Yakuza Fiancé

 Yakuza Fiancé (来世は他人がいい) is a 12 episode romantic drama based on the manga of the same name by .  It originally aired during the Fall of 2024.

    Somei Yoshino is the grand daughter of the the leader of an Osaka based yakuza clan.  She is forced to finish out her high school career in Tokyo living in the house of another clan, in hopes that she and that heads grandson will get married.  Yoshino hates the situation and plans to only be in Tokyo for a year, to safe face and calm tensions.  At first the grandson, Miyama Kirishima, is cordial and friendly.  But quickly he begins to show his true colors, vicious, unrelenting and blood thirsty.  He tells her that she's better off selling her body.  With her situation spiraling out of control she sees no other choice and sells her kidney, throwing the money in his face to prove she's not a push over.  His perception of her suddenly changes, making him fall in love with her, desiring her to be a companion in his sadistic chaos.

    While she has earned his respect, she understands she isn't safe in this lions den of gangsters.  Its time to take the rough upbringing she had under her grandfather and prove to Kirishima that she's just as ruthless and cunning as he is.  They begin to play a game of cat and mouse, testing each others boundaries and abilities.  Kirishima claims he isn't actually yakuza but he has his hands in their dealings and sports the tattoo work to say otherwise.  He follows Yoshino around like a puppy...a twisted evil one, but a puppy non-the-less.  They end up becoming embroiled in a far reaching plot to destabilize the underworlds order, one that Yoshio appears to be in the middle of.  What is the reality behind Yoshino being sent off to the Miyama Clan in what appears to be prison sentence, similar to when feudal lords in the middle ages would hold children of their rivals as hostages for years.

    I didn't want to like this series.  The artwork and character designs are horrific.  Kirishima is a twisted and pathetically abusive mail lead.  It really felt like an exercise in self abuse as a story...like Fruits Basket.  But something about the turn that took place at the end of the first episode sparked an interest into watching the next.  Then it happened again, and again, until I was actually enjoying the story.  I didn't like nor had any interest in the romance aspect.  I was drawn in with the underworld drama that was unfolding.  Kiishima is a terrible character and I have no desire for Yoshino to end up with him in the end.  It is fun seeing the idea that Yoshino probably is the only woman that can be an equal to the psychopath, but she only does so reluctantly, knowing she needs to play his game to survive.

    The artwork is terrible though, these characters are supposed to be high school students...nothing about them says teenager.  The animation is also...less than ideal or fluid.  There are numerous times where a characters orientation is weird while they are in motion.  Kirishima has zero redeeming qualities but Yoshino is enjoyable.  Calling this a romance, while technically correct, is a little misleading.  Its really more of a yakuza drama with hints of the two leads finding common ground through their forced situation.  I'm not sure if the series will continue beyond episode 2, but the story its self is really starting to get going.  There's a whole undercurrent plot centered around Yoshino's grandfather and she as well.  Something about her past that has lead her to being targeted by unknown agents for unknown reasons.  That's the thing I really want to know...and it doesn't seem like that's going to be resolved at all.

The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.