English Dub Season Review: Buddy Daddies Season One

Overview:

Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa are assassins and they’re tasked with killing a target at a Christmas party. The target’s four-year-old daughter is in town to live with him, but now the assassins have to take her in.

Our Take:

Not everyone is cut out for parenthood, which Kazuki and Rei soon find out. They have to take care of Miri Unasaka after the kill her father. Her mother doesn’t want to take her back, so they don’t have much of a choice. They keep the whole situation and their jobs a secret from Miri. She lives with Kazuki and Rei, but she’s very hyperactive. She’s only four, so this behavior is pretty standard. Kazuki and Rei aren’t used to having a child around, so that’s something they have to adapt to.

Kazuki is the brains of the operation and he’s also the more expressive one of the duo. He’s also the one who does all the work around the apartment. He takes care of the cooking, cleaning, and shopping. he usually spends his free time gambling and drinking with women, but that changes when he starts taking care of Miri.

Rei is the more quiet and reserved one, but he’s the one who deals the finishing blow to their targets. He doesn’t really help out with any of the chores. In fact, all he really does is either sleep or play video games. He’s not thrilled about being responsible for Miri at first. Miri soon takes a liking to Rei and this opens up his mind a bit.

I love the chemistry between these three. I already liked the dynamic between Kazuki and Rei, but adding Miri to the mix completes it. Their personalities are all very different from one another, but they still complement each other. Not to mention, their bond as family grows strong with each episode. They have a different dynamic at the end than they do at the beginning, but they’re all still the same at their core.

I enjoy a few of the side characters as well. Kyu, the café owner who also serves as a middleman for the organization, plays a big part in this series. He helps Kazuki and Rei out a few jams and he also takes a liking to Miri. Initially, he’s opposed to the idea of Kazuki and Rei taking care of her. Later on, he realizes how much they all mean to each other and helps when he can. I also enjoy Anna, Miri’s daycare teacher. She gives the two some advice when it comes to helping Miri fit in. Kazuki and Rei are new at parenting after all, so it’s nice to see them have this kind of support.

This show is about a team of assassins, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’s a decent amount of action and death. It has a fairly even balance between the serious action-packed scenes and the more light-hearted comedic moments.

The art style is very colorful and the animation is very smooth. There’s also a lot of cool music that adds to the atmosphere of the show. I’m a fan of the English voice acting too. My personal favorite performance is David Matranga as Rei. I think he captures Rei’s deadpan delivery very well, but when he does show emotion, it feels impactful.

This is an original anime and it wraps everything up pretty well. I don’t know if we would ever get a second season, but I don’t think every anime needs one. This one leaves off on a high note where a sequel season isn’t really necessary.

Overall, Buddy Daddies is an enjoyable action-comedy that explores the lives of assassins learning about parenthood. It has plenty of action, comedy, and sweet family moments. There are plenty of characters to enjoy and there is plenty of fun to be had.