The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting

Episode 11

The eleventh episode of The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting delivers another half and half entry this week. The first half is sweet and heartfelt (for the most part), while the second half is heavy and drama-laden (for the most part). But it all comes together in a nice conclusion, providing relief for myself and I'm sure many others.

Kirishima does not go full beast mode, at least not yet. The head of the Sakuragi family arrives to keep him from completely tipping over the edge, and that gives him time to reflect and go visit Yaeka. It's delightful to see—these are the treasured moments that make the show after all. Yaeka and Kirishima have forged a meaningful bond, and through that bond many in their orbit have also become closer and more entwined in one another's lives.

But Kirishima couldn't completely let go of who he used to be. Old habits die hard, and that leads us to perhaps the most interesting and perplexing sequence of the episode. He comes face to face with the villain and puts a bullet in his head… only not. It was merely a projection of what he wanted to do, but he ultimately could not bring himself to take that action and forsake his role as Yaeka's caretaker. That is further solidified when Kirishima and Yaeka are reunited and Yaeka tells him he cannot just run away from home. He isn't both an enforcer and a caretaker—he is her caretaker fully and completely. It's a special moment.

If there's one negative for the episode, it's that there is not much setup for what happens next week. Despite the increasing tension with the villain threatening Yaeka, we don't have a lot to go on for what comes next other than “Something villainous I bet!” That seems an odd choice heading into the season finale, but the emotional core was there so it's a wash.

Rating: