Buddy Daddies

Episode 10

This plot development wasn't a surprise, but that didn't stop it from being emotionally compelling. If you listen to the ANN After Show, James Beckett, Jacki Jing, and I theorized how this development would likely play out last week. I am vehemently pro-Papas, but that doesn't mean I think Miri shouldn't have a relationship with her mother, Misaki. However, Kazuki is right that Misaki's wants still motivate her re-entrance into Miri's life. Faced with her mortality, the loss of her livelihood, and abandonment by her abusive boyfriend, Misaki wants to be a mom now because there's nothing else left for her to do. She very likely sees Miri as an extension of herself, and now that she's dying, she wants to be remembered for being a decent parent.

Misaki could very well be a good mother now that she's quit drinking, but it's hard to say whether she wants to do right by Miri for Miri. Rei and Kazuki see through this immediately, but no one else brings up the thorny issue that Misaki will also put her child through tragedy. Misaki loathed the responsibility of being a mother; now she wants to walk in and take Miri for an indeterminate amount of time before Miri will have to watch her mother die. I cannot overstate how horrible it can be to watch a loved one die of cancer, and that's just over the horizon for Miri, along with the loss of her Papas.

It's not the traditional scenario, but this episode also captures the deep melancholy that permeates a divorce with a young child. It feels like the worst kind of failure, one that can't adequately be articulated to the child. Instead, the parent takes on the role of feeling what they can't comprehend. Ideally, the separated parents take on co-parenting roles, but sometimes, it can end up very lopsided. It's an intense pain when a parent checks out, as Misaki did for a year, only to show up to make demands centered on their feelings.

I don't think this is the end for Kazuki, Rei, and Miri by a long shot. They think they're being considerate of Miri's safety and emotional well-being, but there's no way this is the last time we've seen Ogino and Rei's dad. If I could dare wish for anything, it's some shared custody situation for Rei, Kazuki, and Misaki, but they will have to make a clean break from the organization first.

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Buddy Daddies is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.