My Home Hero

Episodes 1-3

With these first three episodes of My Home Hero, we get a solid first arc of our story. We have an everyday father who kills the son of a big-time yakuza to save his daughter's life. Now he's doing everything he can to keep his family alive and well—all while trying to deal with both the crime scene and the corpse with the yakuza breathing down his neck. It's a great setup—brimming with tension and danger. But what sets this one apart is that he's not alone in his crusade—his wife stumbles upon the crime and immediately becomes his accomplice.

Tetsuo and Kasen are an amazing power couple. They are united in their desire to protect their daughter no matter the cost. Just as he's an average office worker, she's an average housewife. However, each has skills that make them surprisingly capable murderers.

Tetsuo is an avid mystery reader. He knows tons of ways to make alibis and get rid of bodies. Because of this, he is always one step ahead—prepared in various ways for how things are likely to go. Kasen, on the other hand, is incredibly observant. She notices when they are being tailed, figures out that someone has broken into their house, and finds the listening devices hidden in their wall outlets. She even sees the factional nature of the yakuza. She can utilize it—playing on being a scatterbrained housewife to make their suspicions of her and Tetsuo seem like a complete waste of time.

In a normal mystery story, Tetsuo would be the quick-thinking criminal and Kasen the genius everyman detective. However, the twist in My Home Hero is that the criminal and detective characters are married and working together to ensure the crime remains unsolved. And to add another layer to it, it's not the police trying to solve the crime but the yakuza—which means things like laws and procedures are entirely thrown out the window.

These first three episodes deal with the murder and its immediate aftermath—i.e., hiding the body, clearing up the crime scene, and avoiding suspicion. While this stage of the story has been an enjoyably suspenseful watch, it could have easily overstayed its welcome if it had gone on much longer. However, the cliffhanger of the third episode sets up a new direction for the story. Now that Tetsuo has convinced the yakuza he is innocent, he's forced to help them find the true criminal. Of course, as there is none, he'll have no choice but to weave a web of lies to protect himself and his family. But will he end up being the spider or the fly when everything is said and done?

Episode 1 Rating:
Episode 2 Rating:
Episode 3 Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I wonder how true the “composting a dead body in just a few days” thing is. Also, is literally making body stew something that would work for body removal?

• Kasen is the best character in this show. I hope she remains as prominent in the second arc as in this first one.

• Kasen asking Tetsuo if he's killed people before is a great bit. She's not judgmental, just curious. She's 100% behind him, even if he turns out to be a serial killer.

• I wonder how things would have played out if Reika had decided to get that late-night snack when the yakuza were torturing her mother.

My Home Hero is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.