REVIEW: ‘Buddy Daddies,’ Episode 10 – “Lost at Sea”

With all the fun of Miri’s field day behind them, the family prepares for the coming holidays. But an unexpected surprise is waiting for them outside of Miri’s nursery school that threatens to throw their happy lives into disarray in Buddy Daddies Episode 10.

When Rei and Kazuki arrive to pick up Miri at school they are confronted by her mother who is also waiting there for her. It seems she has decided that she wants Miri in her life again and intends to take her away. Not wanting to cause a scene in front of Miri and the rest of the children, the duo brings her back to their place with them so they might have a chance to talk in private.

Buddy Daddies Episode 10 does a masterful job of progressing the show through this sequence. As Miri gleefully catches her mom up on her life with her dads, Kazuki and Rei struggle with how to handle this unforeseen event. While they put up a smiling front to shield Miri from their thoughts, what is the best course of action for the child weighs heavily on their minds. Even though I only started watching the series at the mid-season recap, the show does such a spectacular job of portraying how much Miri has come to mean to the duo that my heart was continuously breaking for the pair throughout this episode.

Once Miri passes out for the night, Buddy Daddies Episode 10 dives into the full motivations of why Miri’s mom has suddenly returned. While her mom’s reasoning for showing back up feels authentic, there are some obvious problems with her newfound devotion to her daughter. What I found surprising was that neither Rei nor Kazuki seem to spot this huge glaring problem and try to address it. Rather, they accept the mother’s interpretation at face value. Given how adamant the duo is about wanting Miri to stay and how they both seem like fairly smart people, it feels strange that such an obvious detail should slip past them.

The rest of Buddy Daddies Episode 10 sees the three person family take a day out on the town. Fun, food, and laughter are all in store for Miri as she enjoys her day with her dads. But just like earlier in the episode, this sequence has a double layer to it as every time Miri isn’t looking her dads are not all smiles. The foreboding of the sequence hurts a lot. To see these two guys love this girl so much and face the prospect of losing her is far more painful than I expected it to be.

The final moments of Buddy Daddies Episode 10 bring everything to a boil as it closes its narrative. Its complex, emotional narrative delivers a ton of powerful moments as it pulls Kazuki and Rei through its tale. Rarely have I wished I could reach through my tv and give a fictional character a hug as much as this episode left me wishing I could for them.

Buddy Daddies Episode 10 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.