My Home Hero Season 1 Review – An Interesting Crime Anime With An Unique Family Dynamic

Episode Guide

Episode 1: From Today, I Am a Killer– | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2: Cutting the Cake – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 3: The Correct Path – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4: The World of Violence – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5: Are You Happy? – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 6: Entertaining the Guest, Kasen Style– | Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 7: Mother and Mother – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 8: The Spider’s Thread – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 9: The Fateful Day – | Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 10: One Thing I Did – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 11: Father – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 12: The Current Happiness – | Review Score – 3.5/5

In Spring 2023, fans watched anime from many different avenues. There were compelling romances, magical fantasies, stellar comedies, and intense dramas. Unfortunately, with a season as jam-packed as this one, there will be an anime that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. My Home Hero is one of those anime. While its narrative isn’t flawless and its animation subpar, it delivers a fun spin on the crime genre with its glorious family dynamic.

My Home Hero is a 12-episode drama that follows Tetsuo, a salaryman and father who learns that his daughter Reika is getting abused by her boyfriend. He discovers that her boyfriend Nobuto works for the yakuza and murders him to protect his daughter. With the yakuza on his back, Tetsuo must do whatever it takes to protect the people closest to him. Whether it’s getting innocent people involved in his schemes or sabotaging the trust in the organization, Tetsuo will do what he must to safeguard his treasure. With a live-action drama series of the work on the way, many may be curious how this anime fares compared to others that aired this season. 

The story of My Home Hero was captivating to watch every week. Many episodes gave fans glorious twists, thrilling cliffhangers, and some mind games that will strike them at their core. This anime tackles rich themes such as organized crime, family, grief, loss, and fear. These concepts shine brightly throughout My Home Hero’s narrative, helping it stand out from shows like Oshi No Ko, another anime that highlights murder and mystery. This anime contains tense instances that will make viewers fear for Tetsuo’s safety.

From Tetsuo murdering Nobuto to the moments where he hides in plain sight, you’ll feel like you’re hiding alongside him, not wanting to be found out. Furthermore, the anime includes splendid flashbacks that help viewers understand how Tetsuo triumphed over his adversaries or avoided the organization’s detection of his crafty tricks. Kasen, Tetsuo’s wife, joins the fray and is a compelling partner throughout the show. While it sounds like My Home Hero avoided making some errors along the way, this is far from the truth.

For instance, My Home Hero relies heavily on flashbacks to showcase how Tetsuo pulled one over on the organization. While these flashbacks helped audiences understand Tetsuo’s methods, it would’ve been great if viewers saw Tetsuo perform those actions in real-time periodically. It would make the series feel less repetitive and more refreshing. Furthermore, there were episodes where the flashbacks ruined the narrative’s flow, making it difficult to take in important information our characters shared.

My Home Hero had some essence of plot convenience too. There were moments in the story where it felt like Tetsuo and Kasen pulled through out of sheer luck instead of wit. From the cops fleeing the scene without any doubt in episode 12 to Tetsuo hiding from Kyoichi as he exits the elevator in episode 8, these examples prove that Tetsuo had it easy occasionally. The story also presented viewers with weird character decisions that didn’t make sense. Despite the story’s mixed baggage, most characters were delightful to watch.

Unlike the teens and child-like protagonists, we received in Spring 2023, following an adult like Tetsuo was a breath of fresh air. Although he makes questionable decisions that will make viewers despise him, his dedication to his family is one of his best aspects. He never throws his family under the bus, even when he’s on the brink of death. On top of having an intriguing backstory involving his father and mother, Tetsuo was a fun protagonist to watch this season.

Kasen was another stand-out character in the anime. Fans will find her bravery and commitment to her family inspirational. Furthermore, Kasen can be just as crafty and intelligent as her husband. Some examples include when Kasen put a laxative in Kyoichi’s beverage and when she fabricated a tale about a cat to delay the men assisting Kyoichi in episode 3. While Kasen mostly follows Tetsuo’s orders, she conjures unique strategies on the fly, making her unpredictable and exciting to watch.

Outside of Kyoichi and Matori, the other supporting cast members didn’t do much for me. They either played minor roles or had forgettable personalities and tasks in the story that didn’t help them stand out. Hopefully, another season can give characters like Kasen, Kubo, and future organization members some depth. While Kasen was splendid to watch, she wasn’t fleshed out as much as Tetsuo, Kyoichi, and Matori. Nevertheless, the characters mentioned will leave a decent impression on folks.

Tezuka Productions is responsible for working on My Home Hero’s animation, which is My Home Hero’s poorest aspect. With its stiff character animations, weird censoring decisions, and failure to capture some of the show’s defining moments, the visuals prevent My Home Hero from being a magnificent gem. Some episodes had neat effects that toyed with the idea of our characters’ poor mental states, but these were few and far between. While the My Home Hero anime had decent visuals in certain areas, fans should read the manga written by Naoki Yamakawa.

Masashi Asaki, My Home Hero’s artist, is incredibly talented and has alluring art that captures the characters’ pain and anguish. You’ll find more joy with the manga than the studio’s attempts at capturing Asaki’s style. My Home Hero’s music was decent and complemented its suspenseful and joyous moments well. Besides the overly dramatic portions in episode 3, the voice acting was solid from all parties involved. Everyone from Junichi Sawabe (Tetsuo) and Sayaka Oohara (Kasen) nailed their roles and brought these fun characters to life.

For a season with some heavy hitters, it’s understandable why some wouldn’t give My Home Hero a chance. It doesn’t have the flashy visuals of Oshi No Ko or Demon Slayer, nor does it have a comfy presence like Skip and Loafer or The Dangers In My Heart. While the narrative is suspenseful and full of emotional segments, it doesn’t hold up from multiple angles. However, this shouldn’t stop fans from investing their time to watch it. While it isn’t a flawless crime drama, My Home Hero has enough enjoyable characters, thrilling scenarios, and meaningful themes to entertain audiences.

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