Buddy Daddies – Season 1 Episode 5 “Crunch Time” Recap & Review

Crunch Time

Episode 5 of Buddy Daddies begins with Kazuki begging Kyutarou for work. He and Rei are in a tight spot with cash after spending much of their funds on Miri’s stuff. Kyutarou gives Kazuki and Rei several files for location scouting jobs and target background checks. Kazuki and Rei depart Kyutarou’s shop with the information.

Before Kazuki and Rei can split the work, Kazuki receives a phone call from Hanyu, a worker at the Aozora Daycare facility Miri’s hanging out. She informs him that Miri has to stay home until further notice due to a virus spreading amongst its staff and children. They pick Miri up from Aozora, and Kazuki tells Rei that one must watch Miri while the other completes the work. Miri tells Kazuki about her homework assignment. She must ask her dads about their jobs and present that information.

At night, Kazuki and Rei pull all-nighters and struggle to manage Miri while tackling work. Kazuki says he plans to ask Kyutarou for advice since they may not meet their deadlines with the assignments. In the morning, he advises Rei to stay with Miri and leaves. Miri tries getting Rei to wake up, but he chooses not to. Miri secretly leaves the apartment and secretly follows Kazuki, hoping to know more about his job. At the same time, Rei wakes up and realizes Miri’s missing.

At Kyutarou’s cafe, Kazuki’s worried to tell Kyutarou about their poor progress. He receives a phone call from Rei, informing him that he can’t find Miri. At home, Kazuki looks for Miri but notices she’s missing, so the two decide to look for her in the city. Meanwhile, Miri bumps into a strange man whose leaving Kyutarou’s cafe. Kyutarou notices Miri and takes her inside. Kazuki and Rei meet outside Kyutarou’s cafe and worry that she may have been kidnapped. Kazuki and Rei enter the cafe and spot Miri. She calls them “papa” in front of Kyutarou, causing Kazuki to stir up a quick lie to avoid Kyutarou discovering their relationship with her.

When Kyutarou gets called to hand a customer some water, Kazuki tells Miri not to call him or Rei “papa” in front f Kyutarou. Kazuki tells Kyutarou that they’re simply babysitting Miri as part of a babysitting gig. Kyutarou says he can’t extend the deadline on their jobs. Kazuki admits it’s been difficult to keep up with the jobs he gave them. Kyutarou tells Kazuki and Rei that he’d be willing to look after Miri if it can help them focus on his jobs. Some time passes. Kazuki and Rei have completed most of Kyutarou’s tasks. However, some of the remaining jobs require them to take a day trip, so they’ll need Kyutarou’s help with Miri.

Kazuki reiterates to Miri that she must not tell Kyutarou about them being her papas. They drop her off and continue on with their missions. At the cafe, Kyutarou and Miri discuss mundane topics and drink refreshments. While on the job, Kazuki and Rei are worried about Miri’s safety since Kyutarou’s known for being cold-blooded. Miri asks Kyutarou what Kazuki and Rei’s jobs are. Kyutarou tells her that Kazuki’s a stand-up comedian and Rei’s a Middle Eastern oil baron.

Afterward, Miri starts drawing images of Kazuki and Rei and almost slips up about them being her fathers. Kyutarou asks Miri if she’d like to go home, but Miri says that Kazuki and Rei will be with her forever, so she’s not worried about going to her “real” family. Kazuki and Rei return from their mission and hand in their assignment to Kyutarou. While asleep, Miri refers to Kazuki and Rei as her fathers. Although Kazuki tries covering it up, Kyutarou tells him he knows what’s up with them. The next day, Kazuki and Rei watch Miri’s presentation. She receives praise from her friends, their parents, and Rei and Kazuki.

Kyutarou hands Kazuki and Rei their payments, and they discuss the situation regarding Kazuki and Rei’s parenting. Kyutarou informs them that he would’ve put his foot down if Miri’s involvement with Kazuki and Rei prevented them from getting his work done. However, after spending time with Miri, Kyutarou feels she’s vital to helping Kazuki and Rei change for the better. The episode concludes with Kyutarou reminding Kazuki and Rei that they’re a part of a dangerous business and telling them not to regret their choice of being Miri’s caretaker.

The Episode Review

This was another wholesome chapter of Buddy Daddies. It wasn’t as well-crafted as the last episode, but it shows how much of a lovable father Kazuki is. Rei has some attachment to Miri in one scene, but Kazuki’s bond with her is on a new level. Even when he’s on the job, the thought of Miri’s life being in danger can’t escape his mind.

That said, it’s a bummer that the episode skimmed past most of Kazuki and Rei’s mission work. This was probably in favor of Miri wiping away Kyutarou’s doubts about Kazuki and Rei’s work ethic and handling of a child’s life. At the same time, the anime could’ve trimmed some stuff, like Kazuki and Rei’s search for Miri.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the two tackle missions, so it was unfortunate that we didn’t get more of that here. Hopefully, future episodes can strike a clever balance between its slice-of-life and assassin-oriented elements to appeal to both audiences. Overall, this was a cozy episode of Buddy Daddies, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for Miri, Rei, and Kazuki.