The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 13

極主夫道 [Gokushufudō] #13

by Kousuke Oono

These days, car camping is all the rage! And Tatsu’s father-in-law isn’t immune to its appeal. It’s always been his dream to spend the night in his car, and he’s roped Tatsu into his overnight adventure. But when a kind old man comes a-knockin’, things suddenly get a whole lot more cramped!

Genres: Manga, Humor, Slice Of Life, Comedy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2023

About the author

Japanese mangaka. Aka おおのこうすけ (Ōno Kōsuke) creator of Gokushufudou.

Reviews

[Mark]

There’s no deeper meaning to this series, so any volume will live or die by how well it iterates on the same jokes it’s been doing since it started.

This one? Shockingly good. Oh, it starts out pretty wobbly - the opening chapter features a boar and precious little else except the usual ‘read this dialogue as either innocent or very not innocent’ gag that doesn’t work at all as a joke by this stage.

Thankfully, it decides to really push for the absurd as it motors along. The next story involves Miku grappling with her conscience and some special guest stars. It gets very silly, in a good way.

Subsequent chapters involve the most ridiculous police dog, ice skating follies, and a guy who is definitely, 100%, not a bear. The series has gotten far better at landing an ending too - the pollen chapter is a snoozer, but the ending makes it almost worthwhile.

I always like when Miku gets to be a bit more involved and she has some of the best chapters. The one where she decides to see what Tatsu likes to read is hilarious because it goes exactly where you know it will until it goes exactly where it normally would not. It is a hysterical flip of the premise.

And the good police magical girls of PoliCure manage to show up a couple of times. At least once in the presence of a guy who knows a little too much about everything (his introduction still leaves me wondering if he’s hero… or villain…).

So, strong volume. It gets way more right than it does wrong and has a lot of fun subverting its own tropes to excellent effect. The quality is uneven, but when it’s on, it is on.

4 stars - solid work, no notes. It was a really good volume and a fun read.

[Keiko the manga enthusiast ♒︎]

Ugh, a volume of Gokushufudou is always good for the heart. My favorite Tacchan antics are the car camping chapter with Miku papa and the midnight snack chapter with Miku. The shogi chapter is so funny too though. I expected a lot of Masa/Tacchan/Miku chapters but there was none, I think. It’s okay though, a chapter read of this series always makes me feel better—what more a volume? Haha!

[George Ilsley]

Perhaps starting with Volume 13 is not the wisest way to start an unfamiliar series.

Much weirdness. The Pomeranian police dog is cute, especially when it gets wet and almost disappears.

[Lauren Stoolfire]

I love this series and The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 13 (The Way of the Househusband #13) by Kosuke Oono was another great installment. It didn't quite hook me right as much from the get go, but it was just fun to see the characters again. It's at it's best when it's silly and it really gets there as it goes along. My favorite sections: Akuta's carved wooden chair versus Tatsu's carved wooden animals, Tatsu's choice in reading material with the memoir The Woman Named Kuriyama is exactly his speed, and car camping with his father-in-law (and another camper) leading to them watching a Policure movie. These were priceless and I can't wait to read the next volume.

[Lara]

Yo también quiero que un ex yakuza me cocine y limpie la casa.

[Bryce]

The mansplainer reveal was so funny

[Marilyn]

I so enjoy reading this series. It doesn't matter what other book I'm reading. As soon as this comes out, I'm getting it and will read it.

[Flora]

The art keeps getting more and more delightful.

[elio]

NAUR THIS IS THE LAST BOOK I HAVEEE FOR THIS SERIES

[Aimee Potts]

This was a great volume. I loved that the reformed yakuza varieties continue-this time with carpentry, pottery and sewing skills in newly released prisoners.

[Terminus]

Kopp aus und lustig finden

[Patricia Q]

There are so many fun adventures! The ice skating stands out. Haha

[寿理 宮本]

It occurs to me that this series is a mirror version of Oh My Goddess!: The stories are short and relatively slice-of-life* and always have a happy or at least comical ending. There was only maybe one ending that comes to mind that was as such "bad"—Tatsu got thrown out a window (slapstick-style) rather than have Miku allow Tatsu to cut off his own pinky.

I mean, sometimes there are endings where the characters lose, but it's a wholesome sort of loss, like eating too much or a meal isn't as good as they expected (and, also, they tend to deserve it).

