#the best thing about the show was miri

[dittolicous]

i guess unpopular opinion at this point but i think we need to acknowledge buddy daddies is like. a C/C- anime at best. it was cute but its not a game changer or anything.

the ending was actually enraging for me cuz. it literally makes NO SENSE. ok, rei has handicapped himself so he's useless to the organization. good metaphore i guess.

but.

nothing we know about his dad suggests he gives a shit about metaphors. ok, yup, rei is no useless to him (supposedly). yknow what happens next? his loved ones are taken, tortured, and killed as punishment for his disobedience and then he's killed (or trained to work with only one arm). look at what happened to his mentors wife and misaki. killing them wasnt necessary, but it was to make a point. killing miri was to make a point. killing kazuki was to make a point. every suffering in reis life was to make a point.

all he did is make it harder for him to protect them.

there is zero reason to believe his father wouldn't send someone out to finish the job as mere punishment and to make an example of him. and it doesnt even kill his bloodline, cuz lbr, he could very easily sire another child and just be 1000 times worse.

along with that, the relationship between kazuki and rei was a pendulum between eps swinging between 'practically strangers' and 'life partners'. sometimes itd ferl like they were hella close, then theyd suddenly be just coworkers/roomates and were kinda bummed about moving apart. do they care about each other or not? you cant say that they do and then not show it. and no, flashbacks and pretty speeches dont count. we need action and interactions. they most likely didnt have the time to really delve into their relationship, but they still could have done better than what we got

they didnt do a terribly good job balancing both of kazuki and reis storylines and blending them together to get a satisfying ending. kazuki felt pretty one dimensional towards the end and even when they were on the same page, it felt forced and unearned.

and why did such a short anime get a freaking *recap* episode? that was a wild waste of time and energy. it did not bring anything of substance into the story that could not have been placed elsewhere.

plus you have the average misogyny and mishandling of misaki and yuzuko. there was no reason to give misaki cancer! sogh. it was expected, but still disappointing.

so like. i dont hate buddy daddies now, it was cute and fun, but i doubt I'll rewatch it much. good idea, bad payoff. they needed more time and funds, i suppose.

[alchemical-rhapsodaire]

Im totally not crying, totally not crying, I'm fine. I won't cry haha-

And I'm sobbing-

THEY ARE A REAL FAMILY!!!😭😭😭

[bsd-elle]

I know that Buddy Daddies is a dumb show with cute moments, and I totally agree.

But I just can't help but marvel at their writing choices.

They could've very easily continued with the sxf narrative, two hitmen adopt a kid for some reason, and hijinks ensues.

But rather, they opted to create a genuinely authentic found family trope, where two adults, both traumatised and not equipped to be parents, have taken it upon themselves to raise a child, to the best of their abilities.

Rei, who's father can't even be addressed with that title, who never had the chance to live his childhood.

And kazuki who never had any parental figures, who's chance at family was ripped away from him, for which he blames himself constantly.

These two people, who come together, to adopt and take care of a sunshine child like Miri, not only do they give her a loving, caring family dynamic, something she wasn't privy to earlier, but the two of them heal through her.

Rei is able to live his childhood, and enjoy his life, has a space where he can show his emotions, without being a stoic figure.

Kazuki, my poor boy, who feels like he doesn't have the right to have a family because he couldn't 'protect' them, now have a chance to raise a child.

And what I love about it is, not once does kazuki project his trauma onto Miri, not once does it seem like he's trying to 'redo history'.

He's very self aware of himself, the trauma he carries, and the mistakes he's made.

Yet, he constantly tries to better himself, and be the best parent to Miri.

Their love for each other is so palpable, obviously with his over protection and physical touch, but beyond that, the small things he does.

'our Miri', 'my girl', 'our genes'.

He fully has accepted Miri into his life, and considers Rei as his co parent, and I... I just love that so much.

Because I imagine this airing in a conservative country like Japan, and even if it wasn't gay parents, this could also be used for adoptions, where some people believe that it's not that same thing as having a blood relationship.

Buddy daddies simultaneously breaks down so many gender roles, and this ideal family notion, by having two male parents.

But more on the writing, Rei's care towards both Kazuki and Miri was so clear.

It's through subtle words, he tags along for everything Kazuki does, he reassures him even though he has no idea what to do either.

And with Miri, my sweet angels, that episode where he refers to himself as her papa, I scream everytime.

At the end of the day, yes, buddy daddies is a dumb show with cute moments, that shouldn't be taken seriously, but it's also a show that tells you that family is definitely something you can have, but it is also something you can choose, the people you choose to have in your life, the people who choose to be in your life, the people who love you regardless of who you are, the people who love you will be there for you, no matter what.

[thatbigbisexual29]

Playing with Fire gets you Burned (Buddy Daddies)

This is a fic for my best best friend @giggly-squiggily !!! It was their birthday and I wanted this to be a gift from me to her! So happy birthday girl!! (and sorry this is late 😭)

It’s very safe to say that after Rei and Kazuki's ‘retirement’ and the start of their new life, Rei became the biggest little shit anyone could have ever imagined.

With the loss of their assassin gig and a general lack of edge to their lives, the two could finally, finally relax. With all that relaxation also came freedom. Engaging in more playful activities with Miri, going to cooking classes, opening a restaurant, getting Miri into good schools, and doing a lot more things they never thought they had the time to do. Mini golf, more trips to the mall, going to aquariums, hell they even got to travel the world a few times. And their lives blossomed as well as new parts of themselves they didn’t know about. One example being Rei’s mischievous side. He didn’t show it often, but it was usually sparked by Miri’s encouragement. Or a lack of Miri in general.

There would be times where Kazuki would be minding his business when he’d be the victim of a prank or two that would come across as Miri’s signature pranks. The pranks are as follows:

Salt in his coffee when Miri didn’t drink coffee. Someone had smeared peanut butter on his shoe, making him think he stepped in poop. Miri absolutely hated anything poop related, especially jokes or pranks. On his computer, he noticed that the keys ‘b’ and ‘w’ were switched around, which he found out after commenting on his sister-in-law’s post about being a scary witch for Halloween. Miri doesn’t even know where Kazuki keeps his laptop. One day, he found a small cake in the fridge with a post-it note that said ‘SPONGE CAKE FOR REI’. Naturally, Kazuki tried a piece. Turns out, it was an actual sponge decorated with frosting and sprinkles. (He’ll admit he deserved that one.) 

The last notable prank was when he sat on a tack in his room on his chair. Miri hadn’t been home that whole day! She was at a sleepover with her friends! All signs pointed to Rei. He was thankful all these pranks didn’t happen in one day, otherwise he would have flipped out. But Rei certainly had it coming.

As Kazuki and Rei opened the restaurant that day, Rei knew he couldn’t pull any real pranks. Especially since he didn’t want either of them burning themselves on the stove. But that never stopped him from agitating Kazuki in other ways. Seeing as there were no customers and Miri was about to come down for her breakfast, Kazuki was making her favorite type of pancakes. The smell filled the house and dragged Rei from his sweeping duties and appeared behind the blond, wrapping his arms around his waist and placing his chin on the other’s shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Kazuki asked with a grin, keeping his eyes on the food in front of him. Rei chuckled deeply which sent goosebumps up the older one’s spine.

“Heh, can’t I admire your cooking? It smells great.” Rei sniffed the air once again and let out a small hum at the fragrant odor. His arms held closer onto Kazuki’s waist and a sneaky little finger traveled its way towards his tummy.

Kazuki grunted and stood straight up as he felt something slowly circle his belly button. He’d better not, the blond thought. He did his best not to jerk away and squeal like he normally would and took in a shaky breath. A wobbly grin grew on his lips as he bit the bottom one, his hand slightly shaking as he attempted to hold the pan steady.

