Kara Dennison
May 17, 2023 
Murder is a family affair in My Home Hero, one of this season’s darkest new anime. Based on the seinen manga by Naoki Yamakawa and Masashi Asaki, it follows a husband and father trying to protect his family after making a deadly choice. But the choice isn’t just deadly for him… he’s crossed the yakuza, and his wife and daughter are in the crosshairs.
Shows this tense aren’t the perfect fit for everyone, especially when the subject matter is so grim. But will it be the right show for you? Read on to see if it appeals…
A Unique Take on Crime Drama
My Home Hero is a crime story where the crime takes place in the first episode. Salaryman Tetsuo murders his daughter’s abusive boyfriend Nobuto. But Nobuto isn’t just a garden-variety jerk. He’s the son of a powerful yakuza boss. And if his murder comes to light, Tetsuo and his whole family are as good as dead. Taking his wife Kasen into (some degree of) confidence, he gets to work covering up his crime.
The thing is, Tetsuo is a mystery novel buff and amateur novelist. Despite his mundane life, he’s fully armed with a surprisingly criminal mind. Not only does he know how to dispose of the body, he can also think ahead of his pursuers and set up several alibis in advance. He’s not always successful… but that’s where the suspense comes in.
Older Protagonists
It’s a simple fact that most anime focus on younger protagonists… teens and twenties, usually. Anime with middle-aged leads are few and far between—and My Home Hero is one of them. Tetsuo and Kasen have a teenage daughter, and their own college years are decades behind them. Seeing older characters take the lead is interesting for a lot of reasons.
One of the most interesting things about these older, more “normal” protagonists is how they handle conflict. There’s a more worldly fear underlying everything they do: a true understanding of consequences, but also a much broader pool of experiences from which to pull. Seeing Kasen in particular lean into the role of a detached suburban housewife is entertaining. All while she’s got an ear to the ground for Tetsuo and is spiking yakuza coffee with laxatives.
Moral Quandaries
Ask any parent, and they’d likely say they’d do anything to keep their kid safe. But My Home Hero puts that to the test. As far as Tetsuo is willing to go to protect his family, he’s confronted with the realization that doing so may rile that same instinct in other parents just like him. In fact, it does. After all, Nobuto is someone’s child, too.
Seeing Tetsuo acknowledge that his actions have caused another father pain is interesting. Especially since he’s still fighting for his own life and the lives of his family. It’s a moral reckoning that makes this show more than a game of hide-the-body. There’s more to unearth here.
Check out this season’s surprisingly beautiful anime with dark undertones!
