next time.
- Healing Factor: Mermaids, as long as enough of them remains.
- Huge Schoolgirl: Haru Sakamoto is essentially Azumanga Daioh's Sakaki with the added ability to turn into a snake. Teenage Fu barely reaches her chest.
- I Owe You My Life: Fu saved Hana while on a camping trip. Wanting to repay this kindness is why Hana searches for Fu to begin with.
- Little Bit Beastly: Hana has fox ears and a tail.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Mermaids in this world, due to living in a world where sharks and orcas are an ever present danger, have developed a Healing Factor that lets them regenerate from just about any injury so long as at least 2/5 of their body remains.
- Playing with Fire: Hana breathes foxfire when she's embarrassed.
- Raised by Humans: Haru Sakamoto was found by a human couple after she hatched. When they saw she could both speak and turn into a human they adopted her and raised her as her own.
- Scaled Up: Inverted with Haru. She was born a snake, but can transform into and was raised as a human.
- Shout-Out: Fu compares meeting the tall Haru to Attack on Titan.
- Talking Animal: Tsugumori. Also Hana if she's in fox form or Haru in snake form.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Fish for Hana, if her trying to eat Kaihama and being distracted by fish in the supermarket are any indication.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The cafe's patrons are quick to enjoy having Hana and Tsugumori around. Gen even manages to charge for touching Hana's ears. Averted when Hana goes out in public to visit the supermarket with Tsugumori. Passerby wonder if she's in cosplay and others are taking out their phones to take pictures.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Hana and Aoi can do this to assume human forms. Tsugumori can do it, too, but only for brief periods.
