The Way of the Househusband

 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by . Published in the online manga magazine "Bunch" since 2018, "The Way of the Househusband" follows an ex-yakuza boss who retires from crime to become a househusband. The series was adapted into a live-action television drama by Nippon TV in 2020. A Netflix original net animation (ONA) anime series produced by J.C.Staff was released in April 2021. A second part of the anime has been announced.
Synopsis.
, an infamous and feared yakuza boss nicknamed "the Immortal Dragon", retires from crime to become a househusband so that he can support , his wife. The episodic series depicts a variety of comedic scenarios, typically wherein 's banal domestic work as a househusband is juxtaposed against his intimidating personality and appearance, and his frequent run-ins with former yakuza associates and rivals.
Media.
Manga.
"The Way of the Househusband", written and illustrated by Kousuke Oono, was initially published on the Shinchosha's online manga magazine "Kurage Bunch" as a five chapter limited series from February 23 to March 23, 2018, but became popular enough to be serialized as an ongoing series, starting on May 18 of the same year. It has been collected into seven "tankōbon" volumes by Shinchosha.
In North America, Viz Media announced it had acquired the rights to publish an English-language translation of the series in February 2019, the first volume of which was published in September of that year.
Promotional videos.
Multiple motion comic videos have been produced to promote the release of the series' volumes. The videos feature as the voice of , as the voice of , as the voice of , and as the voice of .
In December 2019, a live-action promotional video adapting scenes from "The Way of the Househusband" was produced to commemorate the series reaching 1.2 million copies in print. The video stars reprising his role as and as , and is co-directed by and .
Television drama.
On July 8, 2020, Nippon TV announced that it would adapt "The Way of the Househusband" into a live-action television drama, which premiered in October 2020. The series stars as , is produced by , and features as director and as screenplay writer.
Anime.
At the Netflix Anime Festival on October 26, 2020, an original net animation (ONA) anime series adaptation of "The Way of the Househusband" was announced. The series is produced by J.C.Staff and directed by , with handling the series' scripts. reprised his role as from the manga promotional videos. The series was released on April 8, 2021. A second part of the series has been announced.
Reception.
Critical reception.
"The Way of the Househusband" has been positively received by critics. Reviewing the first volume of the series for "Polygon", writer Julia Lee called "The Way of the Househusband" "the perfect blend of comedy and action" and "a nice, silly pick-me-up manga." "Anime News Network" gave the series 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "confident and expertly paced, with gorgeous artwork and perfect comic timing." Conversely, Reuben Baron of "Comic Book Resources" summarized the series as having a "cute premise, but not one with a ton of variation," though he offered praise for the quality of its art.
The anime series, while originally highly anticipated, was heavily criticized for its limited animation, which resembled a motion comic rather than anime.
Sales.
1.2 million copies of "The Way of the Househusband" are in print as of December 2019. In Oricon's sales rankings, the first volume of "The Way of the Househusband" had sold 95,637 copies as of September 2018, while the second volume had sold 143,051 copies as of January 2019. The first volume of the English-language translation of the series placed sixteenth in Nielsen BookScan's best-selling graphic novels for adults in September 2019.
Awards.
! scope="row"|2018
! scope="row"|2018
! scope="row"|2018
! scope="row"|2018
! scope="row"|2018
! scope="row"|2019
! scope="row"|2020