Many anime are available on the legal streaming platform Netflix. Among the wide choice offered, an anime caught our attention, The Way of the Apron. Discover a Yakuza like no other.
The way of the apron
Adapted from the eponymous manga, The Way of the Apron is an anime adaptation with 5 episodes. A second season will be available next fall on Netflix.
"After retiring from business, Tatsu, a yakuza known as "the Immortal Dragon," resurfaces with his legendary ferocity, as the perfect stay-at-home husband!"
https://youtu.be/YlqyUg8zJh0
A scenario full of lightness
The path of the apron plunges us into the daily life of Tatsu, a Yakuza converted into a housewife. Not common we direz_vous. Indeed, this is quite a conversion, especially when you know that it is not always easy to be a housewife in Japan. On the side of the scenario, different small sketches follow one another. No link is present between them except laughter obviously. Indeed, this anime is based on humor and situation comedy, including misunderstandings. In addition, we quickly realize that it is not always easy to get past appearances. Indeed, despite his good heart, Tatsu still looks like a Yakuza and therefore makes almost everyone uncomfortable. This usually leads him into situations that are funny to say the least. Who has never dreamed of seeing a Yakuza do aerobics? Tatsu finds himself in the shoes of a housewife. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, we follow him attentively in all these small daily tasks. The fact that the contrast is high between the Yakuza and the housewife makes this anime very intriguing and eye-catching. The sketches are fast, well crafted and filled with lightness. In addition, when the latter meets old acquaintances related to the world of crime, no violence is used. The author continues to surprise us by using methods that are entertaining to say the least. And this lifestyle seems to seduce since our dear Tatsu has found a "disciple".
A special animation
On the animation side, we must admit that it took us a little time to adapt. Indeed, we expected to find a fluid animation, like studio J.C. Staff has accustomed us to do it (Shokugeki no Souma, Prison School, One Punch Man). However, in The Way of the Apron , we are dealing rather with a succession of shots, sometimes with lips that move, but no animation strictly speaking. If you think it's a mistake of the studio, think again, the director had no choice, it was a requirement of the production. The goal is to get as close as possible to its paper counterpart. The director testifies as follows:
"The producer told us, 'Make an animation that looks like the manga! Never make the characters move!" It was a lot of work. There were certain scenes where I thought, "It would be easier to just draw the scene." There was much more to do than with a more "classic" adaptation.
Once we accepted that the animation would be "shot by shot", we knew how to appreciate it. Indeed, it gives a different dynamic to the series, which still allowed us to laugh a number of times. We regret, however, that some scenes did not benefit from a more fluid animation, such as sports classes or moments when Tatsu cooks. The Way of the Apron is a very enjoyable anime that will make you laugh thanks to its situation comedy, plunging our main character into a succession of more or less trying trials. We can't wait to discover the rest of Tatsu's adventures.
