#give rei and kazuki their daughter back

[bisexualmultifandommess]

Listen, Miri’s mum can actually do one I can’t stand her

I want Miri back with Kazuki and Rei because they might be assassins but they love that little girl so much and have shown her more compassion and care than anyone

[denkies]

I know that thematically speaking, Miri is going to go back to Rei and Kazuki. The point of the entire show is found family. But episode 10 SHATTERED my heart into a million pieces and I started crying.

And this is more incentive for Rei to kill his dad. This man is the reason why Miri had to leave, he basically took their daughter from them. Neither Kazuki or Rei are going to just roll over and let that happen. Maybe Rei would have, before Miri, but she changed him. He's going to have the strength to stand up to his dad, because to be loved is to be changed.

[bsd-elle]

Thoughts on Buddy Daddies Episode 9

I have so many thoughts about this episode and it all stems from P.A works' fantastic SUBTLE writing choices.

This episode, on paper, sounds like a pretty cliche sports day episode, but they somehow managed to show us the character progression and the relationship progression between the characters.

The biggest progress we can blatantly see is Rei taking an effort to help Kazuki more.

And we can see that Kazuki reacts accordingly.

Kazuki is surprised by this development, and voices his concern.

Rei was genuinely impacted by the events in episode 7, realizing that he was pretty 'useless' when it came to raising Miri, and has taken the initiative to give a helping hand.

And what I love about that is, we know that Rei had absolutely no clue how to work a microwave or any basic cooking, so for him to automatically suggest and start making onigiri shows that either he had previously asked Kazuki how to make simple items, or two, he was more observant when Kazuki was cooking, because he wanted to be able to do more, do anything to make his little girl smile.

And it's so wonderful to see them actually bring up this plot point and continue it, rather than letting it be a one-off plot point.

They pick up on his interest to be more involved and we see him actually trying.

Knowing the unfortunate circumstances of his childhood, it's not that Rei doesn't want to help out or get into Miri's activities, but rather that he simply doesn't KNOW what to do. Doesn't know what's right.

His hesitance throughout the Episode is evidence of that, his hesitance to give Miri his riceballs.

He genuinely looks so sad, feeling like he can't compete with Kazuki's sheer talent with cooking.

His hesitance to even cheer for Miri.

Growing up in a family full of espionage and assassination, quietness and taking up little to no space must've been embedded into his system, into his psyche, and the fact that he's actively trying to be loud, to draw attention to himself, just shows the effort he's putting into taking care and raising Miri, something his father never attempted to try.

And both Kazuki and Miri appreciate his efforts.

They understand that he's trying and are so enthusiastic and receptive to his attempts.

Which is why he takes it to heart that Miri fell down because he was 'loud'.

I think, in that moment, he thought that he failed, that failure is never acceptable.

But, that final reassurance from Miri (in the cutest way possible), that he didn't fail, he didn't do anything wrong, and Miri considers them all to be a family, something he never had, something he's never known, that's all he needed to realize that, yes, maybe he'll fail, but at the end of the day, Miri is happy, and there's nothing else that matters.

The other one I wanted to talk about, which is definitely more subtle, but the progression of Kazuki and Rei's relationship is truly so beautiful.

Kazuki treasures the help Rei attempts and supports him in every way possible.

When Rei said that he wanted to make riceballs and was worried if Miri would like it, Kazuki instantly reassures him that Miri would love it.

In fact, he proudly proclaims to Miri that Rei would be making onigiri. And I'm sure that if he hadn't, there might be a chance that Miri wouldn't have been able to eat it, while Rei was clouded by his doubt.

When Miri says that she likes the onigiri and she thanks Rei, Kazuki immediately tells him, "hey, you did good, look our daughter agrees too. You're doing good and trying, and we both see that".

When Rei is drowning in his self-loathing about potentially causing Miri to lose the gold medal, Kazuki tries to reassure him and tell him that he didn't do anything wrong.

Finally, when they're walking back, Kazuki tells him that he's proud of him, that he worked hard, and you can tell that Rei really appreciated that, to know that his efforts were being accepted.

And that's why their relationship grows in such an organic manner, Rei puts in the effort, tries his best to help out to the best of his abilities, and Kazuki reassures him, let's him know about things that he would have no idea about, and vocally supports him.

And Miri, my sweet angel, with her bright personality and even brighter smile, constantly comforts both Kazuki and Rei, that she's happy, that they ARE a family.

The reason they are a family is because each one of them helps each other, is an equal part in the group.

And at the end of the day, they're just all trying their best, taking one step at a time, while the others, cheer them on.

(And this picture is the perfect symbolism of that sentiment, Rei awkwardly trying his best to smile, and Kazuki physically trying to bring him closer into the picture).

[lilyginnyblackv2]

What are Kazuki and Rei’s Options? - Buddy Daddies - Episode 10 - SPOILERS!

In Japan, same-sex couples cannot adopt children:

Text:  Adoption and parenting Same-sex couples are not allowed to legally adopt in Japan. Lesbian couples and single women are unable to access IVF and artificial insemination.

(From the Wikipedia page on LGBT rights in Japan, which will be linked in the comments.)

However, fostering children is currently an option for same-sex couples:

Now, in another sign of increasing acceptance of the LGBT+ community, it’s come to light that the city of Osaka has awarded foster care of a child to a same-sex male couple. While city administrators confirmed the couple’s foster parent status on April 5, 2017, the pair, consisting of one man in his 30s and another in his 40s, were approved as foster parents back in December of last year. Foster parent certification falls under the jurisdiction of local authorities, but Japan’s central Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare says that it has no previous record of a same-sex couple being awarded foster parent status, so the decision by Osaka appears to be the first of its kind in Japan. The Ministry also confirmed that its guidelines regarding foster parent selection make no specifications barring or giving preferential treatment to same-sex couples.

(Source: All About Japan - “Same-Sex Couples Can Now Be Foster Parents,” full article will be linked below in the comments.)

This is basically what we see Kazuki and Rei do, as of right now, with Miri. They foster her for a year, and she has returned back to her birth mother.

Now, what will happen next is unknown. There are options like Miri never returning to them/staying with her mom, one or both of them dying, etc. etc., but we aren’t going to be looking at those possibilities right now. Let’s look at ones where Miri is a part of their lives.

