The Way of the Househusband is a Netflix adaptation of the bestselling manga published through VIZ Media and written by mangaka Kousuke Oono. The story follows vinaigrettes of ex-yakuza member The Immortal Dragon as he navigates life being a househusband to his wife Miku. Voiced by Jonah Scott as Tatsu ( Sk8 the Infinity, Beastars, Fire Force), Laura Post as Miku (The Promised Neverland, Jujutsu Kaisen, Tower of God), and Andres Paul Ramacho as Masa (Illang: The Wolf Brigade), the series is short at five, 16 minute episodes.
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The animation style is distinct from the get-go. J.C. Staff has opted for a stiff, crisp approach to adapt the manga. Wanting the anime to feel like the manga experience, there are very few moments of fluidy character movement. It feels like a visual novel gaming experience like Danganronpa more so than an anime. The style may be difficult for some viewers to begin and if the animation had some fluidity, there would be many more viewers willing to watch the entire first season of The Way of the Househusband. However, with the lack of movement from characters to action, J.C. Staff quickly jump cuts scenes together in the matter of seconds.
Additionally, there are hard transitions amongst “panel” sequences that feel like a flurry of bright colors across the eyes. The fast pace of these transitions can be hard for viewers to take in as it can cause motion sickness and general nausea rendering the viewing experience unpleasant. On a personal level, I felt like throwing up half-way through the first episode and had to pace myself as I was not anticipating quick moving blocks of action.
Once past the initial shock of the animation style, there are small spans of time throughout The Way of the Househusband that have some small movement like in Episode 4 when a cockroach is in Tatsu and Miku’s apartment and Tatsu hilariously is treating this bug as if it was a violent assailant into their home. When there is more fluidity to the animation, the fairly faithful script has a moment to shine.
Viewers can pay attention to the characterization of our protagonists and truly soak in the laughs from the absurdity of Tatsu’s yakuza approach to either cooking like in Episode 5, playing volleyball like in Episode 2, or playing catch with Miku’s old man in Episode 4. Although, these moments are overshadowed by the animation style mimicking a fast-paced visual manga. There is never enough time focused on the weight of a joke, so the comedy doesn’t particularly stick out. When I would close my eyes just to listen to Scott and Post’s exchanges as Tatsu and Miku, I adored their performances. They both embody the essences that Oono writes them to have in the manga but it does not work alongside the anime.
The anime adaptation of The Way of the Househusband unfortunately was not executed well in style or direction to the hindrance of its source material. Despite knowing that the choice to animate was to invoke the feeling of the manga, the charm and comedic timing is completely lost in the quick transitions and lack of motion.
While reading, the manga offered well-paced laughs and beautiful artwork, the anime never takes a moment to let a joke sit or for viewers to enjoy the chaotic life of Tatsu, The Immortal Dragon. Sadly, the enjoyment of this anime is slim to none as it consistently gave me motion sickness which is so disappointing as I am a giant fan of the manga series. This anime falls short and delivers bright colored fun but at the expense of its viewers.
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Rating - 4/104/10
TL;DR
The anime adaptation of The Way of the Househusband unfortunately was not executed well in style or direction to the hindrance of its source material. Despite knowing that the choice to animate was to invoke the feeling of the manga, the charm and comedic timing is completely lost in the quick transitions and lack of motion.
