Buddy Daddies

If you are going into this, thinking it's just a clone of Spy x Family, then think again. It's far from it. It's remotely from it. Buddy daddys and Spy x family, only share the ideas of spies, or close enough to one, and that is where the similarities end.For what Buddy Daddies is, it's a fun filled action show, with many great comedic segments through out.

Story and characters: 8
To truly give a full experience of how an anime is, is to check out the first episode. Once you've seen that, you'll see the theme of it's story, and how it handles the contents. Being ... at a rather fast paced, upbeat, and fun ride all throughout. With many over the top comedic elements, sprinkled throughout to make it all work and tick. Buddy Daddies is never a borefest, it's entertaining from start to finish. While even showcasing, just how hard it is, to suddenly be taking care of a little one. They even cleverly hint at this within it's opening act. Creative, and smart.

To touch upon the characters more, as the synopsis does it best in describing them. As we follow Kazuki Kurusu, a criminal contractor/coordinator who lives with his best friend, Rei Suwa, a professional assassin who has been raised from childhood to be a contract killer. Kazuki is outgoing and loves gambling and women, while Rei is a man of few words who spends his off time playing video games. One day, the two buddies end up caring for Miri Unasaka, a four year old girl whose father is a mafia boss, after Miri accidentally wanders into a firefight in a hotel while looking for her father. as they're just that.

Rei really does feel and seem like a laid back lazy otaku by day, but by night, he's a trained assassin. While Kazuki seems like it'd be perfect for a family. Which has winded up falling onto his lap in the form of Miri. Who is honestly, one of the most realistic portrayals of kids. She's sweet, playful, and most all. Downright adorable.

Art and sound: 8
Like I said, it's a very upbeat, and welcoming kind of vibe. While also capturing some of the more darker scenes really well. Really making things stay out with it's quality and shine. Even in lesser paced segments, they all come off really good. Knowing full well, when to take it easy more, but still looking great in both areas. They knew to make this anime not only sound and look good, but really match any kind of scene. Huge props there.

Buddy Daddies may seem like 'oh hey it's Spy x family dad version.' When it's it own thing, and doesn't it's love and attention in it's own way. Give it a goooo.

In a P.A. Works' board meeting:
Producers: Hey, did you know that there is this popular show called Spy X Family making waves recently? It's the story of a family of spies raising an orphan child. I bet we can make an imitation of that!
Mitsuhito Tsuji and Toba Yosuke: Not to worry, if that is your primary concern, we got you covered. For we have a story to tell of the same, but different!

P.A. Works has for almost its lifetime as the designated "original anime" studio, produced some hit-or-miss shows of the last few years, that watch any one of them, you'll know that it's unmistakably ... the studio's signature trait. And this season, together with director Yoshiyuki Asai (of Jun Maeda's Key anime adaptations that went from bad to worse), scriptwriter Vio Shimokura of Nitroplus (of last Winter's haphazard Tokyo 24th Ward) and series composer Yuuko Kakihara, the "shameless copy" that is Buddy Daddies comes to knock the hearts of people the same like in Spy X Family, and in a good way.

At first glance, I bet you can even tell from less than an inch away that Buddy Daddies and Spy X Family feels awfully similar, from the unlikely family nature down to raising the said child herself. But in this show's case, it's down to producers Mitsuhito Tsuji and Toba Yosuke for solely anchoring the show's themes, having the real parenting experience to tell its generic story with a unique plot. The reason being, that the former was at the point of just starting a family himself, and the idea of having assassins, whose paths are normally covered in blood and death, raising children, would make for an interesting story plot. This is aided by the latter mentioning that 'becoming a family is a big theme' in the story, and that he thought it would be interesting as a work to be able to create a sense of comedy with such fine details, using the expertise of their staff to ascertain the intricate levels of parenting, with Tsuji specifically proclaiming "to include a lot of 'parenting'" in the anime.

As for what Buddy Daddies is all about, as opposed to Spy X Family of a spy husband and an assassin wife with the obnoxious and playful child, it's the idea of same-sex assassins taking care of the exact same obnoxious and playful child. 28-year-old Kazuki Kurusu and 25-year-old Rei Suwa, both are buddy assassins who serve and complement one another in the areas that they are well-versed in: Kazuki on intel and execution from his good communication, with the slight negative on his gambling that is a deterring factor on his overall luck; Rei on combat agility and style of coolness, though he lives like a NEET who plays his video games all night, leaving household duties to Kazuki, who gets annoyed easily at his incompetence when it comes to cooperation in the house. And no thanks to the typical assassination mission that they have been entrusted to take care of their targets, they are left with the clueless addition of a child: 4-year-old Miri Unasaka, wandering alone without her parents, only to unknowingly step into the prohibited line of "guns and smokes ablazing" that eventually, is taken in by both assassins to take care of her, thinking that both Kazuki and Rei are her quote "biological" fathers. The perfect gangster househusband like Gokushufudou a.k.a The Way of the househusband's Tatsu, with the perfect Yazuka caretaker like Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari a.k.a The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting's Toru Kirishima, along with Spy X Family's Anya Forger, makes for a combination that is the definition of "same same, but different".