If they want Miri back in their lives then Kazuki and Rei will have to take care of the Organization and their connection to it, and then find alternative jobs to support themselves. Buddy Daddies takes place in modern day Japan, that is the setting, and they are treating the situations as functioning within the framework of what can and cannot be done in modern day Japan, in regards to childrearing, childcare, and so forth.

Unless they go the route of having Kazuki forge paperwork to be her birth father, since they look very similar:

Of course, this option would be a bit more convoluted. He couldn’t take on Miri’s birth father’s actual identity because he was a mafia boss and is currently, very much so, dead. But, they might be able to change it so that Miri would be Kazuki’s daughter. Then, Kazuki and Rei would be able to raise her, since she would be Kazuki’s birth child. 

But, unless Misaki were to pass away due to her cancer (which is a possibility, especially since she mentioned that it was spreading), the end result would still be a blended family situation:

Because even if Misaki had given Miri up for adoption or had abandoned her, the birth mother is still the legal guardian of their child. Unless the birth mother dies or goes completely MIA or the child isn’t put into the system at all (essentially just living on the streets), then there isn’t a way, in current Japanese society, for a birth mother to be completely divorced from their child.

That being said, blended families do exist in Japan, especially in the modern day when divorce, remarrying, and same-sex relationships being recognized are all becoming more common place. But, we rarely see blended families being portrayed in anime (specifically, I’m sure there is some exploration of this found in manga), and certainly not at a central level of any kind (like with what we have been seeing with Buddy Daddies and how it has been centralizing its focus on childcare and childrearing).

An blended family ending would still be just as queer and progressive as before. This sort of family dynamic would exist outside of the norm, and outside of the nuclear family expectation. The framing has been interesting too, because Miri’s mother is the one that essentially has to prove herself to both Kazuki and Rei and to Miri. She was brought back into the picture because it was the safer option for Miri at this moment, not just because she is Miri’s birth mother.

So I feel like, if a blended family situation does end up happening in the end, they won’t approach it in quite that way. Though, I also think that would be a point of contention at times (especially between Misaki and Kazuki) that wouldn’t be that uncommon for a blended family situation. Navigating issues like that is very common, I see my friends who are step-mothers and step-fathers have to navigate those waters often. If it were depicted in anime, even if it were for a brief bit (or in more depth if there were a second season and this is the route the series ultimately goes down), then that would be pretty neat.

Something else to note is that when Misaki states: “If you consider yourselves her parents as well,” she uses the word “parents,” 親 (oya), not guardians, 保護者 (hogosha) or other similar/related words. 保護者 (hogosha) does mean parent, but in a more inclusive way that is also referencing legal guardians as well. But she is acknowledging them as parents, the same as her.

Of course, there are some who are weary and skeptical of the integrity of Misaki. I think she is talking honestly and sincerely here, along with the rest of the episode, but if she’s not, then what will happen to Miri is that she will likely go to live with her grandparents or, like I mentioned before, the series goes a bit more of a convoluted and complex route with making Kazuki’s Miri’s “birth” father through forgery and the like. Or, they break the more realistic boundaries they’ve been working within so far, and make it so that Kazuki and Rei can just magically adopt Miri, but given the “realistic” mentions in a lot of the interviews with Uchiyama and Toyonaga, I don’t think that is likely.

If the series does go the route of having Miri go to live with her grandparents or mother and Kazuki and Rei aren’t brought into the family in a blended family way, but more so kept out (maybe with only the occasional visit or something). Then another possibility, especially if they do end up leaving the Oraganization and kind of “starting over” with new jobs and the like, is them becoming foster parents in general. 

Miri would be the first and the most precious one to them, but then they find a “normal happiness” with each other and become foster parents to other kids in the future. It would be a nice way to really show them changing right, in the sense of, instead of taking human lives, they would be caring for and fostering children - the future, and hopefully helping them turn out to be good people. That’s always a possibility, especially if there is some kind of large time skip in the last episode. 

Of course, the series could instead go in the direction of criticizing the cruelty that same-sex couples cannot adopt and therefore are basically only left with the option of fostering, unless they have a blood-related child through natural means of birth. That is always a possibility as well, and is something that I feel they do kind of hit on a bit in Episode 10, especially with Rei’s line here:

(Rei: “To say that after we’re all attached...it’s cruel.”)

But yeah, thinking about it, when it comes to positive outcomes, in the sense of Kazuki, Rei, and Miri living and Kazuki and Rei being able to escape the Organization, then I think the ending options are going to be one of the above. Everything in this post is pure speculation, since the series is anime original, we don’t know for sure what direction it will ultimately go in.

But these options here are the ones sticking out the most to me at the moment (once again, if we only look at potentially happy endings, rather than any potential overly tragic/bad end ones). It’s also possible that they may be critical of something (like with Rei’s words on the cruelty of it all), while also still painting an option, like Kazuki and Rei deciding to become foster parents, as something that is still an overall good and positive change for them, specifically. 

I like there is a potential messiness to the situation and overall premise that is presented in Buddy Daddies, because it makes it feel like the series is properly exploring the realities of the situation and the options that are open and available to Kazuki and Rei. It’s bleak in some ways, hopeful in others, and I am intrigued by what direction they will ultimately go in.

As always, feel free to add your thoughts to this as well! :D I always love reading them! <3

[dk-wren]

Saw Lily's newest BD art and had a cuteness overload. I couldn't resist writing something, but only had about an hour to throw it together. Anyways, I needed a break between all my coursework to finally work on a (quick) fic again. I hope you enjoy!

New Friend - inspired by Lily_20210401's art and this post from @/grelleswife.

“Oi, Miri, look over there,” Kazuki whispers into Miri’s ear, bending down to her height as she holds onto Papa Rei’s hand.

“Where, Papa?”

“A little further up the path,” Kazuki points ahead. Unable to hear what Kazuki said, but curious, Rei focuses his attention in the general direction his husband’s pointing at.

Whining a little bit, Miri whispers back, “Papa Kazu, I don’t see anything. Show me again!”

Chuckling, Kazuki stands back up and tells Miri, “Hold on, I think if we’re quiet enough and slow enough we won’t scare them off.”

