{"id":626284,"date":"2024-07-01T23:42:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T20:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/tadaima-okaeri-is-a-vanilla-start-to-a-complicated-world\/"},"modified":"2024-07-01T23:42:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T20:42:03","slug":"tadaima-okaeri-is-a-vanilla-start-to-a-complicated-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/tadaima-okaeri-is-a-vanilla-start-to-a-complicated-world\/","title":{"rendered":"#Tadaima, Okaeri is a Vanilla Start to a Complicated World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Season aired<\/b><\/span>: Spring 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Number of episodes<\/b>: 12<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Watched on: <\/b>Crunchyroll<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Translated by: <\/b>?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Genres<\/b>: Slice-of-Life, Romance, Drama<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thoughts<\/b>: If you aren\u2019t active in the fandom world, \u201comegaverse\u201d is probably not a familiar phrase. It started as a world crafted for fanfiction before eventually joining the published world, though it remains as written media<\/a> without any television adaptations. Many believed it was impossible to portray a world where people are categorized not just by sex, but also by the concepts of alpha, beta, and omega referenced from wolf packs. It\u2019s especially spicy because regardless of sex, if a character is born as an omega, they are capable of giving birth all the same.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When <\/span>Tadaima, Okaeri <\/span><\/i>was announced, I was similarly in disbelief. For the first time ever, we were going to see a BL omegaverse onscreen. The story follows married couple Hiro and Masaki as they move to a new neighborhood. Hiro is an alpha, Masaki is an omega and both of them are men. Accompanying them is Hikari, the baby boy whom Masaki gave birth to a few years back, and together, they live their life as peacefully and happ<\/a>ily as possible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, despite what a heartwarming tale this series<\/a> could\u2019ve been, I found it boring.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
A rather boring couple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tadaima Okaeri <\/span><\/i>featured too many similar conflicts and resolutions, which plagued the overall story. Something will usually make Masaki feel insecure, Hiro or someone else that Masaki trusts will comfort him, Hikari in his child-like innocence will say something straightforward but also poignant, Masaki regains his confidence, and the family lives happily ever after. This formula was used repeatedly between the arcs, and I quickly got tired of seeing the same story acted out. Instead, I became more interested in the supporting characters, who unfortunately got minimal screentime with much slower relationship development.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This story writing problem also extends to the lack of characterization for the main characters. Hikari is cute, playful, and loving. He\u2019s a textbook baby who doesn\u2019t do anything wrong, and seeing him only made me miss the babies from <\/span>School Babysitters<\/span><\/i> where all babies have a unique factor to their personalities and also have a mischief that accompanies them as they explore the world. Despite my critiques of Hikari, he\u2019s still the most enjoyable to see on screen. Hiro is a good husband who dotes on Masaki and his babies, but falls into typical alpha stereotypes of being confident, successful, and protective. Similarly, Masaki as the omega remains constantly insecure, shy, and motherly. There is no character development for them outside of the typical omegaverse dynamics, and because of that, Hiro and Masaki\u2019s scenes can often feel overdramatic. This could be because the voice actors are not doing a good job of selling the actual story, but with how repetitive the arcs were, it\u2019s equally possible that the story is what\u2019s holding back their performances.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
A more interesting set of supporting characters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, the supporting characters have more complexity. Matsuo is another alpha, and Hiro\u2019s childhood friend, who embodies many of the manly alpha traits. At the same time, he also shows acute sensitivity to raising children due to being the oldest child in a large family. As a result, Matsuo comes off more matronly, and his worrywart tendencies add a flavor to his character that Hiro is desperately missing. His love interest is Yuki, the only beta of the cast, and despite being tagged as the most \u201cnormal\u201d of the three classes in omegaverse, he also shows the most nuance. He struggles with communication, finds it easier to speak to children who are straightforward and direct, and is constantly insecure of his inability to read people\u2019s moods or facial expressions. His interactions with children slowly start to build his confidence throughout the course of the series, which allows him to communicate more with people his age. It\u2019s a shame that the more human characterizations of the supporting cast simply don\u2019t get the screen time they deserve while the main cast is just so standard.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news<\/a> is that <\/span>Tadaima, Okaeri <\/span><\/i>is an easy anime<\/a> to watch. Unlike the painful production of <\/span>A Condition Called Love<\/span><\/i>, the visuals of the series can be passively enjoyed. The colors are bright and pastel to match the overall slice-of-life feel, and the animation is enough to win over viewers. There isn\u2019t a single moment where the characters look out of place, and while it can\u2019t be compared to <\/span>A Sign of Affection<\/span><\/i>\u2019s production values, the team accomplishes enough to where it wouldn\u2019t hurt to even rewatch scenes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
a vague mention of heat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the first BL omegaverse adaptation, a subgenre of the BL world that has only continued to grow in popularity, <\/span>Tadaima, Okaeri <\/span><\/i>does the job of softly introducing the audience to the mechanics of the world. Omegas are usually treated lesser, Alphas are almost idolized, and Betas are just normal people who often feel forgotten. The series never dives fully into the implications of what this prejudice means \u2013 only hinting about the underlying issues of society. I personally think it would\u2019ve made for a stronger story if they did explore more of the operations of an omegaverse world, but I also understand why the team behind the adaptation would rather gently let people in. There will certainly be viewers who don\u2019t know how extensive and complex omegaverse can be and to immediately dive in so deeply can be off-putting.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, for someone like me who\u2019s always been more interested in the bigger view of society, I only hope <\/span>Tadaima, Okaeri <\/span><\/i>is the beginning of omegaverse adaptations. It makes sense that the introduction of the anime world to omegaverse is a vanilla one, as long as it paves way to other adaptations of omegaverse stories that are willing to take risks with the characters, the world, and the overall plot.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rating<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Plot: 5 (Multiplier 3)<\/span><\/p>\n

Characters: 6.5 (Multiplier 3)<\/span><\/p>\n

Art\/Animation: 7 (Multiplier 2)<\/span><\/p>\n

Voice acting: 6.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Soundtrack: 7<\/span><\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: 62<\/i><\/b><\/span>\n <\/div>\n