“Wholesome”, “spoiler-free” (vague) review for those with short attention span:
Buddy Daddies has great emotional beats and some good character dynamics. There are also a few things that it delivers quite well given its non-traditional family setting and its more grounded approach to child raising. However, the series also drastically fails to fully commit to its setup and often reverts to convenient plotlines for emotional impact. Restricted to only 12 episodes to show its full take on the recently popular crime-childcare genre, it still managed to somehow stick the landing but also ended with a lot of missed potential. Perhaps, it could be so
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much more if it has more episodes but given what we have, nothing really stood out in the end. It doesn't mean it is unworthy of being watched though. Buddy Daddies is still an enjoyable and often heartwarming show with its own charm to deliver in the found family trope.
For those who want me to elaborate (yes, there will be spoilers):
● Being a child in anime
When it comes to shows where a little kid is set as one of the story’s main characters, I usually look forward to how they will write the child since, most of the time, younger children are placed on the sidelines while the whole story revolves around the adults. Of course, this is just fine depending on the story’s purpose but I also appreciate it if the narrative actively includes children without them being mere plot devices. After all, children are smarter than they seem. However, having this type of younger child main characters may often be difficult to portray in media (if you are writing an isekai, you can probably just cheat and put an adult into a child's body). Stories like these would require kid characters with their own motivation and perspective in the story without losing a significant part of their childishness or any distinguishable trait in their personality.
Watching Buddy Daddies, I was led to believe that Miri is one of the most realistic kids in anime. I partly agree with these claims on a surface level. In a way, Miri is pretty spot-on as a 4-year-old kid -- which may be due to how P.A. Works had incorporated the actual experiences of their staff and their kids into the show. She is cute, annoying, and adorable as most children can be and as the plot demands it. However, and this is where my disappointment starts, I also felt that the writing for her lacks the characterization I initially expected from her role in the show. Throughout the series, the best way I can describe Miri is that she is a caricature of a real child. She can be more cute, more annoying, and more adorable exactly because she is oftentimes an exaggerated representation of what we usually attribute children to be. Even her often illogical cheerfulness and ignorance despite her surroundings are also part of this exaggeration (it is also convenient to the plot as it avoids difficult questions from the child). This makes it harder to pinpoint what makes Miri her own unique character outside of her just being a “realistic” kid. In fact, she often felt like an amalgamation of all the obvious things we see in children packed into one. And it worked. We have another child who is quite believable as a kid but also does not actively become anything more than a convenience.
Of course, this is not entirely a bad thing. As I’ve said, it depends on the story and the story of Buddy Daddies only needs a “realistic” child to work around the energy it’s going for, and Miri as a plot device seems to work well enough in the show itself. However, given this and the way she is written, Miri's behavior will undeniably be shoved down to the viewers since she is also made to appeal using her "realism" as a kid. That's her whole schtick. Understandably, less tolerant viewers might not find her as adorable as the creators expected her to be, but for others, Miri, as a more general depiction of a 4-year-old, might actually be more relatable.
● Family story of two hitmen and a girl
With how Miri is written, Buddy Daddies expectedly centers its narrative around Kazuki and Rei’s struggles as parents and as individuals while Miri drives their motivation for change. This brought the series into a more grounded and familiar territory. Kazuki and Rei are hitmen and both are inexperienced at parenting (Rei more so) but the charm of the series lies within these moments, too, where the parents struggle to be parents.
The series is at its best when Kazuki and Rei interact with Miri. Both of Miri’s papas have rather good and heartfelt moments with her which solidifies a lot of the blooming relationship between parent and child. The shenanigans which ensue and the often emotional moments which it brings are what really shine in the show. Buddy Daddies also dwells on the more realistic aspects of parenting and this helps bring more of that sense of relatability to the show, especially for viewers who are parents or who are looking to be one.
Buddy Daddies also introduces a more non-traditional family setup given how two same-sex parents are taking care of a child. I find the concept of this quite refreshing within the anime childcare genre. Moreover, Kazuki and Rei being both Miri’s fathers weren’t made fun of or made to be different by other characters within the show. One can expect that sending Miri to daycare would bring in more questions and the typical homophobic remarks, but there was none of that. They made it feel normal because it is and I like that kind of representation (however, as I would tackle more below, the show also comes with quite a few issues of its own in this regard).