Finding what Kazuki was trying to bring to Miri’s attention, Rei plays along, adding, “We’ll have to use our tippy toes to not to be caught by anything lurking in this park. You think you can do that, Miri?”

Miri shakes her head and raises herself slightly onto her tippy toes, looking between Rei and Kazuki for her next mission directions. Kazuki raises a finger to his lip and quietly starts to move forward, with Rei and Miri following close behind.

As they slowly walk down the park’s pathway, Miri cranes her neck to look ahead at what Kazuki was trying to bring to her attention. Soon enough, she lets out a little gasp that can be heard throughout the empty park. In an excited whisper, Miri announces, “Papa Kazu! Papa Rei! Bunny!”

A smile breaks across Rei’s face while Kazuki leans in once more. “Looks like somebunny wanted to greet you on our morning walk.”

With a giant grin breaking across her face, Miri inches closer to the bunny. The bunny has a brown coat and grayish ears, standing up in attention, likely to detect if the three humans approaching are a threat or not. The smaller size of the bunny suggests it may still be a baby, causing Miri, Kazuki, and Rei to be extra careful as they approach.

Kazuki and Rei walk closer to the bunny than Miri, knowing how to keep their footsteps quiet, light, and most importantly, non-threatening. Not wanting to scare away the bunny, Miri peaks around Rei’s leg for an even closer look.

As the bunny begins to move its head back and forth, looking at the crowd gathered before them, Miri gives a little wave as the bunny’s gaze seems to land on her.

“Oh, Miri, I think it recognizes another of its kind,” Kazuki teases, looking between the bunny and his daughter, who’s wearing a purple, fluffy poncho.

Rei uses one hand to bring Miri’s hood up so the bunny ears attached to the hood of her poncho became visible to the real bunny. “There you go. Now there’s no doubt you two will become friends.”

After a few minutes of the trio looking at the bunny, with only the sounds of nature and the occasional passing car breaking their silence, Miri asks, “Can we keep her?”

With a fake exasperation, Kazuki reminds Miri, “You want a pet bunny? Miri, we have two cats at home. Besides, I don’t know how well they’d get along with a bunny, considering they like to scratch all our furniture and think everything is a toy.”

Miri pouts a little while looking back down at the bunny, who is slowly making its way to the edge of the path. Lowering himself, Rei tries to make Miri understand in a different way why they cannot take home this bunny. “Miri, we can’t take this bunny because it might have a family waiting for her back in their den. We wouldn’t want to take this bunny away from her family to be with ours, right?”

“No…” Miri replies.

“Maybe in the future, we can have a pet bunny at home. But for now, let’s leave her to be and hope we cross paths again soon,” Rei suggests as the bunny disappears into the bushes.

Watching the bunny go, Miri nods her head. Rei gives Miri a quick kiss on the cheek to comfort her before rising back up and taking her hand again. Doing the same thing, Kazuki walks over to take Miri’s other hand as they resume their morning walk through the park. 

As they exit the park and turn towards home, there’s a new spring in Miri’s step. Kazuki and Rei notice this, but don’t question her in case it will cause her to feel down again. However, a few steps later, they get an answer as Miri announces, “Until we can get a pet bunny, I can pretend to be one. So you’ll have to feed me and brush my hair and give me a warm place to sleep.”

Unable to contain his laughter, Kazuki insists, “Miri, we do all those things for you…as our daughter. You don’t need to pretend to be a bunny for us to do that. But, if it means you’ll eat your carrots and veggies-”

“No! No veggies,” Miri interrupts.

Rei’s quiet chuckles join in now as Miri lets go of her papas’ hands and runs ahead a little bit to practice hopping like a bunny all the way back to their home.

[mixedup-sideblog]

Let’s talk about this scene…

I’ve seen some really unfair takes on this so far and I can only conclude it’s because some people either want completely flawless characters or cannot use a little bit of critical thinking…

First the one thing we should all agree on - this is not ok, this is misogynistic, this is unsympathetic and this is unfair.

However, it is also realistic, there are a few reasons for this:

1. His Trauma

It’s absolutely not a coincidence that we learn Kazuki never knew/met his own parents before we see this scene, it’s also not a coincidence that we know from previous episodes that he was almost a father but that horrifically his pregnant wife and unborn child were k*lled before he had the chance to even get a flavour of what it felt like to have a family.

He is being faced with a woman who has a living child, who has had the chance at family he has never been able to have and she’s rejecting it. Now I’m not saying it’s right but it’s understandable that his anger pours out here, he has these unrealistic ideals thoughts about motherhood/parenthood because he hasn’t lived them but he has so so desperately wanted to, has had that taken away from him and of course it really f*ckin hurts. Yes he disregards her reasoning, yes he’s never been a woman but if you think this traumatised man with absolutely no baseline for family values is going to say the exact right thing (or not the completely wrong thing) in a heightened emotional confrontation about family then you need to have a re-think, this was never going to be a pleasant healing encounter.

2. Miri

Something people also seem to be forgetting, he’s there to return her daughter. The little girl he is already besotted with/devoted to, the little girl he doesn’t want to give back (set up nicely in the episode by Rei repeatedly calling him a lousy liar). He’s faced with her mother saying she always wanted to hit her, no matter who you are do not tell me in the heat of the moment you wouldn’t be getting up and yelling about how they should be a better parent, his reaction is defensive, his words are lofty and that line is unfair but his empathy in the moment is not for this stranger who’s saying she wants to hit her (his) daughter, it’s for Miri, the little girl he fed breakfast and chanted ‘bananya’ with in the kitchen that morning.

I think Miri’s mother is written in a way that we are supposed to feel some empathy for her, and I do 100%, but I also think that empathy needs to be extended to Kazuki’s character here too. At the end of the day these are two flawed and deeply traumatised characters having an argument - what comes out of their mouths isn’t always going to be pretty.

This turned out way longer than I thought it would but I needed to get it off my chest! Yes it’s a bad take, but it hasn’t come from nothing. I think it’s likely a bit of a set up so we can see him move from these kind of ideals to a more realistic outlook.

[lady-charinette]

Convince me to watch Buddy Daddies, if you please?

