Buddy Daddies: Papa duo to the rescue! Anime Review

Genre

★★★★

Story

Buddy Daddies follows two buddies that are professional assassins, Kazuki and Rei as they encounter four-year-old Miri during a mission on Christmas Day and unexpectedly become her Papa! The theme of assassins adopting and raising a child may be similar to Spy x Family however the dynamic and the plot are very different. The story’s main focal point is Kazuki and Rei who are two friends living together and work as a duo on missions living an action-packed life where their life is on the line. Compared to Spy x Family this anime is a bit more mature themed e.g. Kazuki in the opening scene from ep 1.

They both have been brought up without proper parental/father figures in their childhood and it’s refreshing to see how they raise Miri to give her a good childhood experience despite all the odds. Miri travels all the way to the city to find her Papa she has never met before. However, she ends up going home with her two adopted Papa’s while they try to find her Mother.

While Kazuki goes to meet Miri’s mother, in the meantime Rei spends more time and develops affection for Miri; allowing her to call him Papa too. When Kazuki returns from meeting her mother (realising she does not want Miri) the trio returns home and resumes their journey as a family. This anime is action-packed and full of comedy as we witness Kazuki and Rei juggle being parents and assassins while raising Miri.

Art

★★★

I will rate the overall art a 5/10. The character design is nice. I like how Rei has his hair down when in he is not working and then looks suave with a ponytail when he is in assassin mode. The colour scheme overall in some scenes can be slightly dull sometimes, I’m not sure if this is intentional as when the guys are with Miri the lighting is predominantly brighter and colourful like her personality. The art style is lacking in some scenes when they are together mainly in comical scenes. Good background detail and use of lighting to highlight different sceneries e.g. dark ambient lighting in the cafe setting.

Sound

★★★

The anime’s opening song is, SHOCK! by Ayase. It is an upbeat, lively song interlacing with energetic, spontaneous energy. This perfectly portrays the anime’s wholesome family dynamic between the main characters. The ending song My Plan by DURDN. In contrast to the OP song this has a more mellow beat with softer vocals but also has a wholesome vibe as the visuals illustrate Miri in various cute outfits throughout the different seasons. In one scene we also get to hear Miri’s mum singing which has significance to Miri as Kazuki recognises her song from Miri’s humming. Overall, 6/10 for sound.

Characters

Buddy Daddies (2023). P.A Works.

Rei Suwa (VA: Uchiyama Kouki)

Rei’s VA has also voiced, Kei Tsukishima from “Haikyuu!” (2014), Tomura Shigaraki from “My Hero Academia” (2016), Inumaki from “Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020) and Izumi Miyamura from “Horimiya” (2021) to name a few. I love Uchiyama’s voice acting and the way he portrays chilled characters that don’t show much emotion with a slight monotone yet soft voice. It suits Rei very well as he is not very expressive with his emotions.

When Rei is not in his professional assassin mode with his sniper, he likes to spend his time playing video games and snacking. He is a homebody with a very chilled personality and loves to take in strays which Kazuki nags at him about. Rei is my favourite character in this anime and I love how he is such a kuudere. Although he takes a while to warm-up to Miri, It is endearing to see how Miri’s words have an impact on him. This leads Rei to accept his role as Miri’s Papa.

” A Papa is a person who saves you when you’re in trouble!”

Miri

During a flashback scene of Rei interacting with his Dad, it is clear to see that he had a rough upbringing and did not have a loving father figure. It’s sad to see how he doesn’t smile because he was brought up not to. However, it is exciting to see how his character will develop around Miri who is a bundle of joy. The way he lifts her up gently and carries her pink bag for her when they go to pick her up is just so wholesome. I look forward to seeing Rei show more of his emotions openly and smile one day 🙂

Kazuki Kurusu (VA: Toyonaga Toshiyuki)

Kazuki’s voice actor has also played, Tanazaki from “Bungou Stray Dogs” (2016), Takeru from “Kamigami no Asobi” (2014) etc.

Kazuki is an energetic 28-year-old who likes cooking and house chores. His assassin skills lie in coming up with a foolproof plan and gathering intelligence. He also loves women and likes to indulge in gambling. Kazuki was raised as an orphan therefore he has no experience of having a bond with his parents in his childhood. Despite the lack of parental experience, it is refreshing to see how much effort and care he puts into taking care of Miri by adopting the role of Papa along with his friend, Rei.

He will do his best to support Miri. She can be a handful to deal with at times and I’m surprised he has the patience for it. I like how he notices when Miri is not enjoying her time in the Daycare. He takes on board the feedback from her teacher and the family goes on a shopping spree for normal outfits to help Miri fit in with her classmates. He even plays football with her to help her interact with the other kids. Subtly, he leaves after seeing Miri having fun with her classmates; which is sweet.

Flashbacks of Kazuki’s partner with an unborn child can be seen in some scenes and he looks kind of regretful or sad when reminiscing about this scene. Both Rei and Kazuki have complex pasts and it will be interesting to see how this unravels in the future with Miri by their side.

Miri Unasaka (VA Kino Hina)

Miri is a cheerful four-year-old girl who travels a long distance by herself to find her Papa. Unexpectedly, being caught in a gunfight and saved by Kazuki and Rei while on a mission. She admires the guys very much and is inquisitive about learning more about them. She has an optimistic personality and is always innocently laughing.

There was one episode where she kept messing things up in a montage of accidents around the house and she apologised with a smile in numerous strings of chaos in the house. I thought this part was a bit exaggerated and too much for a four-year-old, perceiving her as a little annoying at times. Despite the small negativity, overall it is great to see how her presence has a positive impact on Rei and Kazuki. She is like a ray of sunshine. I look forward to seeing all of them develop as the story continues.

Conclusion

Overall, I love the dynamic of this unconventional family. From the way, they have a positive impact and support each other building that trust and bond. So far I have seen 5 episodes and find this anime to be pretty engaging, especially the depth of Rei and Kazuki’s characters. I hope to see Rei come out of his shell more to develop a sincere bond with the influence of Miri. The dynamic between Rei and Kazuki is also quite comical as they are complete opposites. Kazuki is like an active hyper bunny and Kazuki is like a calm, chilled cat. Their friendship is great as they can relate to each other in terms of family.

If you like anime such as Spy x Family, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting, or School Babysitters I would definitely recommend Buddy Daddies. This was my first anime review here. If you have enjoyed this review please leave a comment and let me know what you’re favorite anime is around this theme?