● Entertaining and spontaneous adoption
Buddy Daddies started with high energy and some absurd action moments in its first two episodes. P.A. Works fight scenes are mostly good and viewers might be reminded a bit of Akiba Maid War (another P.A. Works original from last season) whenever Kazuki and Rei do their hitman job. The show’s jazzy, spy-esque music also adds a lot to the energy of the series. There might be some minor gaps in the animation and the backgrounds are sparse especially when there are more movements but P.A. Works did a great job with the budget they had.
Going back to the story itself, Buddy Daddies seemed like a pure comedy at first glance. Indeed, the first two episodes give the vibe of a darkly comedic show with how nonchalant Rei kills off people, especially in the first episode where he killed Miri's father while the child happily jumped into Kazuki's arms. Killing off the father is a wild and spontaneous set of circumstances that contributed to the comedy and tone of the show but also added flimsiness to the "adoption" excuse, at least in the first two episodes.
Around Episode 3, we are introduced to Miri’s mother, Misaki, who sent her daughter alone to find her father. The writers show Misaki as regretful of her motherhood due to her difficult situation in life which gives her more nuance and promises a lot more from her character in future episodes (or perhaps not). Anyway, the main point of this episode is that it establishes the found family by giving a more valid reason why they should stay together. Behind the scenes, both Kazuki and Rei’s past played a role in their eventual decision. Kazuki decided to take in Miri due to his own wife and unborn child dying in the past while Rei, as shown in the flashback in the same episode, is reminded of his abusive father and how much he doesn’t want to be like him after Miri stated that the role of fathers is to protect their child. Since Miri’s mom won’t have her, Kazuki and Rei (although not explicitly) made the decision to take care of her in Episode 3 which solidifies the family right from the start.
I think Episode 3 is one of the show’s strongest episodes although I also felt that the family was easily established together by convenience and lack of commitment. For a show which focuses on parenting more realistically, I expected more struggle from Kazuki and Rei from letting Miri stay with them given their job and their past. I should say that the emotional attachment from the main trio is rather quick to establish without much constraint (more so for Kazuki who settled willingly into the “mother” role in the family) but I also acknowledge that this isn’t really a major gripe in the first part of the show. It also goes along with Buddy Daddies’ spontaneity and overall tone. However, this convenience and lack of commitment also reared its head stronger than before at the latter part of the series, and I think that’s where the show began to be quite disappointing.
● Rushed, sloppy and convenient drama
The latter part of the series is where the story shifts gears and ventures into a more serious route. Kazuki and Rei’s conflict as hitmen centers around whether they can change for the better. How they decide on this is the main focus of this part of the series. However, the convenience and lack of commitment I mentioned before are more apparent here since outside of its family and child-raising dynamics, everything feels less cohesive in terms of writing the more dramatic, hitmen aspect of the show.
What really disappointed me is how it handled its last few episodes. Frankly, the show started to reveal more of its loose structure in Episode 7 where it speedruns through Kazuki’s past and character conflict without much of the buildup. This episode also included two female characters, Kazuki’s wife and his sister-in-law, who are introduced within a single episode (with Kazuki’s wife revealed to die from a tragic incident) to just help resolve Kazuki’s grief and then promptly forgotten for the rest of the series. However, the final nail in the coffin is Miri’s mother, Misaki, being re-introduced in the latter part of the show.
Misaki came back after almost a year only to be revealed that she is now dying from cancer. The last time she was seen was in Episode 3 and although that episode gave a bit of nuance in regards to the role of a mother, especially in contrast to how Kazuki willingly became the “mom” of the household, it also felt like it leaned towards a more antagonistic view of the “irresponsible” mother. Anyway, not only did the show give Misaki cancer but also made her regret her choices and wish for change in regard to sending Miri away. The writers opted for a cheap sympathy move which became truer for Misaki since after giving the woman cancer, they also shoot her off in the next episode she was re-introduced!
