While there are many anime series are adaptations of manga and/or light novels, it is not uncommon to have original anime series, and Buddy Daddies is the original anime series coming this Winter 2023 anime season on Crunchyroll, by P.A. Works studio, which is known for other original anime series, such as Angel Beats, The Day I Became A God and Charlotte.
A lot of secrecy has been surrounding this release, which led anime fans to speculate about possible roads the anime can follow. P.A. Works is considered very innovative with its original series, so it is already a good point to check this out and see if it is any good and innovative indeed. It is surely promising. Two hitmen raising a family? Isn’t that reason enough per se to check this out? Not much is being revealed about this anime, but expectations are already high. And some people in Japan will have the opportunity to get to know a little more about Buddy Daddies this Christmas.
A Christmas Event for Buddy Daddies
The official website of Buddy Daddies announced that the anime series will receive an advanced screening on December 25, at 7.30 p.m., JST, in the midst of the Christmas festivities, which will be held at Shinjuku Wald 9, Tokyo. It was announced that the voice cast members will take the stage at the event and further disclose details about the anime.
According to its synopsis and premise, Buddy Daddies seems to be joining the SPY X FAMILY bandwagon, but with some twists. Some have already commented that it might be something of a mix of SPY X FAMILY and The Millionaire Detective: Balance – UNLIMITED. Most speculation is, however, questioning if this is a shonen-ai version of SPY X FAMILY, which leads us to think how biased the public still is since this is being considered because they are two men with a child. (Hollywood had its share of stories about guys who, all of a sudden, become surrogate daddies.) But would this be the only reason for the public to come to think of that?
The Production, Cast And Staff
Buddy Daddies is directed by Yoshiyuki Asai (Fate/Apocrypha, Charlotte), with its original story penned by Vio Shimokura (Tokyo 24th Ward), and Yuko Kakihara (Orange, The Aquatope On White Sand, Urusei Yatsura), together with Vio Shimokura, is responsible for the series composition, while Katsumi Enami (Baccano!) is in charge of the original character designs, and Katsutoshi Kitagawa (ROUNDTABLE) (Nyamen) is responsible for the music of the anime series.
The three main characters are voiced by known voice actors. Rei Suwa, by Koki Uchiyama (Tomura Shigaraki — My Hero Academia, Hideyoshi Nagachika — Tokyo Ghoul, Junichirou Tanizaki — Bungou Stray Dogs, and Asahi Shiina — Free!), Kazuki Kurusu, by Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Kenjiro Shirabu — Haikyuu!), and Miri Unasaka, by Hina Kino (Mikiti in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War).
P.A. Works, the studio responsible for the animation, is not only known for its original anime series, but also for its adaptations of Another, Shirobako, and more. NITRO PLUS_, a visual novel developer, known for Phantom Of Inferno, Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa, and Smile Of The Arsnotoria, among others, is in charge of the story. Maybe the public is speculating about the possibility of a boys’ love story because of this: NITRO PLUS_ has a Nitro+Chiral subsidiary focused on Boys’ Love content (DRAMAtical Murder). But wouldn’t that be pure speculation without a real basis for that? Only time will tell. According to the synopsis, the two hitmen are coworkers and roommates only.
The Buddy Assassins’ Most Formidable Target Is… A Little Girl?
Buddy Daddies follows Kazuki Kurusu, who is a self-proclaimed proficient assassin, an extrovert with excellent communication skills, and “loves” women and gambling, but runs away from actual love since the nature of his job requires him to remain in the shadows, so he can’t have a romantic relationship. His coworker and roommate, Rei Suwa, is his complete opposite, having never known love because he was raised to be an assassin since he was a child, and is a man who does not say much, and spends his free time playing video games. In stark contrast with them, their initial “target”, Miri Unasaka, is a four-year-old girl whose father is the kingpin of a human-trafficking mafia, and whose mother is the kingpin’s lover. The girl often creates difficulties for Kazuki during his missions, with her lovely stunts.
Verdict
From the released trailer and key visuals, Buddy Daddies looks adorably cute, quirk, with a beautiful art style, and funny tongue-in-cheek humor. How will this sudden appearance of a child change their often violent and strange lifestyles, and how will this change their approach to love? With the gorgeous art style alone, plus the avenue of opportunities for a mix of humor, drama, and sociological commentaries, this anime stands out as a must-check in the upcoming Winter 2023 anime season.
While it is clearly following the steps of SPY X FAMILY, with a surrogate family being formed in an extremely dire situation, the paths Buddy Daddies can follow might diverge in its undertones. Faced with a little girl as their target, the assassins choose not to kill her, but to raise her instead. Unlike SPY X FAMILY, which deals with secrets in a “fake” family, put together because of work, Buddy Daddies may even cross some of the roads in the hit anime to which it has been compared, even before it airs, but there are lots of potentials to depart from that, and add to serious discussions regarding the choices we make, what really is love, how it is possible to find love in a family the members of which are not blood-related, as well as many other serious discussions that can have a touching and appealing approach, if well executed.
Whether it will follow the hype of being compared to the much-beloved SPY X FAMILY anime series, we will have to wait and see. But then another question arises because of this comparison: Will Miri be as adorable and loved by the public as Anya? Will all of them find family love in their new surrogate family? Will Buddy Daddies actually tackle shonen-ai, or will focus "only" on other forms of love? Will it be queerbaiting? Groundbreaking?
The answers to these questions will not take long to be provided. Buddy Daddies will debut on Crunchyroll, on January 7, 2023.