The "unlikely parents raise a child together" trope is quite old, it's even shown in Western media as early as the late 1980s with the 1987 film "Three Men and a Baby", which only proves that this trope has been used as a basic structure in TV and film for decades. How Buddy Daddies used this generic story structure to wield into this plot, producer Toba Yosuke mentions that the idea of having assassins, whose paths are normally covered in blood and death, raise children was interesting. Furthermore, two men raising children who aren't related by blood is a modern story where values are diversifying, he thought that a 'family not related by blood' and 'two people of the same sex raising a child' are both great themes. This is exemplified by producer Mitsuhito Tsuji exclaiming that both Kazuki and Rei have either "lost love in the past" or are the kind "who doesn't know love," that has their self-humanly examination changed, slowly but surely, thanks to Miri. Adding to that, the Buddy Daddies are basically new to raising children, so he thought it would be interesting to see how they would deal with her with the challenges further compounded due to their occupations, which Yosuke clarifies that "they are in the shadows and can't talk to anyone about their position." But still, things like childcare and such, both Kazuki and Rei embraced Miri to the max, no matter how obnoxious she can be, acting just like kids of her age to give her the world at large.

This is so, because both Kazuki and Rei lived very different lives before becoming buddy assassins: Kazuki was expecting a child with his wife (Yuzuko), until tragedy struck of his hidden job profession that caused his pregnant wife's death, and he has the survivor's guilt since then. For Rei, he is the son of his own family assassin organization, led by his father Shigeki, whom the cafe owner Kyutaro "Kyu-chan" Kugi is the organization's covert mission's center handler to due out missions for both him and Kazuki. Anything that doesn't satisfy his father's standards of a professional assassin, Shigeki would strike after his own son, and he got so annoyed and overburdened, that he left the organization, which is where he met Kazuki in the first place. That, with Miri's arrival from the unfortunate circumstance of being the buddy assassin's target, and her mother Misaki earning her life as a prostitute and despising the fact that her unplanned pregnancy with Miri was a mistake, lunging the overly enthusiastic 4-year-old towards the buddy assassins, thereby converting them into Buddy Daddies.

But once the "Family Story of Two Killers and a Girl" converge together, it becomes a story of how to juggle jobs with parenting, though this is of the extreme approach being of assassins and fathers. The one negative sentiment would be that it focuses more on the comedy than on the actual parenting, its strongest selling point being glossing over what would otherwise be a generic comedy. Playing up the fish-out-of-water angle, delving into the hijinks of two guys who are vastly out of their depth, but rarely touches on their unexpected career, despite the clear potential of such a unique premise. From there, these two contract killers have to take on their most harrowing assignment yet: parenting, which is rare and lack any sense of real danger. No doubt that they are entirely unequipped for fatherhood, struggling to learn the ins and outs of basic childcare -- understandable, considering the nature of their professional experience. Miri, their charge, can be irritating on occasion, but this adds a certain level of realism and charm to her character. The result is a series that, while serviceable as a comedy, fails to meet its full potential. But, if you don't necessarily care about the intricate details in-between, this show is truly yet another P.A. Works' care and thought put at 110% of the heartwarming and comedic elements (especially with Miri's bonds together with the Buddy Daddies) that will make one feel the "aww" feels, coupled with happiness and sadness when the assassin angle takes over, threatening to derail the trio's unkempt family life. It's full of action, drama and comedy enough to keep viewers interested from start to finish, and it's all a good and refreshing time, especially in this kinda mild Winter 2023 season of not a lot of standouts.

As usual, you can always count on P.A. Works to deliver the best of their production caliber, and not once did I ever feel disappointed at the studio continuing to be experimental with their many ideas, even if it does work or not. Great action and impressive visuals round out the animation side of the show.

The music is yet another highlight of the show. The OST by Katsutoshi Kitagawa of Round Table, it's one of the most unique this season, combining funk with Western-like inspirations. If you're wondering why the OP song "Shock" is THAT good and catchy, it's composed and sung by Ayase of Yoasobi fame. The Vocaloid songwriter has always been tasked together with singer Ikura as the famed duo group producing theme songs for shows like Beastars, the most recent being Gundam: Suisei no Majo a.k.a The Witch of Mercury, and already set on next season's Oshi no Ko, for his breakout title to be this OP song, it's just the perfect song for such a show like this. This, like the ED song "My Plan" by DURDN, I love the city-pop-like feeling that this emits, especially when this couples with Miri's easy-going nature that's of her plan. And honestly, both songs are not just great, but there for a reason, which is to showcase the heart pangs of the Buddy Daddies and Miri in their respective perspectives.

