In the real world, this manifests in Japan's famous "pet mourning" rituals. Unlike the West, where pets are "members of the family," in Shinto-influenced Japan, a deeply beloved pet can be enshrined as a tsukumogami (a tool with a spirit) or even a minor deity. Elderly Japanese couples who have lost their children sometimes speak of their dog or cat as koibito (lover)—not in a carnal sense, but as the sole recipient of their remaining emotional devotion. Even mainstream anime like Tokyo Ghoul flirts with this

Even mainstream anime like Tokyo Ghoul flirts with this. The half-ghoul Kaneki’s relationship with the ghoul Rize is framed as a predator-prey romance. His "kagune" (a predatory, tentacle-like organ) is an animal limb that acts on its own desire to consume. Love, here, is indistinguishable from the urge to devour. Love, here, is indistinguishable from the urge to devour

The Beast Within: A Review of Relationships and Romance in Japanese Animal Narratives

Title: Animal Japan: Relationships and Romantic Storylines Genre: Anthropomorphic / Psychological Drama / Romance Format: Anime, Manga, and Light Novel Analysis