Yozakura Family – Beneath the Tangles

Life has been prodigiously hard for Taiyo Asano. Having lost his entire family to a tragic car accident, he lives his life of self-imposed isolation, refusing to connect with others. The only person he allows into his inner circle is his childhood friend Mutsumi Yozakura. One day, while the two are eating lunch, the school’s vice principal requests to see Taiyo after school. As it turns out, the VP, Kyoichiro, is Mutsumi’s older brother and has developed a very…how should we say…unhealthily close relationship with his sister following a particularly brutal accident. Since then, he’s been fiercely protective of Mutsumi to the point of harassing anyone who tries to get close to her, including Taiyo. Before he has a chance to attack, a mysterious girl in white whisks Taiyo away to the Yozakura house where Mutsumi explains that she is part of a family of working spies. Each member of the family has a special ability, including Kyoichiro, who is a popular ladies’ man spy. However, because he is obsessed with his little sister, Kyoichiro will stop at nothing to eliminate anyone who gets close including Taiyo. However, there is one way that could keep Great Value James Bond off his tail—if Taiyo marries into the family by exchanging rings with Mutsumi, he will fall under the rule that there is to be NO killing within the family and Kyoichiro won’t touch him. However, before Taiyo has a chance to think about this, Kyoichiro arrives on the scene and is out for blood—specifically Taiyo’s. (Don’t worry though, this isn’t Vampire Dormitory—no blood will be consumed…)

This looks like it’s going to be a fun one, guys! If I’m being honest, I’m enjoying this one more than when I first watched Spy X Family, even though both shows deal with the ins and outs of being in the covert intelligence-gathering genre. I love how we have a protagonist who gets thrown into this world, but is willing to get his hands dirty for the cause. Of course, watching this, it’s obvious that he would exchange rings with Mutsumi to keep her safe, but seeing how we get from point A to point B was very entertaining. Kyoichiro is delightfully creepy; I mean, while you understand where this level of obsession is coming from, it still leaves you feeling uncomfortable as to what lengths he’ll go to to keep Mutsumi “safe”. I love all the other family members too, and the idea that each of them has their own special abilities promises to make this a supporting cast that’s not just gonna fade in the background. Production-wise, this one looks cool. I love how everyone clearly has their own identifiable colors, though there are times when Futaba, the all-white girl who whisks Taiyo away, just looks like they forgot to color her in.

So where does that leave us with Mission: Yozakura Family? Oh, this is a definite follow for me. This show looks like a very amusing romp of a series, and I can’t wait to see the aftermath of this last good fight! How in the world will Kyoichiro accept his new brother-in-law? How will Taiyo integrate himself into this new family? And what is the story behind this family? How did they all come to be spies? All these are questions I can’t wait to get answers to!

Mission: Yozakura Family is available for streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

Also Known as The Cajun Samurai. I’m A Christian, a Southern Gentlemen, An Angry Black Man, A Commentator and Blogger on Life and Anime, A Virgin Until I’m Married & A Saints Fan. I wrote quite a few things, and I look forward to writing a few more!