Watching The Way of the Househusband: Learning Things from Anime

I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy The Way of the Househusband a lot. I recently finished Season 2 of the anime as well as the Netflix live-action, The Ingenuity of the House Husband (2021). As you may know, the series follows a legendary former yakuza member, now turned house husband. Tatsu manages the cooking and cleaning in the house for his family – his wife, himself, and their cat – and he’s also really involved in the community. He has hobbies such as crafting, and he’s exceptionally skilled at all of these things. He has a wealth of knowledge, is budget conscious, and knows how to scope out the best deals.

I found a lot of educational value in watching the series, and I even tried out a couple of the activities shown in the series. In Season 2, Episode 4 of the anime, Tatsu makes an air freshener out of baking soda and lavender essential oil. I love lavender and happen to have lavender essential oil at home and empty glass jars, so that’s what I did. I put one in my room and another one in my washroom. Best of all, it was inexpensive.

In Season 2, Episode 4 of the anime, Tatsu buys a felting kit and felts a cat. I became really inspired when I watched that episode, and guess what? That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to look for a felting kit and felt something of my own. I’ve never felt something before, but I love crafts and I think it’ll be fun to try something new.

I plan to watch the Japanese drama, Gokushufudo (2020), which is different from the Netflix live-action. I just love the series because it’s so chill and covers topics I’m interested in. I wouldn’t say that I find housework fun, but it’s interesting to see how everything works because Tatsu explains his process. It’s an entertaining and fun watch, AND I’m learning at the same time. ^^

P.S. The actor who plays Tatsu in The Ingenuity of the House Husband (2021) voices Tatsu in the anime.

Tomodachi Game: Season 1, Season 2, & Movie Thoughts

I binge-watched Tomodachi Game, also known as Friends Game. It’s a Japanese drama based on a manga. There is an upcoming anime adaptation, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Plot: High schooler Katagiri Yuichi is knocked unconscious and wakes up in a mysterious room with four of his friends and a creepy mascot. One of them has an enormous debt and has paid the participation fee to enter the Friends Game. If this group of friends wins the games, the person will go debt-free. However, if they lose, all of them will have to take on a portion of the debt.

Season 1 Thoughts:

I love Katagiri Yuichi. This drama has a really good-looking cast. The games are quite simple, like the games in Squid Game or the beginning of Kaiji. No one is physically harmed or dies, and a big theme is their friendship. Yuichi wants to trust his friends but finds it increasingly challenging to…

The show is as long as a movie. I thought that Season 1 ended so quickly that I had to watch Season 2 right away. At this point, I couldn’t form too many thoughts because there were still too many questions left unanswered.

Who has the debt? Who is/are the traitor(s)? What’s Katagiri Yuichi’s backstory?

Season 2 Thoughts:

Season 2 is a continuation of Season 1. It is another game. Again, it’s a simple children’s game with a twist. I liked this season more than the first because a lot of secrets are revealed. The tricks are clever. It was a little predictable but I didn’t figure out everything, so that’s a plus.

Movie Thoughts:

The movie is a continuation of Season 2. It’s another game. I liked this one the least, partially because the tricks didn’t seem as clever. The climax fell short.

I still want to learn more about Yuichi’s story; I thought this part was rushed. It’s understandable because this is a movie, but I hope that the anime explains it more.

There were a lot of twists in the movie. It felt a little messy.

The ending was soooo cliche. It hurt a little to watch. I understand that they want to leave the doors open for more seasons or movies, but really, that approach? There’s no way an outcome like that would happen in real life, and I don’t think I’m being jaded about it.

Final thoughts as a whole:

The concept isn’t exactly new. You are brought to a foreign location with other people and have to win games to pay off your debt. Think Kaiji, Squid Game, and Liar Game. However, this is exactly the sort of series I’m a sucker for, so I will take anything!! Thank you!

If you like this kind of show (similar series and games include Kakegurui, Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Bloody Monday, Kurosagi, and Classroom of the Elite), then I recommend this series for you. One thing that sets this series apart is that they aren’t playing against strangers, but playing with their best friends.

It’s entertaining, and the cast is great. There are so many twists and turns. It’s kind of like being on a roller coaster.

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I haven’t read the manga yet, but I plan to! Let me know if you have any recommendations for anything similar. 🙂

Japanese Drama Recs: Romance Manga Adaptions

1. Switch Girl!!

Synopsis: Nika Tamiya is the most beautiful girl at school. All the boys are in love with her and a lot of girls are envious at how she does everything so perfectly. However, she has a secret… She is a switch girl! When she arrives home, she “switches off” and transforms into her “true” self: a lazy and unfeminine girl. Arata Kamiyama, a geeky guy at school, finds out her secret. Arata is the opposite of her… He appears to be geeky at school but he’s actually super hot!?

The plot of this romantic comedy shojo series is similar to the popular manga, Horimiya. I like Switch Girl!! more though. I liked this drama because the cast is spot on. Many Seventeen models play the characters, including Mariya Nishiuchi, the main lead. Renn Kiriyama who plays Arata is good-looking too.

I watched this back when I was in high school and I was hooked from the beginning. I ended up procrastinating on whatever homework I had, so fair warning.

If you like this, you might like:

• Horimiya (manga)
• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)

2. Good Morning Call

Synopsis: Nao Yoshikawa moved into a new place, but she finds that she was scammed because another person is living in the same place as her. The person she has to live with is Hisashi Uehara, one of the most popular guys at school. Uehara is aloof and hard to get along with. Good luck Nao and don’t fall in love.

