Reviews

Jan 18, 2024
Mixed Feelings
I wanted to like this series a lot more than I actually did. I am a sucker for stories about dads taking care of cute little kids, and this show did give me enough of that that I still felt mildly positive about it in the end, but this is a case of wasted potential more than anything else.

The central problem here is a lack of conflict, which is a surprise given the premise. Instead of a fish out of water comedy about a thug that's wholly unsuited to take care of a child, Kirishima (the main character) easily adapts, and he and Yaeka (the little girl he babysits) are inseparable by the end of the first episode. Similarly, all the hard edges have been filed off of the yakuza here and they're treated as essentially indistinguishable from legitimate businessmen. The show is very careful to never show the protagonists doing anything unethical, and the only illegal things they do (such as beating up members of rival gangs) are justified, even though, again, they are a criminal gang. This results in unintentionally absurd moments like members of the yakuza talking very seriously amongst themselves about only buying *legal* fireworks. It feels bizarrely neutered, and weirdly pro-yakuza to be honest. The yakuza boss supposedly needs someone to watch his daughter so he can run his criminal empire, but because showing him selling drugs or collecting protection money would be too edgy, you only ever see him hanging around his house and it's unclear what he actually does or why he'd need a babysitter.

There are some nice, heartwarming moments, particularly the episode where Yaeka visits her mom in the hospital, but it never stops feeling like it's missing something. If it had genuinely engaged with its premise instead of simply using the yakuza as a tattoos-and-piercings aesthetic and an excuse to have 4 men living in the same house for not-gay reasons, there could have been something interesting here. As it is, it's moderately entertaining fluff that leaves you wanting for more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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