English Dub Season Review: The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Kirishima Toru was accustomed to solving all problems through violence and was called “The Demon of Sakuragi”. One day, the boss of the Sakuragi family suddenly summons Kirishima and appoints him caretaker of his only daughter, Yaeka! A heartwarming comedy about a yakuza crime family’s right-hand man and the boss’ only daughter. The two of them are about to begin their new daily lives together!

Our Take:

The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting is an anime adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Tsukiya. It is directed by Itsuro Kawasaki and produced by Feel and Gaina. Keiichirō Ōchi handled the scripts, while Hiromi Ogata designed the characters. The music is composed by Takurō Iga. The opening theme song is “Mirai no Hero Tachi e” by Shō Takeyaki, while the ending song is “Kaerimichi no Iro” by VTuber Shibuya HAL.

The yakuza have been known for running specific parts of the city with an iron fist and protecting one of their own. But did you know that they also make good babysitters? I didn’t realize this fact until this show came along to prove this theory.

Before The Yakuza’s Guide, I hadn’t watched that many shows involving the yakuza compared to the action and isekai ones. Plenty of them have interesting concepts that make them worth everyone’s time, but for some reason, they don’t seem to capture my attention that much. That is, until this series came along to change my mind. This one features plenty of elements we’ve seen in other yakuza shows but also reminded me of Adventures in Babysitting regarding its tone and concept. So I had reason to believe I would be in for some dumb fun in its comical scenarios. However, after watching its first season, I discovered this wasn’t the case.

While it includes plenty of comedic elements involving babysitting Yaeka (Emi Lo), The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting is actually a drama centering on a yakuza family dealing with a tragic accident involving one of their own. The first season focuses on Toru Kirishima (Jonah Scott), a lieutenant for the Sakuragi family who’s hired by his boss, Kazuhiko Sakuragi (Christopher Sabat), to be the guardian of his daughter. Yaeka is more distant from other people due to her mother, Miyuki (Caitlin Glass), being in a coma after getting hit by a car. However, she becomes more confident in expressing herself thanks to Kirishima’s support. During the process, Kirishima attempts to overcome his violent past, as everyone knows him as “Sakuragi’s Demon” due to his brutality.

This show provides an interesting mixture of action, heartfelt drama, and comedy, with the former showcasing the yakuza committing threatening acts of violence, including Kirishima. However, outside of its brief violence, the series’ comedy and drama aspects focus on the friendship between Kirishima and Yaeka that gradually reignites their family’s spark. We don’t usually see this balance in a series centering on the community, let alone an anime. Sure, it has been displayed in several other anime, mainly the ones with action and comedy, but having it in a yakuza show is something that’s rarely been done before, from my perspective.

The first two episodes struggled to find the show’s footing regarding its tonal shifts and an unnecessary plot involving the doppelgänger in “A Kind Person”. However, the series quickly found its rhythm when Yaeka’s mother is mentioned near the end of its second episode. After that, it was all uphill from there. I would even say this is one of my biggest surprises of 2022 regarding the anime department. I wasn’t expecting to like The Yakuza’s Guide that much after watching the first episode, but the show proved me otherwise in more ways than one as it progresses.

Some episodes feature sitcom-like scenarios that slow down the show’s interconnected plot. However, the infectious chemistry between the characters and the entertaining humor accompanying the chemistry makes them tolerable. One example is its fourth episode, “Why Don’t We Start Streaming”, where Kirishima and the family make internet videos to increase the yakuza’s popularity. Of course, this went awry when their popularity kept Kirishima away from Yaeka. That episode didn’t impact the seasonal plot much, but it offers plenty of hilarious moments showcasing the characters doing modern trends outside their yakuza duties.

Additionally, these episodes are known for providing strong depth in the characters, mainly Kirishima, Yaeka, and Kei Sugihara (Nazeeh Tarsha). Kirishima is a compelling main character because he struggles to be a better person and babysitter to Yaeka while leaving his violent past behind. This arc has been told before in other movies and shows. However, what makes this one captivating is the emotion that drives it, especially in “A Bad Person” and “Fireworks and Promises”, where Kirishima is at his breaking point when Yaeka gets injured by three yakuza members. Jonah Scott, who voiced Kirishima, did a suitable job reflecting the character’s personality that combines subtlety with charisma, especially when he’s intimidated during specific moments.

Then, there’s Yaeka, the most likable character in the group. Yaeka is another child character who casually relies on their adorableness and innocence to win over viewers quickly. While that’s the case, Yaeka also proves herself to be another well-rounded character that’s also a strong representation of how a child reacts to a tragic accident in “A Kind Person”. The series also did well in developing Yaeka’s personality as she grows from a shy and unresponsive young girl to a confident and friendly one, with her development playing a role in reuniting her family.  

Emi Lo recently impressed me with her English dub performance as Anne in Requiem of the Rose King and is currently voicing Akane Sawatari in Chainsaw Man, which is on my watchlist. I’m glad to say that Lo has impressed me once again with her adorable performance as Yaeka. Her high-pitched yet subtle voice brings life to the character without sounding annoying.

Finally, we have Kei Sugihara, a fellow yakuza member who surprised me more than I should have. Sugihara is the show’s comic relief who delivers plenty of effective laughs involving him being embarrassed or frightened by Kirishima’s actions. However, the series also took some time to expand the character outside of his comical persona. An example of this is “The Ultimate Target”, which explores Sugihara’s origin before working for the yakuza. Nazeeh Tarsha successfully provided the comedy and heart that drives Sugihara into becoming more than just a humor punching bag for Kirishima. The other highlights of the English cast include Christopher Sabat, aka All Might from My Hero Academia, as Kazuhiko and Cherami Leigh as Kanami, Yaeka’s aunt.

On the technical side, the animation by studios Feel and Gaina were solid in displaying its dramatic and comical presentation and character designs. The action scenes in The Yakuza’s Guide are minimal despite being a yakuza series. Still, the animation showcases the show’s subtle violence without going over the top with its intended style. Additionally, Takurō Iga’s score effectively represents the show’s charm and cuteness, but it also never shies away from its emotion when exploring specific topics.

Overall, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting is a highly engaging and surprisingly wholesome delight from start to finish. It makes excellent use of its original concept by combining the yakuza elements with family drama and comedy. The result is a hilarious and heartfelt series that’s also a refreshing perspective on the yakuza genre. The characters were lovable, the English voice cast was superb in their roles, and the tone was consistently well-balanced despite a few minor issues in the first two episodes. It’s another show I expected to be a mildly amusing distraction but wound up being better than I imagined regarding its direction. Because of this, I’m more than eager to reunite with the Sakuragi family if a second season is announced. Considering how great the show’s first season is, I hope that’s the case.