A clone/carbon-copy of Spy X Family, that Buddy Daddies is not, even if it's that close of a comparison to call it the "Dad" version of it. Really, we're only just starting 2023, and this show is more than just one of the best shows of the season. It's fun, it's endearing, it'll make you feel like you're a parent (even if you are or not), and above all, it's just a great anime to watch with kids, if you have any.

P.A. Works, I humbly welcome you into 2023 with a shotgun's bang, right out of the gate. Give Buddy Daddies a watch, you will DEFINITELY NOT be disappointed.

Finally, a child who acts like a child, not a moeblob who only exists to fan the meme engines and churn out popularity.
It may be a lesser-known fact (Due to everyone hating on my spy fam review since it was a negative one), but I really did not like Spyx family after the first 6 episodes, They did everything ideally, just like buddy daddies over here, by first introducing some badass and sabotage specialists, helping us get used to the action then dropping the Kid who is actually adorable, behaves like a kid, makes mistakes like one and is essentially the reason for changing her ... two daddies for the better. In spy family however, Even after going through two Cours we are effectively stuck in a forever loop, the main character's parents are the same as when they have introduced no development, no interesting arcs nada, only the same gags which use the same formula and only when Anya is on screen does watch anything make sense. Buddy daddies help us taste gag humor, adorableness, and character growth all in a neat small package while actually giving us good tips and insights on childcare, In spyfam it's completely natural for a kid see you practice extreme violence while also reading your most obscene thoughts XD.

Plot 8/10
Kazuki and REi were initially hitmen with no regard for anyone or anything The whole procedure of them initially thinking of miri as a pain, to eventually getting attached to her and also growing to genuinely care for her shows us the journey of these two hitmen who slowly get changed by their daughter, the kids usually are molded by their parents but it was nice to see like in real life , children do tend to bring out the best in their parents., Some of the Rei Hitman arcs were rushed over and Kazuki eventually was kind of the main focus (I guess since his story is a little more vanilla).I liked the fact that unlike generic anime hypocrisy, the mother too got a second chance just like Kazuki and rei.

Characters 9/10
Small but neat package of characters, the side characters other than kyuu chan are relatively uninteresting and the main villain is a classic cliche type of guy. The character development arcs were quite nice .... it was rushed but they managed to get the point across and the growth was made apparent.

Sound and VA 8/10
I liked the OP{ and ED both , they are quite the bangers and have clearly gotten the highest budget , the ED is full of MIRI DRIP and helps its rewatcha ability , the Voice Acting is amazing especially Miri and most of the Gags are able to land because of the VA s. OST is average.

Animation and art 7/10
generic PA works art style, the animation can climb a few points depending on the importance of scenes , but is otherwise pretty standard.

Although it does not have the budget of spy family I feel is a much better childcare anime , spyfam may slightly edge it out as a comedy anime , but buddy daddies is still an amazing show which manages to stay in the realm of reality and yet still be an interesting watch. I can easily recommend it to everyone.

I know, the first thing anyone brings up when talking about Buddy Daddies is that it’s like Spy X Family, and while I get that sentiment, there are quite a few fundamental differences between the two. If you value more slice of life, over the top comedy, Spy X Family will be more of the anime for you. If you value more of a focus on child-rearing, Buddy Daddies may the anime for you. Buddy Daddies does have its share of plot development, which was a common complaint for Spy X Family, but I can’t say that the plot development was particularly ground-breaking or well ... done overall, but it did nail some of the emotional moments nicely.

To provide a gist of the story, four year old Miri Unasaka wanders through modern day Japan one day looking for her father, and ends up smack dab in the middle of an assassination plot that goes wrong, and ends up being taken in by the two assassins, Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa. This newfound task of balancing taking care of a child while continuing on their jobs as assassins is understandably difficult, but they make it work, and raise Miri well. Needless to say, they work in a dangerous environment, and the moral ambiguity of keeping Miri around even when she would be increased danger was an effective theme that was explored as well. The effort at a meaningful plot was there, but I think the season was too short get through all the conflict that was explored.

The main thing I did appreciate about this show was that it’s decently realistic, especially with Miri just being a normal little kid. Yes, she was a little annoying at the start, but many kids are loud and obnoxious when they’re little, and Miri portrays a semi-realistic little kid. Kazuki and Rei also slowly grow into their father roles, and I did enjoy the slower development for them in terms of taking care of a child. They started out lazy and not wanting to take care of Miri, but little by little they come around to love her, and likely would willingly lay down their life for her. The cast definitely grew on me as it went along, which made the increased stakes near the end of the show more effectively executed due to that. I genuinely felt worried for them at times.

