The Way of the Househusband

The Way of the Househusband (Japanese: 極主夫道, Hepburn: Gokushufudō) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kousuke Oono. Published in the online manga magazine Kurage Bunch since 2018, The Way of the Househusband follows an ex-yakuza boss who retires from crime to become a househusband. The series was adapted into a live-action television drama by Nippon TV in 2020, and will be adapted into a Netflix original net animation (ONA) anime series produced by J.C.Staff set for a 2021 premiere.

The Way of the Househusband
Japanese volume 1 cover, featuring Tatsu
極主夫道
(Gokushufudō)
Genre
Manga
Written byKousuke Oono
Published byShinchosha
English publisher
ImprintBunch Comics
MagazineKurage Bunch
DemographicSeinen
Original runFebruary 22, 2018 (2018-02-22) – present
Volumes6
Television drama
Directed byToichiro Ruto
Written byManabu Uda
StudioFINE Entertainment
Original networkNippon TV
Original run October 11, 2020 – December 13, 2020
Episodes10
Original net animation
Directed byChiaki Kon
Written bySusumu Yamakawa
StudioJ.C.Staff
Licensed byNetflix
Released 2021 – scheduled

Synopsis

Tatsu, an infamous and feared yakuza boss nicknamed "the Immortal Dragon", retires from crime to become househusband so that he can support Miku, his kyariaūman wife. The episodic series depicts a variety of comedic scenarios, typically wherein Tatsu's banal domestic work as a househusband is juxtaposed against his intimidating personality and appearance, and his frequent run-ins with former yakuza associates and rivals.

Characters
Tatsu (龍)
Portrayed by: Kenjiro Tsuda (promotional video and anime),[4][5] Hiroshi Tamaki (drama)[6]
A former yakuza boss who applies the skill and intensity he possessed as a crime lord to housework and domestic tasks as a househusband.
Miku (美久)
Portrayed by: Maaya Sakamoto (promotional video),[4] Haruna Kawaguchi (drama)[7]
A career-focused designer with a strong work ethic, and Tatsu's wife. She is secretly an otaku. In the TV drama, Miku has a daughter named Himawari (ひまわり).
Masa (雅)
Portrayed by: Kenichi Suzumura (promotional video),[8] Jun Shison (drama)[9]
An underling in Tatsu's former gang. He often unwittingly comes to assist Tatsu in his chores and errands.
Torajiro (虎二郎)
Portrayed by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (promotional video),[10] Kenichi Takitō (drama)[9]
A former yakuza boss. Tatsu dismantled his gang while he was in prison, and he now owns a food truck that sells crêpes.

Media

Manga

In Japan, The Way of the Househusband was initially published in the online manga magazine Kurage Bunch as a five chapter limited series, but became popular enough to be serialized as an ongoing series.[3] It has been collected into six tankōbon volumes by Shinchosha. In North America, Viz Media announced it had acquired the rights to publish an English-language translation of the series in February 2019, the first volume of which was published in September of that year.[11]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 August 8, 2018[12]978-4-10-772104-4September 17, 2019[13]978-1-9747-1389-9
2 December 7, 2018[14]978-4-10-772137-2January 21, 2020[15]978-1-9747-1044-7
3 June 8, 2019[16]978-4-10-772191-4May 19, 2020[17]978-1-9747-1346-2
4 December 9, 2019[18]978-4-10-772238-6September 15, 2020[19]978-1-9747-1767-5
5 June 9, 2020[20]978-4-10-772291-1——
6 November 9, 2020[21]978-4-10-772338-3——

Promotional videos
External video
Vol. 1 promotional video, YouTube
Vol. 2 promotional video, YouTube
Vol. 3 promotional video, YouTube
Vol. 4 promotional video, YouTube
Live action promotional video, YouTube
Vol. 5 promotional video, YouTube

Multiple motion comic videos have been produced to promote the release of the series' tankōbon volumes. The videos feature Kenjiro Tsuda as the voice of Tatsu, Kenichi Suzumura as the voice of Masa, and Yoshimasa Hosoya as the voice of Torajiro.[22][8][10]

In December 2019, a live-action promotional video adapting scenes from The Way of the Househusband was produced to commemorate the series reaching 1.2 million copies in print.[4] The video stars Tsuda reprising his role as Tatsu and Maaya Sakamoto as Miku, and is co-directed by Tsuda and Hayato Yazaki.[23]

Television drama

On July 8, 2020, Nippon TV announced that it would adapt The Way of the Househusband into a live-action television drama, which premiered in October 2020. The series stars Hiroshi Tamaki as Tatsu,[6] is produced by FINE Entertainment, and features Toichiro Ruto as director and Manabu Uda as screenplay writer.[24]

Anime

At the Netflix Anime Festival on October 26, 2020, an original net animation (ONA) anime series adaptation of The Way of the Househusband was announced. Slated to debut on the streaming service in 2021, the series will be produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Chiaki Kon, with Susumu Yamakawa handling the series' scripts. Kenjiro Tsuda will reprise his role as Tatsu from the manga promotional videos.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

