Way of the House Husband (2020)

Don't look down on househusbands!

What can I say, this show was pure comedy with Tamaki Hiroshi totally hamming it up on-screen as a yakuza househusband dead-set on establishing a well-run home for his little family. His approach to everything is totally gangster and it's hilarious to see how everyone reacts to his antics as he goes about his business. His facial expressions are just gold!

Side characters here are totally comic caricatures with their own quirky theme songs and cartoon personalities, and if you're expecting anything meaningful from either a plot or story or even character development perspective, forget it! Each episode is gag-driven with over-the-top hijinks and in-jokes and parodies meant to bring on the laughs.

This whole drama is like an amusement park - each episode is an individual attraction on its own - so you can either savour the whole show as a day-tripper bingeing on all the rides, or you can take your time and enjoy an episode or two here and there as a mood-lifter or distraction.

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"Gokushufudo" is the slice of life drama I never knew I wanted, but I'm so happy to have watched! It is such a quirky, comedic blend of the yakuza and family genres through a slice of life storytelling style. There's no real point to the drama other than to follow Tatsu through his everyday life as a former yakuza, now househusband, and that's what makes it so easy and fun. The drama is quite quirky - from its clever (and yet simple!) writing to its filming style with heavy-handed manga-style shots, angles, and special effects. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the over-the-top acting from all the actors - Tamaki Hiroshi and Shison Jun in particular. Tamaki absolutely embodies Tatsu! It took me a little bit to get used to the quirkiness of the drama (the filming style and the plot pacing in particular), but once I better understood its style and vibe, I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous everything was, and how much heart everything that Tatsu did had. I haven't read the manga, so purely from the standpoint of having watched the drama, I would recommend this to anyone looking for some light-hearted fun and laughter.

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