There’s a good mixture of themes at play here, as there’s a balance between comedy, action, slice of life, and a bit of suspense as well. The strongest themes to me were probably the slice of life comedy aspect, as the moments where Kazuki, Rei, and Miri just hang out together were quite wholesome, but the underlying assassin plot did play its role as well, and while it got a little darker than I expected, the villains weren’t all that great, as their motives aren’t all that interesting.

Production for this show was alright, with some decent animation and direction overall. The sound direction was a little weird at times, as some of the action scenes, especially at the beginning, had very goofy music that didn’t really fit the tense atmosphere, but it got better with time. OP and ED are also quite good.

Overall, a relatively enjoyable series with its ups and downs story-wise, but I still had a good time with it. If you’re looking for a wholesome comedic series, you’ll get that, but if you’re also looking for some action and emotion mixed in, it’ll deliver as well. It’s not anything insanely special or ground-breaking, but it’s something I’d recommend for sure.

“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 ... 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.

Buddy Daddies, despite often being compared to the ever-popular Spy X Family, diverges greatly from its "rival anime" and, arguably, even surpasses it. Whereas Spy X Family takes a more comedic approach to the primary family unit (with some fun & suspenseful spy shenanigans thrown in), Buddy Daddies feels far more real. Kazuki, Miri, and Rei slowly become a family not out of convenience but rather thanks to the genuine bond that they can feel taking shape between them. Despite its short thirteen-episode run, Buddy Daddies dedicates enough time to its three main characters AND their development to have the viewer getting teary-eyed and feeling ... the warm fuzzies every d@mn episode. The show portrays Miri realistically and acknowledges the many struggles that come with having a kid, never making the little girl TOO unbearably annoying but also having her never get too close to being a perfect little angel. And both of her "dads", Kazuki and Rei, have their own relatable/believable personalities as well. Perfectly showcasing two different sides of parent-hood, and even parenting styles--to a degree. With a perfect blend of genres (comedy, action/suspense, and wholesome slice-of-life), Buddy Daddies has stolen my heart and has easily found its place on my "Top 5 Animes Ever" list. As excellent as Spy X Family is, I've actually found myself enjoying Buddy Daddies better for its more fleshed-out characters (thus far) and more relatable challenges. The show just has so so so much to offer for such a short runtime--breathtaking music, a quirky and cute art style, excellent voice work--and I would HIGHLY recommend checking out at least the first episode or two for yourself before maybe dismissing it as a lesser Spy X Family. Seriously. Give the show a watch. It's practically life-changing. <3

Yes, I'm giving this a 10 even though I am only at episode three, sue me. This show was created for me, specifically, as it caters to my every need, and it features all my preferred tropes, and I will not be accepting criticism.

Tropes: spies, hit men, taking care of a child that isn't yours (does that even have a name), non-traditional family dynamics, slice of life, adult cast, adorable little kid, friends to lovers maybe I'm hoping.

I haven't actually watched Spy x Family yet, so I won't be drawing any comparisons between the two, as most everyone else seems to be doing. Instead, ... I will give you succint, bulleted points about why this show is my favourite thing happening in my life right now:

-- First, there is a 4 year old child who behaves like a 4 year old child would. Take it from someone who teaches Italian at a school and has to deal with children aged 4-12 every day of the week, I know what four year olds are like. They're loud, they're a little annoying at times, they can talk your ear off about literally everything, they tell you every thought that crosses their mind, and they fall in love with you immediately if you treat them with kindness.

-- The creator talked about how they wanted to make a story about a modern family that is not bound by societal rules, and I do think this show nailed it. We have a little girl in need of loving, caring parents who do more for her than provide her basic necessities, and we have two adults who enter a sort of shared-custory, shared-guardianship, little house on the prairie situation with her. The said adults are two grown men who are not involved in a romantic sense (yet, hopefully that changes).

-- The show is surprisingly action-filled for what would otherwise fit the bill of a slice of life, because the main characters are actually hit men. So that's nice.

-- Rei, one of the characters, is a gremlin emo man 90% of the time, until he has to work, then he wears suits and puts his hair in a ponytail and we see he has an undercut. Otherwise, he does little more than sleep, play videogames, smoke, watch TV, eat junk food, and pretend he doesn't adore Miri.

-- Kazuki is the sunshine malewife of the century who does the cooking and the cleaning and wholeheartedly adores Miri.

-- They are the perfect ship dynamic and I love them.

-- Not really all that relevant perhaps, but at the very end of the ending, we see a shot of them asleep on the couch with the trans flag as their wallpaper. So do with that as you will.