*sips tea*

I will make a powerpoint presentation if this very biased, very comprehensive list still doesnt convince you.

Reasons to watch Buddy Daddies:

the songs are catchy (listen to SHOCK by Ayase, you'll be dancing in your living room or crawling on the walls)

its a hitmen trying to parent action rom(?)-com with very relatable fresh parent moments, yakuza domestic violence scenes and a short if on the nose critique on Japan's bogus complicated paperwork process while Kazuki and Rei try to enroll Miri into daycare and forging getting all the neccessary documents and forms together

features a motherly, overzealous best friend with past trauma-coded hitman Kazuki, who's more the 'brains' aka strategist of a hitmen duo together with deadpan, possessed-by-a-cat-spiritiually hikikomori who knows his way better around a gun or 100 than he does in a grocery store Rei.

the best assassin ever doesn't know how to cook for shit, his signature dish is french toast

the mothers of the other kids Miri plays with at daycare oggle Rei and Kazuki (understandable since they're two hot single dads ahem)

there's a mom group chat where the chat explodes with messages like "OIL BARON?! I KNEW THEY SMELLED OF OLD MONEY!", "they r hot :D" & rumors about the family situation in general

the jokes/compliments the mom's give to Rei "he's very cool! he has that hitman aura!"

Miri's biological dad gets killed during a deadly altercation with Kazuki and Rei in a shootout, her only other biological relative is her mom, who abandoned Miri in order to pursue a singing career with an abusive boyfriend but is trying to get around & wants Miri back

Kazuki is a deadly housewife

central themes: family relations, blood doesn't mean shit, the horrendous struggles of raising a kid with 0 knowledge of how to raise kids, sacrifice, implied stigma of two men raising a child alone + stigma against single mothers, generational trauma & overcoming trauma as adults, sometimes the only light at the end of the tunnel is your completely platonic co-worker who offers to cut your hair, a warm bath and gets your life together so you don't die alone

Rei has an undercut

Miri is the cutest ball of energy and sass that only a small child possesses

some boy has a crush on Miri but gets the Death StareTM by her two overprotective Papas

the tough, cutthroat life of a kindergartener

the overlapping themes of how important family is & how biological family can have the types of people in your life you absolutely want and have to cut off in order to be healthy, adjusted adult

love being the driving force to overcome obstacles, grief being the love with nowhere to go and the suffocating emptiness being replaced by a mismatched found family of two assassins and an orphan toddler who cook together and win races together

the food looks good

how grief and generational/familial trauma can cripple people in different ways and how traumatized people can heal together and become each-other's strength

alcohol is not the answer kids (oh and killing too)

the concept of motherhood: Ep 3. feat. Kazuki's sexist comment about mothers that are incapable of hating their own children. Misaki (Miri's mom) resents her daughter for destroying her dreams, Kazuki says that raising a kid is supposed to come naturally to a mother. He changes his tune later when he sees how difficult it is raising Miri & how Misaki genuinely tried until she was disappointed and traumatized by her own life & the arrival of an unwanted child.

the concept of fatherhood as introduced by Miri: "A papa is someone who will save you from trouble!". Whereas the fathers through the rest of the cast can be either described as "tormenters", "absent" or "sir"s.

good character building for almost all the characters

Bad Guy Ogino gets killed in a very poetic way, *mwah*

speaking of: creepy assassin Ogino keeps a notebook of people he's killed & what their last words were. Basically the teenage girl journaling experience but for deranged assassins

all in all you'll fall in love with the characters and laugh and cry until you dehydrate yourself

Send me another ask if you end up watching it & tell me what you think! :D

[qurolo]

Ok HEAR ME OUT

Someone set these two families to just hang out with each other PLEASE

Like, Kazuki hanging w/ Loid

Similar vibes w confidence

Murder murder but <3 anyway

Both would totally have the thought process of “there’s something up with him but I can’t quite put my finger on it” both with a really good front and smile whilst doing some death note 4D mind chess into each other’s psyche(albeit Kazuki probably isn’t as serious as Loid but we love him for that)

COOKING FOR DAUGHTER!!

Rei with Yor

Honestly, Yor’s so sweet and patient and Rei is quiet so oui oui

They’d both probably know that they’re both assassins SOMEHOW- Idk how given Yor’s obliviousness to Loid (then again not like he’s not concealing it rlly rlly well) but since you know, similar fields

God awful at cooking for their respective daughters but try pretty damn hard, would be nice to have cooking lessons together

Yes.

And Anya with Miri of course

CHILDREN BEING CHILDREN AND IDK CUTE

Anya would totally read Miri’s dads’ minds and go “WOAH OK BUDDY MORE FUNKY ASSASSIN BUDDIES” Miri’s just like me :DD

Miri would totally just drag Anya w her everywhere no matter what

Doggy-horse adventures of two

BOOM

I rest my case

THEYRE SO FUN!

And yes, I did try to draw them earlier but honestly I give up

It’s this forever WIP from a while back if anyone was curious

Ok thanks for reading bye

[fourstrandsofrope]

I just had a thought:

Some people in the Buddy Daddies tag are worried about what episode 10′s events mean for the message of the show.

The show's message appears to be about the value of found family. But in this episode, Kazuki and Rei give up Miri to Misaki. So, does the show think that biological family is better after all?

Believe it or not, I actually think Kazuki and Rei’s decision to give up Miri REINFORCES the found family message, rather than invalidating it.

My reasoning is like this: there’s a saying, “If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was.”

Kazuki and Rei decide to give up Miri, but they do so BECAUSE they love her, and they would rather she be with Misaki than be in danger.

How does this relate to found family vs biological family?

Because the found family is the one willing to let their daughter go out of love, while the biological family wants to undo her abandonment and have her daughter back.

And the key is, Miri will eventually have to make a decision between her mother and her two fathers. And she’ll realize that by being willing to place her safety above their own happiness, it’s her two fathers, her found family, who actually love her more.

And then she’ll find her way back to them.

It’s like the Judgment of Solomon story, where Solomon has to decide which of two women is the actual mother of a baby, and the real mother turns out to be the woman who would rather give the baby up than see her child be harmed.