Good Morning Call is a Netflix Original series, based on the romantic comedy shojo series. I don’t know a single person who did not like this! The “living with the most popular guy at school (or my boss) and he is also cold and distant” trope is done again and again. The ending is predictable, but it’s still enjoyable to watch.

If you like this, you might like:

• It Started With A Kiss (Taiwanese drama)
• Playful Kiss (Korean drama)
• Just You (Taiwanese drama)
• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)

3. Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai

Synopsis: Michiko Shibata is a woman in her thirties. She is jobless and just broke up with her money-swindling younger boyfriend. She encounters Ayumu Kurosawa, her former supervisor. Hearing her situation, he gives her a job and a place to stay at his cafe.

You may already be familiar with the actor who plays Ayumu. He is played by Dean Fujioka, the singer who sang History Maker, the opening song of Yuri on Ice. Ayumu is so sweet… Where can I find someone like that?

Personally, high school shows don’t interest me as much anymore. I’m into josei series like this one, because I can relate to their struggles more and we are closer in age.

If you like this, you might like:

• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)
• Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (anime)
• Just You (Taiwanese drama)

10 Live-Action Manga Adaptations I Enjoyed

Many anime fans don’t like live-actions of anime. Period.

I also (mostly) agree. But… live-actions dramas are better than films. With episodes, it allows the show to have more depth. One major problem in all live-action films is that they cut a lot of important scenes and most of the time, they cut out important characters.

These aren’t in any particular order. I won’t be talking about the plots of these shows, just what I liked about them. I don’t watch as many dramas as I used to, so the newer live-actions will probably not be on here. Nonetheless, I still find value in making this list because good shows are good shows, no matter how old they are. 😉 If you’re interested in knowing which dramas I’ve watched, you can view My Drama List (still incomplete) here.

1. Bloody Monday (2008)

I enjoyed this Japanese live-action because Haruma Miura and Hiroki Narimiya played their characters really well. The instrumental soundtrack is beautiful. Listen to this and you’ll know what I mean. Also, both seasons played music by Flumpool, which is my favourite Japanese band.

2. Boku dake ga Inai Machi (2017)

This is better known as Erased. It is a Japanese drama. I didn’t think I would be interested in time travel but I was proven wrong. I often take breaks from dramas and anime (My Drama List reflects this by the number of dramas I am “currently watching”) but I binged this show. Special thanks to Fed for watching it after my recommendation!

3. GTO (1998)

This Japanese drama stands for Great Teacher Onizuka. I watched this before I started university and I feel like it changed my life. That’s a really bold statement but I began to see life a little bit differently in “unconventional” ways.

4. Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (2007)

This Japanese drama is also known as Hana Kimi. There are so many actors!!

5. Hotaru no Hikari (2007)

This is a Japanese drama based on the josei manga with the same title.

6. Kurosagi (2006)

I’ve watched every episode in this Japanese drama at least 10 times, and the reason is because I used to really, really like Kurosaki, the main character.

7. Liar Game (2014)

This is the Korean live-action adaptation. It is different from the manga because they made the Liar Game into a TV game show. I love how they changed it to better suit the current generation.

8. Liar Game (2007)

This is a Japanese drama. I do prefer this over the Korean live-action of Liar Game.

9. Smiling Pasta (2006)

This Taiwanese drama is based on a manhwa. I haven’t read the manhwa because it’s really hard to find English scanlations of it (or even the work in its original language). However, this drama was able to make me cry and laugh in the same episode.

10. Switch Girl!! (2011)

This is a Japanese drama. Mariya Nishiuchi was perfect for the main role because she was a model of Seventeen at the time, and so were other actresses (her character does modelling in the drama too). I am her fan. ❤

My Drama List

If you watch Asian dramas, I recommend you use My Drama List if you haven’t already. It’s like My Anime List, but for dramas! Basically, you mark down the statuses of different shows and movies you’ve watched, record the episodes you’ve seen, give them ratings and leave comments.

I do have some issues with My Anime List, but I like it better than My Drama List because  it is harder to find shows on MDL. The shows should be separated by genres and in categories such as ‘Korean drama’ and ‘Japanese drama,’ etc. They don’t have that. That’s why I’m missing a lot of shows on my list!! I can remember the plots and characters’ appearances of certain dramas, but I don’t remember the names of the dramas.

If you’re interested, My Drama List can be found at https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/alpaca_xx 

Please note that it is incomplete because of the reason I explained above. I actually just filled out the list recently so I have not entered any episode data on my ‘Currently Watching’ list. I don’t know if I will be able to because I haven’t watched dramas in a LONG time, which means I don’t remember what episode I’m on! T_T With that being said, my ‘Currently Watching’ list is not being counted in my Profile’s episode number and time watched information. Most of these shows are from 2009~ because that was when I watched a lot of Asian dramas.

My Anime List is private, but I can tell you that it’s longer than My Drama List. My Manga List (this is on the My Anime List website) is longer than My Anime List.

What does this all mean? 

It means I’ve watched a lot of T.V. and it’s no wonder I have poor eyesight AND I’m not sure whether I am proud or if I pity my soul…

Moving forward…

Now that I have My Drama List kind of filled out, expect some drama recommendations and favourites posts in the future!!! Even though I do not plan on ranking any of these dramas and movies, I still remember what I enjoyed (or hated) about them. ^_^