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The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting
Episode 12

by Grant Jones,

How would you rate episode 12 of
The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting ?
Community score: 4.5

A wholesome ending to a wholesome show, but not without its faults. The episode encapsulates so much of what The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting gets so consistently right - and wrong.

The tender human moments are as enjoyable as ever. We get to see a lot of reflection on Kirishima's past and present connections in a number of mild, slice of life moments. Maybe it's picking out new shades with an old mentor. Maybe it's remembering the time Yaeka fell asleep on his leg as a baby. Or maybe it's simply seeing Yaeka 's face light up when Kirishima picks her up from school. Each and every one of these heartfelt moments feels sweet without being too saccharine, and earned without necessarily relying on too much setup. It's hard not to feel a deep connection to the cast, large and small characters alike.

The heavier emotional moments hit hard as well. The reflections on Kirishima's father and mother arise rather abruptly but manage to work quite well. The through-line of the flowers connecting with honoring motherhood helps tie Yaeka and Kirishima's tragedy together, and the reflections on Kirishima's own loss of his parents helps reinforce the investment he has in Yaeka's well-being. Yaeka in her own way is stepping up emotionally too, dedicating herself to her friends and her mother despite her prior fears. They've done a lot of growing as people this season.

The only part that feels a bit off about this final episode is the sense that there was not much resolution or revelation regarding the brooding villain. We've gotten fleeting glimpses of the conflict to come, but I was expecting a bit more of a climax this episode than what we got. A brief shot of the villain and a single throaway line feels... kind of like a let down. I almost wish the sub-plot had not been introduced at all, and all tension had been left as a cliffhanger for the next season. As it stands, it seems like a half-baked approach - I would have liked to get more of this sub-plot to make it more robust, or simply have excised it altogether and gotten more wholesome moments.

Nevertheless, a great season and hopefully a start to much more to come.

Rating:


Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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