The show does believe found family is important, but it HAD to have Kazuki and Rei make this self-sacrificing decision, as a “demonstration to Miri that they love her more than Misaki”, and that demonstration is why Miri will eventually find her way back to them.

At least, that’s my personal conjecture.

[theunfairmaiden]

They're wrapped around her finger.

I love how every time Miri offers to share her food, Kazuki gets super emotional because she's so kind and such a great kid.

Without hesitation he always takes her up on her offer - even when she's offering him dumplings made of sand. Anything to make her happy.

In this episode we see Rei really become more expressive with his emotions. He smiles so naturally in this episode, in spite of the circumstances, because he's happy and wants to enjoy his time with his daughter - with his family - and have no regrets about their time together.

When Miri offers him a bite after Kazuki has already taken one we see him hesitate.

But when he sees her smiling face he can't help but to give in. He loves her so much and takes the bite (INDIRECT KISS INDIRECT KISS) and smiles at her following.

I know that with a target on their backs Miri's safest option is with Misaki right now. But I'm still heartbroken and am holding out hope that they will destroy the organization and get Miri back.

I never would have guessed when I started this show that I'd grow so attached to this found family in such a short period of time. I thought I was starting a fun little comedy and here I am 2 days later still heartbroken and so fucking sad about episode 10. These men deserve happiness and I want so badly for their happiness to be together as a family with Miri. I know all of the fluff episodes are gone for this season (assuming they pick up another season which god, I hope they do) but I don't want to believe that we'd get 9 episodes of (mostly) lighthearted content for it to end on such a low note.

I have like 18 more drafts about this episode alone so lol I could go on and on.

[rachi-roo]

-----------------{ }------------------

Buddies Daddies: Play your cards right

Hi ho, peepo! This is the first tiggle fic I've written in quite some time, forgive me if I'm a little rusty dusty with my wording or if it's too long XD

Tw: Tiggles

Summary: TK fic. Switch roles.

Miri and her two fathers are trying to enjoy a game on a rainy day but Rei's lack of smiling needs to be fixed!

-----------------{ }------------------

Saturday came once again for the oddly bound family of three. Two hit-men and their adopted daughter.

Today was special, special because there was nothing special. Kazuki and Rei had no jobs scheduled and of course, Miri didn't have any preschool to attend. Unfortunately, on this day they all had spare, it was pouring rain outside, so that ruled out any chances of visiting the park or even going for a walk. Stuck inside together, all day.

But that was okay! There were plenty of activities to keep all three occupied.

"Papa! Papaaa!" Rather, whatever interesting-looking item little Miri found that might get them to play with her.

"Papaaaaa!" The excited young girl rushed to find her fathers, clutching a small box to her chest. The two men sat in the lounge, the blonde sat at the dining table, using his free time to check up on various parenting techniques online while the other sat staring vacantly at his video game on the couch.

"Look! Look!" The girl batted at Kazukis leg with the box she had found, wanting him to take it.

"Hey, what you got there? Huh. Uno? I haven't seen this in a long time." He chuckled, turning the box over, and reading its contents with a smile. "It's a game? Right?" Miri queried, pulling herself up onto Kazukis lap.

He petted her hair, opened the box, and showed her some of the colorful cards. "Yep. It might be a bit complicated for someone your age-"

"I wanna play! I'm big! I can play it!" The child puffed her cheeks in protest, looks like they didn't have a choice. The blonde sighed with a chuckle, closing his laptop.

"Okaaay, maybe papa Rei wants to play too." He chuckled, smirking at his roommate, who returned an un-amused glare before shaking his head in protest.

<Ten minutes later>

"BINGO!" Miri cheered, slapping down a blue seven on top of a green two. Rei gave an exasperated sigh, this kid was un-teachable.

The blonde chuckled, sitting beside the hopeless child on the floor whilst Rei refused to give up his spot on the couch. Despite the fun game the three were playing together, he was still wearing his signature 'resting bitch face'. Miri wasn't having it today.

She held up a skip-go card in her tiny hand, waving it at Rei angrily. "No more grumpy! You're banned from grumpy!"

"That's not how that works." He deadpanned, looking at Kazuki as he laughed. "Sure it is! C'mon, just give us a cheeky grin, papa Rei~" The teasing wasn't going to work, Rei just glared harder, he always hated when they made fun of his lack of smiling, it ruined his cool bad-ass aesthetic.

Miri grew more irritated, thumping her hands on the table, and scattering the cards slightly. "I want papa Rei to smile! Papa Kazukiiiii!" Kazuki looked between the two before smirking at Rei. "I think I know what to do."

Rei instantly knew what Kazuki was thinking, this was a technique that had been used on him only a few times before. An evil torture method. Quickly shifting his weight as Kazuki pounced upon him, Rei managed to pin the blonde on his back with ease. His arms were trapped by his sides as the cool-tempered assassin straddled his waist, trapping him on the couch cushions.

He struggled underneath his partner, huffing as he realised he was stuck good. "Damn it! I thought cold-blooded guys had slower reflexes."

"Very funny." A set of nimble fingers appeared from nowhere, wriggling into the stuck man's ribs through his thin shirt. The feeling made Kazuki gasp and buck his hips suddenly, letting out a strained squeak.

"Wahait! Wait wait wait! Rehehei!" His begging fell upon deaf ears as his attacker casually poked and squeezed up and down each rib.

"Stahap! Rei! Rh- C'mon!" Kazuki tugged and twisted his arms, finally managing to pull one free, an uno reverse card gripped between his thumb and finger. "Ha! Reverse card bozo!" He grinned, grabbing Rei's hoodie collar and throwing him onto the floor with a thud.

"Oh no you don't!" Rei tussled with Kazuki, grabbing his wrists, and wrestling for dominance against the oncoming tickle attack. Miri cheered Kazuki on, clapping excitedly as she jumped on the spot.

"Get him papa! Make papa Rei smile!"

"I'm trying! He's too squirmy! Move ya arms darn it!" For a split second, Rei's arms out of the way, that second was all Kazuki needed. He stuck his hands up under his victim's arms, instantly getting locked in as Rei clamped down, his cheeks puffed up as he held onto his breath. Tensing up as he tried to activate the 'I'm not ticklish' thing before it was too late.

