Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting: You’re More Than The World Says You Are
Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting aired in July of 2022, it was developed by Studio Feel & Gaina. It was adapted from the manga form of the same name created by Tsukiya. This wholesome story follows a Yakuza brute named Kirishima. He has lived a life of violence for his Yakuza family often being called “The Demon of Sakuragi” because of his brutal approach to collecting debts or teaching lessons. However, he is forced to put his brutish tendencies aside when he is given the task by the family Boss to babysit his daughter Yaeka Sakuragi. Kirishima must learn to take a gentle approach and help raise the young lady.
Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting had me in tears. I have watched this show three times already and yet I cannot help myself but cry when I watch these heartfelt scenes. Now I enjoy a good tearjerker, but every damn time is a bit excessive dammit! I think what makes this show so impactful is that they captured Yaeka’s age and maturity based on her surroundings very well. This young girl struggles to express herself because of her family and the restrictions she has because her father is a Yakuza boss. It is very clear early on she doesn’t speak much because she hasn’t been around a normal family.
Kirishima is the antithesis of Yaeka. While Yaeka is gentle and sweet and holds her tongue, Kirishima does everything to the opposite degree. He’s overly aggressive, cocky, has a centralized attitude that while he does things for the family, he also does this for himself. Not always a bad thing but it becomes a problem when he sees violence as the only solution to an issue that could have been sorted with words. He’s a brute. So much so that he’s well known as “The Demon of Sakuragi.” Names like that aren’t just handed out in yakuza environments. He earned that title.
And suddenly watching him be forced to change his attitude and expression on life because he’s watching over Yaeka is almost therapeutic. They work phenomenally well together. Yaeka acts as a brake pedal to Kirishima’s more violent tendencies. It’s clear he can restrain himself he just chooses not to. But now that he’s constantly around Yaeka he needs to hold back. At risk of scaring or scarring her, Kirishima chooses to take a more cautious approach. He still does his job effectively when she’s not around but the more time they spend together the less aggression he seems to possess.
What this does is show how Yakuza, a found family, can mean more than one’s own goals and selfish desires. We’ve all been there, caring for someone who isn’t family in a way that feels like they are. This is one of the central themes of this show. Found Family. And it doesn’t just work for Kirishima. It also works for Yaeka.
Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting presents Yaeka in a rather stoic manner. She doesn’t often smile. Which makes sense, her mother is in hospital and her father is distant because of his line of work. She has her aunt sure but it’s not enough. Kirishima acts as that comfort. A father figure in place of her father that shows her the right way to do things. However, she is still a child. She’s only seven years old. And yet she has been confronted with many obstacles she just can’t climb over.
Kirishima becomes a stepping ladder for Yaeka to grow. She needs him to continue growing, he encourages her to do so. Doing things her father can’t, and she hasn’t had the chance to experience. These small things will build her to grow into a kind and gentle soul when she is older like Kirishima hopes. There is a conversational point between the two where Yaeka says she wants to grow up as kind as Kirishima. He puts this idea down stating that he isn’t a good person. She is confused and gets upset at him because she sees him as a good person whereas he doesn’t.
Often in life, we are confronted with how the world views us. People see only our flaws, our negative points. We are the products of the mistakes we made along the way. Nothing more nothing less. This mentality follows Kirishima like a ghost. It’s all he knows. But just like Kirishima is a stepladder, Yaeka is an umbrella. Her view of Kirishima sees him is the product of his mistakes. To her, he is more than just a bodyguard or a babysitter. He is a friend who helps her understand and navigate the strange world she lives in.
It’s very clear she does her best to help him understand he is more than his flaws. And over time he learns that lesson. He understands the purity of a child can see the truth. There is no prejudice. It’s pure awe and admiration a child can give. They aren’t tainted by the ugliness of the world. Instead, they push it aside to see the real behind the hidden. Kids are scary in that sense. They see the truth. No matter how much you hide it. Raw admiration will triumph any negativity that life can throw at you.
I remember crying and hearing Kirishima talk to Yaeka about how much her mother was fighting to see her again, even when Yaeka denied the woman in the hospital was her mother. Yaeka is shown by Kirishima just how much her mom loves her. And she understands it now. No words her father or aunt could have said would get through to her. But he understands how to talk to her. How to help her see. They were made for each other. A full father figure that will protect her with his life. And a young surrogate daughter who will shield him from the lies of reality.
Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting will make you cry, it’s not a shonen. It’s a slice of life. A beautiful one at that. If you doubt what you do is good enough or makes a difference watch this show. If you feel the world hates you, watch this show. Because Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting will make sure you know just how wanted and loved you really are.