10 More Wholesome Family Works!
Buddy Daddies was a splendid surprise. Although some were skeptical, others welcomed this anime for what new content it would bring to the table. While it’s not perfect, the anime delivers an unforgettable narrative about two assassins who care for a child after murdering her harsh father for a job. Many amusing, heartbreaking, and enjoyable scenarios ensue that lead to a satisfying conclusion.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Buddy Daddies! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Buddy Daddies.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Buddy Daddies!
Hinamatsuri
Similarities – Crime, Family, Action
If you’re in need of an anime that can turn mundane scenarios into funny ones, Hinamtasuri has you covered. This anime offers a nice mix of supernatural, drama, and wholesome vibes. It’s another anime that tackles themes regarding loneliness, family, and crime. It follows a yakuza member named Nitta. He meets a female esper who helps him defeat a rival gang.
Recognizing her strengths, Nitta becomes Hina’s caretaker and endures a life that’s wackier than he anticipated. Like Buddy Daddies, this anime delivers a similar premise and cast. Both anime feature protagonists who indulge themselves in crime and family-like matters. They contain some neat dramatic bits to make their tales engaging for a wider audience.
Nitta and Hina are as well-developed and likable as Rei, Kazuki, and Miri. You’ll adore seeing them bond and argue with each other in different scenarios. Give this a watch if you’re searching for a crime-oriented anime about family.
Spy X Family
Similarities – Comedy, Family Life, Action
Before Buddy Daddies aired, many people couldn’t help but compare it to Spy X Family. Spy X Family didn’t offer anything new to the table with its premise, but it contained enough wholesome fun to get people discussing it on a weekly basis. While its second part didn’t live up to many fans’ expectations as its first half did, many adore Spy X Family for its spy and family-related activities and cast.
Spy X Family follows Twilight, a proficient spy tasked with maintaining peace between the East and West. He must locate an individual named Donovan Desmond to accomplish his mission. To get closer to Desmond, he dawns the alias Loid Forger, adopts a daughter named Anya, and hooks up with a woman named Yor. Unbeknownst to Loid, these two harbor secrets of their own.
Spy X Family is slower to get to its desirable content than Buddy Daddies. Nonetheless, its cast has excellent chemistry and is fun to follow. The animation is top-notch in Spy X Family and there are many absurd scenarios that will make you smile or giggle nonstop. Give this a watch if you enjoyed Buddy Daddies action sequences and comfortable atmosphere.
You can read our thoughts on Spy X Family Season 1 Part 1 in our review here!
The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting
Similarities – Gangsters & Childcare
An anime with less action but more slice-of-life components is what you’ll discover while watching The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting. This anime follows a violent gangster named Tooru. After jeopardizing a peace treaty, his boss tasks him with babysitting a seven-year-old named Yaeka to teach Tooru responsibility. Although they don’t get along at first, the two will develop a great connection over time.
This anime has no issues showcasing a happier depiction of mafia life. The series includes some chapters that aren’t necessary to the plot and resemble common filler episodes you’d get from long-running shows. The story doesn’t have depth either. Nonetheless, people will admire the series for its charming scenarios involving its cast.
Tooru and Yaeka’s bond resembles that of Kazuki, Rei, and Miri’s connection. You’ll admire how close they become throughout the anime and how they develop into better human beings. This is a must-watch for those who enjoy tales with caretaking and cheery elements.
Great Pretender
Similarities – Action & Art Style
Despite not having the best second half out of any anime out there, Greater Pretender is a great anime. This anime follows the story of a group of con artists who swindle wealthy people of their money. This series has several arcs targeted toward different members of the cast. This gives each character a chance to shine and allows viewers to grow attached to them.
The animation in Great Pretender is breathtaking and stunning. It features a range of styles that gives the anime a distinct look from other heist-oriented works. The attention to detail is evident in every scene, from the intricate character designs to the vibrant colors and backgrounds that transport viewers to different locales.
The anime’s handling of music and sound also adds to one’s immersive experience with this show. This anime also knows how to balance its humor, action, and drama effortlessly. The writing is clever and the ending will leave the majority satisfied. Those looking for another crime series that’s fun and delightful should give Great Pretender a shot.
You can read our thoughts on Great Pretender in our full-season review here!
Kakushigoto
Similarities – Characters & Story
Many individuals have a job that their parents aren’t a fan of. Kakushi, the protagonist of Kakushigoto, is one of those people with an occupation so bonkers that many would shun him for it. He spends his life creating inappropriate manga. After his daughter’s born, Kakushi vows to keep this occupation a secret from her. To some extent, Kakushi is like Rei and Kazuki.
All three men attempt to hide the truth from a younger female. They hold this individual to a high extent and don’t want anything bad to happen to her. Like Rei and Kazuki, Kakushi will struggle to establish a tight connection with his daughter. Kakushigoto also contains fantastic animation and visuals. Its visuals reflect the anime’s light-hearted tone well.
Those who enjoyed the Japanese dub of Buddy Daddies will admire the voice work in Kakushigoto too. Rie Takashi, a popular Japanese actress captures Kakushi’s daughter’s innocence and curiosity well. Her mannerisms will remind folks of Miri a lot. Those looking for an anime with incredible voice acting and a great blend of comedy and wholesomeness should give this show a shot.
