Kakushigoto is a slice-of-life comedy aired during the Spring 2020 anime season. The anime, based on a manga with the same title, features an author named Kakushi Gotou who writes erotic comedies. Yes, you read that right. His most notable works in the show are titled Balls of Fury and Tights in the Wind.

Initially, it may sound like another lewd ecchi series that exists purely for fan service. However, this anime is so much more than the content that Kakushi Gotou writes, which ends up being an occasional throwaway gag most of the time. The main plot centers around Gotou trying to hide his career from his daughter, Hime Gotou, as well as the gritty ins and outs of both fatherhood and the manga industry. This anime isn't expected to have another season, as the manga concluded with the anime. The short 12-episode series is still worth your time, though. The author of the Kakushigoto manga, Joji Kumeta, even loved the anime adaptation so much, that he has reportedly said "Don’t care about the manga, please watch the anime". Don't just take his word for it though; here are a few more reasons to check out this wholesome slice-of-life.

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The Show Is Insanely Clever

kakushigoto author funny in office

This can be seen in the title of the anime alone. Kakushigoto is a play on words, a mixture of the word kakushigoto (隠し事) which means "secrets" or "secrecy", and the two words kaku (書く) meaning "to write" or "to draw", and shigoto (仕事) meaning "job". On top of this, the protagonist's name is Kakushi Gotou, which is also a play on this, and is also a play on the word kakushigo (隠し子) which means "illegitimate child", and that play on words actually hints at his own backstory.

The wordplay is only the tip of the iceberg, however. The anime makes many sly jabs at the manga industry and manga fans alike, mocking both groups and praising them in the next breath. It references many other serializing and legendary manga as well, including a reference to when Hunter X Hunter author Yoshihiro Togashi published unfinished drafts of manga chapters when higher-ups refused to grant him a break from writing.

A Deep Dive Into The Manga Writing Process

kakushigoto author writing manga panels

Aside from referencing other manga, Kakushigoto also examines what it is like to work in the manga industry. The author of the manga, Kouji Kumeta, as said it was based on his own experience as a manga author. The anime spins it in a comedic and light-hearted way, while also going over the reality of being an unknown and underappreciated manga author. Other anime such as Shirobako, the currently airing Cue!, and Bakuman are all loved for this very reason.

The anime does an especially good job of highlighting how important the team behind the manga author is as well. It goes into what assistants, line artists, editors, and other members of a manga author's team do on a day-to-day, and why Kakushi Gotou feels as if they are just as important as the manga author himself, just in their own way.

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The constant strive for recognition is something else Kakushi Gotou finds himself struggling with. Although he is a published author, his works haven't achieved him the fame or the financial success he desires. One of the subplots is about Kakushi Gotou's lack of confidence in himself, which stems from this fact.

He managed to find minimal success as an erotic comedy author, however, is fearful of pursuing his dream of writing a more serious manga in fear that what he truly wants won't be as loved as his past titles. Many of the show's plot points focus more on everyday, struggling, unknown manga authors, as opposed to the road of stardom other media focus on.

The Adventures In Being A Single Father

kakushigoto daughter surrounded by ocean and sakura petals

One thing this anime does that make it stand out is shining a positive light on being a single parent. Kakushi Gotou's wife had died before the events of the anime, leaving him to raise his daughter on his own. While the initial plot of the anime is hiding his erotic manga career from his daughter, it focuses nearly as much on the struggles of being a single father and the inadequacy Gotou feels in his fatherhood skills.

Throughout the anime, Kakushi Gotou contemplates on how he felt as if his late wife was a better parent than he is. However, all of Gotou's peers feel as if he is an amazing parent. Throughout the anime, he is supported by Hime's babysitter, his coworkers, and others on how well he is doing with his own daughter. Seeing a positive view on being a single parent is rare in any media, and when troublesome parents are an often-used backstory in many mainstream anime today, it's refreshing to see a kinder take towards single parents.

Examining The Loss Of A Partner

kakushigoto eating outside

Another perspective very little anime cover realistically is the loss of a partner. It is established in the first episode of Kakushigoto that Gotou's wife passed long ago. Instead of focusing on the initial grief of a recently lost partner, Kakushigoto instead focuses on how the loss of a partner can follow you around for a lifetime, especially in the context of parenthood.

As mentioned before, Kakushi Gotou often laments on how he felt as if his late wife was a better parent than he is. Throughout the anime, when he is unsure what to do in situations involving Hime, he thinks about what his late wife has said or done in the past. When peers become romantically interested in him, despite feeling as if Hime needs a mother to have a full life, cannot imagine himself with anyone but his late wife. Although he is not actively grieving, his life was forever changed by his late wife, and showing the little ways his life has changed as a result really brings an astounding amount of emotional depth to this show.

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