#silverlink

Series - Mission: Yozakura Family

Air/Release Date - April 7, 2024 (Japan)

Creator(s)/Writer(s)/Director(s) - Hitsuji Gondaira, Mirai Minato, Takahiro Nakatsugawa, Genta Ozaki, Shouta Itou, Ikumi Koga, Hiroyuki Aoi, Misaki Sugiura, Youhei Fukui

TV Network(s)/Streaming Service(s) - TBS Television (Tokyo Broadcasting System Television), MBS Television (Mainichi Broadcasting System Television) (Osaka), BS NTV, AT-X, Hulu, Disney+

Mission: Yozakura Family is some of the most wholesome and sweet a Jump series has been for me in a while. Many newer battle shonen have been hyper focused on action or have had fast pacing. Also often dropping most of their lighthearted nature after passing whichever major turning point their stories have. Some fans of these series will make jokes wishing they could get a bit more Slice of Life or a bit more fun.

By comparison I'd say Yozakura Family is quite slow paced earlier on before it speeds up. Willing to have entire episodes that focus on bonding with siblings, exploring our side cast or just Taiyo going through shenanigans in frankly low stakes scenarios. Sometimes some wholesome romance stuff as well.

One would think this could be boring cause you'd want to get to the action sooner right? While the action ramps up from Episode 7 onwards. Especially Episode 15 onwards. The slice of life is a primary factor in why you will end up caring about the larger plot that slowly unfolds. Often said Slice of Life having emotional payoffs in fights.

Due to this, the Yozakura family feel like a real family and have a strong dynamic and you wish for them to overcome their current challenges so they can go back to their days of smiles and goofy shenanigans. Normalcy is one of the main themes of this series, and it wouldn't work if we never got to see what a normal day for the Yozakuras is actually like or the standard family bonding. Since there is, it makes the story more cohesive as a result. For this reason some of the best parts of this season aren't people punching. It's either the family members talking to each other or it's our main characters having last words with their enemy.

In addition, it is impossible to walk away from this show and not have a favorite among the family, as they all have emotional depth or will get it in the future.Speaking on action. I'd say it's ok enough for the first cour. The animation never looks bad and the soundtrack is ok, emotional weight and backstories does heavy lifting there. Great voice cast also.

From Ep 16 onwards we do get more impressive cuts of animation. With Episode 20 and a few others being genuinely great looking episodes action wise on top of the character writing being stronger. As well as broader mysteries you weren't even thinking about in earlier episodes being revealed to be valid questions you could've asked all along. It makes me excited to see how this series will develop in later seasons.The three major villains that take a center stage during this season who are all stellar. With the main villain of the series having a goofy side to him in a way that falls in line with the light hearted nature of the series despite the fact he's terrifying in reality. Future antagonistic forces are perfectly set up in the series' last 2 episodes. So it'll be interesting to see how that is handled.

One final point I'd like to touch on is the Romance aspect. I'd say it's one of the best aspects of the series. While one may be quick to call it simple or even dry. For me it contributes to an idea of normalcy the series presents while being incredibly wholesome and sweet. Sometimes you don't want that much drama between your couple and want to see the both of them happy and the series does this.

Overall I'd rate the Series as being very good. I'd absolutely recommend it to those who like comedy or romance anime. For those who prefer straight battle shonen they should try giving this series a chance regardless, as it does have that aspect to it. You'll probably have a Yozakura you like so much you continue watching either way though. My only major grievances is I think the main plot still takes a little too long to ramp up and the music being nothing of note.

To put it even more bluntly. I can't wait for Season 2.

Final Rating - 8/10

Lulla HF from Birmingham bring his new single Shade / Shapes in which he drops some great similies and indicates, “some of them throw shade, some of them throw shapes“. On the B-side is Silverlink featuring Charlotte Szabo, where Lulla talks about gentrification with Hackney Wick as an example. Silverlink is the previous name for the train line that runs through there. Produced by:…