Forget the mission to save the world, keep the original parents alive, remove the physic powers and make the little girl older, toss in the Yakuza, and you get The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting! If you love Spy x Family or unusual family dynamics, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting is for you!
The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting Episode 1 aired on July 7, 2022, and I can’t wait for Episode 2: A Kind Person!
What’s great about Episode1!
The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting starts with a bang and will rip your heart out by the ending credits. First, we meet Toru Kirishima, a 28-year-old who works as a Lieutenant for the Sakuragi Yakuza.
He takes pride in his work and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. But unfortunately, his boss, Kazuhiko Sakuragi, has had enough of Toru’s constant use of violence.
So, he decides to name Toru as the bodyguard for his only daughter, Yaeka. A 7-year-old living with her father while her mother is revealed to be in the hospital.
For unknown reasons, Yaeka’s parents lived separately before her mother wound up in the hospital. But Kazuhiko seems like a good dad; he can’t fulfill many parental duties because he is the head of a Yakuza gang.
This leads to some of the fastest bonding I’ve seen since Spy x Family. Toru is not the new Loid. He’s Loid, and Yor merged into a force to be reckoned with!
He attempts to make small talk with Yaeka on the way to and from school. He tries to help Yaeka with her hair, but she decides to wear it loose that day.
When he realizes he’s being followed, Toru comes up with a game of Red Light, Green Light, to give him time to fight without letting Yaeka see the violence. And after doing some snooping in her room, Toru realizes that Yaeka’s school was holding an event for parents and guardians to come.
Toru’s first instinct is to think of a way to cheer her up when she gets home, but Kanami, Yaeka’s aunt, tells Toru to go to the event. Kazuhiko would have gone, but Yaeka didn’t ask him because she thought he was too busy.
But Toru’s presence makes Yaeka happy, and near the end of the episode, Toru finds Yaeka standing outside her father’s room. Realizing she’s too nervous about giving him the picture she made, Toru gives her some excellent advice, and Yaeka gives Kazuhiko the picture.
Kazuhiko thanks her, and the episode ends with a scene of Yaeka’s mother in a hospital bed at night.
Is there a The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting manga?
Yes. The 8th volume came out in Japan on July 11, 2022, but English readers have two ways to enjoy the manga.
For those who enjoy reading manga online, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting English translation received its 4th volume on June 24, 2022. The physical release date is yet to be announced, but it’ll be several months before fans can hold the book.