Review of Kakushigoto

This will be my first review here on MAL but after watching this show, I absolutely had to write something. There are many different opinions on the state of the anime industry in recent years and the topics they choose to tackle. Personally, I have to say that one of the things that I have really missed is the amount of great slice-of-life animes that the beginning of the 2010s had. So, if you enjoy stories, such as Barakamon and Usagi Drop, or enjoy a heart-warming story about family, life, and relationships, you will definitely appreciate this show. Story 8/10 The story of this show revolves arounda man named Kakushi Goto (whose actual name is a pun on two Japanese words kakushigoto aka secret and kaku shigoto aka drawing for a living), who is a single parent working as a dirty jokes/ecchi mangaka. At the same time, he is also an overprotective, helicopter dad to his adorable little daughter Hime that absolutely cannot find out about his ‘disgraceful’ occupation. And thus, Goto often goes to great, even ridiculous lengths to hide his profession in order to protect Hime’s peace of mind and innocence.

One part of the story revolves around Goto’s work life and his relationship with his dysfunctional co-workers, which is the source of comedy, together with his ridiculous attempts to hide his true occupation. The other, more wholesome part is his family life and his relationship with Hime. There is also quite a lot of drama/tragedy at bay because of the complicated family relations in the extended Kakushi family, the mother’s fate, and the foreshadowing of a tragic future event.

There are some small quibbles that I had with the story, mainly that the last episode was a bit rushed (13 eps would have probably been perfect) and some small plot holes existed here and there. The time constraint of 12 eps also hindered the anime’s ability to properly develop all of the extended family relations. Some of the jokes also fell flat now and then but that didn’t deter me from appreciating the overall comedy. All and all, the story is a great mix of comedy and drama that sucked me in after one or two episodes.

Art and Sound 9/10

Obviously, we are talking about a SoL here, so the animation is not as ground-breaking as in some of the other animes but I have to say the art is still amazing, with beautiful vistas, flows, and lovely, as well as unique character designs. Sound is also perfect, combined with some memorable VA work, mainly from Hiroshi Kamiya, who seemingly cannot do anything wrong in my book. He is utterly convincing as a seemingly composed, doting, and loving father but in reality, being a certified mess. His ability to convincingly portray both aspects of one’s life is commendable. OP and ED are also quite good and perfectly set the mood of the anime.

Characters 9/10

The most interesting character and the focus of this series is the titular character Goto, who must juggle his work and his private life in order to raise his precocious child Hime. We get a glimpse of their loving relationship early on but through the anime, we also form an attachment to this great pair of father-daughter, which quickly became one of my favourite family portrayals in animes. Goto has his quirks, his professional life has been suffering and the sales of his last couple of mangas have been far from perfect, which has caused some serious self-esteem issues. He is also a tad eccentric and overdramatic, but he is constant in his wish of wanting to do everything in his power to provide for Hime and let her grow up safe, happy, and healthy. Their relationship is the heart of this show and plays into an interesting dichotomy of our parents being one person at home and another one in reality. Do we actually ever really know them?

Hime on the other hand is quite mature for her own age, understanding that her not having a mother makes some things different. Nevertheless, she is still a little girl in her dreams and wishes and that innocence is being protected by Goto, even though it makes us wonder if it is in Hime’s best interest, in the long run, to hide so many things from her.

Also, Tamaruin is a poster boy for an annoying and infuriating boss/superior.

Enjoyment 9/10

Kakushigoto therefore tackles an interesting premise of grown-ups leading double lives and lying to their children to protect their smiles. Anyways, I have thoroughly enjoyed this anime, got invested in its characters, and by the end also shed a tear with its emotional but wonderful conclusion. To nail the ending is always hard but this show managed to wrap up all the loose points and made it a memorable insight into parent-child relationship dynamics with a great dose of laughter and tears. I would recommend this anime as one of the better SoL outings of recent years and a highlight of 2020.

Overall rating 9/10