Based on the Manga ‘Gokushufudou: The Way of the Househusband’, The Way of the Househusband (directed by Chiaki Kon) was released on Netflix in 2021. This anime series gained popularity due to its portrayal of an ‘unconventional’ masculine figure. The anime series depicts the daily life of Tatsu, a retired Yakuza, (a term used to refer to a gangster) who calls himself a ‘househusband’. Miku, Tatsu’s wife, is shown to have a white collared job and has a minimal position in the household. Tatsu seems to enjoy the monotonous tasks of organising, cleaning and cooking food for his wife. The idea of the masculine, often detached from household chores, is redefined through the character of Tatsu.

Tatsu is a ‘masculine’ man – he has a muscular body covered in tattoos, wears black clothes and accessories, does not smile often and has a deep voice. However, he calls himself a ‘househusband’ – he prepares and packs food for his working wife, goes grocery shopping and hands out discount coupons to people. Tatsu’s wife wears formal suits and is always seen running to the office and arriving late. The character of Tatsu unfolds into a sensitive yet hypermasculine man who enjoys the company of his wife and housewives to discuss daily life.  What becomes important to analyse is the way Tatsu looks at the new way of life from the lens of the gangster world. This shows how  ‘feminine’ as well as ‘hypermasculine’ features intersect with each other.  The earlier experience of the ‘hypermasculine’ character of Tatsu manifests itself in the life of the househusband.

Kam Louie (2012) in his study ‘Popular Culture and Masculinity Ideals in East Asia’ argues that the idea of a beautiful man or pretty boy existed in Japan in earlier times. This can be seen through the presence of the Kabuki theatre having young and effeminate males singing and acting female parts. Such men, Louie argues, were often desired erotically by homosexual men from the moneyed classes.

However, it is only in the 1970s that the image of the ‘pretty boy’ has been popularised in Japanese anime and manga. Anime is a type of animation that originated in and is attributed to Japan. The earliest anime dates back to 1917 and the works of Oten Shimokawa, Seitaro Kitayama, and Jun’ichi Kouchi are noteworthy. By the 1930s, anime came to be well-established in Japan with Masaoka’s short film Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka, the first talkie anime, which came out in 1933. Tatsu after giving up on the gangster life, takes on the task of househusband, often considered to be more ‘feminine’. Skincare treatments and concerns about a healthy lifestyle often seen as ‘girly’ constructs become an important factor for Tatsu. Tatsu joins fitness classes where he has no male company yet he enjoys the sessions thoroughly. 

In popular media, women’s changing rooms are always shown to fascinate men. They are considered rather masculine to get interested in inaccessible spaces of women’s lives. Objectification of women’s private space for male fantasies is rather prevalent in ‘mainstream’ television shows. However, when Tatsu accidentally enters the women’s room he goes through a series of guilt and immediately punishes himself. He holds himself accountable in front of the ‘boss lady’ and asks her to punish him in any way she deems appropriate. Through this scene, Tatsu is shown to have retained the discipline he had undergone in the mob world. Though he has given up the underground world, his instilled habits are still reflected in his everyday life. 

Tatsu, when invited to Masa’s (Tatsu’s friend) place, bursts into anger when he sees messy unwashed clothes lying around in his friend’s house. His cleaning method is shown to be an adaptation from his gangster days when he used to wash blood stains out of his clothes His cleaning method is shown to be an adaptation from his gangster days when he had to clean out blood stains from his clothes. This particular scene depicts the intersection of his masculine as well feminine sides. The character of Tatsu didn’t develop after he adopted the househusband role but rather as a result of his conditioning in the Yakuza. One of the main reasons for this could be his association with the Yakuza which is situated outside the sphere of everyday life. The retention of characteristics and the perspective of a yakuza gives him an edge, allowing him to live in a society wherein househusbands are not so common. Discipline, organisation and planned actions which are different aspects of the gangster world, also manifest themselves in the life of a homemaker. 

Is ‘Masculinity’ really missing in Tatsu’s character?

Tatsu having given up on the Yakuza and accepting the role of househusband might take him away from ‘masculine’ features. The series, having depicted a very new idea of ‘masculinity’ and feminine essence in the Tatsu’s character, does not take away from the Yakuza way of life. Even though being a househusband might be considered a very feminine line of work, the character of Tatsu tells a different story. ‘Masculinity’ having heterogeneous characteristics questions what really can be considered masculine. Is it the giving up on the feminine aspect of everyday life or is it the division between the domestic sphere and the male preserve-where different male practices and values of male gender identity apply? (Osella, Osella, Chopra, 2004). The answer to that is not so simple.

Thus, understanding masculinity in the series ‘The Way of the Househusband’ is complex. Neither does it reflect a lack of hypermasculinity nor does it portray a complete image of a hyper-male figure. What Tatsu, as a masculine character shows, is a mixture of feminine kind of man who is concerned about the household chores. At the same time, he is not able to give up on the life he has lived earlier. As a result, there is a manifestation of hyper male character in the ways of Tatsu’s life where he identifies himself mostly with the household tasks. This leads us to a direction of seeing masculine figures not as concrete but one that is transformative and evolving. 

However, at the same time, the characteristics which define what makes a masculine man are also not very changed. Tatsu is still very stereotypically masculine with his muscular body, tattoos and deep and commanding voice even though he now works as a homemaker instead of a gangster. Furthermore, although stereotypical gender roles are seen to be reversed in the series, the scope of a homemaker is confined to the tasks of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and looking after their spouse and/or children. 

Through this series, we conclude that Tatsu has different shades of gendered behaviour. Tatsu cannot be considered a completely ‘herbivorous’ man (Gosselin (2010) as he is not ‘gentle’ at all times. He has his methods of exhibiting aggressive behaviour. The ‘hypermasculine’ features of Tatsu as a protector, planner and organiser are shown periodically alongside the ‘feminine’ nature where doing household chores perfectly is also equally important. As Masa would say ‘The way of the househusband and the way of Yakuza is same’. Thus the construction, transformation and deconstruction of forms of ‘masculinity’ can be seen through the character of  Tatsu. 

References:

Chopra, R., Osella, C., & Osella, F. (2004). South Asian Masculinities: Context of Change, Sites of Continuity. Women Unlimited.  

Chopra, R. (2007). Reframing Masculinities: Narrating the Supportive Practices of Men. Hyderabad: Orient Longman.

Gosselin, Erin Michele. (2010). New Diet Sensation: “Herbivorous” Men in Japan. MA thesis, Vermont: Middlebury College.

Louie, K. (2012). Popular Culture and Masculinity Ideals in East Asia, with Special Reference to China. The Journal of Asian Studies. 71: 929-943. Association for Asian Studies.

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Madhusmita Devi is pursuing a Master’s in Social Work (Public Health) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Prerona Barman is pursuing her Master’s in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), New Delhi.