The Way of the Househusband

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 15, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, our favorite house husband:

  • Help sell some crepes
  • Visits an old friend’s grave
  • Helps procure gifts for Mother’s Day
  • Helps Yuriko find a good deal
  • Goes clam-digging
  • Miku has a bad day
  • Searches for some specific pickles

I can empathize with the pickle adventure. When you find a product that you like, there’s just no substitute. It is nice to see more characters roped into this madness. Everyone just rolls with it, I love it. It’s actually uplifting to read some of these since fewer people are being judgmental of Tatsu. This is pretty rapid-fire, with some small plotlines running through it, but it’s still so much fun.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 14, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Ms. Tori is searching for a new companion, Tatsu takes Masa to clean the tombstone of his mentor, Takeyama, and he goes to an antique store. Miku goes to a cooking class.

I would have liked to see more of the cooking class since it was kinda short, and Miku is a fun character. We don’t get a lot of her on her own, and while Tatsu is a barrel and a half, the rest of the cast has some hilarious moments. Especially now that there’s more pets in the mix. I love it. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 13, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, our favorite househusband:

  • Deals with a wild boar in town
  • Has a nice late-night snack with his wife
  • Goes ice skating
  • Plays shogi with a kid named An
  • Deals with seasonal allergies
  • Helps search for a lost person
  • Has an encounter with a recently released gang member
  • Wife goes through his books to see what he reads
  • Goes camping
  • Makes pancakes

All the typical humor I’ve come to expect from this series is here and it’s so much fun. I’m also loving the side plot of crafty yakuza wanting to defeat Tatsu using their woodworking, sewing, and pottery skills. I can’t get enough of all this intensity put towards mundane tasks which I thought might get old 13 volumes in but it still gets a chuckle out of me. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 12, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Tatsu participates in a baseball game against some window breaking kids, helps his friend Masa with his food tasting videos, visits a new food cart with some very odd food combinations, takes a traffic safety class, and deals with some Halloween trick or treaters.

The stories are rapid fire in this and feel shorter than in previous volumes but they’re still funny and clever so, I’ll take it. Better to keep it pithy and entertaining than try to pad things out and get boring. I still would like more backstory on Tatsu, though. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 11, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, the hijinks include a visit to a theme park, a family cafe that becomes a bar at night, a new camera, a rare drink that has Tatsu hooked, and they acquire some high quality steaks.

It’s still so amusing to have these tough looking characters try and interact with normal people and situations. The way that juxtaposition is written has great comedic timing so even 11 volumes in, it’s still gives me a chuckle and is a lot of fun to read. Especially getting your hands on some good quality steaks. I know that feeling of getting something special to eat and wanting it to be savored as well as possible. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 9, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Tatsu:

  • Takes up needle felting
  • Finds creative ways to cool off in a heat wave
  • Helps a mom get her kid to eat her veggies
  • Does some weeding in a neighbors garden
  • Helps out a local small business
  • Visits a maid cafe

It’s been awhile since we’ve went along with Tatsu carrying out housework and daily activities in his own unique way. This series continues to be hilarious entertainment. I’m not sure if I want it to continue with these little vignettes or settle on one overarching plot. I can see the benefits of both unless the goal is to keep this from getting to heavy and staying a source of fun enjoyment. I do want to see more of Tatsu’s backstory, thought. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” vol 6, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume:

  • Tatsu helps another woman with the house budget
  • Tries to get on a “Women’s Association”
  • Goes on the hunt for a collectible for his wife
  • Takes care of someone’s dog
  • Helps a shop owner update his establishment

Something about this volume pops more than the previous ones. The short stories are so cute and have all the right callbacks when they’re needed. The art is on point and we get a few glimpses into Tatsu’s past. I hope we get more of that. I’m dying to know how Miku got Tatsu to leave his life of crime behind. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 5, by Kousuke Oono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, we are treated to:

  • Tatsu having an epic rap battle
  • A Halloween costume contest
  • Battles getting his money’s worth out of a buffet
  • Goes to a sake tasting
  • Attends a baking class for Valentine’s Day

And some other assorted adventures I won’t spoil because it’s just fun to go along with the ride. And indeed, this series is still fun but like with Komi Can’t Communicate; I find myself longing for an overarching story to pull everything together. This is fun and all but I need more. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 4 by Kōsuke Ôno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Tatsu:

  • Goes to buy a fish and a cat steals it
  • Meets a neighbor for a BBQ
  • Helps out a friend with his food truck
  • Takes a trip to the dollar store
  • Reads to children at a storytime
  • Plays volleyball at the beach
  • Helps a kid with his summer school work
  • Hangs out with other housewives

And we get a couple side stories about his wife, Miku, and a cute cat story.

I know I keep saying this but the fact everything is played so straight and with such intensity with these otherwise mundane tasks is just gold. This series never fails to put a smile on my face; especially after reading a Junji Ito collection. Tatsu is just so passionate and well-meaning, I have no problem just watching him shop in a dollar store. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 3 by Kōsuke Ôno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, The Immortal Dragon treats a roach as a hitman, plays Santa for some kids, pampers his wife with a fancy dinner, helps out as a waiter, comes upon a mafia widow at a grocery store, helps his wife get a photo with her favorite cartoon character, and even his old boss drops by to try and convince him to come back into the fold.

The fact all this is played completely straight is what makes this comedy work. He absolutely treats that roach as an enemy to be hunted down. It’s amazing. It’s just so pure and fun, I love reading these and can’t wait for each new volume. I even enjoyed the little side stories at the end; one set in high school and another involving an adorable cat. I do wonder however how long this can really go? I don’t see this series taking a sudden dark turn and it won’t take long to run out of these scenarios. But, I’m enjoying it for now! 5 out of 5.

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