Kousuke Oono’s manga The Way of the Househusband has been a fan-favorite since it began publication in 2018, telling the slice-of-life story of a former yakuza who decides to become a homemaker. The success of the manga has lead to an anime adaptation courtesy of Netflix, but the results are less than what fans had hoped for.
The first trailer for The Way of the Househusband has notably flat and still animation, but its latest problem stems from Chinese censorship. The changes implemented alter how the main character himself looks in the already criticized series. Here’s how the alterations affect the already beleaguered The Way of the Househusband.
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No Tattoos for Tatsu
The star of Househusband is Tatsu, a former yakuza who decides to retire from a life of organized crime and keep house. A part of yakuza culture is tattooing, though not all yakuza get a tattoo. However, the stereotype of the “yakuza tough” having an ornate back tattoo is enough to perpetuate the negative connotations that both have in modern Japanese culture and media.
As shown in recent photos, tattoos are apparently similarly reviled by Chinese culture, as well. The Chinese broadcast of Netflix’s The Way of the Househusband will completely remove Tatsu’s tattoos, leaving his numerous scars as the only thing on his body. This may leave Chinese fans feeling somewhat shortchanged, but the unaltered version of the show has plenty of problems of its own.
The Way of the Househusband’s Awful “Animation”
The show’s original trailer showcased a motionless “still” style of animation, in which all of the scenes were portrayed through statics images, similar to a motion comic. Some assumed, or at least hoped, that this was done only for comedic scenes, with the ones shown in the teaser simply used as a gag. This wasn’t the case, however, with it turning out to be that the Powerpoint-like animation was intentionally done to emulate the panels of a manga, according to series director Kon Chiaki.
This hasn’t helped fan reception, though, and many still criticize the animation’s execution. The fact that the Chinese version won’t even be accurate to this version only adds insult to injury. Hopefully, the otherwise accurate adaptation of the manga’s story will win over fans who aren’t happy with how low effort the anime looks.