Kazuki grinned, he had the guy right where he wanted him. "Awww, giving me the silent treatment now? Can't hold your breath forever buddy boy~" Kazuki chuckled, trying to wriggle his fingers in their snare.

Rei shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, his cheeks turning a rosey pink as the tantalising teasing got to him. He wasn't going to break. Not now. Not ever-!

"Aaaalrighty then, you've given me no choice!" Kazuki exclaimed, sucking as much air into his lungs as possible before burying his face into the crook of the dark-haired man's neck, unleashing an earth-shaking raspberry onto his vulnerable skin.

Rei's eyes shot open in shock. The gates were open and there was no going back. His head flung back, mouth agape as loud boyish laughter filled the atmosphere. Along with it came a smile. Bright and precious.

"Stahahap! Kaz! Kahahaz! G-Get the f-"

"Ah ta ta ta! No swearing in front of little Miri." Kazuki scolded, finally able to free his hands and attack Rei's unsuspecting tummy, shaking his digits into the toned abs.

"This isn't f-AHAHAIR!" His legs flailed behind Kazuki, pushing and dragging along the floor in desperate attempts to buck the blonde off. It was no use. Once the laughter started, all his strength seemed to be sapped away with each breath. No matter how much of a grip he had on Kazukis wrists, he couldn't budge them. The fuzzy sensation in his belly was his krypnonite.

"Yaaaay! Papa Rei's smile is so big!" Miri giggled as she perched on the tabletop, looking down at her flustered father's fight for freedom.

"Isn't it? He's a little sweetheart really. And now you know how to make papa Rei smile whenever you want!" Kazuki chuckled, blowing another raspberry on the poor man's neck as he desperately pushed on Kazukis shoulders.

"Stahap! Gehet offa' me! Ahaha!" This evil torture continued for only a couple minutes, which seemed like ours for Rei, when Kazuki finally let up. Looking down at his flustered, tired-out friend with a cheery grin.

A set of small hands patted Rei's dark hair as he panted, looking up to see Miri standing by his side, giggling. At least she was happy.

Rei gave one last, brief, smile at her before it faded and he turned his attention to beating Kazuki with a cushion. He hadn't been tickled like that in quite some time, but he knew there was going to be a lot more coming his way in the days to come.

And it wasn't all that bad.

[oryu404]

Alrighty guys. I know a lot of us had hoped for Rei to get a cat at the end. It's obvious he has a soft spot for them, he deserves the world, give that man his cat, am I right? And there have to be plenty of strays where they live, too. A food establishment by the beach.

So how about this...

---

The first stray sighting happens shortly after they've moved. Kazuki sees Rei looking at the cat, hesitant but obviously wanting to approach it, and says something like

"Nuh uh. Not gonna happen."

They argue. Kazuki isn't thrilled about the idea of adding a pet to the chaos that is their life at the moment, but Rei did prove himself as a caretaker and responsible adult over the past year. Not to mention he's a lot better at fighting for what he wants than he was last time they had this conversation, and Kazuki finds it endearing enough to almost cave.

But pets aren't cheap, their daughter is going to get more expensive as she grows older, and they have a business to run. It's not really a no; it's a not now. They should get settled here first, see how well the diner fares. Maybe they can talk about it again in another year?

Rei begrudgingly agrees, because Kazuki does have a decent point there. He's pouty for the rest of the day.

For a while, Kazuki doesn't really notice anything different. They're way too busy building up their brand new life. But as the dust settles and their new routines start to become familiar, some things start to stand out.

Like Rei happily taking out the trash every night. Like, very happily, as if he'd been looking forward to it. He always takes his sweet time doing it, too. Surely dumping a few trash bags into a container wouldn't take that long. Not that Kazuki would ever complain or comment, because the guy was disabled, for fuck's sake.

Another thing is the strays he keeps spotting. Had there always been this many? Were they reproducing that fast? Kazuki shrugs it off. It makes sense, they're likely not getting spayed or neutered. And of course they'd hang around the diner. It's doing quite well, apparently drawing in more than just customers with its delicious smells. Ahhh the magic of good cooking.

It's not until things from their pantry and fridge go missing, that an internal alarm bell goes off. Leftover chicken or salmon, Hamburg steaks, sausages, cans of tuna. He barely dodges another fight with Miri when he assumes she's eaten them (what? She's a growing girl? He can't blame her for being hungry!) but manages a last minute save. Rei is awfully quiet during this whole conversation, but confesses to his crimes later that night when Miri is asleep in her bed.

"I have to show you something."

And Kazuki wonders if he should be surprised when Rei leads him downstairs, outside through the back, where he squats down and cracks the lip of a can of tuna with one hand. The sound summons what have to be at least a dozen cats from various different directions, all meowing loudly as they twirl around Rei and headbutt his hands and legs.

"I don't need to get a cat anymore," Rei says as if he hasn't officially adopted the whole neighborhood pack.

"I bet," Kazuki sighs, helping him open the can and dump the Tuna on the concrete. "Miri... Is she your accomplice?"

".... Maybe."

So a yes, then. Not that it matters, because Rei might be the closest to beaming he'll ever get, and Kazuki is only slightly weaker to his partner than he is to their daughter. Which is to say, he's totally screwed.

"They stay outside," is all he says, squatting down beside Rei to pet the cat closest to him.

A few days later, Miri's latest masterpiece–a donation jar with cat decorations– graces the countertop of the diner. After all, they'll need to help do something about the population control before they go broke feeding strays.

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Hmm, this is interesting to think about:

In Episode 7, we see how Yuzuko and Kazuki first met. 

She found him in a field of hydrangeas during the rainy season, holding an umbrella. He was at a low point here, in the sense of being very badly wounded and in need of physical help, which I am going to assume Yuzuko provided for him.

 We also get the full picture of her death in this week’s episode as well.

It is, once again, the rainy season and she is holding the same umbrella. So Kazuki met her and lost her around the same time of year. This adds even more depth and emotion to Karin’s words to Kazuki:

“So the thought that you only remember her looking sad...”

Since it is highlighting her later sentiment that “memories aren’t prisons.” Kazuki was locking himself in the memory of her death during this time of the year, rather than the memory of his meeting her. 

