Original Release Date: April 8, 2021 Number of Episodes: 5 Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life Based on the Series Created By: Kousuke Oono
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Way of the Househusband. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
A lifetime ago, Tatsu, the Immortal Dragon (voiced by Kenjirou Tsuda), was the fiercest yakuza in Japan. To this day, gangs and mobsters quake at the sound of his name. However, Tatsu’s violent ways are long in the past. Now, he has happily settled down with his wife, Miku (voiced by Shizuka Itou), and has proudly taken up the role of househusband.
Cooking, cleaning, shopping, homecare, Tatsu does it all with ease and perfection.
Although his face remains quite scary and old habits die hard, Tatsu knows how to provide a comfortable and homely atmosphere.
Series Synopsis
The Way of the Househusband was stupid, but, like, in the best possible way.
At only five episodes, this series was a speedy watch. Thus, don’t go expecting too long of a review. But while this was no masterpiece or a hidden gem, there were several things this series did well. For starters, it had an outstanding voice cast.
Although The Way of the Househusband relied heavily on visual humor (please note I say “visual” not “animation”), it would have fallen flat on its face had it not been for its actors. This series, for how brief it was, had some real talent in it.
I’ll go so far as to say all the actors did a fantastic job but for this review, allow me to focus on only two.
The first is Ms. Shizuka Itou, who played Miku, our protagonist’s wife. She was phenomenal at switching between high-energy instigator and brilliantly dry straight man. As a veteran from anime such as Amagami SS, Assassination Classroom, High School DxD, and many others, Ms. Itou has proven time and time again that she can bring tons of life to a character. And in The Way of the Househusband, her delivery was responsible for some of the show’s funniest moments.
Second, there was Mr. Kenjirou Tsuda. I didn’t look at the cast list before watching this series. Still, as soon as I saw the style The Way of the Househusband was going for, I knew there was only one person who could play our lead, Tatsu. Sure enough, Mr. Tsuda’s unmistakable rough voice was the perfect fit.
If you’ve seen any anime from the last five years, then there is an exceedingly good chance you’ve heard Mr. Tsuda’s voice; it seems like he is in everything.
Let us acknowledge something. The Way of the Househusband was extremely exaggerated. Aside from the abundance of gangers lingo and mannerisms, the actual work of a homemaker – cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. – was never the butt of a joke. Nevertheless, it was nice that this series focused more on a hardcore yakuza being a househusband rather than simply a man being one.
When Tatsu told people about his occupation, everyone was always taken aback by how polar opposite it was to what he used to do. No one once commented on or was horrified by him doing – please let me finish this thought before going to the comments – “women’s” work. Seeing this in any form in Japanese anime is outstanding since it has not been my experience in reality.
Currently, both my wife and I have day jobs, so neither of us is an official house spouse. However, should that job fall to one of us, I guarantee it won’t be my wife. She operates much better when focusing on her career. She doesn’t have the patience to be a traditional homemaker (sorry, honey, but we both know it’s true – love you). On the other hand, I enjoy cooking and am a naturally tidy person, so I usually tend to our home, which I am happy to do.
The point is, The Way of the Househusband resonated with me. Should my wife and I get to where we want to be, this is most likely the situation we will gravitate towards.
To wrap this section up, this series was a curiosity. It won’t change your life, and you’re not missing out on much. But if you keep seeing this show in your feed, then give it a chance? It’s a good laugh.
Series Negatives
Although The Way of the Househusband was entertainingly stupid, it did tend to go overboard.
This series relied on many typical anime comedy tropes that I, personally, don’t think work. For example, there were long-winded, fast-paced expositions giving play-by-plays of what was happening right before our eyes. After all the shows I have watched, I have accepted that this is simply a part of Japanese humor. Wishing it will stop is a fruitless effort at this point.
Still, comedies do come along that don’t rely on this style. Instead, they emphasize high-energy and ridiculous visual gags (which is my preference). In many ways, The Way of the Househusband could have been one such series; its humor was varied.
Unfortunately, it’s always painfully obvious when a joke flops, which happened a few times in this show.
Additionally, it would be hard to talk about The Way of the Househusband without mentioning its animation. “Limited” would be a good word to use in this instance.
It should be noted that this series’ animation was a stylistic choice. It wasn’t lazy and, as far as I know, there weren’t any budget constraints. No, this show went for a more visual-novel-esque approach. That isn’t to say there was no movement; again, it was limited.
I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t hate this animation. Trust me; I’ve seen worse. Sadly, for The Way of the Househusband, it wasn’t its best selling point.
Final Thoughts
Do you have 90 minutes? If so, this series is no harm, no foul.
This show can sometimes be a bit much. It’s occasionally loud, forced, and the jokes don’t always stick their landing. Still, I won’t pretend I didn’t enjoy myself.
With a great cast and a wiliness to be stupid, this is a good time in the end.
Therefore, The Way of the Househusband has earned a recommendation.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise The Way of the Househusband? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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