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The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting
Episode 8

by Grant Jones,

How would you rate episode 8 of
The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting ?
Community score: 4.3

Episode 8 of The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting is a solid episode with plenty of wholesome moments to go around. It rounds out more of the supporting cast but still kept Kirishima and Yaeka close by. This was a winning setup for me and I found it enjoyable throughout.

The big focus this week was on Toichiro and Sanae. We get quite a few flashbacks to their younger days, back when he was still in the family and she was pregnant with their first child. We get to see not only what Toichiro was like when he was Sakuragi's right-hand man, but also Sakuragi and Yaeka's mother interacting more. It's a nice window into the past and I think it does a good job contrasting how things have changed in the intervening years.

Toichiro is a bit of a softy even before things go sideways, but we see just how much he cares for Sanae and what he really values in life. The big emotional gut punch was Toichiro realizing Sanae has been having panic attacks and trying to keep it from him to protect his feelings. The scene where they tearfully embraced was the high watermark of the episode for me personally, and it's great to see this tender moment of emotional vulnerability (even if it is in the context of organized crime). The make-up-cake teasing was the best comedy bit this week too.

And I think doing all that character exploration without sidelining Kirishima and Yaeka was a smart choice. They really are the heart of the show, so constantly relating the supporting cast back to them is a winning move in my book. Yaeka and Sara's interactions are fine, but I think I preferred the interactions Yaeka had with the little girl over the crayon being broken. It felt a lot more natural as opposed to the exaggerated mannerisms of Sara (not that kids aren't that expressive or excited, but sometimes her dialogue feels a bit odd in how direct it is). Of course, the ominous final line from Yaeka makes me tense about what's coming next, but this episode was a sweet return to form.

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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