Now, when it comes to Rei, we don’t know when exactly it was that the two of them met. But it was likely a good bit before the events of Episode 1, since there was a familiarity between the two of them already. The interesting thing here though is that Rei didn’t find Kazuki like Yuzuko did, it seems more like Kazuki found him. This is based off of the February Animedia interview where the producer, Toba says:

Kazuki is very family-oriented; he's the so-called maternal type. The reason why he started living together with Rei is that he saw the complete shambles of Rei's lifestyle, went, 'This won't do!' and started fussing over him.

And we know from Rei’s general personality and the dynamic they have going on that Rei follows Kazuki, not the other way around. So, at his lowest he sought out someone to care for. But when it was just him and Rei, they were still at their lowest, diving deep into their bad habits and styles of living. 

They were both just in survival mode. They weren’t really living though. 

The one who finds Kazuki this time though is Miri. 

She finds him when he is at his lowest, and her existence in his life gives him the motivation to start changing and to start actually living again. This was in the middle of the winter, when everything is dead. And then this little ball of energy and sunshine entered his life. She provided him the same chance at a family that Yuzuko did, though obviously in a very different way than her (through being a daughter as opposed to a romantic partner and wife like Yuzuko).

And he jumped at the chance. We see him accepting her into his life slowly, bit by bit and through various different aspects and areas. But he still has boundaries set up, he still has a part of himself that is holding back, and he still sees Miri as something that was given to him in a way, then something he actively sought out.  At the end of Episode 7, though we see him “find” Miri. 

He chooses to go back to her. 

He also chooses to go back to Rei too. When he looks softly at the end of Episode 7, it is a look directed at both Miri and Rei. He’s proud and happy to see that Rei actually stepped up and took care of Miri. His warm smile is at the thought of him having a true second chance at a family again, without past memories blocking emotional bonds and connections.

And the thing is, this all happens, again, during the rainy season. Kazuki was, imo, seriously contemplating not returning at various points in this episode. But, he decided to go back to this unexpected family instead of losing the chance again, during the rainy season.

Episode 7 was a great leap in Kazuki’s character development. He’s finally starting to allow himself to properly heal, and like how Yuzuko found him when he was at a low point and in bad shape during the rainy season 5 years ago, Kazuki is here now, in the rainy season, actively returning to Rei when Rei is at his lowest point (in terms of caring for Miri). 

It almost feels like Kazuki is being to Rei what Yuzuko was for him, like taking on that same kind of role, though maybe not with the same kind of dynamic, more so just being the helping hand needed when in a bad place. 

That’s lovely in a way, but it does keep Kazuki in a sort of perpetual “giving” position in the relationship that he has with Rei. Since Rei grew up without love, we haven’t really seen him reaching out for it. Not in the same way it seems Yuzuko may have done with Kazuki or in the way that Kazuki seems to instinctually do with Miri or in the way Kazuki has done with Rei now. The gasp at realizing Miri was sick, then the confused stare for a moment, and finally the soft stare when he realized Rei stepped up and everything was fine.. That’s us seeing him making an emotional connection with the both of them at that moment, even if they were both asleep.

Something clicked there and we can see that a proper shift has happened, and that while Kazuki has always been more of an animated personality type than Rei, there is something much more true and genuine about this smile than the ones he has given in the past:

I think it’s because Kazuki has finally found himself and the obvious weight that he was carrying around has lifted. I feel like Kazuki maybe doesn’t feel like he needs to be found anymore and needs to reach out to Rei and Miri like he was doing in the past - to survive and deal with his trauma, but now he just wants to be with them and reach out to them and connect with them (we can see this through him saying he’ll teach them what good French toast actually is).

With Rei, we see that he has literally reached out to Miri in this episode:

And he is reaching out to Kazuki too. Usually Rei just goes with Kazuki’s flow, but he doesn’t actively seek anything out from Kazuki. At the end of this week’s episode though, he is actively seeking some kind of approval from Kazuki in regards to his French toast.

Kazuki may no longer need to be found or reached out to, but I hope we see Rei still try and do that, not so he can continue to take, but so that he can start to give back.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

‘Don’t Say Goodbye’

Misaki Unasaka doesn’t seem to have many fans from the fandom.

There was a particular post criticizing her reappearance saying Misaki only wanted to take Miri back b/c she didn’t want to have regrets on her death bed. But of course! Don’t dying people have a fervent wish to rectify their mistakes if they could? If only they would have that opportunity, the ones who they left behind would be more accepting of their loss.

No dying person grieves for his death. He mourns only what he didn’t do. Why did I wait? Why did I not…? Why did I neglect to…? (Rumi)

“Don’t Say Goodbye” is, without a doubt, her theme. On episode 3, the piano accompaniment of the song she was singing when K first saw her was playing during her heated conversation with Kazuki. It became turbulent, full of anguish and regret. She had intrusive thoughts, true, but she never acted on them. Until she sent Miri away, which was clearly a child neglect.

On episode 10, it was again playing the moment she showed determination to get Miri back. Faced with the possibility of a second chance with Miri she was cunning enough to lay out the cards to make Kazuki and Rei to give up the custody.

You can hear again her theme song when she was dying in Kazuki’s arms asking him to take care of her daughter (episode 11). This time with vocals singing in English.

No one to talk with /Just all by myself

No one can save me/Just all by myself

But suddenly everything has changed and then I met you

The truth inside of me/My reason to live

I'm saving my love for you/Even a thousand miles can't keep us apart

Don't say good bye/ Don't say good bye

I wanna spend as much time as possible with you

I wanna feel and touch your smile/But are there just dreams?

I'm saving my love for you/Because my heart is wherever you are

Don't say good bye/Don't say good bye

Oh, so l'm takin' this chance to sing

Don't say good bye

Can't let this moment end

But now we have to move on

Don't cry/Don't look back

And, Don't even remember my name...

(Source: Buddy Daddies blu-ray inlay card)

As she was about to expire, Kyutaro kneeled down so she could touch Miri’s face for the last time, the first two lines and the last four lines could be heard playing with the ending “Don’t cry. Don’t look back. Don’t even remember my name...”

The lyrics bear sadness and loneliness until one person came into her life, which we could all surmise as her daughter Miri and her second chance to be with her. But Misaki felt the weight of the words as she sang the truth because it was for nil.

