The Way of the Househusband

Last updated: September 15, 2022

The Way of the Househusband is a slice of life anime that follows Tatsu and his daily life. Tatsu is a recently married man, but also a former ex-yakuza member with an intimidating resting face and mannerisms. Because of this, regular daily activities tend to go one of two ways: Tatsu either does nothing out of the ordinary but is perceived to be acting suspiciously, or Tatsu’s past life as a yakuza member causes an acquaintance or rival to appear. Either way, Tatsu’s day is shown in a humorous light.

This anime is based off of a manga, and its chapters are much shorter when compared to many other manga. A chapter of this one usually will end after the event of the chapter is finished, it is rare that multiple chapters will comprise an event. Shounen manga are often opposites of this as multiple chapters are often needed to finish an event. So an anime episode of The Way of the Househusband is essentially multiple events pushed together into one episode. This decision I feel helps to push in the slice of life feel as for the most part it is just one random bit of Tatsu’s life and jumping to the next. There is not a linear plot, just different things happening. The episodes are also a bit shorter on average as most are under 20 minute while most anime episodes are around 23-25 minutes, (with exceptions of course).

If you’re looking for an anime to make you laugh, this is the one. The misunderstandings that Tatsu unintentionally causes are hilarious. Also, his complete confidence in the way that he carries himself leaves no room for embarrassment and he constantly goes the extra mile trying to do in his eyes what a househusband should do. Tatsu buys groceries, cooks meals, cleans the house, and basically any other chore that is necessary in a household.

Underneath the funny exterior of Tatsu’s househusband life, there also lies something deeper. Tatsu was the best in his field. Random rival gangs constantly recognize him and even try to take him out. But Tatsu has no interest in jumping back into his former field because he is perfectly content with his new life. Former gang members from his group have tried to recruit him back, but he rejects their offers.

As banal as it may seem to be, Tatsu receives greater fulfillment from his life as a househusband when compared to his former life as a yakuza gang member.