The Spring 2020 Manga Guide

Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition

What's It About? 

Kakushi Goto has a secret he wants to hide from his ten-year-old daughter Hime at all costs: he's the creator of racy manga. Not only is that not dignified, but how can he, a single dad, possibly admit that he's the man behind Testi-Cooool and Tights in the Wind? It's hard enough trying to make up for a lack of mom (one Hime doesn't seem to feel) without this complication. From leaving the house in a suit to buying up all the bootleg merchandise at a local festival that might give his secret away, Kakushi has his work cut out for him as does his best to be superdad.

Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition is written and illustrated by Kōji Kumeta and has an anime adaptation airing in the Spring 2020 season. Kodansha Comics released the manga digitally in March for $10.99.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Kakushigoto taps into a very specific flavor of humor, and if it isn't yours, the book may wind up leaving you a bit cold. That was certainly the case for me – the hardworking hijinks of dad Kakushi as he tries to keep his job from daughter Hime feels a little contrived, if only because Hime's the laid-back kind of kid who isn't likely to be upset by much of anything and pragmatic enough that she seems like she'd understand that a job's a job. The contortions Kakushi puts himself through, therefore, feel not so much funny as the product of parenting anxiety, and that leaves the whole thing as feeling not especially entertaining.

This is not to say that the story isn't without its moments. The chapter late in the volume where the police show up at the manga studio assuming that there's some sort of evil cult operating there because of the strange level of activity at odd hours, the number of people who come and go, and the food that is brought in is a riot; when they find the references Kakushi and his assistants need for drawing weapons, things just get even worse. It's like the old joke about how you never want to check a mystery writer's search history because of the creepy stuff you'll find, and the whole mess is only made worse by the implementation of Kakushi's emergency protocols for if Hime shows up unexpectedly. (It involves suits and false graphs on the walls. Totally not at all suspicious when paired with model weapons and a closet full of old cotton candy that now looks like white powder.) Likewise the chapter where Kakushi is fretting about being a single dad at Hime's school sports day has some fun misunderstandings with the ladies he encounters. One of the most interesting elements, however, are the author's notes that come after each chapter where Kumeta explains how much of the manga artist life described in the book is real. These are a neat window into a piece of the creation process not often covered. On the down side, only a few of the word jokes that make up characters' names are explained, and none of them are the members of the Goto family, which is a shame because their names feed into the title.

There's a noodle-like, rubbery feel to the way characters are drawn, but beyond that the art is easy to read and does some interesting things with panels, and it is a treat that both the opening and closing pages are in color. Those take place when Hime is eighteen, and there's a definite fear that Kakushi may be dead at that point, so this isn't necessarily going to be a comedy with a happy ending. On the whole, this is an okay volume, and fans of the creator may find more to enjoy here than those who didn't care for Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, Kumeta's previous work to be released in English. That may be the best metric to use when determining if this is the series for you.

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Faye Hopper

Rating:

At the start, I had my issues with the premise of Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition. I thought it had the potential to veer into possessive, domineering territory with how Kakushi overprotects his daughter Hime, and how the manga depicts the kind of bawdy comics Kakushi draws also, at points, put me off. But despite these reservations and others (I'm not a huge fan of the chapter where Hime invites a teenage girl into their home and she develops a crush on the lanky, scruffy mangaka), I ultimately found Kakushigoto to be a charming and funny portrayal of the absurd ways parents shelter their children from the things they consider embarrassing.

What sold me on Kakushigoto was how Kakushi's flailing attempts to keep his work from his daughter are ultimately needless overreactions. The introduction and epilogue flash forward to when Hime is an adolescent and stumbles upon a derelict house full of her father's lewd manuscripts. Her reaction upon this discovery is not unease or despair. It is instead benign amusement with a slight smile. While it is understandable why Kakushi is ashamed of his job, his daughter loves him and will always love him, and goofy, ribald comics will never get in the way (and even without this, his work does bring real joy and entertainment to people; Hime's teacher is a huge fan, he's constantly being complimented for his work when just walking around and living). The heart of Kakushigoto is in this pleasant reminder of the deep roots of familial affection, and it is a shining, lovely one, indeed.

There is an interesting piece of commentary where the mangaka, Kōji Kumeta, confesses that the story is rooted in real-life experience. He says that he has drawn “nothing but things he is embarrassed about”, and often censors himself when talking about his work because he does not want people to know. What is interesting about Kakushigoto is how the manga is constantly emphasizing the fun connections Kakushi has with his staff and the world. It might have been inspired by anxiety, but the manga reads more like an affirmation that, in spite of how ashamed you might feel of your art, the life it makes for you is a beautiful and wonderful one. And it is really funny to boot. I am curious to see how Kakushi reacts when Hime professes her knowledge of his work, and if he accepts and moves on or tries to spiral out more of his elaborate webs of obfuscation, as I'm not sure this is a gag-manga premise that can be dragged on forever. In this first volume, however, Kakushigoto is both extremely sweet and extremely funny.