School Babysitters
Similarities – Slice of Life & Childcare
Monitoring children can be a difficult task. At least that’s what School Babysitters protagonist Ryuuichi believes. After losing his parents in an unfortunate accident, he must look after his younger brother, Kotarou. This encourages Ryuuichi to move in with his father’s friend, Chairwoman Morinomiya, who runs an academy where the boys can study for free.
Thus, Ryuuichi becomes a babysitter for students who stay after school and their younger siblings, creating a unique, comedic, and heartwarming tale for audiences to immerse themselves in. This anime can feel slightly episodic but there are a few bumps in the road that our characters must overcome. These are the segments that will pull in audiences who find its wholesome content underwhelming.
Like Buddy Daddies, School Babysitters isn’t afraid to touch upon darker subjects like grief, loss, moving on, and adapting to different situations. This anime’s characters like likable and well-developed. For those who found Rei and Kazuki’s bond with Miri wholesome, you’ll enjoy seeing Ryuuichi bond with Kotaro and the other people he must look after during his job. Give this anime a shot if you’re in need of another blast of entertainment.
Barakamon
Similarities – Themes & Atmosphere
For more comical entertainment about family and friendship, Barakamon is a great series to check out. It involves a novice calligrapher named Seishuu, who doesn’t like receiving criticism from people. One of his outbursts gets him exiled to the Goto Islands. Seishuu isn’t a fan of the location, but he’s determined to find something about the Goto Islands that’ll inspire his next project.
Unfortunately, he’ll encounter many individuals, old and young, aiming to shut him down. Like Rei and Kazuki, Seishuu is skeptical of his situation at first, but as the series progresses, he becomes more attached to the Goto Islands residents, especially the little girl who likes visiting his place named Naru Kotoishi. The relationships in these anime gradually build up over time.
Growth and development are other aspects both anime share. Seishuu, Rei, and Kazuki become better individuals due to having unexpected relationships with people. Their transformations are inspiring and satisfying.
Although Barakamon doesn’t have intense action segments like Buddy Daddies, it’s a great anime to check out for its themes and delightful atmosphere.
Tokyo Godfathers
Similarities – Found-Family
Tokyo Godfathers takes place on Christmas Eve and follows three homeless people named Han, Gin, and Miyuki. While searching through the trash, they find an abandoned child. Hana persuades Gin and Miyuki to help her find the baby’s biological mother. Therefore, we examine the trio’s journey for the truth. To some extent, both groups embark on journeys to locate a child’s mother.
Tokyo Godfathers’s whole plot revolves around this premise while it’s only a segment for an episode in Buddy Daddies. Nevertheless, both anime explore their characters fully, giving viewers an idea of what they were like in the past. From Han to Miyuki, you’ll be surprised by the amount of turmoil they’ve endured in their lives.
Like Kazuki and Rei, these three have excellent chemistry, personalities, and backgrounds. This anime also places its characters in many funny and dreadful scenarios that’ll pique your interest. With its mix of heartwarming and dark themes, Tokyo Godfathers is a great anime to put on when you’re in need of a deep and compelling Christmas flick.
Sweetness & Lightning
Similarities – Childcare, Human Relationships, Atmosphere
Sweetness & Lightning is an anime that’s charming on the surface but holds some dark themes to keep things interesting. This anime explores the life of Kouhei, a man who lost his wife to unfortunate circumstances and must care for his daughter Tsumugi alone. Thankfully, one of his students named Kotori offers Kouhei a helping hand.
Kotori’s undergoing her own set of issues at her family restaurant regarding her mother. Kouhei offers to bring Tsumugi to the restaurant daily if Kotori’s willing to teach him how to cook. She accepts their offer and the series monitor’s the trio’s life together. Like Buddy Daddies, Sweetness & Lightning teaches folks that anyone can be in your family regardless if they’re related to you or not.
The anime contains some nice jokes and genuine segments that’ll warm your heart. Furthermore, the characters receive excellent development and the way they tackle their issues may inspire viewers at home to overcome their issues with life. Give this a watch if you’re after an anime that’ll make you smile.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Similarities – Childcare & Comedy
Have you ever met someone that managed to turn your life around? Like Rei and Kazuki, this is what happens to Shin in the anime Kotaro Lives Alone. After meeting his four-year-old neighbor Kotaro, Shin’s life becomes more active and less lonely. He’ll get into all types of wacky scenarios that’ll make viewers chuckle and smile.
Like Buddy Daddies, this anime centers around childcare and family life. Although Miri’s as intelligent as your average child, Kotaro is more knowledgeable about adult life. This makes his dynamic with Shin enjoyable to follow and more relatable for those who are around Shin’s age in the anime. Nevertheless, many will be interested to learn why Kotaro Lives Alone.
This aspect of the anime will hold viewers’ attention similarly to the subplots involving Kazuki’s wife and Rei’s past life under his father’s watchful eye. At the same time, this adds some depth to the anime and helps it stand out from other family-oriented anime like it. If you’re looking for another family-themed anime with quirky characters, check out Kotaro Lives Alone.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Buddy Daddies!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!