Dirty Filthy Rich Love

I love manga that takes something absurd, dials it up a few notches, and manages to successfully apply it across many different scenarios. Gags that don't feel overused, in other words. This manga was a perfect example of what I like and how I like it.

Way of the Househusband follows former Yakuza boss Tatsu (the “Immortal Dragon”) as he lives his best life keeping house for his successful career wife. He shops for deals, babysits for neighbors, makes adorable lunches, and treats his wife to small gifts, all while not being very successful at all at escaping his former persona. Turns out it's pretty hard to act like anything other than a Yakuza boss when that's all you knew.

Throughout this manga we're treated to little vignettes into Tatsu's life-after-gangs. A knife salesman comes knocking, and Tatsu makes him lunch all while silently intimidating the heck out of the salesman. He sets up a Roomba(-like robot), treats it like a gang member in training, and then creates a misunderstanding with neighbors after their cat causes a robot mishap. He offers to babysit for neighbors, tries to keep the kid occupied with gambling games, fails miserably, and when the kid breaks his wife's favorite anime figurine buries it six feet under. It's little scenes like that throughout the manga that really sells this.

I'm so pleased with this series, I look forward to picking up volume two!