-- The show has its heartwarming moments, as well as sad, moodier undertones. Especially when we learn about Miri's previous home life, although she doesn't appear to have been abused or neglected.

Overall, I recommend this show to anyone that is a clone of me and my tastes. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

I see folks comparing Buddy Daddies to Spy x Family and had wondered how they got to that conclusion because both series have completely different premises.

The family in Spy x Family was forced made for a mission while the family portrayed in Buddy Daddies was organically made meaning, two long time friends already living together just so happened to take in a lil girl due to unforeseen circumstances.

Yes, in the first 3 episodes Miri was a bit annoying... or rather has a poor behaviour but that's what's expected of a kid who has the type of mother she has... a neglectful mother who ... allows herself to be abused and uses her child for blackmail. So clearly Miri had no proper upbringing.

Buddy Daddies is a nice 'slice of life' piece filled with comical ironies, a well established friendship and a family that's quickly established. It's a slice of life series but with bits and pieces revealed in flashbacks which indicates there's more to come.

Definitely give it a try and not compare it to Spy x Family...

Besides, anyone who's into BL manga would know that two men suddenly raising a kid (and normally it's a girl child), is a common troupe. This anime is not BL nor indicates nothing as such but I want to point out that this is not a SF thing and Buddy Daddies is its own thing.

Eng:
I was soooo sad when I saw that this anime is only for one season! It's one of those animes that you watch and leave with a warm heart and a sugary mouth, the two daddies are so cute even though they're not a gay couple, still, the story is very interesting, it has its degree of emotion and plots, because at the beginning of the anime you're like: "Omg how cute!!!" In the end, you're crying hahah but anyway, Buddy Daddies is one of the best anime about family and don't even tell me that it's a copy of Spy x Family because they ... are COMPLETELY different, the only thing in common is having a little girl as the protagonist. If you're having a bad day, watch this anime, I'm sure seeing Papa Rei and Kazuki taking care of little Miri and her saying she loves them will make you happy again.



Pt-Br:
Eu fiquei tãoooo triste quando vi que esse
anime é de apenas uma temporada! Ele é um daqueles animes que você assiste e sai com o coração quentinho e com a boca açucarada, os dois papais são tão fofos mesmo não sendo um casal gay, ainda sim, é bem interessante a história, tem seu grau de emoção e plots, pois no início do anime você está: "Omg que fofos!!!" No final, você está chorando hahah mas enfim, Buddy Daddies é um dos melhores animes sobre família e nem venha me falar que é uma cópia de Spy x Family pois eles são COMPLETAMENTE diferentes, a única coisa em comum é ter uma menininha como protagonista. Se você está tendo um dia ruim, assista esse anime, tenho certeza que ver Papa Rei e Kazuki cuidando da pequena Miri e ela dizendo que os ama vai te deixar feliz novamente.

after finishing episode 3 of Buddy Daddies and having a cuteness explosion, I decided to come here and write the infamous review.
First of all, I never watched/read SpyxFamily, only an episode and a few chapters, but I can clearly tell the similarities between the proposals, but in a deeper perspective, they have their differences.

EDIT: ok so naturally, as the episodes came out i watched and unfortunately this piece of work came to an end, and overall my point still stands. It's a good anime, watch it.

Story: 7.
It's pretty okay, the best part of it is getting to know more the characters and how people like ... them are dealing with the sudden change in their live-or-die routine of having to take care of a child, I'm looking forward for the story and I'm curious about how it's gonna turn out. About the comparation with Spy x Family, the difference starts off from the fact that in one of them the plot is on purpose and in the other one it's totally accidental, so they don't look alike that much, but this is a Buddy Daddies review so forget completely about the other work. The anime so far doesn't have plot holes and it seems to be developing well, keeping some things a mystery and others not so then it's finally revealed the truth. It translocates from action to tranquility, from cuteness to sadness in a rather smooth way. It's the type of story that it can be tiring at some point, but not enough to give up from it, unless the genre and proposal of the anime is absolutely not your type.

Characters: 9.
They're nice. Each of the main characters have their own personality and worked backgrounds, even though watching only 3 episodes, it can't be said much, but it's clear that in the course of the episodes things will clear out, we'll know why character X is this way, why character X does this, and i'm sure it won't be a totally boring thing, and it will good enough for me to feel sympathy for the depth of the characters, for their past and ideals.

Visuals: 9.
There's nothing much to complain about the animation really, only some haha CGI here and there but it doesn't ruin the 2D experience and the anime in general.