“R-Rei…” Kazuki started nervously. He could see the playful smile form on that bastard’s handsome face.

“Yes, Kazuki?” The former assassin replied, batting his eyelashes to fake his innocence. “Is there a problem?”

Kazuki growled then sputtered out a giggle as that tricky finger lightly scratched over his belly button. The blond choked out some adorable squealy giggles as he tossed his head back and backed up into Rei’s shoulder. Rei chuckled as he heard his partner laugh, taking the pan out of his reach and using one arm to flip the pancake in the air.

“Shohohow ohohohoff! EEP!” Kazuki squeaked as Rei dug his finger deeper into the spot. That really made him laugh. Kazuki yelled out hilariously and curled up as much as he could. Rei veered him to the side so he wouldn’t hit his head on the stove or burn himself, still smiling as he tickled the poor man.

“Rehehehehei! Let gohohoho! Wh-whyihihihihihihi?? Whyhihihi ahahahare you dohohohohoing thihihihis- wohould you GEHEHET OUT OF THEHEHEHEHEHERE!” The blond finally ripped himself away and covered his belly. His leftover giggles brought a bright smile to his partner’s face. The ravenette chuckled and turned off the heat, setting the pancakes onto a plate for their daughter, who raced down the stairs right on time.

“Good morning papas! Papa Kazuki, are you ok? You look tired,” the girl commented, eyes sparkling when she saw her breakfast. Kazuki panted a bit and glared at Rei. Rei smiled internally, forced a straight face and shrugged.

“It’s just a little jab. Grow up, Kazuki.”

Kazuki nearly lost it. He stood, about to ramble his mouth off before the doorbell chimed. Kazuki immediately faced the doorway with a warm smile and open arms.

“Welcome to the restaurant! What can we get for you today?” Rei and Miri giggled with each other behind his back. Kazuki smirked as an annoyed twitch took over his eyelid.

Alright Rei, he thought. You wanna play, do ya? We’ll see how you like it when I hit you out of the ballpark! he thought.

~~later~~

A dinner rush always had staff in panic mode. Thank god it wasn’t just Rei and Kazuki running the restaurant. Other cooks worked on food, waiters and waitresses took orders, people in the back washed dishes, everything was going well! Except…

“Gah! Kazuki, stop that!” Rei hissed as the blond man passed him once more. The man grinned and winked at his partner as he sped by, hot plate in hand. Rei grumbled and felt his side, a finger recently connecting against it that made him jump.

All night. All. Night. Kazuki had been poking his sides every. Single. Time. He passed by the former assassin. He was fed up at this point! He kept having to hide his yelps, squeaks, and jerks from his fellow staff and confused customers. Was this hell? Getting poked and squeezed repeatedly while slaving over a hot stove? By the description it certainly sounded like it!

Kazuki would sneak his hand to squeeze Rei’s side, pinch his waist, poke his ribs, slide a finger up his spine, even blow on his ears for Christ’s sake! The poor man. He was just trying to make his way through a dinner rush. Why out of all the days did Kazuki finally decide to take his (albeit, well deserved) revenge today?! Rei was torn out of his thoughts as he bit back a squeak. Kazuki had pinched his side again. In retaliation, the former assassin took his spatula and quickly smacked the blond’s backside.

“Eep!” he yelped, spinning to glare at his partner. “Now you have to go clean that! Hurry, on the double!”

Rei didn’t even try fighting back his satisfied smile. He quickly switched out his spatula and continued to cook, only Kazuki did not relent with his pokes and prods and squeezes. By the end of the night, Rei was out of his mind. He kept his cool until the two men were off the clock and properly showered. Rei, having gone before Kazuki, sat on the edge of their shared bed, bouncing his leg anxiously. As soon as he saw a glimpse of Kazuki, he was going to attack. But unfortunately for him, Kazuki was not stupid.

The blond man stepped out of the shower, refreshed and ready for the assault ahead of him. He slipped on underwear and sleep pants and made sure to only lightly dry his top half. Being slippery meant that Rei wouldn’t be able to get a proper hold on him. He also decided to play dumb.

“Oi, Rei!” he called from the bathroom. Rei grunted in response.

“Since Miri is with friends tonight, why don’t we watch a movie?” Kazuki had his back against the wall, hugging the corner in wait of who was going to make the first move.

“Sounds like a good idea.” Rei stood from his spot, fingers twitching with anticipation. “What movie were you thinking?”

“Maybe a mystery? Or a thriller would be nice.”

Rei smirked and crouched into a ready pose. “You hate thrillers.”

“Hah, you got me,” Kazuki chuckled. “You know I can’t stand the suspense!”

Kazuki curved around the doorway of the bathroom while Rei lunged for him. The dark haired man aimed for his waist in an attempt to grab and lift him, but Kazuki expected this. The blond stepped to the left then quickly twirled to the right. Rei, surprised by this, wasn’t able to react in time. Kazuki hooked an arm around his stomach and hoisted the skinnier man over his shoulder. The two had ridiculous smiles on their faces as Rei twisted in his partner’s grip, pushing at his face and back.

“Puhut me down!” Rei growled through a laugh. Kazuki let out a single ‘hah!’ and walked towards the bed.

“If you insist!” The blond man playfully slammed his partner onto their mattress and the fight for dominance began.

Rei hugged around Kazuki’s neck and tried to turn the tables but Kazuki wasn’t giving up that easy. They met halfway with them lying side by side. The blond hooked his leg around Rei’s and pushed, forcing the smaller man onto his back. They became a mess of arms, each of them trying to grab the other’s wrist to try and pin them down. Kazuki couldn’t help but laugh at the silliness while Rei had the goofiest smile on his face. After a few more minutes of this, Kazuki finally managed to hold Rei’s wrists in one arm and hold them above his head. They panted, then Kazuki began to giggle.

“Heh… whahat?” Rei asked.

“Miri’s right,” Kazuki wheezed, “we are getting too old for this.”

Both men chuckled before catching their breaths. They caught each other’s eyes before both of them blushed.

God, they thought, he still looks good. Rei shook his head and focused, still somewhat upset from the night.

Kazuki shook his head and grinned mischievously as he cracked his neck to the side. “Anything to say for yourself mister?~”

A giddy smile forced its way onto Rei’s features. He squirmed with vigor as he bit his lip nervously. His face flushed bright red as the hand hovered over his ribs.

“Kazukihihi…” giggles slipped from the former assassin's lips.

“Reiiii~” Kazuki cooed back. He slowly brought down his wiggled fingers, smiling even wider as his lover wiggled and squirmed under him in a desperate attempt to escape. He decided to stick out one finger and softly brush it back and forth inside Rei’s belly button.

Rei’s eyes shot out of his head as he pursed his lips together, shuddering and attempting to curl up to protect himself, but Kazuki’s finger was hooked. He wiggled it up, down, and swirled it around making Rei squeak and whine with a quivering smile overtaking his face.

“Oh? Is that a smile? Are you gonna giggle Rei?~” Kazuki teased, knowing his partner hated it. Rei’s face grew red very quickly as he shook his head from side to side, biting the inside of his cheek to try and quiet himself. Kazuki chuckled and softly skittered his blunt nails across Rei’s belly and sides, watching him shudder and jerk away from the ticklish feeling.

“Khhk- K-Kazuki! C-come ohon!” Rei hid his face in his bicep.

“You want me to do what?!” Kazuki said in exclamation, laughing when Rei shook his head more and chuckled.

“N-Nohoho you freheheak! Hahahahaha!” Rei couldn’t hold back any longer and laughed softly, his stomach shaking under Kazuki’s fingers.

Kazuki admired Rei. He loved how he smiled, relishing in the rare times he did. And his laugh was so funny. It was wheezy due to all his years of smoking and would sometimes cough between barks of laughter. He would be chuckling normally then suddenly switch to squeaky giggles. And when you tickled his neck, he made the funniest gargled laughs while trying to shove you off.

