The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting is somewhat of a weird premise for me. Since my expectation of the show is quite a mix. Will I get cringed watching it or maybe it's a hidden gem? It felt like I gambling something for it. I expected it to be some kind of weird Wacky Yakuza Comedy Series involving the Yakuza Boss Daughter maybe going head over heels for his handsome babysitter and it didn’t help that the female lead is surrounded by handsome gangster boys in the promotional image.
I was actually planning to watch it in 2022 after I finish Made in the Abyss 2nd Season but the premise felt too off fitting to what I want to watch in an anime at the time. I didn’t pick up the anime until Feb 2023 when I started to give it try. Somewhat of a surprise, it’s not an intensive heavy comedy show as I expected it to be but rather a very serious emotional slice of drama surrounding family values that made me got intrigued after watching the first episode.
The show offers a serious and mature tone when it comes to understanding a child's emotion and how to approach it, that kind of hooks me a bit. Eventually, I started to watch the entire half in one sitting and realize it’s a very solid slice-of-life drama series with some pinch of subtle creative comedy sprinkled on top.
Positive Remarks
Characters don’t seem interesting at first like Kirishima and Yaeka who are the main protagonist of the story. It screams stereotypical yakuza gangster and a silent little girl in my ears that doesn’t hold my interest. But As time goes on, the character's relationship seems to grow on you, as the relationship improves over time especially Kirishima and Yaeka's relationship as a family alongside other side characters along the way. It built up an essence of a comfortable family atmosphere that isn’t contracted by blood. Thought I can argue not all characters get the same treatment. Potentially there are a lot of characters that might be interesting enough to get fleshed out as a bonus side story but were never given an opportunity to do so.
The show takes its cast seriously and there is a good balance of slice-of-life, drama, and comedy. I think the comedy in this show is pretty good, not stomach-cracking funny, but the comedy makes sense. It's quite funny that the joke is pretty clever and realistic in the sense that that humorous scenario happens in real life. For example, in episode 4 the boss convinces them to make a Youtube Channel to make money. The idea alone sounds funny to me and the execution was pretty spot on while at the same time putting some significance to the characters built up.
The character interactions are pretty engaging to watch. It's interesting the show manages to have that fuzzy, adorable, and wholesome atmosphere. So far, I think the show is pretty good at what it is aiming for. A slice-of-life take on a Yakuza Family.
I like the idea that a family is not always defined by blood but by a closed bonded relationship of each individual built upon exchanging life experiences with one another over time. Learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I like as characters slowly coming out of their cold shell. Mutual trust is being formed. The drive of trying to become a better person and setting aside the fear that has been holding them back to move forward is being set in motion. Because they believe they have someone to support their back if something went wrong in the process. Thus building up the confidence to engage in life with a positive approach. I can that real character development and clever writing, that been properly executed in representing what a family is all about.
A good family is there for you every step of the way, even if you fall back, you are assured someone will catch your back. A person's character development and value always start with the family they are a part of I always say.
For the Visuals, I could say pretty standard for 2022 anime releases. Nothing Bad or Ultra Good to Say About it. It does remind me of some anime I watch in the past that got release not too long ago. Overall the visuals are fine.
Speaking of Music and Background Sounds. I think the opening song "Mirai no Hero Tachi e is ok, it grows on me a bit as I watch more episodes because slowly the opening song comes from being meh quirky to somewhat nostalgic and a bit of a fuzzy feeling as I progress into the series.
Kaerimichi no Iro by Shibuya HAL however might be the new favorite ED for me when it comes to Happy Slice of Life Ending from, the Year 2022 release. I like the vibes of it and it gets stronger and stronger once you get to know the characters more.
Spoiler Territory, Feel free to go to the Final Thought Section if you haven’t watched the series yet
Negative Remarks
Now for some negative gripes, I have with the show that blocks its potential as must watch and a highly recommended anime for Slice of Life and Feel Good Family Anime Vibe. First, I don’t think this anime has a plot. When I mean the plot is that I don’t see any importance of the all-Yakuza Conflict, it felt kind of random and serve as a themed-flavored slice of life rather than a plot of its own. Moving to that, the show has a sort of antagonist. The problem however the antagonist is so vague and the purpose he serves is more like triggering unnecessary conflict and drama, just because he can. He's too bland as a character himself and serves as the final stretch to challenge our main character's ideals. He felt like a plot device to easily show the audience how much the protagonist has changed after He realizes the important things in life. The issue with this is that the audience has already seen the progression naturally as they watch more slice-of-life moments in the show.
"In My Opinion" if they want an engaging antagonist that will challenge Kirishima's character growth there should be personal conflict connected between the 2 characters which will make a conflict an organic part of the story than being there to trigger emotional damage to the viewers and the characters.
Final Thoughts
The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting is a good time passer when it comes to the slice-of-life drama that centers around what a wholesome family atmosphere is all about which the show didn’t fail to portray. However, having some dark themes about yakuza conflict that demands a congruent plot felt more like flavoring, its poorly explored, and ultimately overshadowed by the slice-of-life vibes of the show as a whole.
Will I recommend it? Yes, but I will recommend it specifically to anime fans who are interested in slice-of-life drama with wholesome family values. It's not highly recommended or a must-watch in my opinion. But I enjoy it regardless because I am indeed a fan of the wholesome story that circles around the values of family.
And that’s all I can say about the show as a whole. Will I rewatch it in the Future? I don’t think I will be rewatching it soon but maybe in 5 or 10 years, I might pick it up again. But I do have an interest in reading the source material soon.
As Always Thank You for Reading
For People Checking the Score in Every Category
(Story/Plot/Writing) (6/10: Good)
>The Balance of Slice of Life, Drama, and Comedy is Solid but the Dark Side of the Yakuza Conflict kinda Drags the Story Back.
(Characters/ Main & Supporting) (7/10: Solid)
>Ignoring the show's sorry excuse of an Antagonist. It cannot be denied character interaction and development is pretty solid in this show.
(Technical Stuff) (Art & Animation 7/10)
>Pretty Standard Animation & Art Style
( Music and Sound Design 7/10)
>Ok Opening Song, and Solid ED song, and some memorable background tracks
(Enjoyment/ Bias Personal Opinion) (7/10 Good and Memorable )
>If I am watching it for the slice of life and wholesome vibes alone its a solid 8/10 but the Yakuza Story is might the weakest in the show which made me drag it down to 7/10
(Overall 6.7/10)
>A Show Worth Recommending to a Few
