Buddy Daddies is a touching story between two assassins and a cute little girl. It comes down to a very memorable show that hits most things right but ends up missing a few notes.
The story sees Kazuki and Rei, two assassins that are working for Rei's organization as hitmen. In the first episode their target ends up being the father of a child that gets involved in their life going forward. This child is Miri, and she is the star of the show. The big strength of Buddy Daddies imo is the portrayal of a family that is built from the ground up and sees two men in their 20s learn what it's like to take care of a child for the first time in their lives. Seeing the two daddies grow closer to Miri, go through the lengthy process of getting her in a daycare (and waiting in a line for hours), find out where to buy cheap utensils, learn how to cook healthy food and how to take care of a 4 year old is the highlight of the show for me.
For most of the 12 episode run we get an episodic slice of life approach where the three main characters interact among themselves and with others, but also we get some insight into the tragic backstories of both Kazuki and Rei. The losses and harsh chlidhoods that they've experienced make it so their current family situation is that much more important to them.
That's why it's an heartbreak when in the last few episodes they are forced to say goodbye to Miri because it's dangerous to get her involved in the lives of two hitmen. A lot happens, but getting separated from Miri is not enough, as Rei's organization is trying to get rid of Miri in a way to have Rei cut all of the ties he had during his "free reign" living with Kazuki.
Thus, in an effort to save Miri and keep their relationship alive, as they're not able to simply escape, Kazuki and Rei take the fight to the core of the organization, and dispose of the assassins that were trying to kill Miri, ending the story with a nice flashforward to Miri's adolescence.
All in all, I think the story was well done to a point where we managed to feel for the characters and their departure. The backstories were properly spread out and elaborated in order to make us care more about their ordeals. The slice of life and comedy moments were well paced and developed, creating a very wholesome experience. The animation is also really smooth.
There are a few problems in this anime though. The main one are the action scenes. They're very well animated, but are extremely unrealistic. Characters are able to dodge gunfire like they're "the Flash". Battles are laid out in a way that doesn't make any sense. They're pretty scarce, mostly in the first two and then the last couple of episodes, but I still have to point out how poorly designed they are. I also dislike how convenient it is that the main villain patiently waits for the characters to say their "last words" only to be surprised from the back by another character. He also really conveniently makes the typical long speech before killing off someone in order to save time for him to get killed instead.
Lastly, I think the last episode was not laid out in a good way. Mostly due to how the heist took place. Rei and Kazuki invaded the organization headquarters, but what looked like just an attempt at conversing with the leaders quickly turned into a bloodbath. I found it very stupid how Rei and Kazuki had already killed dozens of men, but then they sate to one of the assassins that "they just want to talk". Who is going to believe that after the bloodshed that occured? Makes no sense. Then, after having already killed probably half of the organization, Rei confronts his father who is just patiently waiting in his room. Half of his forces were just murdered, several at the doorside of his quarters, and he's just chilling there like wtf?! Then Kazuki is sent by Rei to "secure their gettaway" and he simply waits at the main entrance with a car. How did not a single person chase him down? Did they actually kill every single one of the members? Didn't seem like it. They were pretty calm considering they could be shot at any moment, I mean they were still in the stronghold of the enemy.
At the end, I still can't not recommend Buddy Daddies. For me it's a great anime that's wheighed down by a couple of big problems that can or cannot be easily ignored depending on the viewer. It still is one of the best anime of the season for sure and ultimately a big hidden gem.