Kazuki squeezed his belly with one hand which made Rei wheeze and arch his back, his feet kicking against the mattress and sending the blankets askew.

“Hahahahahaha! Kazukihihihihihi! Plehehehehehehease!” Rei pleaded.

“Sorry, Rei. I can understand what you’re saying! I better get my giggle translator ready~” Kazuki grinned evilly as he saw the panicked look in his partner’s eyes, pulling up Rei’s shirt.

“H-Hey, no! Please don’t- Kazuki! No!” Rei tried to sound angry, but nervous giggles got in his way. Kazuki chuckled and held Rei’s hip down.

“Attaching giggle translator in five…”

“K-Kazuki- let’s talk about this! Here- I can work the register every night! For a week!”

“Four…”

“Okay- wh-what about dish duty? You can stick me on dish duty for a month! Yeah! That works doesn’t it??”

“Three…”

“I’ll give you a foot massage after every shift!”

“Two…”

“Kazuki please!”

“One!!” Kazuki pressed his lips to Rei and blew a big fat raspberry on his tummy. 

Rei screamed out a laugh, thrashing as if his life depended on it. Raspberries were his number one weakness. Plus, Kazuki grew that stupid little goatee which only added to the tickling.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!”

“Hmm, I didn’t get a good signal. Once more!” Kazuki laughed and pressed raspberry after raspberry, watching as Rei’s face burned red with tears of mirth gathering in the corners of his eyes. He laughed and laughed and laughed, eventually pulling his wrists free and pushing at Kazuki’s head.

“Hehey wait! I wasn’t done translating!”

“Yehes you ahahare!”

The two men began to wrestle again, both of them laughing like kids as they tousled, tickling each other as they went.

After a while, they both lay and panted on the mattress, red faced and slightly sweaty. Rei looked over at Kazuki with a dumb grin on his face.

“Sorry for all the pranks… got a little carried away…” he huffed. Kazuki smiled back and shook his head.

“Don’t worry… I’ll get you back…”

[lotuspeacock]

what the fuck even happened episode 8????

like, plotwise i know what happened but like there’s so much new info i’m processing.

rei dresses like that not for the professionalism of the job, but because his father expects him to look high-class even when he’s murdering people

anna’s musical talents literally traumatize children.

rei’s father has a god complex about his bloodline

the “organization” is more or less run by rei’s father. this is why kyutaro said that rei should know best what happens when you betray the organization, because every childish rebellion was treason on the organization.

rei doesn’t get too close to kazuki because the consequence if he does are dire.

side note: when rei says he has something to protect, he’s not just talking about miri. there is no mistaking that kazuki is precious to rei.

when rei is asked “did you find true belonging on the outside” he denies it. this is probably because he wants to protect kazuki and miri but it could also be because rei genuinely believes that he doesn’t truly belong in their little family. i believe this changes by the end when rei sees that kazuki and miri were waiting for him just to see him smile.

this is from a few other posts i saw, but rei’s mission was a warning. a peek into the consequences of forming attachments.

a continuation of point six, we see rei standing in his family home, feeling completely estranged while he’s on the phone with kazuki and miri being told to be back by dinner.

rei never seemed to be affected by his job before. but in the car with ogino he expresses shock at the picture of his mentors murdered wife. and the picture seems to be taken in the goriest way. rei is opening his heart to his family and as a consequence, he has to face the reality that he is not just killing, but taking lives.

“for the concept” WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN???? this man makes me so uncomfortable he is so goddamn psychotic. he definitely kills for fun even though he pretends its some big philosophical thing. essentially he was saying people exist to die. also his fucking blue eyed stare 🧿👄🧿

WAIT WAIT WAIT THEYRE TOTAL FOILS OF EACH OTHER. rei and his mentor that is. they both have that single slut strand.

miri is extremely insightful. she notices when someone close to her is hiding their dissatisfaction with life - what she calls “sadness”. her mom was dissatisfied with her life as a single mother and rei is dissatisfied with living under his father’s boot.

rei didn’t tell ogino his mentor’s last words because they weren’t meant for him (but probably also cuz ogino is a creep sob). rei “didn’t hear” anything because the words were directed to someone already gone.

this is less a plot point but more a personal analysis - i was sorta hoping that kazuki would show up during the fight and save rei, and he does! he saves rei, but not during the fight because that’s not really where rei was struggling. rei needed to be saved from his own belief that he was irredeemable, and kazuki did that perfectly bu showing rei that no matter what, he’ll be there. unconditionally. i mean, the man didn’t even ask about all the blood on his suit. (another i won’t ask i wouldn’t tell moment)

kazuki cut rei’s hair and decorated the apartment. when rei said “but then you suddenly started cleaning”, he’s saying that he didn’t care about kazuki until kazuki taught him how to care. when kazuki barged into rei’s apartment and cleaned the blood stained hands of a child assassin, he also cleared a space for himself in rei’s life. (side note: of course the undercut was kazuki’s idea)

“you think we can change?” god this was such a good quote. and the way kazuki doesn’t put up a front and say “of course” because he’s trying to figure out if he can change too, so he just says “dunno” but its so sincere and hopeful. i love the dichotomy of kazuki not knowing if he can change because he’s spent the past 4 years trying not to and rei not knowing if he can change because he doesn’t know how to. at the root, it’s because they both see themselves as unforgivable.

continuation of points six and eight, rei smiles when he’s home with his family.

oh my god the angst just doesn’t stop.

[leoruby-draws]

I did a whole bunch of drawings for Jason's team two weeks back, so now its time to concentrate on Steph's team! Here we've got 4 new characters for her team, with a couple extra tomorrow as well. Lets go into to them, one by one.

First up is the lantern for the group, more specifically a Violet Lantern apprentice aka Miri Riam! Her reasons for coming to earth is unknown at the moment but they seem to have some connection to Carol Ferris. Carol's also a Violet Lantern and Hal's(Green Lantern) on-and-off girlfriend and occasional antagonist. Perhaps Miri was sent to become Carol's apprentice? I've got more info on whats happening there, but thats for later.

As for why Miri was chosen for the group, I knew I wanted some kind of Lantern for the team, but couldn't find a green lantern that was both in Steph's age group and have fun interactions with them. But then I thought, does it have to be a green lantern? I had a red lantern for Jason's group after all. I looked around and found Miri! I don't know her exact age but I knew she was a young adult, so I'm just gonna have her be around Steph's age group.

The Violet Lanterns Corps are very ...enthusiastic about the power of love and Miri's no exception. She wants everyone to know the joy of Love, she's honestly kinda annoying about it. I remember this one GL issue where she was destroying a city just to get Kyle and Soranik to resolve their love troubles. That pretty much became the basis for how I'm writing Miri's personality. Like I said above, I'll get more into Miri at a later time.

Next is Maxine Hunkel aka Cyclone, granddaughter of Ma Hunkel aka the golden age Red Tornado! I already posted a drawing of her a while back, I thought she'd make a fun fit for the team. She's has such high energy and so much enthusiasm I couldn't help but find her utterly endearing. I think at a later point she'll end up joining the JSA but for now she's just having fun with this team.

Btw I thought that maybe her grandmother, Ma Hunkel, could fit a similar role that the other Red Tornado did for Young Justice, helping out a young hero team. Just a way to emphasize how Steph and Tim's teams can serve as foils to each other.

Next up is the archer of the group, Mia Dearden aka Speedy II. Tho she should probably have a different name due to Roy still being Speedy atm. Maybe Speedette? Ehhh, gotta workshop that.

