Mission: Yozakura Family

A traumatized young man must learn to become a spy--and a husband.

Source: Manga

Genre(s): Action, comedy, romance.

Category: Shonen

Platform: Disney+ (Canada)

Release Date: April 7th, 2024

Getting a Dub?: Unknown

Why I Picked It:

Spies are something I've always wanted to get into in a storytelling sense, yet I've never succeeded in finding something spy related that really, deeply gelled with me. But being a spy mixed with being a high school boy, finding up 'married' to your best friend (whom you seem to like) while also reeling with the loss of your parents and brother? That sounds like it has some emotional weight behind it that can lend some impact to the more silly spy hijinx that are likely to be present here. On top of that, add a cast of crazy siblings with unique abilities and there is the potential for something unique and funny here.

(Summary From MyAnimeList)

High school student Taiyou Asano has been socially inept ever since his family died in a car crash. The only person he can properly interact with is his childhood friend, Mutsumi Yozakura—the head of the world's strongest family of spies. Mutsumi's eldest brother, Kyouichirou Yozakura, has been overprotective of her ever since he once rendered her severely injured. His love for Mutsumi is lethal, and Taiyou is his next target. To survive, Taiyou must marry Mutsumi and become a member of the Yozakura family. Thrown headfirst into chaos, Taiyou begins his journey to become a powerful spy in order to protect his wife and uncover the dark secrets of his past and the Yozakura family.

(This is a review in progress)

Mission Yozakura Family is a quirky comedic adventure about a young man learning to become a spy and dealing with some extremely drastic changes in his life. It focuses on the growth of its main character, Taiyo, both as a spy and as a partner for his best-friend-turned-wife, Mutsumi. The idea of two high schoolers being a married couple is far from where the kookiness of this show ends, though.

Mutsumi's siblings, along with a host of other characters in this fictional universe, are born with abilities akin to the characters of something like My Hero Academia. Except, unlike those characters, these ones have powers that would be befitting of being a super-powered spy. Steel webbing that can be used to wrap someone up, the ability to ingest and neutralize poisons, a John Wick level of proficiency with fire arms, and the ability to utilize video games and hacking to do battle are among the cool things on display here. 

The show does a fantastic job of balancing this bizarre world of spy-vs-spy action while also mixing in heartfelt moments between Taiyo and Mutsumi, the various Yozakura siblings, and Taiyo's slowly unfolding quest to find out exactly what happened to his family when it becomes apparent that their deaths may not have been the accident he first assumed. 

The two big caveats I would give anyone thinking about checking this out are the reality that the eldest sibling, Kyoichiro, has a sis-con obsession with Mutsumi (he literally has a shrine to her, and constantly tries to find ways to split her and Taiyo up) while the disguise sibling has a habit of running around in the nude. This latter thing has only happened once and nothing of real consequence was shown, but it still might not be suitable for all audiences, so I'm putting it here so you can decide. 

Mission Yozakura Family is slated to be a 27 episode long, two season / cour show, so I am refraining from giving it a score at this time. That said, I've watched ten episodes at the time of this writing and have enjoyed the show quite a bit. It definitely gets a recommendation from me if you are looking for something with a healthy dose of action and comedy. 

Re:Monster Episode Discussions

 What would you do if you were reborn as a Goblin?

Source: Manga
Genre(s): Isekai, Action, Adventure
Category: Shonen
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: April 1st, 2024
Getting a Dub?: Yes
Triggers: Violence, blood, sexual content, implied rape.

Summary:

After meeting an untimely death, Tomokui Kanata is reincarnated as a lowly goblin, but he’s worked up a monstrous appetite. Thanks to his new ability that allows him to grow stronger the more he feeds, his feeble status quickly changes, and he rises to become the goblin leader. With a mix of his past memories, new body, and strong stomach, he’s taking a bite out of this new fantastical world!.

Episodes

Episode 1

Reincarnated as the baby goblin Gobrou, our once human MC must figure out how to survive in a harsh, eat or be eaten world. Fortunately, he has retained the memories of his past life, and an innate skill that lets him claim the abilities of anyone or anything that he eats. Will this help him rise to the top, or will he be trampled under the rules that uphold this monstrous world?

 

Episode 2

Gobrou sets some ground rules for the Goblins when it comes to forcing themselves on human women: hands off. This leads to him becoming very popular with one red-haired human lady...and his 'long time' friend Gobmi. Later, he puts his life on the line in a fierce battle against the Red Bear. When his magic fails to take the bear out, Gobrou will have to give the battle everything he has unless he wants to become dinner.