Kumičó musume to sewagakari

If I were a realist, "Yakuza nanny" wouldn't get a very good rating from me, because I don't have to be a Yakuza expert to suspect that this isn't how things work in real life. The skeptic in me would chime in that there is no way there can be so many seemingly tough men with hearts of gold. I don’t think I belong to the target audience. Many of the male characters are designed to act in a certain way to impress the female audience as much as possible. The main character is a rugged but sensitive man, who softens when he starts taking care of a little girl. Such an ideal family man is bound to make many a girl's heart melt. But there's something for the others too. A cute, lonely girl with a tragic past who gradually starts to open up and make new friends thanks to her protector is simply a likable and sweet concept that might appeal to older men, family men in particular. And the series does sell this to me. It is greatly helped by the fact that the last couple of shows I've seen with this theme, i.e., building a sort of parental relationship between a grown man and a little girl, were quite disappointing. What makes this one great is Kirishima himself. I still vividly remember pathetic male protagonists from shows like UchiMusume, or Deaimon, that make Kirishima seem extremely likable, nice, and above all, quite normal. Okay, I wouldn’t have felt this way if I had seen this right after Barakamon or Usagi Drop. The timing was right, I guess. I was also charmed by Jaeka’s cuteness. I enjoyed the interaction between the main couple, the emotions worked for me, it made me smile, and I was even moved at times. On the other hand, the fourth episode felt like a failed and pointless joke that didn't fit the overall mood and made me cringe. Plus, the Yakuza setting doesn't really work because it's too idealized, and sometimes it seems like it’s only there to create drama and show how tough Kirishima is and how he's changed. It’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, I quite enjoyed the series, I liked the chemistry between the two protagonists, and it was all so sweet. On the other hand, the more I think about it the more it falls apart as a whole. The supporting characters are mostly likable, or interesting at least, but they're not distinctive or strong enough for me to want to write more about any of them. The animation was nice and colorful, it fit the overall mood, and I found the music decent as well. A strong three or a weak four?  I'm giving it a 6.5/10 (22.09.2022)