Anyways here's Mia and Steph meeting as civilians, with Mia showing off her bow. Mia seems to be in some sort of school uniform, perhaps Oliver is sponsoring her to go to a fancy academy? Her backstory is similar to canon, with Oliver saving her from bad people. I'm not sure if her story should be exactly the same as canon, since Mia is 10 but terrible things like that do happen in real life to young children. But I don't know if a goofy au like mine is the best place to show that. But for now lets just say Mia is currently trying to heal and become a hero like Green Arrow.

I imagine Steph and Mia get along really well, they just get each other in a lot of ways. Steph can see Mia might be hurting inside and wants to cheer her up, hopefully with all of Mia's new friends she can.

Last up is Jaime Reyes aka Blue Beetle III. Unfortunately I haven't drawn him all that much so no individual drawing for him, tho I do like him.

As for why Jaime, I remember liking him in the YJ cartoon and found him pretty likeable in the comics as well. But I've always like the spiderman hero archetype anyways, which Jaime fits really well (I mean, it was done on purpose). Static and Sideways also fit the archetype and are in the team as well. Arguably you can say add Steph to this too, probably more than Tim in my personal opinion.

Another reason I wanted to add Jaime is that he and Steph almost became teammates in canon, in a failed Young Justice project. What could have been huh. Third reason is more silly tho, if Barbara and Ted Kord start to date in this au, imagine how grossed out Steph and Jaime will be lmao.

So there's four new teammates for the team, but! I've got a couple extra for tomorrow! And later on I hope to finally post some more doodles of these characters (some of them are real old, more than a year old). Especially Miri, she turned out to be such a fun character, and I've always liked the all the lantern corps. Here's a bonus doodle of them btw (with bonus unmasked Sideways):

So many new members, well, hope you liked all that!

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Rei saw right through him:

Kazuki: “[...] and make it clear to everyone whose daughter is the best!” - He is talking about the lunch he made Miri (her bento). 

Rei: “You’re trying to get back on her good side.”

Kazuki looking shocked with his hands on his chest, looking like he has been shot.

Rei got a  🎯. And this is such a great scene of growth for both of them. With Kazuki, he has always been able to read Rei. He did as much in Episode One when Rei is sulking about the cat:

He’s good at understanding people and emotions, Rei isn’t. So Rei being able to read Kazuki in the above scene in Episode 6 says a lot about how he is growing on an emotional level. Emotional intelligence is a thing and something that can be learned. Rei never really learned it as a child because of his father and general upbringing, but because of Miri and because he is now a member of an actual family he is learning. 

As for Kazuki, back in Episode 4, on Miri’s first day of daycare, he brought a bento too. 

It was huge. It had three levels to it and Kazuki tries to be all, “Aw, there’s nothing special about this!” but the whole episode was about him trying to show off, rather than just be normal and authentic and nothing special.

The bento that Kazuki makes for Miri in this week’s episode (Episode 6) it is far less (only one level of food) and has a lot of quick and simple foods (wieners, fried chicken, beans), but there is still some craftsmanship put into this bento as well (the eggs making hearts and the panda onigiri). It feels much more authentic and from the heart, and more an appeal to Miri (which it is meant to be) rather than a one-up on the other moms at the daycare (like his Episode 4 bento was meant to be - the kids would go home, tell their moms about Miri’s bento, and impress them - that was what he intended). 

Mom’s one-upping each other through bento is an actual, legitimate problem, which is probably one of the reasons Miri’s daycare does a school lunch (with the exception of something like this, a field trip). There is a good article on this on NPR (I’ll link it below), here is an excerpt (kyara-ben is the name for the kind of bento Kazuki made above) :

The moms in Maruo's class say they don't do it every day, but on mornings they make kyaraben, they block out as much as 90 minutes to make lunch. And not every Japanese parent wants to do this — but the cultural pressure is high, because it's hard to be the parent whose kid has a lame lunch.

"I think it's oppressive," says Margarita Estevez-Abe, a political science professor at Syracuse University, who specializes in gender issues in Japan.

"In a sense, they have a lot of time on their hands and they are just putting their effort and time into creating and competing over who makes the best character bento box," Estevez-Abe says.

So yeah, it’s nice to know that Kazuki has grown a bit and that he is doing stuff more for Miri, rather for himself, though he still has to work a bit on making assumption. Of course, both Kazuki and Rei having their own flaws are important too and those flaws tend to play off each other nicely, while being fairly realistic (a little exaggeration here and there for comedy).

It’s also nice to see that, while Rei has grown a lot emotionally, he still does some things his own way. Take, for instance, the scene where the bus leaves for the field trip.

Many of the other moms are waving their kid good-bye, but Rei doesn’t. He also stands apart from them, because he seems to not really like being in large crowds. But that is shown as being perfectly fine here. None of the moms are judging him here (some are also not waving) and he just continues to do his own thing. And Miri likely knows that.

Anyway, I love how, with each episode, we see more and more growth with all of the characters (Miri included!) and how these three feel more and more like a family. I know that was one of the focuses of the series (”to become a family through raising a child”), and I think the series is really succeeding at this! 

[thegamingcatmom]

Would miranda be jealous if the MC had a lil plushie that's dressed up like her

I'd imagine miranda ignores her for some time or something too distracted in the lab or something, so MC just crafts up a lil birb mama plushie for comfort

Miranda eventually comes back and sees MC snuggled asleep with lil birb mama plushie

Jealous?like in a there can be only one?idk

That´s...

That seems alien, somehow. LMAO.

Not your ask, goodness no! But just...Miranda and "plushie" in the same sentence sent me. 😭

Okay so, as with pretty much everything else, let me take things way too seriously:

First of, MC would need the materials to craft smt like that. Somehow, I don´t think Miranda owns anything besides jars and scalpels and books and...more jars. And some more scalpels.

(God I love that nerd.)

Which means:

MC either has to ask her roommate/master/abductor/lover/smt for those materials (good luck) OR-

...She has to flirt like her life depends on it.

Which...it probs does:

.

Mother M.: *working*

MC: *sneaks up (we´re not gonna talk about the fact that there is no sneaking up on someone like Miranda)*

Mother M.: *working*

MC: *reaches for those massive wings, fully intending to give them the world´s best TLC-*

Mother M.: "Dove."

MC: "...I was just-"

Mother M.: "Do you wish to lose it, little bird?"

MC: "..."

MC: *wisely drops her hand again*

Mother M.: *still working*

MC: *awkward shuffling*

...

Mother M.: "Have you finished the tasks I´ve given you?"

MC: *hasn´t*

MC, stupid bold af: "Of course!"

Mother M., who can smell lies: *stops working*

MC: *starts sweating*

Mother M.: *slowly turns her head to face her*

MC: *swallows*

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "..."

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "...Technically."

...

Mother M.: "How can one technically sacrifice someone?"

MC: "...I'm-"

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "..."

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "...not sure."

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "..."

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: *panics*

MC: "You look-"

Mother M.: *stares*

MC: "...plush."

...

Mother M.: *...stares in a mix of irritation and confusion*

MC:

YES THAT´S WHAT FLIRTING LOOKS LIKE WITH THEM I´M AFRAID. 😭

But also: Did yall catch the reference to my other post that was all about pampering Birb Momma? The one that turned into the 1st part of (hopefully) many of my planned series?👉👈

(I guess this just goes to show that Miri isn´t always so...tame. 🤭)

Honestly though: I think that´s as close to a plushie as MC will get. 💀

LISTEN-

miranda ignores her for some time or something too distracted in the lab or something

I mean...duh. That´s like...her default mode? I´d say? MC will have to wait her turn, as per usual. 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

so MC just crafts up a lil birb mama plushie for comfort

Listen...comfort ain´t the first word that comes to mind when it comes to Miranda, lol. That´s why I can´t really see MC crafting something that resembles the very being which keeps her locked up and away from the world cause MC belongs to her and her alone for comfort.