Episode 11 is one of the worst episodes of the show because none of what happened there is necessary. Meaning, the family can still stay together without the already dying Misaki being killed off by another assassin. It just felt so much like tragedy for tragedy’s sake. It felt almost emotionally manipulative. But it was convenient, isn’t it? Now, Misaki cannot take away Miri from Kazuki and Rei. Now, the family can stay together without any difficulty or complexity. This also made me rethink the whole purpose of the show. There is nothing wrong with plot devices but when you have the majority of female characters in the story like Miri, Misaki, Yuzuko (Kazuki’s wife), and Karin (Kazuki’s sister-in-law) be mere plot devices to drive the development of the two male leads, I have to admit some bullshit. I can say the writing is bad especially when the choice to avoid the easy, convenient but problematic path is an option.
But what now? In the same episode, Kazuki and Rei announced that they are now going to become a real family! Very apt. The woman's body is not cold yet. But we shouldn’t care about how the family came together again this time (first by killing Miri’s dad, now by killing her mom). The most important thing is the found family being together again (we have to stay wholesome here, people!). Okay, so let's leave it as it is for the time being and discuss the finale of the show.
Rei’s final confrontation with his father leaves a lot to be desired. For context, Rei’s father was never shown to care about his son in the entire series (not like he’s present much anyway). But in the finale, Rei’s father seemed to have a change of heart. I understand Rei’s choice of not killing his father (defying the cycle of violence and all that) but one of my major criticism is that his father still feels unpunished, especially in contrast to how the story had treated Misaki. It is also assumed that after that confrontation, Rei’s father never bothered with the family again even though he had been shown as strict in acting on the organization’s ideals and had been a significant part of Rei’s trauma. Again with the show’s convenience and lack of commitment. It is quite disappointing from a writing standpoint, especially when it could have been more.
● The “Buddy” Daddies
There’s quite good development between Kazuki and Rei as individuals (Rei more so) and as parents to Miri. However, I felt like the show barely show us Kazuki and Rei growing together or caring for each other outside of being co-parents to Miri, even just platonically. To explain further, Kazuki and Rei had been living together even before Miri came into their lives. When Misaki came and took Miri away, I thought they will continue to stay together since even without the child, the two can be a family unit. I mean, what were those family developments for? But, disappointingly, the first thing they thought was to leave and pursue their separate goals. This made previous family moments ring hollow. There seemed to be no care between them. Not even a struggle to let the other leave.
I know we are not going to get an actual gay couple. P.A. Works had been forcing the narrative of Kazuki liking women from the first episode until the last (of course, bisexuality exists but given how P.A. Works had been shoving this narrative I don’t think so). However, I also felt that them being queerplatonic or just “buddies” (for the straights) was barely explored well enough either, especially given the way P.A. Works seemed afraid to depict them as “too gay” by not giving them actual moments to acknowledge their care for each other. It is just frustrating. The writers just can't commit to anything. In fact, almost all emotional moments in the show centered between Kazuki or Rei being with Miri but almost never without Miri. There are some moments in the end but it also felt sudden and half-baked given how unexplored it is in previous episodes.
I also expected a bit more balance and less heteronormative view in the household roles. I mean, Rei did improve, to be fair, but for most of the show, Kazuki is obviously given the role of the stereotypical mother in anime. It did lend to the comedy but again, it could have been more. Honestly, everything could have been more in this show, and I wish it did since I actually enjoyed it overall. But it ended without lasting impact. There is no feeling of it being earned. The lack of commitment and the extreme amount of conveniences just made me disappointed.
● I guess, a summary of this review:
Could Miri’s character be more than just a plot device? Yes.
Did the series successfully show Kazuki and Rei as buddies? No.
Did the series successfully show Kazuki and Rei as gay? No.
So, what are they? Gay.
Do you think the show handled Misaki well? No.
Is the ending rushed? Yes.
Are you disappointed with the show? Yes.
Do you think Buddy Daddies could be better? Definitely.
Did you still enjoy it? Yes.
Do you think there will be another season? I don’t think so.
Apr 3, 2023
Buddy Daddies
(Anime)
add
Mixed Feelings Well-written 
“Wholesome”, “spoiler-free” (vague) review for those with short attention span:
Buddy Daddies has great emotional beats and some good character dynamics. There are also a few things that it delivers quite well given its non-traditional family setting and its more grounded approach to child raising. However, the series also drastically fails to fully commit to its setup and often reverts to convenient plotlines for emotional impact. Restricted to only 12 episodes to show its full take on the recently popular crime-childcare genre, it still managed to somehow stick the landing but also ended with a lot of missed potential. Perhaps, it could be so ... |