[chippuyon]

How do you feel about episode 10?

Anon I hope you know I had no idea it was out yet and rushed to open it as soon as I saw this I AM IN SHAMBLES

Ok so as I was going through the op again remember this shot?

A metaphorical barrier between Kazuki and Rei and Miri, which makes a LOT more sense now that we know Misaki is taking Miri back. The act of holding the frame symbolizes kazurei's efforts to give Miri the happy life she has now, but they are outside the frame while Miri is inside. They can look in, Miri can't look out. They can't touch or interact with each other anymore.

On to the actual episode lmfao can we talk about how Misaki made herself look so cool and motherly in the kitchen when it turns out she was just microwaving a convenience store meal in the microwave I laughed so hard.

(Also Kazuki's line about there being nothing worse than somebody else messing around in your kitchen just solidified my ocd hc for him this man is sooo ocd adhd coded)

So this episode we learn that Misaki is about to die which, WOAH, was not expecting that. It adds a lot more gravity to the situation and is a believable motivation to take your daughter back. But, again, this does not mean she should be Miri's mother. Because once she grows up Miri will have to constantly be reminded of the fact that she was abandoned by her mom when she was 4. Kinda fucked up!

I do appreciate that Misaki is willing to spend the rest of her life dedicated to Miri, but, as Rei and Kazuki say, it's still just about her. She's only approaching Miri now because she's about to die and doesn't want any regrets before then. But Misaki is right too, their work is dangerous, and on top of that they're being actively targeted right now. The writers did a good job setting up the moral dilemma. The most important factor here though is Miri's happiness, which to her includes both her Papas and Mama so we'll see how that goes.

(That said, if Misaki does end up taking Miri back for good, isn't that cruel? To abandon your daughter, then take her back and properly care for her, while knowing you're just going to leave her alone again sooner rather than later.)

(Another interesting tidbit is Kazuki telling Misaki not to smoke. We know Rei has given up smoking, at least around Miri. Maybe a hint about who will be the best fit for Miri in the end?)

Then there's the family outing which was so adorable and chock full of references to past eps. Love this silent exchange between Kazuki and Rei what are you guys talking about up there let me into your heads...

AND THIS SHOT WITH THE CHRISTMAS WREATH ABOVE THEM GRAHHHH the final ep is gonna be during Christmas and parallel Kazuki catching Miri in ep 1 I just know it.

This dynamic where Kazuki is all too ready to give up on his happiness because he's already lost it before so many times versus Rei who doesn't want to accept it because *this* is his first happiness is juicy as hell and I'm gonna need all the fanartists and fic writers to step on it cause damn!!!

Kazuki putting his scarf around Miri like the cat :( sobbing ueueue need the cat and Miri to return to them later. And as if this ep wasn't painful enough they really had Kazuki closing it on THIS goddamn line

Like just shoot me in the head at this point it would hurt less.

[soniadamasco]

Ryo Ogino's role in Buddy Daddies

(Warning: this post is just speculations and based on the few info we have at the time of the 4th episode)

I've recently watched again the second preview of Buddy Daddies and a scene caught my eye:

Here we see Rei sitting in a car and talking with a man, who asks him what is the reason for him to kill. The man's voice (if I'm not wrong) sounds really similar to Ogino's voice, the assassin we see entering Kyutaro's pub in the 2nd episode:

Another thing that makes me think the man in the car is Ogino, is the fact that we already know the reason why he himself kills from the post credit scene in the same episode:

From Ogino's character bio we learn that he is a sadistic man who seems to be involved in the accident that killed Kazuki's wife. So why is Rei travelling in the same car as him?

What I think at this point in time and especially because we see Rei wearing his work suit, is that he probably got assigned to a mission together with Ogino. Why? The main reason I could think about relates to Kyutaro. We know that Kyutaro is getting upset at Kazuki and Rei's work lately and that he is a professional man, who cares a lot about the missions being successful. He also already reminded them how unstable their job is:

What I'm thinking is that Kyutaro will probably get fed up with Kazuki and Rei and give them the only option to prove themselves again by working with someone else. It is also possible that something will happen which will put Miri in danger and Kazuki will be forced to leave his job to protect her, leaving Rei to work with Ogino.

In both cases, I am sure Miri will be in danger in the next episodes, probably because of her connection to her dead bio father. I think this also because we see a lot of emphasis put on the fact that being close to an assassin puts you in a dangerous spot:

Now, back to Ogino's role.

I think Ogino, being probably the main antagonist, will be the reason for Rei and Kazuki to face the demons of their past.

For Rei, it is the relationship with his father and being destined to be an assassin since he was born. A clue that sends me in that direction is Rei's answer in the scene in the car: "This is also a job".

We see that, unlike Odino who kills for satisfaction, Rei sees killing as just a job, with no emotions connected to it. In the next scene in the preview we also see Rei fighting with someone, who looks either like a guard or another assassin:

I think this scene is probably connected to Rei trying to save Miri from this unknown danger. We know that Rei became Miri's papa because he wants to protect her, to become what his father never was for him. I believe this also entails changing his attitude towards fighting and killing.

His father taught him to kill for money, to be emotionless. Here I believe Rei is not fighting with that reason in mind. We see him being vulnerable, taking a bad hit while until now he has been a perfect killing machine. I think in this scene Rei is fighting to protect someone, probably Miri (and Kazuki as well). I believe this also because in this scene we can hear Miri's voiceover saying "sometimes papa feels lonely" and I interpret this as Rei finally having someone who cares about him, someone worth fighting for.

I also think the reason Miri will be in danger will be Ogino himself. This relates to Kazuki's past trauma, the death of his pregnant wife and Ogino's role in it. We know for a fact that Kazuki cannot let go of his wife and unborn child's death, still sending money to her family despite them never accepting it.

Kazuki still cannot get over the fact that he couldn't save the ones he loved and nothing can change that. Nothing except for saving someone else, someone who he sees as his daughter, from the same man who killed his child: Ogino.

We're still at the beginning of the series and many things could change, but here are my two cents about what could happen. Still, I cannot stress enough how good the story already is and I cannot wait to see how all these small clues will be put together at the end.