If anything, MC would probs try and use it as a voodoo doll, LMAO. Our girl does love pushing buttons and testing boundaries, after all. 😉

(Better not let Birb Momma catch you though. 👀)

But also, rather than a plush!Miranda, I think a 🐦‍⬛ plushie would be more likely. Or, hell, perhaps even the real deal?? Miranda frequently transforms into a bunch of em, so I can see this being her way of shutting MC up for a while, lol.

...Whether MC is aware the crow that´s been visiting her for the past few days is one of Miranda´s is another question. 😏

...

We´re also not gonna talk about Miranda giving the crow - a part of herself - the stink eye.

No, we´re not.

Mother Miranda doesn´t get jealous, you insolent wretch.

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[mrs-snape5984]

“I'll be there to comfort you. I build my world of dreams around you. I'm so glad that I found you…”

“I'll be there to protect you, with an unselfish love that respects you. Just call my name, and I'll be there…” (“I’ll be there” by Mariah Carey feat. Trey Lorenz)

21 years of my life, I was seeking for comfort in my love for Severus Snape. From the very first moment, when I’ve found this bitter and sarcastic dungeon bat in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone”, it felt like embracing the love of my life. All I wanted, was to care for him…to be there for him. In all my fictions and imaginations, I only tried to make Severus feel loved and cared for by my OC Jules. I devoted my heart and soul to him, no matter how much mockery and disbelief I experienced from others for my dedication.

In these past 21 years of my existence, I had to endure some hardships, which only moulded my character even further into the woman, I am today. Yes, I must admit…on the one hand, I’m a bitter and sarcastic bitch person with suicidal tendencies (well, thank you, ME/CFS, you cruel disease!) and a dark and twisted humour. But on the other hand, I’m still a very caring and loving person with a pathetically weak black little heart. I’m literally the combination of my interpretation of Severus and my OC Jules…with all their flaws and vulnerabilities.

Since I’m struggling with the torturous symptoms of ME/CFS, I’m dependent on other people’s help…which is probably the most challenging thing for me. I’m imprisoned in myself, solely surrounded by darkness and solitude in my room. Suddenly, there are people, who are helping me with my children and my household. There’s my best friend Miri, who’s either forcing me to eat and drink something from time to time…or who’s helping me to wash my hair. She’s also the person in my life, who will always listen to my pathetic complaints about my misery or the latest episode of the “Sevy & Jules Show” in my head. 😅 And straight off the wide universe of the internet, two other idiots lovely human beings slithered into my life…enlightening at least my inner gloominess with their wit, their chaotic energy - which will drive me into madness sooner or later - and their loving presence.

Miri, Magda (@vulnus-sanare) and Richie (@preciousthelmadonna), you are the kindest, most compassionate and undeniably most beautiful souls, I’ve ever met. Without you all, I would have gone insane, already! I’m thanking the universe every single day for allowing me to be your friend…even though I wished, I could repay you for everything tenfold by being a better companion to all of you. Please, believe me, when I’m telling you, that I love you. 🖤🖤🖤

This mesmerising artwork of my OC Jules, who’s taking care of her sleepy husband Severus, was made by the incredibly talented and kind @severus-snaps. My dear, it was a pleasure to witness the process of creating this masterpiece and I enjoyed our nocturnal conversations immensely. I’m glad, that I dared to reach out to you after seeing your work on your blog….and I’m looking forward for our next project, which is already in the making. Thank you for everything! 🥹

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

🖤Sevy & Jules🖤

[suzukiblu]

Ko-fi thank-you sentences for @miri-tiazan; alpha!Kon and his supermom.

"I . . . just because he isn't attracted to me doesn't mean he thinks of me as any kind of a dam or wants to be in our family pack," Clara says with another sigh. "Even wanting to nurse from me doesn't mean that. I've never seen him feral before. He might react this way to any older omega he feels safe with when he's like this. Hell, just any older omega he knows." 

"Didn't you say it seemed like he'd never nursed before, though?" Lois reminds her pointedly. 

"Well . . . yes, but . . ." Clara trails off. Curls her fingers against Kon's scalp again. 

It still feels nice. 

And she still smells better than anything. 

"I'm not saying it's a definite, obviously," Lois says. "But maybe don't stress too much about how he's gonna react to your feelings about him either." 

“Maybe,” Clara says softly, scritching lightly at Kon’s scalp. He rumbles contentedly and leans into the contact, and she makes a quiet little noise and then . . . croons. Just a little. 

He’s never heard her do that before, but it sounds so nice. Makes him feel . . . makes him feel . . . 

He’s not sure what it makes him feel. 

But it sounds so, so nice. 

“Kon,” Clara says, her voice still more a croon than anything else, and Kon feels warm and heavy and good. Clara strokes his hair back off his forehead and keeps crooning senseless, sweet little sounds, and he melts against her. She can take his weight. It’s Clara. She could take the whole world’s weight. 

And she’s already holding him, so . . . so that means she doesn’t mind, right? 

Her pheromones smell so good, and her crooning is so nice, and her milk tastes . . . 

Kon really, really loves her. He doesn’t know why he ever goes anywhere Clara’s not. Like–why he ever leaves Metropolis, he means. That’s her territory, after all, and he wants to always be in her territory. It’s just–that’s the best place to be. 

It always has been, he’s pretty sure. 

“Well, Twitter has transitioned into arguing with itself about the decency of public nursing, especially with an already-presented unconfirmed packmate,” Lois observes. “Which is a step up from WGBS, which seems to think you’re an exhibitionist and has made some very pointed and borderline slanderous comments about feral people’s reduced capacity to consent, especially when on their cycles. And also some bigoted crap about clones’ capacity to even think, fuck Morgan Edge and his bullshit excuse for an opinion very much.” 

“Assholes,” Clara mutters, stroking Kon’s hair again. He feels even better. The uncomfortable burn of his rut is a vague, distant thing, and it doesn’t matter at all next to Clara’s warm pheromones and sweet milk and crooning voice. Even when she’s muttering disparaging things about "yellow journalism", which is what she’s currently doing while Lois stifles laughter. 

Kon doesn’t actually know what yellow journalism is, but he could listen to Clara complain about it all day, he’s pretty sure. 

He really does love her. 

That’s . . . something he doesn’t think about, usually, he’s vaguely aware. He’s . . . supposed to not think about it, he means. Because if he thought about it, or said it, it’d be . . . bad, he thinks. Or . . . something. 

But he’s supposed to do what feels natural, and right now nothing feels more natural than how much he loves her. She's–she's not his mom, but . . .

But he feels like he thinks he would, if she were. If she actually . . .

He thinks this is what that would feel like, anyway. 

Is it? 

“I’m going to write an editorial about that man and his damn show. I’m going to write two editorials about that man,” Clara finishes in a grumble, and Kon nuzzles into her stroking hand. He thinks she’s out of milk now, mostly, but he feels warm and full and good and doesn’t really mind. Not as long as she’s going to keep petting his hair and holding him like this. 

He thinks he could fall asleep right here in her lap and never feel better in his whole stupid life. Which–admittedly he hasn’t had that long of a life to be collecting “better” experiences in, but . . . yeah. Still. 

He really loves her. 

He knows he’s not allowed to say that, but he kinda wishes he were. 

[yeosangs-horizon]

Kazuki Kurusu as Your Lover ❣

Genre: Headcanons | Fluff + Smut Word Count: 2k Content Warning(s): Mentions of somnophilia, light BDSM, intoxication, discussion of nsfw ideas/kinks

⊲ SFW HCs: [gn!reader] ⊳

➵ Kazuki is a dedicated man to his partner, when he dates you he imagines a future with you and would stop fooling around with anybody else he is seeing weeks before he asks you out. 

