Drama|The Way of the Househusband — First Impressions
Hello my BAYOG luvlies~ The time has come my luvs. It’s the time where I actually come back with my area of expertise: Real People Stuffs! Yes! That’s right! Minty’s here with a long awaited drama post! WOOOOOO~ So I’m sure by now, y’all have seen everyone talking about Netflix’s anime adaptation of 極主夫道/Gokushufudō, or The Way of the Househusband. As you know, our very own Nick ( @rokutsu ) even covered it [HERE]. But did you know that there was a live action drama series adaptation of The Way of the Househusband? So yeah. We left Nick to cover the anime, while I’m here to cover the drama for y’all~ Cuz it was also a good excuse to get myself to finally watch the drama since I’ve been putting it off since October…. The BAYOG Crew loves comedy, and The Way of the Househusband is a series that we all really like. Me and Nick liked the manga alot. So we were both thrilled when news of the drama first dropped, and again when news of the animation dropped. Although, I think we were all a bit disappointed by the anime since it wasn’t what we had hoped or expected; Due to the animation (or rather…lack of…?) itself. Personally, I already felt sad within the first 20 seconds of the anime… Anyway, I had actually sent the drama to Nick after it started airing and planned to watch it then. However, I kept putting it back for some reason and just kind of forgot about it. So Nick actually got to watch it before I did. Since he did the review on the anime, I figured I’d do my part for the drama~ Normally, I’d do a first impressions post after at least 3 episodes. I’m just gonna do this based on 1 episode this time… cuz adulting is hard, I was sick, and I have a hella short attention span that kept getting distracted… So, let’s talk about the series, and see what my first impressions on the drama was~
極主夫道/Gokushufudō
The Way of the Househusband
Genre: Seinen, Comedy, Slice of Life, Action, Yakuza
Synopsis:
He was the fiercest member of the yakuza, a man who left countless underworld legends in his wake. They called him “the Immortal Dragon.” But one day he walked away from it all to travel another path—the path of the househusband! The curtain rises on this cozy yakuza comedy!
Synopsis by [Viz Media]
Now before we get into it, y’all know I gotta do a bit of background info~ The Way of the Househusband is a seinen series by Onoo Kousuke. It began publication on February 22, 2018. It’s published by Shinchosha. It’s currently an ongoing series still. The live action drama series began airing in October 11, 2020. The Netflix animation dropped April 8, 2021. The paperback editions of the official English release are published from Viz. The official English release of the digital copy is available through the [Pocket Comics app]. By the way, series on Pocket Comics are in color.
SPECIAL LIVE ACTION PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Kenjiro Tsuda, the actor who voiced Tatsu in the [commercial for the manga], starred in a short live action promotional video for the manga as well. Y’all might recognize him as Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Overhaul in My Hero Academia, Lero Ro in Tower of God, and Nanami Kento in Jujustu Kaisen. Sakamoto Maaya (Haruhi in Ouran High School Host Club, Aerith in Kingdom Hearts, Aigis in Persona 3, Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII, Motoko in Ghost in the Shell: Arise) made a brief appearance as Miku. The live action PV was to commemorate 1.2 million copies in print. Fun fact: Tsuda co-directed the PV with Yazaki Hayato. Tsuda also went on to voice Tatsu in the recent 2021 Netflix anime series. The PV was released about a year ago. People were really impressed and thrilled to see the manga be brought to life. People, such as myself, were wishing that there would be a legit live action adaptation. Well, BOOM. It actually did happen. Nippon TV made the announcement in July 2020. The drama finally aired in October 2020.
2020 LIVE ACTION DRAMA
Aired: October 2020 – December 2020
Episodes: 16 Episodes
Status: Completed
First things, first. I should let y’all know I watched a fansub of this series. Now let me say that it’s been a while since I’ve watched a J-Drama. I was a suuuuper avid J-Drama fan from the early 2000’s to around 2012 or 2013. The thing is J-Dramas aren’t as easily accessible or widely available like dramas from South Korea, Taiwan, China, or even Thailand. We’ve come a long way from the early 2000’s in that many Asian dramas are globally available now. However, I feel like the J-Dramas officially released in English are quite limited compared to dramas from other countries. A major part of it for me is also probably that there aren’t as many J-Dramas that interest me like back in the day, or if they’re just simply not available (no one picked them up for subbing). However, I was super excited for this one and really happy that someone subbed The Way of the Househusband. I also want to note that I do love the manga series. However, it has been a while since I read the manga. I was also not like suuuuuuper far into the series. I mean, I liked the series… but your girl prioritized her romance series and bishies lolol So I’m not going to do a in-depth comparison like I normally would.
