is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Renjuro Kindaichi which ran in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine from 1997 to 2002. The series focuses on the story of a 10-year-old boy named Haré who lives in the jungle and his misadventures with Guu, a liminal being who usually presents herself as a young girl.
It was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series, followed by two OVA sequels: Haré+Guu DELUXE and Haré+Guu FINAL.
Plot
Haré+Guu opens with a pregnant Weda leaving her home in an unnamed city.
It then flashes forward to the present where Haré is a typical boy living in an unnamed village in an unidentified jungle with his lazy mother Weda. On his way back from his errand of fetching bananas, a large dark being overtakes him. Scared, he runs back to the house where his mom has decided to have a new guest, a cute girl named Guu.
The next morning, Haré wakes up to find Guu a completely different person who is no longer cute, social, or energetic. No one seems to notice the change. Guu mostly remains quiet and ignorant of things while Haré has to show her around and explain things. Haré notices Guu likes to eat things. She swallows Haré but, instead of dying, he is taken to another world in Guu's stomach. There he meets Seiichi and Tomoyo, a couple who has accepted their fate in Guu's stomach. After Guu spits Haré out, she accompanies him to school where she meets all of Haré's schoolmates (whom she swallows and spits back out) and the village elder (whose chest hair she rips out).
The school receives a new doctor named Dr. Clive who came from the city and turns out to be Haré's long-lost dad. Most of the other characters start developing personalities and eccentricities of their own. Guu goes from being silent to being extremely cynical and sarcastic towards Haré and the others. She starts being more antagonistic towards Haré. Guu starts causing shenanigans around the jungle that are meant to keep her amused (like holding a contest for Weda). She adds another resident to her stomach world, Miss Hiroko Yamada, and shows an adult form that she uses to defend Haré. Another person who appears is Dama, a hairdresser from the next village over who obsesses over her long-lost husband with white hair that she mistakes Dr. Clive for.
Bel and Asio, two servants who worked for Weda in her past life, visit the jungle. They claim that they are on vacation and wanted to see their old master. They relieve Haré of his chores around the house and Haré enjoys having to do less work.
Guu causes more disasters around the jungle such as creating a blizzard and bringing down the wrath of Dama upon Clive. Clive finally dyes his hair black to have Dama leave him alone. Haré finds out from Asio the circumstances behind Weda leaving her past life and why Weda is living in they jungle. Weda eventually forces Bel and Asio to tell the actual reason they came to the jungle: to bring Weda and Haré back to the city since her father had recently died. Weda refuses at first, but relents much to Haré's chagrin.
Haré, Weda, Guu, Bel, and Asio make it to the city where they are met by Robert, a personal bodyguard hired to protect Haré and Weda. Robert initially dislikes Weda. When Haré and Guu are held hostage by a bank robber, Weda and Robert team up to proficiently take out the robber, safely returning Haré and Guu. Haré easily adjusts to luxurious life in the mansion while Weda is bored.
Clive comes to the city where he finally is able to convey his feelings for Weda, ensuring them to be a couple whenever Weda returns. Guu causes more hijinks by swallowing up all the servants in a game of tag. While Haré is running away, he runs into his long-lost grandmother Sharon. He then plans to have Weda and Sharon make up. Try as he might, all seemed lost as Weda was bored enough to want to return to the jungle much to Bel and Asio's chagrin. Fortunately, Haré manages to knock some sense into her. Just as Weda was about to visit her mom, Sharon rides up and the two make up.
Haré, Weda, and Guu are back in the jungle with Clive now living permanently with Haré. Haré meets the new teacher while Lazy-Sensei was sick named Miss Yumi. Her temperament has prevented her from getting a boyfriend. She ends up falling for Haré and harassing him for the next two arcs despite their age difference. Meanwhile, the village elder's chest hair gets so out of control he is swallowed by it enough for him to disappears for the rest of the arc.