Spank /

Ohayō! Spank (おはよう!スパンク, Ohayō! Supanku, lit. Hello Spank!) is a Japanese shōjo manga written by Shun'ichi Yukimuro and drawn by Shizue Takanashi. The series has been adapted as an anime television series, broadcast in Japan from 1981 to 1982, and a theatrical movie released in 1982. In 1981, it received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo. Spank (voiced by Noriko Tsukase), the main character, is a dog whose owner went missing on the high seas. While awaiting his return Spank strays at the beach everyday. One day he meets Aiko Morimura (voiced by Mari Okamoto), a junior high school student, whose father went also missing on a yacht tour ten years ago. Her mother, a designer for hats, left for Paris, leaving Aiko in the care of her uncle, Mr Fujinami. Abandoned, Aiko believes that her father is still alive and awaits his return. She's recently lost her pet dog, Papi, which was a good-bye present from her mother, in a car accident leaving her totally devastated. In the course of the anime Spank begins to lighten up her gloomy mood as he is a clumsy and merry dog with lots of heart. She also falls in love with a friend of Spank's missing owner.