Right off the bat, I recognized a couple familiar faces from the cast. I also ended up looking at how they might have been associated with each other (starring in the same projects), and what projects I recognized them from. Yeah, I went down that rabbit hole…
Tamaki Hiroshi stars as the live action drama version of “The Immortal” Tatsu, a legendary former yakuza who retired to become a househusband after getting married to a normal office lady. He’s known for his role as Sato (aka afro dude) in the 2001 iconic Japanese movie [ウォーターボーイズ/Waterboys]. Side note: I totally forgot about this movie, and I can’t believe he’s afro dude. He most certainly looked the part of a hotshot yakuza member. However, he also did such a wonderful job portraying Tatsu in his househusband mode. Honestly, he’s exactly what I hoped for.
Kawaguchi Haruna stars as the live action drama version of Miku, Tatsu’s wife and a normal office lady. I recognized her as Haruhi in the live action drama and movie versions of Ouran High School Host Club, and as Kaori in the [live action movie version of One Week Friends]. By the way, there’s a 15 year age difference between Haruna and Hiroshi.
Shison Jun stars as Masa, an underling in Tatsu’s former gang. He was in the live action adaptations of From Five to Nine, You’re My Pet (2017 version), Anonymous Noise, and The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window.
Takenaka Naoto stars as Tatsu’s former yakuza boss, Kikujiro Eguchi. I’ve seen this dude in so many J-Dramas and movies lol Bruh, he was [also in ウォーターボーイズ/Waterboys with Tamaki Hiroshi].
Takito Kenichi as Torajiro, a former yakuza boss of a gang that was dismantled by Tatsu. Dude now runs a food truck selling crepes. You probably recognize Kenichi as Sadojima Hoji in the Rurouni Kenshin live action movies. He’s also been in Doctor-X, the live action drama of Ouroboros, the live action drama of Border, the Japanese version of The Good Wife, and the Japanese version of Cold Case.
Shiratori Tamaki is Himawari, Miku’s daughter. Himawari did not appear in the manga as she is an original character for the drama series. You might recognize Tamaki from the second live action Ginatama movie. I only threw this one in for Nick lol
So let’s talk about the differences I did immediately notice between the drama series and the original manga. The most obvious change is the addition of Himawari. Miku didn’t have a daughter in the manga. So it’s actually cute to see this little added side of Tatsu as a stepdad. Like the drama opened up with him making breakfast. It’s really cute to see him anticipate Himawari’s reaction to tasting the breakfast he made. I honestly like this added aspect. It was unexpected, but super sweet. It adds to an image of a caring dad and family man, which would be seem to be very unexpected when you think of yakuza. On a side note though, I was like, “Miku looks really young to have such a grown daughter though… How old is she ‘sposed to be?” Haruna (who plays Miku) is only 15 years older than Tamaki (who plays Himawari). The age difference was surprisingly less than I had thought. The other change I immediately noticed was that they live in a house and not a small apartment. Makes sense though, since they’re a family with a kid now.
So again, it’s been a while since I read the manga. So details are kinda fuzzy on me, therefore, it kind of felt like I was experiencing the series for the first time again. Honestly, even though I only watched the first episode so far, I really loved the drama series. I think Hiroshi does an amazing job at portraying Tatsu. He definitely looks the part of a scary, badass yakuza member. Yet, he also portrays Tatsu being a househusband so well. He did great portraying the serious action and yakuza scenes, but also did a wonderful job on the househusband and comedy scenes. He’s exactly what I wanted and expected Tatsu to be. It’s definitely the biggest reason why I enjoyed this live action adaptation. His perfect portrayal really didn’t just keep the essence of the manga, but really brought it to life.
I don’t remember all the other characters all that well. However, I thought everyone did a great job and made it enjoyable. The only thing would probably be that the other yakuza members don’t really exude that fierceness or intimidation you expect of yakuza. But, it’s a comedy. So I’m it’s like whatever for me. But the comedy for the series was great. It was what you expected from the manga series, and portrayed very well (in my opinion). It’s definitely another well done part that makes it seem like a successful and good live action adaptation so far.
The production looked good to me too. Which was a reason I usually preferred K-Dramas over J-Dramas. I’ve talked about it when I talked about the [Erased live action drama adaptation from Netflix]. There are times when J-Drama productions look like they have lower budgets and lower production quality. In some cases, it’s no biggie or is [actually in the series’ favor]. But there are times it does kind of make me feel a bit less immersed in the drama’s story and world. It can come off as really cringey or look cheap and cheesey. However, I think this is a case where the production looked really good for a drama. The cheesey looking bits worked in the series’ favor for the comedy aspects. It did a great job of legitimately bringing the manga to life. You see this drama in a bright and more soft and colorful setting and background for that chill and happy slice of life/normie life aspect. Yet, you also have these contrasting dark, serious, edgy, action filled scenes when relating to Tatsu’s past as a yakuza member.