➵ Kazuki has to make sure you’re a good fit in the family with Rei and Miri before bringing you into their lives. He wants a lifelong romantic partner sure, but he puts his family as a priority as well. 

➵ Kazuki fell for you when he noticed you as a regular at Kyu’s cafe back in the day and as a regular at his new diner.

➵ You interacted with Miri back then before at the cafe and have been acquainted with them during their old life so she definitely remembers you which makes Kazuki smile.

➵ You fell for Kazuki’s humorous charm and his fatherly caring nature. 

➵ Kazuki loves to make sure you are pampered by him. Whatever you are craving he’ll make for you. Wherever you want to go, he’ll try his best to plan a trip with you there. 

➵ Kazuki appreciates you doing household chores with him, it’s a way the two of you bonded as Miri is always busy and Rei mans the front of the diner so things get pushed to the side in their own living space. 

➵ Kazuki loves to be open and communicate with you to avoid misunderstandings and fights. He’s very patient with you and will hear you out, even if you may be the one in the wrong. 

➵ Kazuki is a gentleman in the fact that he’ll hold doors open for you, take you to fancy places, and put your needs first when you’re in public. 

➵ Kazuki is really good with his mouth and tongue, not like that, well… he adores flirting with you and making you blush up a storm.

➵ At home, Kazuki is very domestic and loves just daily routine with you. He doesn’t find it boring tag teaming dishes with you or folder clothes together.

➵ Kazuki loves to cook new recipes for you. He asks for your opinion in a dish that he contemplates about adding to the diner and he appreciates your honest and critiques better than Rei and Miri because sometimes, they have a very specific opinions about taste.

➵ Kazuki is a very openly jealous lover. He hates it when people flirt with you and will make it a point to call them out for it and tell them that you are his. 

➵ Kazuki is also an overprotective lover, not a bad sense. He’ll always ask to make sure you’re doing okay or comfortable in a given situation. If you get a muscle twinge or an accidental papercut, he’ll treat it like you broke a bone but give you the upmost care to make sure you are not in pain or discomfort. 

➵ Kazuki loves your appearance, no matter what you wear or put on your body he’ll always compliment you and try to boost your confidence, because he means it like that.

➵ Kazuki would always try to impress you and take your opinions into his consideration. If you mention that you would rather go without his facial hair, he’d shave it immediately for you. If you mention that you wanted to match outfits, he’d change for you in a heartbeat. You’d always find him attractive or charming though. 

➵ Kazuki’s dream date with you is taking you out for a dance on a cruise ship with just the two of you to preserve that intimacy and privacy. 

➵ When Kazuki has the chance to, he loves traveling with you and exploring the world with you. Of course he’d love to bring Rei and Miri along, but he acknowledges that some journeys are reserved for the two of you. 

➵ Kazuki is a very physically clingy person and will show lots of PDA. You’re walking in public? Your hand is being held by him. You’re waiting in line? He’ll offer you his shoulder to lean on. He wouldn’t be obnoxious about this but he loves giving you small pecks on the forehead or cheek just to show you off to the world as his. 

➵ Kazuki loves your cuddles and spooning you. He loves how small your figure is next to him. He is also a sucker for your kisses.

➵ Something that makes Kazuki really melt is the times when you would just lovingly make out with him in bed. It doesn’t always lead to anything explicit but the times when he would just hold you and let his heart take over in pampering you with kisses and press your mouths together for minutes at a time. 

➵ Kazuki loves waking up to you still in his arms and sharing your warmth, especially in the winter. He saves on heater bills sometimes because of you. 

➵ Kazuki likes to be very cheesy with you, tell you that you’re his world and play with your fingers or hair while whispering sweet nothings to you. He blushes easily when in vulnerable moments like that with you. 

➵ When the two of you have to do long distance, Kazuki would constantly be texting you asking how you are doing and that he misses you lots. 

➵ Kazuki would want to call you at any given time if the two of you are long distance for awhile. He is a sucker for sleeping on call too and hearing your voice. 

➵ The one thing Kazuki would not be open about is how much ‘wrong’ he did when he was doing ‘bad business’. He doesn’t like talking about that time with you, not because he’s afraid of your judgment, he doesn’t want you to get involved in any way just in case of the risk of the organization coming back to hurt him and god forbid, you.

➵ You are easy to talk to when it comes to Kazuki sharing the most painful parts of his life such as his time with Yuzuko and his lost child. You bring comfort to him very easily and even Karin has met you and loves you. 

➵ Kazuki loves watching you be silly when you think you’re alone in the house. He loves seeing you dance around to your music while you’re cleaning, you bring him so much joy.

➵ Kazuki loves switching clothes with you. The two of you share sweaters and hoodies all the time. You love his smell and if he’s away for awhile, you’ll sleep in his clothes to pretend he’s next to you. 

➵ Kazuki hates arguing with you and it rarely ever happens. He is reasonable and you are open to minded many ideas and situations. 

➵ The biggest argument the two of you would have is over rice, the one time you messed up by putting too much water in the rice and learned that Kazuki likes his rice overcooked and you hated the texture. 

➵ The two of you rely on each other for help equally. You need his assistance with certain chores like unclogging the sink sometimes whereas he needs your knowledge on how to sew certain loops or use a sewing machine. 

➵ Overall he is happy to share his life with you and he would absolutely be the one to ask for your hand in marriage a year or two after your domestic life with him starts. 

➵ Kazuki trusts you with his world and you are all that he’s ever wanted. When Miri goes off to college, he even thinks about having a kid of your own with him if that is what you so desired. 

➵ Kazuki puts up pictures of the two of you on his desk so he can stare at them every time he goes on his computer and treasures the ones that you are in with him, Rei, and Miri like a true family. 

⊲  NSFW HCs: [fem!reader] ⊳

➵ Kazuki loves sex with you. The two of you get freaky on most nights, especially in the start of your relationship with him. 

➵ You in general are a turn on for Kazuki so not much is needed for him to be aroused and ready for you. 

➵ Kazuki is very vocal with you in bed. He loves to dirty talk to you knowing that it is a turn on for you. 

➵ Kazuki focuses on your pleasure first before his own although he definitely feels good if you show that you’re enjoying what he’s doing.

➵ The two of you got spicy pretty early on in your relationship, it all went from a casual make out session on the couch when Rei and Miri were out to your first time together on his bed and he treated you like royalty.

➵ When Kazuki knows the two of you are about to get frisky and he makes out with you, he gets hard really fast and makes it known to you that he wants you.

➵ You know when Kazuki is horny in general just because he makes it known. In the morning if he wakes up with morning wood, he’ll grind on your ass if time permits and you are alone with him. If he’s needy when you’re lounging on the couch, he’ll be kissing up on you more than usual and letting his hands wander. 

➵ Kazuki loves your touch so much. He can easily finish if you just give him a handjob, but he usually prefers longer sessions than that. 

➵ Kazuki loves to be in control, he tries to top but a lot of the time ends up as a bottom but he doesn’t mind. He’s a switch and so are you when it comes to your relationship.

➵ Kazuki will suggest new ideas to spice things up in bed and run it by you before doing them obviously. You’ll also ask him to try new things too such as asphyxiation which he did not like or food play which he secretly enjoyed licking whipped cream off of your nude form. 

➵ You once suggested to bind Kazuki’s wrists together as a light attempt at BDSM and he enjoyed it more than he’d like to admit. He likes being in control sometimes but also at your wits when you have full control of teasing him and making him beg. 

➵ You enjoy Kazuki begging for your touch a lot more than you like to admit. 

➵ Kazuki loves consensual somnophilia with you. He loves the idea of waking you up with him inside of you. 

➵ Kazuki also really enjoyed intoxicated sex with you, consensually agreed upon before of course. Things get more heated when the two of you feel silly.

