Summary
Kakushigoto is a slice-of-life comedy series that revolves around the daily lives of Kakushi Goto and his daughter, Hime. Kakushi is determined to hide his actual profession as a manga artist from Hime at all costs, as he believes that the latter would resent him if she knew of the truth. While Hime believes her dad is an average businessman, everyone close to the family does their best to help him keep his secret.
Overview
First and foremost, the one thing that stands out to me is definitely the comedy aspect of the series, specifically the puns. Yup, you read that right, puns. Though the puns are mostly related to common Japanese phrases, it is still easy to dissect and understand the jokes if you have watched anime for a while.
As for the pacing, I would say it’s quite well done. The series mostly takes place in the past, with a few short scenes at the beginning of each episode that take place in the present day. This leads up to the final few episodes, where the present becomes the main focus. Thus, as each episode progresses, more puzzle pieces fall into place as we get closer to the climax of the series.
Another point I want to bring up is how the series shows that people have different understandings and interpretations of a certain topic, which you don’t really see often in anime nowadays. For example, there were a few scenes where both father and daughter had misunderstood each other’s messages. Even the title itself can actually be interpreted in different ways:
- ‘kaku shigoto’ (隠し事) which means secret or hidden thing;
- ‘kaku shigoto’ (書く仕事) which means a job that involves drawing;
- Kakushi Goto (後藤可久士) which is the name of the main character.
Moving on, let’s dive in into the details!
Characters
Kakushi Goto
Kakushi, or more commonly known as Goto-sensei, is a manga artist who is responsible for creating manga that has vulgar content. To hide this from his daughter, he often dresses up as a businessman at home and changes outfits at a sundry shop near his work studio. Aside from being a mangaka, he is also an overprotective dad that loves his daughter and deceased wife very much. He is willing to go to any lengths for his precious daughter, especially when it comes to down to not letting her find out what his actual occupation is.
Hime Goto
The daughter of (you’ve guessed it) Goto-sensei. She is very kind, diligent, and will always find ways to lessen the burden on her dad. Despite Goto-sensei keeping his real job a secret from her, she trusts him a lot and does not pry into the topic or bring up their past.
What I can say is that this father and daughter duo are very well characterized and are extremely relatable. The series shows the different emotions that parents often go through, as well as how a child can react to certain scenarios. The supporting characters on the other hand are not really well developed, but that doesn’t change the fact that they still play a big part in the story.
Animation
Ajia-do Animation Works is the studio responsible for Kakushigoto. Although it is a studio not many people may have heard of, they have worked closely on production collaborations and in-between animations for anime series like Doraemon, Fairy Tail, and even the original Fruits Basket animation. They have also produced series like Spirit of Wonder and Izetta: The Last Witch.
Though the animation style might seem boring and dull to some, I personally find it to be very unique as it’s very clean and simple. It’s not cluttered with details so it gives off a very soothing feeling and is pleasant to the eye. The production team also followed the style of the manga closely when creating the animation. Even the ‘over-exaggerated’ scenes, like when someone is depressed or overjoyed, are very manga-like which is a style that not many anime series tend to incorporate. One thing’s for sure, Ajia-do did a really good job!
Audio/Music
The opening theme song, Chiisana Hibi is sung by flumpool. The song is about the daily life of two people chasing for their dreams while holding on to secrets from one another. Even though he/she wants to be honest, they find it hard to do so. It’s essentially the whole plot of Kakushigoto summarised into a less than 4-minute song. Through the song itself, and of course with the aid of awesome visuals, you can tell what feel or tone that the series is aiming for. It is definitely a song to get you all emotional!
As for the ending song, Kimi wa Tenneniro, sung by Eiichi Ootaki, I would say it gives an unusual touch to the series. The song begins with a very catchy beat. However, as it continues, the rhythm will remind one of older songs, which are about how the song writer views a girl through their perspective. In Kakushigoto’s context, it’s about how both Goto-sensei and Hime view each other as the one that brings joy and colour to their respective lives. That being said, it is a very fun and sweet song overall.
Lastly, what would an anime be without voice actors? The voice actors definitely contributed to a big part of the series! Without them, the over-amplified reactions, lame puns, as well as the character personalities would not have come to life.
TL;DR
Overall, if you’re into lifestyle-based stories and comedy, especially puns, this will be the show for you! It might seem flavourless at the beginning, but once you spend more time and get invested, I’m sure anyone can appreciate this wholesome series. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face!