(MINOR SPOILER)
Complaint: a detail that disappointed me a lot, was in a moment of action that the character just advanced while receiving several shots in his direction and none hit. The last time I saw this type of absurd was watching One Piece where the marine always misses every shot, which I already got used to it since they're totally irrelevant characters in irrelevant moments. But being for real, in the world of Buddy Daddies that there's no magic or powers, it makes so much nonsense that comes to be annoying, they could avoid this situation by, I don't know, make the character avoid the bullets or make him getting at least one shot in your shoulder, but no. Even if it's more comedic than really a serious matter, it could have been made different, or maybe i'm just pushing too hard, but this is a review so I had to talk about it.


Soundtrack: 8.
It's enjoyable! The opening and the ending have good music and the background music is just fine. At some points i'm reminded of Great Pretender music, maybe because of that 'wow crimes in action' vibe with some sax, and it's great, but anyway the music is okay!


Overall: 8.
i was debating with myself if it should be a 9 or 8, but i realized that the 9 would be too based in very personal aspects, and Buddy Daddies deserved an 8 more. Either way, it's a worth experience, it has their cute (mostly), funny, sad, action and serious moments, and i'm enjoying it so far, but it's still on episode 3, this rate could go up or down depending on how things develop, which i hope it gets even better and not worse.

In my opinion, Buddy Daddies defies expectations as the original anime of the season. Often compared to Spy X Family or generic BL tropes, it is some of but simultaneously none of that. Refreshingly, its take on the meaning of family, responsibility and love are taken seriously, despite its hilarious premise, and does not shy away from its dark themes. Buddy Daddies contains a perfect balance of heart-warming family scenes, incredibly attractive characters and graphic violence with fairly realistic consequences (aside from how and why Rei never gets turned into honeycomb). For those not comfortable with brightly coloured, well animated but bloody bloody fight scenes, ... that may not be for you. But for the young adult audience who doesn’t mind a few adult moments or aren’t triggered by LOTS of guns, you will have a blast. Heck, it even makes me want to have a child for myself. If the Japanese government have sponsored this anime to entice people to raise families, it’s nearly working. Masterpiece indeed!

I've yet to see how you can combine the two very contrasting violence and child-caretaking genres together. The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting and Buddy Daddies both try to attempt this, but to complete failure. Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting basically deals with the yakuza on such a surface level that it's barely a subtheme of the show. You can read my review on it, but it's essentially just a fluffy cute show almost unrelated to yakuza most of the time. Buddy Daddies on the other hand deals heavily between the theme of caretaking and the hitman business, but again, it fails miserably because the child isn't ... realistic at all. While Spy x Family might be a counterexample, the show only works because Anya has superpowers, and the intent of Loid isn't to kill, but rather espionage. His purpose is for peace between kingdoms, not for more death. This provides an easy gateway for empathy for Loid. It's not as if he's a hitmen doing it for money, and Anya's not an ordinary child either, and in fact, she fully supports Loid's goal, as it's a just one. It's not dealing with the same themes at all. While I can definitely see how taking care of a child can soften a heart, Buddy Daddies fails to provide with a viable premise and child that can mesh the genres together.

The first problem is the shitty comedy. It's just not funny at all. You can gauge the lowbrow humor from its first episode alone, where a serious scene of Kazuki and Rei killing someone gets interjected by comedy, defusing the serious situation. Haha, isn't it super funny when Kazuki and Rei and bickering about taking care of the kid mere seconds before they kill their target in front of them? Like holy shit this show definitely is not meant for you to think about anything. Or like haha, isn't it super funny when Miri needs to pee right before Kazuki and Rei start their killing mission? haha isn't it funny guys?? This is a recurring theme.

Second of is Miri herself. Okay, I think you have to realize that children are stupid, but they're not in ways that Miri would be acting in. Self preservation is a skill that is deeply and instinctually imbedded in a child's instincts. It's the reason why children, especially in Piaget's Preoperational Stage and below are always attached to their caretakers. They need attention so that they can survive. Miri is four--I just checked the wiki-- so she would be in this preoperational stage. Anyways, I'm not going to go too psychological. All you really need to know is that children can process traumatic events. If they witness someone dying, they're going to know. She literally witnesses gunfight and carnage and doesn't bat an eye. She doesn't even question her fathers about it. It's unnatural. It's not a one time event either. She somehow embroils herself in multiple life threatening scenarios where Kazuki and Rei have to save her by killing the enemies. THIS IS TRAUMATIC AS HELL. IF MULTIPLE PEOPLE DIED AND THEIR HEADS EXPLODED IN FRONT OF YOU IF YOU WERE FOUR, YOU'D FUCKING KNOW, EVEN AS A KID. In episode one, the person she thinks as father, even just for a brief moment, gets his head popped off. Like holy shit. Why? All for the sake of comedy. She has to be there, or else the shitty comedy that I previously mentioned can't happen.