There's no "main" story as such that I can explain here, beyond that Tatsu is still an ex-gangster turned househusband with the same gangster-style attitude in his domestic life. A few themes come back, like the Pomeranian on the cover first appearing in a rescue party before coming back at random when Tatsu is on a "fluffy" craving. Also, a "car camping" trip is broken up into two chapters (regular story and "bonus" chapter), with other stories interspersed between them rather than running the chapters together.

Occasionally, there aren't really good ways to "end" a chapter, so it cuts to a cute visual gag:



On the whole, this isn't my favourite volume, but the difference of favouritism is minimal—the "I just got out of prison, check out my unrivaled woodworking skills" story is more weird than funny, for instance. Definitely still a solid recommendation for fans of absurdist comedy (gangsters being wholesome)!

*The characters of Househusband are TECHNICALLY normal humans, but on occasion they do seem to exceed the abilities of normal humans, usually when it's funny.

[Aaron]

The most strident example of success in the suburban environment is that the awkward chaos native to this strange world no longer feels untenable, unbearable, or unanswerable. Belonging begets survival, whether at the park, at the ice-skating rink, on a nature hike, or out car camping.

In THE WAY OF THE HOUSEHUSBAND v13, suburban life's everyday awkwardness manifests with a few outdoorsy themes and the introduction of more side characters. For example, a showdown with The Bears at the local ice rink pits Miku and a wobbly-kneed Tatsu up against some stiff competition; alas, can Tatsu win an impromptu figure-skating competition if he's never been on ice before? The manga's continuous juxtaposition of tough guys in domestic scenarios gets a hardy laugh with a handful of beefy men embracing for an array of twirls and kicks.

Speaking of bears, readers meet a rival gang member called Akuta the Log (fresh out of prison). The man's a giant, has (bear?) claw marks over his right eye, and owns a feverish obsession with . . . woodwork? The man's dedication and meticulousness are unmatched after "honing his skills" while in prison. Seems like a strange thing to brag about, but since Kunimi, the local rival boss, is hunting for something, anything to get one over on The Immortal Dragon, one supposes that a finely crafted chair from an ex-con will do just fine.

Another fun side character is Hata, a contract K9 animal handler brought on by the local authorities to locate someone who got lost on a nature trail. This manga series has a sad reputation of abandoning good side characters (e.g., even if Sumiyoshi, the community self-defense instructor and aikido practitioner, reappears in two pages, earlier in the book). So it's with both joy and sadness that Hata, with her business-like demeanor, glasses, and love of dogs, roars onto the scene to problem-solve with her goggle-eyed Pomeranian, Daigoro. The gag here is that despite Hata's melodrama and overly serious nature (and despite Daigoro's absolute goofiness), they're both genuinely good at their job. One would think, in the world of THE WAY OF THE HOUSEHUSBAND v13, that missing persons cases would be a fairly regular thing.

[Ryan]

Volume 13 continues the same formula that makes this manga series successful, it's soft humor and occasionally explosive dialogue brings in laughter through the mundane of everyday life. From wild boars, to a debatable conscience, to even a simple game of shogi, the experiences Tatsu has on a daily routine keeps making his life as a househusband and ex-Yakuza enjoyable.

Just like Volume 12, this set continues on showcasing more of the supporting and side characters. You could say it helps expands a little bit on these, since most of the earlier volumes were them just being satellite characters to the Immortal Dragon. It's a nice change of pace to see these characters' insights and how they see Tatsu, with some of them being just as zany as he is! Tatsu doesn't have much to do this time around, with the exception of at least 3 chapters where his role was more prominent. And with Tatsu taking more of a sideline, there wasn't much about his usual cooking skills, aside from a few sporadic moments. I don't mind it much, as I still found Volume 13 to be entertaining and the absurdity growing with the everyday adventure.

[Pamela]

3.5/5

Not sure what it was about this one, but it didn't have as many laugh-out-loud moments as previous volumes for me. It started strong, but then just ended up being fairly average compared to others.

Easily my favourite - Miku's devil/angel/policure sides and Tatsu's devil/angel/Yakuza sides competing over whether she should have a midnight fried chicken snack. The boar terrorizing everyone in town by knocking them over was pretty hilarious too.