So yeah, first impression wise, this J-Drama is Minty approved~ It was actually a really fun drama series, and I think it did a fantastic job portraying the original manga. Dare I say, this is actually one of the good live action adaptations. Hiroshi did a fantastic job portraying Tatsu. He certainly looked the part of an intimidating yakuza, but also did a great job portraying Tatsu as a househusband and stepfather. He perfectly portrayed the intimidating yakuza aspects, and the silly comedy aspects. It’s such a fun, silly, and enjoyable drama. I honestly love the added aspect of Tatsu being a dad too. So yeah, it was exactly what I would’ve wanted from a live action adaptation of the series. I’m super excited to finish this drama when I can find the time to binge watch it. I also certainly agree with Nick. The live action drama is super enjoyable and I honestly prefer this so much more over the anime series. What do you all think? Have you watched the live action drama yet, or do you plan on watching it? What’s your favorite thing about The Way of the Househusband? Also, let me know if y’all have any J-Drama recommendations (or any recommendations for any dramas, anime, or manga). Let me know in the comments, my socials or hit me up on Discord~ Anyway, that’s all for today my luvs! Take care, stay safe, and have a wonderful day~
Y’all, random tidbit… but it took me much longer to do this post than I intended… I legitimately enjoyed this drama, and it’s really great drama. It’s just that I’m old and constantly tired now… I also feel like I just have a hella short attention span these days. So it took me like 3 days to watch the first episode cuz I kept getting distracted by little things lolol
Scenario A: mind suddenly has random curiosity about some hella random thing.
Scenario B: Yo… I know this actor from somewhere… I need to look it up… *Ends up in a rabbit hole of looking at different actors, movies, dramas, and music for 3 hours*
In both situations: What was I doing again…? OH! Right… I was supposed to be watching that drama and doing a post… *endless repeat*
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Hihi! I’m Minty! I’m Thai-American~ เป็นคนไทยค่ะ~ ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักนะคะ~
I’m BAYOG’s hella basic Asian chick, Real People Stuffs expert, and boba addict. I’ve been a part of the BAYOG Crew since 2017~ I fangirl and mostly blog about music, live action movies/dramas, manga/webtoons, and occasionally webnovels~ When I’m not blogging, I’m usually writing/singing Thai-English covers~
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Take care y’all. Please stay safe and take care of yourself. All jokes and fun aside…Always wash your hands, practice social distancing, and wear a mask! It’s better to be cautious than face irrevocable consequences of health complications or death.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
AS A GROUP OF BIPOC, BAYOG strongly stands with Black Lives Matter. We are all too familiar with the racism that we, our friends, and family have faced on a daily basis. Every life is precious. However, as BIPOC, we also recognize that black people are a group of people that face extreme racism and at a higher risk for their safety. We’ve individually done several donations. Of course, donations to support the cause and support change isn’t the only thing needed. Support for the cause and change also requires conversation and understanding. Make sure to have those conversations. Please remember to be an active supporter, be it through donations, sharing information, and/or conversations and speaking up.
If you can, please consider donating. I’ve donated more than once as well. For one of my donations, I donated through the BTS ARMY x BLM project. I recommend that if you’re unsure of where to donate. This is because the donation will be split amongst several different non-profit organizations. Of course, you can also choose a specific organization(s) if you wish as well. You can find that [HERE].
You can also check out the following:
- http://blmsites.carrd.co
- http://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
- http://blackliveswillalwaysmatter.carrd.co
- http://blmstanguide.carrd.co
- http://saytheirnames.carrd.co
STOP ASIAN HATE
As an Asian-American, racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes against AAPI isn’t new. It’s always been around. Unfortunately, misinformation and the pandemic has caused an insane surge in racism and xenophobia. There has also been an insane rise in hate crimes. More recently, we’re seeing a surge of hate crimes against the Asian elderly. Particularly in the California and New York areas. Some cases even leading to injuries and even death. The sad thing is that many cases do not get alot of attention, or are just looked passed. It breaks my heart and is cause for concern since it affects our community. Since some of the BAYOG Crew (including myself) are Asian-Americans ourselves, I wanted to use our small platform to help in anyway. Hate, racism, and xenophobia is an ugly thing. We’re friends, in the same community, and against the same social injustices. So be kind and let’s fight these things together.
You can also check the following for more information, ways to help, & to donate:
- http://hateisavirus.org
- https://gofundme.com/AAPI
- http://advancingjustice-aajc.org
- http://caasf.org/
- [Donate to Different Organizations to Support AAPI Communities]
- https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
- https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/
Please report hate crimes at Stop AAPI Hate:
Volunteer
You can see if your community has a volunteer chaperone or neighborhood watch/patrol program.
Some examples:
- Compassion in Oakland @ Oakland, California| http://compassioninoakland.org
- Safe Walks @ NYC, New York| https://safewalx.com/en/welcome
- Guardian Angels| http://guardianangels.org/volunteer
They’re well known patrol volunteers in NYC, but they do have other branches too.
Volunteer at any other organizations that provide assistance to Asian-Americans; Particularly the elderly.
Some examples:
- Heart of Dinner @ NYC, New York| https://www.heartofdinner.org/
An organization that supports local businesses and provides meals and care packages to the Asian elderly in NYC.