Miri is not a "realistic" kid, and nor is a kid running around clueless and aimlessly in a life threatening gunfight funny either. Overall, just a terrible show.

Well produced but the story is confused/doesnt know how to transition between the fun and serious scenes.

If you don't like kids because you find them annoying, don't watch this. My ear is ringing contantly hearing the kid shout. The two dads obviously dont know how to discipline the child and take care of her(eg leaving the kid alone at home).
They didnt keep the cat cause they themselves know they're not in the best place to take care of someone else.

The story doesnt take the gravity of being killers seriously. The kid doesnt even act like a kid. What kind of kid isnt scared of gunshots? ... She messes everything up cause she doesnt read the atmosphere. Kids arent that stupid irl. Plot wise, you dont really have anything to look forward to in the story aside from the process from being clumsy parents to being good ones and they cant even get that right.

Can't do it. The first episode was interesting, but after that this show is basically a child screeching and yelling. And it's a shame since we see through mini flashbacks that our MC's past was very interesting but the show isn't about them. For people who love cutesy things and find the hijinx of a child causing inconveniences, this is ideal...But I'm not that. I don't find it cute and I was really getting stressed out as the kid just ran around screaming, throwing tantrums and being an nuisance to the lives of the main characters.
You know in the same way that most Isekais aren't ... really about their premise and they're just an excuse to give harem fanservice and be an overpowered fantasy? Yeah, it's the same here but it's pandering to a different demographic.

Riding the hype from Spy x Family and The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting comes an “original” anime about yet another unconventional parent/s tasked with taking care of a sweet little girl.

Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa are a pair of assassins and roomies introduced as two dads trying their best (well, one of them is trying his best). But before viewers can ship the two, the anime takes every opportunity possible to emphasize that Kazuki is very, very straight.

Honestly, I don’t care what the main characters’ sexualities are. If anything, this not-so-new trope actually works best when the parents aren’t in an official relationship, so the ... story can focus more on their relationship with the kid. But it’s still cute when the parents can at least flirt with each other and be shipped by just about everyone else, like Loid and Yor Forger.

Not that this anime should be a carbon copy of Spy x Family. If that’s what it was trying to be, it’s a complete fail. While Loid and Yor have special abilities that fit their stories, Kazuki and Rei just have plot armor. Seriously. I’m okay with Rei’s bullets always hitting their mark, since that’s just good gunmanship, but how do the bad guys’ bullets never hit their mark? Especially when they fire like 50 for every bullet Rei fires, and no one makes any real attempt to dodge them.

As for the girl herself, Anya is a lot cuter than Miri. Anya has a much more iconic design, while Miri just looks like a normal kid. Bonus points for the bunny backpack though. And I guess maybe that’s the point. While Anya’s telepathic abilities make her more empathetic than any other kid her age, Miri really is just a normal kid. It’s annoying sometimes, but mostly funny as the two roomies try to be dads. If you give this anime a chance, it’s a fun watch. ^^

This show is unwatchable. The first episode before the kid shows up was good enough, but as soon as she appears it’s all over.

Anyone who says she’s realistic clearly hasn’t spent time around a four-year old recently.

She somehow manages to make it all the way to the city by herself but then can’t remember what trains the took? She runs around talking to strangers and believes the first guy who tells her he’s her dad. Sorry, but she wouldn’t have made it to the city, but she might have managed to meet her real dad when she got trafficked.

She’s constantly complaining, crying, ... and laughing hysterically. I’ve never seen a child act like this, and in addition to my LARGE extended family I worked childcare for years. Even nervous or unstable kids don’t behave like this. And she has NO nervousness. This is totally unbelievable. My nephew is shy around me when he doesn’t see me for awhile. This is in no way a believably written child. But even worse she’s not an interestingly written character. She’s a plot device who seems to exist to annoy the audience and I’m honestly shocked how many people that seems to appeal to.

Comparing this show to Spy x Family is insulting, and it wasn’t very good past the first half of season one. But even when nothing happened in Spy x Family it was much more enjoyable than this, because the characters themselves were likeable.

This show is extremely entertaining. I know a lot of people hate on this show for riding on the same coat tails as Spy x Family, but you should definitely not judge this show for that sole reason. This show is extremely well paced, and it has great dub, and sub. The visuals are nothing short of perfect, the comedy is extremely effective, and over all I had a lot of fun laughing my way through the show. Also when the action kicks in it does not hold back which I commend. The only detraction from the show is the lack of action when the ... child comes into the picture, I wish the two main characters professional life didn't take as much of a backseat as it did, but this was needed in order to bond the three main characters closer together.

Love this show, definitely check it out!

