ANIME REVIEW | "Buddy Daddies" Hits the Family Action Comedy Bullseye
You would absolutely be forgiven if you thought Buddy Daddies was just the My Two Dads route of Spy × Family. After all, when something becomes a major hit, there’s bound to be a plethora of imitators closely following behind. Thankfully, the new anime from Aniplex, P.A. Works (Uma Musume, Akiba Maid War) and Nitroplus (the Fate series) does plenty different from what we’ve seen the Forgers do. On top of that, Buddy Daddies also gives us something the other show hasn’t yet: a complete narrative.
The Buddy Daddies in question refer to two assassin partners. Kazuki (Toshiyuki Toyonaga) is the ladies’ man, who’s good with a frying pan as he is a gun. Rei (Koki Uchiyama) is the socially acute one, who spends his days playing video games when not racking up a body count. Yet despite their differences, they manage to do great work together, even if Rei could maybe once in awhile get his butt of the couch and help in the kitchen.
However, these two wind up becoming unlikely father figures to a four-year-old girl named Miri (Hina Kino), after they wind up assassinating her father during a mission. But Miri had no idea that the target was her dad, with a Santa-suited Kazuki declaring that he’s her father when the girl asks where her papa is. Now feeling responsible for the situation, Kazuki and Rei do their best to give a good life to Miri, which includes enrolling her to school and going on daddy/daddy/daughter trips. As for Miri’s mother Misaki (Nanako Mori), well, it’s a complicated situation.
For the most part, Buddy Daddies focuses on the more entertaining side of being assassin parents. On top of taking missions from café operator Kyūtarō (Toshiyuki Morikawa) and completing them with some minor injuries, Kazuki and Rei earn a new lease on life as unexpected father figures to a wild and happy-go-lucky daughter. Miri’s off-the-wall personality is the polar opposite of Anya Forger, the latter of whom knows everything about her father’s mission. This girl is clueless regarding her new dads’ jobs, on top of the level of danger that she’s put in constantly.
Thankfully, there’s never a moment in the anime where Miri’s life is close to being snuffed out. On top of having two of the most protective parents around, the young girl spends her days at pre-school making new friends and experiencing new discoveries. But even when nothing threatening is around, Kazuki and Rei do their best to protect Miri, with a hilarious school trip to the zoo demonstrating their sneaking and hand-to-hand combat skills in ways they could never imagine. Although it takes a bit for Rei to warm up to Miri, both he and Kazuki legit care for this kid with all of their hearts.
As for the mother, that’s where Buddy Daddies goes in a dark direction. It’s clear that Misaki never wanted to be a mother, seeing Miri more as a burden than a light in her life. Although she would later come back and ask to be reunited with Miri, her initial impression easily made her the least-likable character in the show. Whether or not she redeems herself in the end will definitely be up to each viewer’s interpretation. (Me, I’m still leaning towards a “no”.)
When the bullets start flying and the cars speed up, the adrenaline of Buddy Daddies shifts into gear. There’s certainly a Lupin The Third vibe when it comes to the missions and attitudes, with the womanizing Kazuki and the stoic Rei being good places holders for Lupin and Goemon. (Hell, they even drive a car similar to Lupin’s!) But unlike most of Lupin’s hijinks, there’s a far bigger body count here than what Daisuke Jigen could conjure up!
Mind you, it doesn’t reach the same level of violence as Akiba Maid War did in Fall 2022. Rather, Kazuki and Rei do their best to shield Miri from the violence of their job, even when she finds herself wandering into one of the missions early on! Buddy Daddies instead focuses on the challenges of being a newfound parent, with the two assassins beginning to question their line of work and their overall purpose in life. Even when there’s a firefight happening, the show finds a way to bring things to a nobler and sweeter level.
Whether it’s action-packed or trying its best to be cute, P.A. Works does an upstanding job bringing this anime to life. Although the missions are presented with great detail, it’s seeing Miri and her sugar-fueled energy hitting the screen when the animation hits peak levels. It knows well that this kid’s the focal point of Buddy Daddies, and their care in bringing something that feels realistically close to how a four-year-old acts is something I normally have to wait to see in a Mamoru Hosoda film!
You can never go wrong when casting Hina Kino, with her Miri being both funny, adorable, and sweet. Toyonaga brings plenty of personality as Kazuki, with his wit and gags delivered with great timing. Uchiyama is the perfect opposite as Rei, acting cold at first before warming up to the new kid in their life. Although I don’t want to spoil much about this particular character, Mitsuaki Madono’s role of the antagonist Ryo Ogino brings the biggest chills and creeps to the series overall.
Taking nods from both Yoko Kanno and Yuji Ohno, Katsutoshi Kitagawa brings a lively and jazzy soundtrack to the world of Buddy Daddies. It’s wild when the action heats up, but it also knows when to calm down when the show wants to give these characters a breather. Opening theme “Shock!” by Ayase is a sweet pop number, one that captures the fun, anxieties, and excitement these characters go through daily. Closer “My Plan” by DURDN is a nice song, but it sadly suffers from sounding like one too many current American pop songs.
Buddy Daddies may look similar to Spy × Family, but diving into the series will quickly rid viewers of any similarities. It’s a fun action comedy, one that does a great job telling a complete story in twelve episodes. Although I doubt it’ll have as much staying power as the bigger series, Buddy Daddies will definitely entertain and surprise anyone wanting to see two assassins give it their all to be the best parents in the world!
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Buddy Daddies can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-12 were observed for this review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
