Toru Kirishima, the first lieutenant of the Sakuragi Family yakuza clan, is known as “The Demon of Kisaragi” for his tendency to solve problems with violence. In order to rein him in a bit, the clan boss orders him to take care of 7-year-old Yaeka, the boss’ own daughter. At first, Toru struggles with trying to get along with Yaeka, since his yakuza skills don’t translate well to childcare, apart from when dealing with some enemies still out for his blood. However, when Yaeka’s school has an open house that her actual family cannot attend, perhaps Toru can step in and help her out…
If I had a nickel for every anime I’ve seen about someone from the yakuza having to take care of a kid, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s nice to see it happen twice. This one lacks the wacky psychic hijinks of Hinamatsuri and presents itself as a more down-to-earth “family” drama, and it is already getting off to a heartwarming start. Considering how Toru only had to “take care” of Yaeka, it’s great to see him wanting to make an effort to get to know Yaeka and support her too. This feeds well into the greatest strength of these types of series: showing how the caretaker grows as a character as a result of his newfound caretaking role, which is especially notable when the protagonist is a violent yakuza member. Overall, this is a cute and enjoyable episode with a lot of heart to it, and I’m definitely looking forward to more episodes.
The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting is streaming on Crunchyroll.
I’ve been looking forward to the release of this anime, I had a feeling it was going to be cute, I’m glad it’s living up to expectations!