I'm just gonna answer the two most burning questions a new-comer to this anime might have first:

1. No, it's not gay. There's no hint of a romance between the two "daddies", they just live together. There aren't even any cringe gay-baiting moments or jokes, and no character in the show automatically assumes they are in a relationship when they see them with a little girl who calls them both "papa".

2. No, this is not like Spy X Family. At least not exactly. Whether or not it was intentionally released so soon after Spy X Family shook the anime community with its TV debut in order ... to ride its coattails, don't go into this expecting the same thing. I would liken this show more to something like Bunny Drop or Sweetness and Lightning, in that it leans a lot more into the child-rearing aspect of the story than the assassin/spy gimmick.

With that said, to me this turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable one to watch this season (which is saying something when I've also had Trigun Stampede, Tomo-chan Is a Girl, and the remainder of Blue Lock and To Your Eternity to look forward to). I honestly just opened the first episode out of idle curiosity, and nearly gave it up a couple minutes in because I was already bored with the car chase that was happening. That first episode, and maybe just one or two others since then, is really the most that you'll get from the assassin's side of the concept though - the majority of the rest of the show is just about, well, the two male leads being fathers to this little girl. Being a sucker for male adult characters becoming parental figures to children, a la Three Men and a Baby, I personally have no complaints about entire episodes being dedicated to the assassin dads trying to find a daycare, cheering at a sports festival, or worriedly monitoring a school trip from afar. In fact, I feel like this show has kind of filled the void that Spy X Family so conspicuously left even while it was airing (given that, while I wouldn't say he doesn't care about Anya, Loid hardly ever had some real fluffy dad moments withher). Sometimes that's all you really need from an anime to enjoy it; genuinely sweet fluff in everyday moments.

That's not to say it was all great from the get-go; I will agree with a few other reviewers' sentiments that Miri was a little annoying in the beginning. I don't agree that she's an annoying character because she's "useless" though; there's no reason to expect this perfectly ordinary child to have to be useful on missions, and aside from one instance where she follows them on her own, Rei and Kazuki don't even take her with them on jobs (cause again, unlike Spy X Family, that's not what this show is about). Nah, my personal beef with Miri was that she was wayyyy too obnoxiously happy in the first few episodes, which made her feel less believable (even if a kid has never seen a gun before and doesn't know what it does, how was she not freaked out by all the loud noise and screaming and running people?).
She gets better as the show goes on though. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that the focus starts to shift a bit away from her to Kazuki and Rei's point of view. I think whether you like them as characters will determine whether you'll stick with this show or not. Rei is the typical gloomy-faced shut-in, Kazuki is the more emotional "mom" of the pair, and both have dark pasts that they're trying to forget. Neither are an archetype I particularly dislike, and they play off each other and Miri pretty well. They're not exaggeratedly dense or laser-focused as Yor and Loid are, they're just two pretty decent guys involved in some shady business. Both have their own ways of interacting with Miri, and both change for the better in small ways because of it.

This show is just a good time. It's not played for over-the-top gags, nor is it too serious, it's just wholesome family fluff. There might be some more heavy stuff coming in the last few episodes, but I think I've seen enough to trust that the overall tone of the show won't change too drastically. Like I said, give it a watch if you're looking for something more like Bunny Drop. Look somewhere else if you want the comedy and shounen action of Spy X Family.

Y'all, this show is good, do not let the Spy Family diehards tell you differently.

Now, was I one of those people who were not too sure of this show initially? Yes. I was not sure how I would feel with this coming right off the ending of the second part of Spy Family; however, I don't even see it in the same light anymore. Buddy Daddies is a feel-good show that has made me cry almost every episode because of how beautiful it is. Call me what you want, but the art style is beautiful, the characters develop more with each episode, and the show ... is funny as f***. I do not want this show to end.

I have watched this show in Dub and Sub, which are amazing. I like the dub more because I like the voice expression more, but that is just me, but both versions are amazing. This is one show I will fight for tooth and nail, and I typically never say this for Original animes that are not developed from mangas.

If you do anything, give this show the benefit of the doubt and watch it before making assumptions; if you liked Spy Families, you would love this. And, if you like the classic anime feel you get from shows, you will love Buddy Daddies.

I wish there were more BL Content. this is my only gripe.

with only four episodes released to date and still airing, i can say that without a doubt, this is an amazing anime. i'll update this review later on if my opinion changes, but i highly doubt that.

if you’re a fan of spy x family, and start watching this, don’t expect it to be a carbon copy of it. in a nutshell, buddy daddies is about two hitmen that take in a child looking for her father(who is actually their target!) and ‘shenanigans ensue,’ as the saying goes.
it’s one of those animes that you just have to watch for yourself, and ignore the people the say ... it’s a cheap copy of SxF. see for yourself! that’s the only way to find out.

if you're looking for a pleasant, easy to watch anime, i'd definitely recommend this one.