➵ Kazuki is too possessive for to fully enjoy exhibitionism but he loves to tease you in public and grind against you when the two of you are alone in a public setting or about to return home.

➵ Kazuki fucks himself to pictures of you a lot. You love sending him images of yourself in lingerie or full on nudes and every image of you being seductive goes into his spank bank.

➵ Kazuki has a couple toys of his own, nothing too fancy just a vibrator and a fleshlight, maybe the occasional dildo. Just for you though, he would allow you to buy a strap on to fuck him with if you were really into it. 

➵ Kazuki really loves to mark you as his with hickies where people can see them, just to show off that you’re his. He loves to make you feel effects of the night prior in a good way. You enjoy it too knowing that he was the one who was rough with you, making you moan.

➵ Kazuki loves penetration with you, feeling your walls and feeling that intimacy with you. 

➵ You also adore it when Kazuki eats you out, he’s really good with his mouth and his tongue, yes like that. 

➵ Kazuki has a very high libido, he can go for multiple rounds and realistically tire you out before he’s exhausted himself. 

➵ Kazuki may be rough during love making but he treats you with amazing aftercare. He will run a shower for you and clean you up and massage your body if you’re really sore. 

[tired-parrot]

I think the reason why Buddy Daddies gets me so emotional is the fact it's a family where each party came from rough backgrounds. It was purely accidental, and at first it didn't seem like it'd work out. But over time they've all grown to love eachother and actually be a family. The thing is, there are people who don't want them to be family. People who are against what you are, simply just by existing. It reflects real life too, two men rasing a child? Some people are against that notion. Just fuck man, this anime hits me in my heart, people who just want to be a family. I cried the past two episodes because I see how much Rei wants this family, I see Kazuki working so damn hard to be a good parent. I see Miri happy that she has people in her life that care about her as much she does them. I hope they have a happy ending, they deserve to be happy, to live their life as a family. I thought this would be a silly show I'd laugh at but I've genuinely grown attached to them, this anime has captured my soul.

Its not a perfect anime, it's not the best anime I've seen, but this anime has heart. It has love, and it shows that family can be built from the weirdest of ways. I wish it got more time to explore the ideas it had, I hope we get to see more content of them when it's over. I love this silly anime, and man I hope, I hope so much that they all get to stay as a family.

[skeletonpunching]

Buddy Daddies Comic Natalie interview with Toyonaga Toshiyuki and Uchiyama Koki

[Translator’s note: This interview accompanies a special feature where Toyonaga and Uchiyama make French toast together and play various games. I’m just translating the interview for now, because it’s relevant to upcoming episodes.]

Interviewer: Good work on the filming! How do you feel, looking back on all that now?

Toyonaga Toshiyuki: Uchiyama-san said that he wasn't feeling confident, but in the end... I think he sure came through with something that was up to par. How about you?

Uchiyama Koki: (laughs)

Toyonaga: Really, getting to see Uchiyama-san's smile is the most important thing, isn't it?

Uchiyama: (interrupting) Can you not? That'll come across really differently in print!

Toyonaga: But seriously, we had a blast filming together!

Uchiyama: This recording session really was jam-packed with content... But I think the video will turn out to be very much worth a watch. I usually don't cook at all, so I'm thankful to everyone that I've been able to have this valuable experience.

Interviewer: We'll be looking forward to the programme broadcast, to see how the French toast that both of you made actually turned out. But if you each had to rate your own performance, how many points would you give?

Toyonaga: Well, people who are old hands at cooking probably wouldn't be able to stand the sight of it, but... I think this is about as much as you can expect from beginners! Both of us get ten out of ten - full marks. I mean, look at these people who can't cook doing their best!

Uchiyama: I managed to cook something that made full use of the ingredients. I deserve 120 points for that alone.

Toyonaga: (laughs)

Interviewer: The anime broadcast has reached the point where Kazuki and Rei show up to cheer for Miri at her sports day. Of the episodes that have aired so far, which have you found the most memorable?

Toyonaga: When it comes to Kazuki, I think episode 7, which depicted his past, was a pivotal point. He made the choice not to cut ties with his past, but to accept it; that moment when he started walking down this new path was very impactful. And then next, episode 8 portrayed Rei's past. After the details of Kazuki and Rei's backstories were revealed, watching episode 9, which built on those things, really packed a punch. The two of them have both been through a lot of pain related to their families, so them getting to participate in sports day as fathers is just a sublime turn of events.

Uchiyama: I agree. The sports day episode was incredibly memorable for me. Especially the scene where Rei unconsciously raises his voice to cheer for Miri. Rei is usually so cool-headed, I could never have imagined that from him. But he's accumulated so much through living together with Miri, and I think that scene is where it all reaches a payoff. During the recording sessions, I was very aware that there were certain scenes which are meant to make you sense how Rei has changed.

Interviewer: Kazuki and Rei are buddy assassins, but once Miri shows up, we see them struggling to take on the role of fathers. There are many scenes where we see the two of them developing as guardians, but from your perspectives as performers, are there any scenes which truly made you feel how the character you play has grown?

Toyonaga: I think there are lots of ways Rei has grown, but as for Kazuki - rather than him having changed, I'd say he used to think "if I had a child, here's what I'd love to do", and now he's actually able to make those things happen. As he interacts with Miri-chan, she's drawing out all those feelings he originally had. And so Kazuki, who used to face the past with a mindset of atonement, has now switched to thinking, "It's fine to live happily in the present." I think that's his greatest change. Yes, there's always that potential retort of, "But you're an assassin, aren't you?" But this series is very careful to show that, before he's an assassin, he's a human being, first and foremost. I keep that in mind during my performance.

Interviewer: Kazuki and Rei have both been very much affected by their "daughter" Miri. Uchiyama-san, how about Rei?

Uchiyama: Rei wasn't too keen on living together with Miri in the first place, but if Kazuki wanted to look after Miri, he wouldn't really give a firm refusal. And then once he was actually living with Miri, he found himself moved by all of her mannerisms and gestures. When Miri was about to be taken away by the police, in order to bring her back, he declared, "I am her papa." And as Rei kept living like this, softer feelings started to grow steadily within him, and his emotional state began to change. When recording the early episodes, the director told me, "Even when Miri and Kazuki are having a lively conversation, Rei shouldn't get too caught up in the spirit of things." I think Rei's gradual development is crucial to the story.

Interviewer: Now that the finale is just round the corner, the story is wrapping up at last. "Buddy Daddies" is an original anime, so the viewers have no way to predict how it'll all end - could the two of you please tell us what we should be watching out for?

Toyonaga: Actually, the director told me, "Episode 9 is the last fluffy episode. So please put everything else out of your mind, and focus on depicting the close relationship between Kazuki, Rei, and Miri-chan."

Interviewer: W-what...!

Toyonaga: Yeah. And with three episodes left to the finale, the parts that everyone has been harping on until now - saying "no, no, that's not how it would happen!" - are suddenly taking on a whole new degree of realism. The audiences have some major shocks coming their way, and there are plenty of developments which make you go, "They're really going there...!" You're going to be confronted with the fact that Kazuki and Rei are assassins after all. But the reason why these realistic elements can play out is precisely because of the happy life they've established with Miri so far. I hope you can brace yourselves for it, so to speak. I'm sure there are people who've come up with all sorts of predictions, but you should probably consider how those predictions might actually turn out!

Uchiyama: Wow, you said it all!

Toyonaga: (laughs)

Uchiyama: Since it's an original anime, we recorded every episode with no idea how it would all conclude either. There are serious plot developments as we approach the finale, and I was quite surprised. So I'm curious how audiences will take it. I'm looking forward to everyone's reactions. Please be sure to watch till the very end.