I liked the chapter with Tatsu and his FIL car camping (the bonus one where Miku's dad said "Anyway, I nearly died" so nonchalantly made me laugh.

A couple others were pretty good, but nothing as funny as previous volumes. Maybe because there was actually a lot less Tatsu in this one? Or he wasn't being as intense as usual. I like that there's a wide variety of characters and stories now, but I do miss his crazy Yakuza intensity for all things household.

Still really looking forward to Volume 14 though! (Also, the Pomeranian was SO CUTE! SO FLOOF!)

[Neyly]

Manga

Good stuff contained therein.

Favorite chapters (though I enjoyed all):

Chapter 111: ice skating

Chapter 114: introducing Daigoro, the Pomeranian police dog

Chapter 117:

"Who is that man, anyway?"

"Oh, right ... I never introduced myself, did I?"

"They call me ... the mansplainer."

"Oooh!"

He does exist.

Plus all three bonus mangas.

Recommend: To whom?

[fanboyriot]

I adored this volume, the camping trip at the end was so funny and overall this volume was just so wholesome.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Plot: 10/10
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Tatsu

Pages: 168
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Release Date: 18, March 2025

[Alicia]

I will never not be entertained by this series featuring yakuza turned househusband Tatsu.

In this series of vignettes he shows off his woodworking skills, his ice skating skills, and his food in a car while car camping with his father in law skills.

Then several chapters with romps about a fluffy dog tracking someone down, a female chef turned yakuza featuring her leather jacket, and a hardcore shogi match.

Entertaining at every turn.

[Anthony Wendel]

It's amazing how this series finds a way to remain entertaining despite being at it for 13 volumes. One of the best elements in being able to remain funny after so long is by introducing new characters and having them be just as obsurd yet not out of place at all with the rest of the cast. Somehow the author keeps managing to make it happen and by doing so I keep wanting to continue to the next volume.

[Natalie]

Another fun volume! I’m always down for some doggies 💖 They’re absolutely adorable.

In a way, as well, I gotta appreciate how this volume especially highlights the idea of reformed yakuza. Of course, we still see them through the lens of their past, but they’ve changed what they do to be far more wholesome and net-positive.

Glad to be back reading this series after I left it high and dry for so long ✨

[Gretchen]

Thank you to the publisher for this free eARC! All opinions are my own.

Tatsu takes on a wild boar terrorizing the city, battles late night food cravings, goes ice skating, plays shogi, battles with hay fever, searches for a missing man on a mountain, does some woodworking, explores his reading habits, goes car camping with his father-in-law, and makes pancakes. #Edelweiss+

[Vilma Diaz]

I flew through this volume. I think I read it in like 30 minutes. This is just a silly series. Tatsu is so extra. I love that Miku matches his extra so well. The bonus story with the father-in-law was funny too. All in all, it’s a great series and this volume made me laugh multiple times. I can’t wait till the next volume is released.

[mimo]

Another banger. There was something to like about every chapter, and some I loved. Highlights include Daigoro the Pomeranian (featured in two stories, about a search-and-rescue and fluffy pancakes, respectively), Tatsu and Miku going ice skating, and Miku exploring Tatsu's bookshelf. Funny slice-of-life wholesomeness.

[Ikayuro]

The Way of the Househusband is a tried and true comfort manga; there's no story plots to get in the way, and while the overall format of each chapter is similar to the next, it's still all lighthearted fun in the end.

[Kastie Pavlik]

Another fun volume. I smiled or laughed through most of it. The dogs are cute, so they totally stole the show. But Miku and car camping aren't slouching either. Well rounded and got a peek at Masa backstory. 🤭💩💨

[DJ]

I swear the size of this book changed and I was not ready for it. Anyway, I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. My favorite has to be about the chef, it was a huge shock but enjoyed none the less!

[Alex]

Same on going gag. No real character development but man does it’s one joke hit a home run each time. I didn’t like as many of the chapters in this one as I did previous ones. The shoji flashback mistake was the best 😂

[Nuriveltime]

Siempre consigue sacarme una sonrisa. Amo como está hecha la traducción ❤️

[Diogo Muller]

This series has been on a roll, those last few volumes. Lots of variety too, so even when older jokes are reused, it is in new, creative ways.