Holiday Review: THE WAY OF THE HOUSE HUSBAND

If we're talking about manga that achieved meme status even before it was licensed, today's selection would be number one with a bullet.  Does it live up to the hype?

THE WAY OF THE HOUSE HUSBAND (Gokushufudo), by Kousuke Oono.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

Tastu was once known as the Immortal Dragon, one of the toughest men in the Yakuza.  Now he's given up that way of life to embrace the ways of a stay-at-home house-husband.  His old associates and enemies don't believe that Tatsu has changed his ways.  His neighbors are confused by his fierce looks and rough language.  Yet Tatsu's dedication to homemaking manages to get him out of scrapes and even win over some of his old associates to the positives of homemaking.

STORY:

Despite all the advances we've made as far as feminism and equal rights, there's still a lot of cultural stigmas around men performing work around the house.  There's still a frustrating belief that men performing stereotypically feminine housework such as cooking or cleaning is worthy of ridicule.  It would have been easy for The Way of the Househusband to trade in such cheap, outdated humor, but thankfully it avoids that

Half of the humor comes not from the contrast between Tatsu's gender and his household role, but from the contrast between his old Yakuza ways and his new lifestyle.  While Tatsu embraces the role of househusband with complete sincerity, his old ways can't help but bleed through in awkward and amusing ways.  I particularly liked the glimpses we saw of his relationship with his wife, Miki.  She seems to take his past in stride, and there's a sweet sort of goofiness between them.

The other half of the comedy comes from the contrast between Tatsu and his former associates (be they friend or foe).  All of them are incredulous that Tatsu would change his ways, but Tatsu manages to defuse these situations not just with a few well-placed punches, kicks, and tosses, but with his domestic skills.  These situations can be ridiculous onto themselves, but there's also something mildly satisfying about watching him defuse dangerous situations with housekeeping skills.  At the very least, it proves that The Way of the House Husband is neither trading in lame sexist jokes nor just a one-trick pony.

ART:

Oono's art is also a good study in contrasts.  Tatsu himself is suitably grim and gritty-looking, but his near-perpetual scowl and tendency to end up in shadow wherever he goes are defused with cute aprons and lovingly made meals.  In comparison, Mike and the other non-Yazuka folks have simpler, more wide-eyed faces more suit to broad takes.  The fights are fluid and laid-out well, which is arguably more than they needed considering they tend to be brief and at least semi-comedic in nature.  Indeed, the layouts end up doing a lot of work to support the comedy as Oono's sense of humor is fairly low-key.

RATING:

The Way of the Househusband deserves to appreciated as more than just meme fodder.  It's a comedy that manages to poke fun at conventions about Yakuza and housewivery alike without stooping to the lowest common denominator, and thus well worth a read.

This series is published by Viz.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 2 volumes available.  1 volumes has been released and is currently in print.

Want a chance to win a $25 RightStuf gift certificate?  Then tell us about your favorite manga of 2019 to enter our annual Holiday Review Giveaway!