REVIEW: ‘Buddy Daddies,’ Episode 2 — “The Kiss of Death”

Animated by P.A. Works and directed by Yoshiyuki Asai, Buddy Daddies smashed into the Winter 2023 anime season with a hit first episode. In the series, Kazuki Kurusu is a criminal contractor/coordinator who lives with his best friend, Rei Suwa, a professional assassin raised from childhood to be a contract killer. On the other hand, Miri is a four-year-old girl whose father is a mafia boss, and as if that’s not bad enough, she wanders into the pair’s firefight leading them to start their own little family. Now, in Buddy Daddies Episode 2, we get to see the little family come together, obviously leading up to what we saw in the cold open of the first episode. 

Buddy Daddies Episode 2 picks up immediately after the first and shows the growing pains this newly created little family is going through. Primarily, how do a guy who absolutely doesn’t want to care for someone else and a guy who has no idea how to care for someone else learn about their new daughter and her needs? Showing this dynamic is how the series thrives, especially as it plays with expectations about Kazuki and Rei’s personalities. But learning how to take care of Miri at home isn’t the only struggle because their new child refuses to be left alone. Which means coming to Papa Kazuki and Uncle Rei’s job…you know…where they murder people. 

Playing with Miri helps the two plan out their next hit, but that playtime turns from a well-executed plan to real-time hide-and-seek when Miri winds up on their target’s property. Undeterred by the men with guns around her or her screaming Papa, Miri could be read as annoying. I mean, she does whatever she wants and doesn’t listen to Kazuki in the slightest. But somehow, this characteristic and the hijinks that come from it are extremely endearing when you see how the other characters react to her.

While Buddy Daddies is wholesome, it also manages to balance a lot of violence. I mean, I need some intrepid anime fan to make a drinking game for every time someone gets assassinated in each episode. And yet, the violence itself comes across as serious while also keeping a flair of humor. Even in the after-credits scene, the intimidating nature of the violence doesn’t feel out of place with the domestic slice of life we get in other parts of the episode.

Truthfully, Buddy Daddies is easily my favorite anime of the season, at least from what’s released, and that was solidified with Episode 2. Not only does the series not shy away from action (and the gangster/hitman of it all), but it shows the men actively trying to navigate their jobs, their new daughter, and their growing care for her all in just over 20 minutes. Each episode builds family dynamics, character growth, and awareness in a way that doesn’t feel second place to the humor or concept. Throw in the expert action animation, adorable kid, and thirsty character designs for our Daddies, and it’s a perfect series.

Buddy Daddies Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes premiering every Friday.