The Way of the Househusband has been positively received by critics. Reviewing the first volume of the series for Polygon, writer Julia Lee called The Way of the Househusband "the perfect blend of comedy and action" and "a nice, silly pick-me-up manga."[25] Anime News Network gave the series 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "confident and expertly paced, with gorgeous artwork and perfect comic timing."[26] Conversely, Reuben Baron of Comic Book Resources summarized the series as having a "cute premise, but not one with a ton of variation," though he offered praise for the quality of its art.[3]

Sales

1.2 million copies of The Way of the Househusband are in print as of December 2019.[4] In Oricon's sales rankings, the first volume of The Way of the Househusband had sold 95,637 copies as of September 2018,[27] while the second volume had sold 143,051 copies as of January 2019.[28] The first volume of the English-language translation of the series placed sixteenth in Nielsen BookScan's best-selling graphic novels for adults in September 2019.[29]

Awards
Year Category Institution or publication ResultNotesRef.
2018 Best Overall Series Pixiv Comic Ranking Won [30]
2018 Best Comedy Series Pixiv Comic Ranking Won [30]
2018 Best Web Manga Series Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards Runner-up [31]
2018 Annual Ranking Web Manga General Election Ninth Place [32]
2018 Annual Ranking Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2018 Second Place [33]
2019 Best Series for Male Readers Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Eighth Place [34]
2020 Best Humor Publication Eisner Awards Won English-language translation by Viz Media [35]

References
  1. "Viz Media Announces New Manga Acquisitions Set to Debut This Fall". Viz Media via Anime News Network. February 15, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2020. THE WAY OF THE HOUSEHUSBAND is an action-packed comedy about a former yakuza legend trying to lead a law-abiding, domestic life as a househusband.
  2. "The Way of the Househusband". Viz Media. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  3. Baron, Reuben (14 September 2019). "REVIEW: The Way of the Househusband Vol. 1 is Cute, But One-Note". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  4. "「極主夫道」実写PV公開、津田健次郎主演＆監督で坂本真綾が妻の声を担当". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  5. Morrissy, Kim (October 26, 2020). "Way of the Househusband Manga Gets 2021 Anime Series Starring Kenjiro Tsuda". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. "玉木宏が「極主夫道」に主演、"元極道の専業主夫"に". Cinema Cafe (in Japanese). 8 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  7. ＜川口春奈＞「極主夫道」で玉木宏の妻に　「お出掛けしたり、お家シーン楽しみ」. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. "「極主夫道」2巻PVで元舎弟役に鈴村健一！津田健次郎演じる龍の洗濯技に感動". Comic Natalie. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  9. "Live-Action Way of the Househusband Show Casts Naoto Takenaka, Izumi Inamori". animenewsnetwork.com. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  10. "「極主夫道」新作PV公開、細谷佳正が元武闘派ヤクザのクレープ屋に". Comic Natalie. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  11. Ressler, Karen (14 February 2019). "Viz Licenses The Way of the Househusband, Cats of the Louvre, No Guns Life, Levius Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  12. "極主夫道　1巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  13. "The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  14. "極主夫道　2巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  15. "The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  16. "極主夫道　3巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  17. "The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  18. "極主夫道　4巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  19. "The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  20. "極主夫道　5巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  21. "極主夫道　6巻". Shinchosha (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  22. "「極主夫道」1巻発売で、おおのこうすけ＆津田健次郎の直筆サイン色紙当たる". Comic Natalie. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  23. Chapman, Paul (27 December 2019). "Ex-Yakuza Goes Super-Domestic in The Way of the Househusband PV". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  24. "玉木宏、元極道の主夫演じる『極主夫道』で日テレ系連ドラ初主演　「悩む事は何もありませんでした」". Real Sound (in Japanese). 8 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  25. Lee, Julia (18 September 2019). "The Way of the Househusband uses yakuza action to teach housekeeping skills". Polygon. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  26. Hopper, Faye; Silverman, Rebecca (29 October 2019). "Review: The Way of the Househusband". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  27. Ressler, Karen (12 September 2018). "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 3–9". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  28. Ressler, Karen (12 January 2019). "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 31-January 6". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  29. Mateo, Alex (17 October 2019). "My Hero Academia Ranks #2 on U.S. Monthly Bookscan September List". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  30. Loveridge, Lynzee (27 December 2018). "Yakuza House-Husband Manga Gokushufudo Wins Pixiv Comic Ranking 2018". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  31. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 23, 2018). "Raise wa Tanin ga Ii, Senpai ga Uzai Kōhai no Hanashi Take Top Prizes at Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  32. Loveridge, Lynzee (September 13, 2018). "Hifumi's Shijūshichi Taisen Manga Takes Top Prize in Web Manga General Election". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  33. Ressler, Karen (February 4, 2019). "Japan's Bookstore Employees Rank Top Manga of 2018". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  34. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 8, 2017). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Reveals 2018's Series Ranking for Male Readers". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  35. Grunenwald, Joe (24 July 2020). "SDCC '20: The 2020 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award winners". Comics Beat. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
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