Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Way of the Househusband Part 2’ on Netflix, an Anime of Hyperbolic Comedy, and an Occasional Poetic Moment

Netflix has released The Way of the Househusband Part 2, the continuing anime story of a Yakuza gangster named Tatsu who got married and loved his wife so much he gave up the gun and sword for the rolling pin and rice cooker. (Isn’t that sort of what John Wick did? Although Tatsu is more of a cat guy than a dog guy.) This series with the love-it-or-hate-it motion-comic visual style — I’m OK with it, not in love with it — is based on a million-selling manga first published in 2018; the first half of the season debuted in April, 2021; since then, Netflix released a live-action take on the concept titled The Ingenuity of the Househusband, keeping intact the anime’s collection-of-vignettes format. But no matter how you slice this conceptual bread, it’s definitely silly.

THE WAY OF THE HOUSEHUSBAND PART 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Establishing shot: THE MALL OF DEATH. Or probably more accurately, just the mall.

The Gist: Chapter 31: Tatsu (Kenjiro Tsuda) is eyeballing some scrumptious sausages at the grocery store and scaring the employees with his intimidating stare when his wife Miku (Shizuka Ito) flips out: a live-action cosplay drama of her favorite TV show, Crime Catch Policure, is happening right there in the mall. She’d looooooove a photo with the actresses playing the heroes, so Tatsu steps in to make sure that happens.

Chapter 32: Tatsu’s minion Masa (Kazuyuki Okitsu) doesn’t know a toaster oven when he sees one, so Tatsu describes it to him like it’s an assault weapon they might use for a drug heist or something. They use it to make bread, but problems arise and Tatsu LEAPS into action, wielding a rice cooker like a TV chef-show champion of champions!!!!!!!

33: Tatsu gives BBQ lessons to his new neighbor! 34: Miku takes Tatsu to a kiddie theme park, which is something he never experienced because he grew up in the underworld! 35: Tatsu and Miku go to the beach and play volleyball, during which they bellow the absurd names of their killer smashes and spikes like nutzo action-anime warriors! 36: Tatsu teaches how to make bespoke apron art!!!

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? TWOTH is anime Archer crossed with Who’s the Boss?.

Our Take: TWOTH by the numbers: Six vignettes, 15 minutes, four really good jokes, one emo-poetic moment. That’s a pretty decent yield, although I’d expect one really good joke per vignette on average, which I think betrays the show’s major limitation, namely, its repetitive nature. Exactly how many laughs can you wring from the badass-gone-domestic premise? Seeing Tatsu glare at the poor deli-counter lady like he’s about to assassinate her is amusing; even funnier, he names all his wham-bang volleyball moves after domiciliary items one might find in the Bed Bath and Beyond catalog.

But how long can this go on? We have 150 minutes of TWOTH so far, and there’s no real plot continuity save for a few running jokes and a recurring character or two — it’s just days in the life of a transformed man who still retains the mannerisms of the man he once was. I think the key here is slight tonal variation and modest character growth, which we see in the theme-park vignette; it takes a different tack, concluding with a moment of contemplation from Tetsu and a series of quietly poetic, dialogue-free scenes that smartly contrast the usual bellowing hyperbole. Could we see progress in Tatsu and Miku’s sweet, loving relationship? Will they someday — GASP — have children? I hope so! Let’s Mr. Mom this mofo!

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: Tatsu and and his cadre of kitchen commandos pose like badasses in their newly bespoke aprons.

Sleeper Star: I haven’t seen every episode yet so I hope we get to spend some quality time with Tatsu and Miku’s cat. CATS ARE ALWAYS SLEEPER STARS. Unless the show is specifically about a cat.

Most Pilot-y Line: “BEAT IT to get that gluten! You gotta really PUNCH IT, DRAG IT AROUND! That’s how you make it perfectly fluffy and moist.” — Tatsu makes bread like Julia Child, if Julia Child had once tortured people

Our Call: STREAM IT. A little bit of The Way of the Househusband goes a long way, and its creators realize that, hence the brief run times. It’s consistently amusing and sometimes more subtle than you expect it to be.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream The Way of the Househusband Part 2 on Netflix