[impromptu-sketches]

Things I want to see in Buddy Daddies episodes 11-13 (or in BD fanfics)

- Kazuki and Rei -finally- talking about their feelings and not just having a conversation through 2 second of eye contact

- Kazuki & Rei hug (idc of it’s romantic or not, I just think it’s healthy to show emotions and comfort each other, especially your partner of 4 years/buddy/co-parent)

- Rei tells his dad to FUCK OFF

- Kazuki tells Rei’s dad to FUCK OFF (I really want to see Kazuki in a rage)

- Rei’s father and that sociopath driver dying (obviously)

- Kyu in some way helping Kazuki & Rei get out of the organization and becoming Miri’s uncle

- Miri saying she missed her papas and she doesn’t want to leave them again

- Miri singing Silent Night with both of her daddies and her mom watching her

- Miss Anna doing her best on the piano ♡

- Miri giving Kazuki his scarf back and telling him to stay warm

- The three of them taking another family photo

- Rei with a HUGE grin on his face and/or laughing, just him being visibly happy

- All three of them playing morio kart together (Kazuki loses, of course)

- Rei finally feeling safe enough to sleep in his bed!! (or Kazuki’s bed)

- Kazuki displaying that picture of him and Yuzu in the flower field

- Rei finally getting a cat

- Another peak at the moms group chat

- Rei & Kazuki having to find other jobs??? (funny idea for a season 2, them navigating ‘regular non-hitmen’ life, having to find a work-life balance while raising Miri together

- Rei meets Dorothy & Carol and they become (queer) friends

- Rei working and Kazuki being a stay at home dad ♡

- Kazuki & Rei are mistaken for a married couple

- Time skip to the next daycare field day ♡

[soniadamasco]

I found what Miri said to Kyu about not wanting to go home interesting because it's been like three months at this point and she doesn't seem to show any signs of missing Misaki or wanting to see her mom again. And yet she did still say back in ep 2 that she hoped her mom wasn't lonely. Could it be that she's not as oblivious to her situation as it looks and that she knows to some extent that her mom isn't in a state to be in her life?

That's a very interesting observation and I agree with you that's it's strange how she doesn't seem to miss her mom. I thought about that for a while and, while like you I think that she's more aware about what's going on around her than we believe, something else came to my mind.

You see, since ep. 1 Miri has always been a very independent kid: travelling alone all the way to find her papa, always escaping and trying to do things by herself. While kids at that age love to explore and try their hands at everything, it's quite strange for me how calm she is in those situations.

I believe Miri is actually used to be an independent kid because she was pretty often left by herself. Misaki doesn't seem to be a "bad mom" as in like a violent or verbally abusive parent, but she's also a working single mother. When Miri sings her mom's song in ep. 2 I believe she's recollecting a memory, probably from being at one of her mom's shows. Since we know Misaki is struggling with money, I find it very likely that she might have brought Miri along to her job, where she was left alone while her mom was working.

Aside from Misaki having little time to spend with Miri because of her work, I don't think she ever tried to take care of her aside from her basic needs. Yes, she cooked for her, dressed her and she did all those other things you have to do to keep a child alive, but was she ever present emotionally? I don't think so, considering even those basic things felt like a burden for her. It's easy to do those things without caring for someone, just because you feel obligated, but it's way harder to fake an emotional connection.

I still believe Miri cares a lot about her mom, but I also think she's used not to be around her. The fact that she didn't freak out the first time Rei and Kazuki left her alone in the house makes me also think that Misaki might've already left her at home by herself.

Another thing that makes me believe there is very little emotional connection between Miri and Misaki is how she answers to Kyutaro when he asks her if her family misses her:

See how she deflects the answer towards herself? My guess is that probably she cannot understand the idea of her mom being worried about her, because she never saw that emotion in Misaki. Instead, she reassures him by telling him she's fine with living with her papas.

Why is that? I believe that Kazuki and Rei are giving her exactly what her mom couldn't give her, which is emotional care. Look how she continues with her answer:

Those are the two most important things she can think about to show how well they're taking care of her. Yes, Kazuki is naturally great at cooking, but remember how she didn't like his hamburgers at first? And remember how he bought the ones from the store and also the cereals which she likes? With just this he's showing her attention, he shows her that he cares about what she likes and is ready to follow that direction because he knows it will make her happy. She feels like he's listening to her and that's very important for a child.

Another very important thing for children is spending quality time with their parents, just like Miri does when Rei plays videogames with her. We know he's not the best socially speaking, but he found a way to connect with Miri through something that he knows how to do well. Even playing a game together is a way to grow an emotional connection and I believe Miri is aware that this is Rei's way to show he cares about her.

Lastly, she says another important thing:

Look at how sure she is when she says they'll always be with her. That is a sense of stability that no one else but Kazuki and Rei could give to Miri. She trusts that they will keep being with her because she knows how much they love her and there is no doubt in her mind. After probably being emotionally neglected by her mother, that's a huge thing to say, which shows how safe she feels around them.

At the end I still think Miri misses her mom, but she realises that Misaki could never give her the same love that Kazuki and Rei are showing her everyday. That is one of the most important things for a child. Actually, for every person regardless of age. Love is what makes you feel at home and now for Miri home is where Kazuki and Rei are.

[himebushou]

When you contrast Kazuki and Rei's motivations against their actions, there's a bit of a gap.

Following Yuzuko's death and the ensuing guilt that Kazuki felt, one would assume that the natural thing to do would be for Kazuki to leave his line of work. Instead, Kazuki appears to do the opposite — he emotionally closes himself off for a long period of time to avoid becoming invested in people, believing that he is incapable of protecting others. He focuses on his work rather than turning away from being a hitman.

Rei, meanwhile, made an active decision to leave the Suwa family home, and by extension, the organisation. For Rei to have concluded that this was the best thing for him to do, he must have recognised that something about his life wasn't quite right. He is, after some sort of negotiation, allowed to depart — but instead of being able to explore whatever it was that led him to realise that he needed to go, Rei also focuses on his work.

The pair maintain a sort of languid existence until they meet.

Kazuki and Rei saved each other. Kazuki was once again able to care for someone and commit to caring for someone; I think the key difference between Rei and other people (in Kazuki's head, at least) is that Kazuki knows Rei is very, very difficult to kill, which gives Kazuki some peace of mind. Rei doesn't need Kazuki to protect him, as such, since Rei is perfectly capable of protecting himself. Rei's strength and aptitude enable Kazuki to relax.

Similarly, Rei is rescued by Kazuki's kindness. I'm sure he had been shown kindness before, but it's doubtful that Suwa Shigeki, one of the most influential people in Rei's life, ever showed him affection. Therefore, when Kazuki arrives, armed with rubber gloves and a vacuum cleaner, deep down, Rei is staggered by the sheer depths of Kazuki's compassion. Kazuki's kindness is not grandiose. It is simple. Rei left the Suwa house but could not take his recovery further — then Kazuki appeared and gave Rei a physical environment that he could perhaps begin to recover in, one that deeply contrasted with the austerity of Rei's family home.

In essence, Kazuki and Rei gave each other security.

There's a lot of emotional closeness. In Episode 3, when Kazuki breezily brings up his childhood, Rei responds, "You don't usually talk like this." The 'usually' highlights that the topic has come up before. In Episode 8, when Miri asks what happened between Rei and her 'grandfather', Kazuki is privy to a lot of details about the family dynamic. He discusses matters which he's unlikely to know about through sheer conjecture. As such, I believe that Rei must have opened up to Kazuki, at least once.

Miri is the catalyst. She is another reason to move on, be different. To change. Kazuki has the opportunity to finally be a father. Rei, the merciless killer, can protect.

It's a good thing that they bumbled through those earlier years, asking questions and not finding answers. Ultimately, it resulted in the trio finding each other.