Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#168: Mission Yozokura Family

Have you ever felt like your family was a little crazy? If so, I doubt they would have anything on the illustrious Yozokura Family by Hitsuji Gondaira.

Summary

After losing his family in a tragic car accident, Taiyo Asano has often approached other people with hands guarded—all except for his childhood friend Mitsumi Yozakura, who's always kept a steady eye on him. However, Mitsumi is forced to reveal the truth after her obsessive older brother Kyochiro Yozokura sets his dangerous sights on Taiyo.
While she moonlights as an average high school student, Mutsumi is the current head of the elite centuries-old Yozokura family. As the head, it's up to her eccentric siblings to protect her from all threats for the next generation to stay strong. Taiyo must now take responsibility for himself as he avoids Kyochiro's venomous strings by joining the family proper as Mutsumi's husband. A decision that will forever transform the lives of everyone involved.

Characters
We have a huge cast here today, so I'll be brief, going from oldest to youngest.

Kyochiro: The eldest son of Yozokura Kyochiro is shrewd and standoffish. He's the ideal spy and older brother of the family in many ways, often dirtying his hands so his siblings can run free. All positive qualities are immediately swallowed up by his fanatical obsession with Mutsumi, a trait which often makes him the family's resident punching bag and Taiyo's worst nightmare.

Futaba: Serving as the eldest sister, Futaba is the definition of great things coming in small packages. Despite her short stature and lolita clothing, Futaba, in many scenarios, is the most mature Yozokura, often consoling her siblings in kindness and appreciating their quirks. Unfortunately, due to her martial arts prowess and more blunt attitude, Futaba often, at times, is the least versed in technology and the least composed when shit hits the fan.

Shinzo: Repping as the resident weapon expert, Shinzo is the skittish Yozokura by far, almost always becoming a nervous wreck when he doesn't have an armament. This aversion shouldn't be labeled as cowardice, as Shinzo will almost always be the first one to fight his fear and show his enemies the true danger of having a weapon unchecked.

Shinon: If you're looking for big brains, look no further than Shinon Yozakura.As a resident, antisocial shut-in Shinon is obsessed with games to the point where she'll sacrifice life and limb for a good game. I don't think this makes her a machine, though; her analytical and cool persona often leads her to pull pranks on her siblings and get flustered when the script is flipped on her.

Kengo: The most vein of the Yozokura's Kengo is the resident master of disguise. Only participating in missions or assignments that interest him personally, Kengo is very vain about his appearance. Still, it's due to this very same profession Kengo is the most empathic member of the family, often making a fool out of himself to make them smile.

Mutsumi: The head of the family, Mutsumi is the only member with no superhuman capabilities. As such, Mutsumi is the one who takes her role as family head and ordinary high school student equally seriously. Whether it be making family recipes or being head to rest, Mutsumi is always willing to put the family first.

Taiyo: Our main character, Taiyo, is the closest thing Yozokura has to a straight man to the madness. While his induction into the family's daily deadly deeds leaves him confused and scared, Taiyo does adapt in due time. Starting off as simply a rookie-level spy, Tayio's resolve to protect his current family and Mutsumi makes him a reliable source of support.

Nanao: The medical and chemistry expert of the team, Nanao's appearance and intellect often make it seem he has to be a "big" brother against his status as the youngest. Armed with an intellect-matching Shinon and sadism-matching Kyochiro, Nanao is arguably the sibling you least want to mess with.

Overview

Honestly, out of the newer Shonen jump titles, it's legitimately surprising I haven't heard much noise on Yozokura Family till now. The series is well over 200 chapters on right now, and somehow, its anime adaptation got a trailer after Dandan, Kaiju No.8, and Undead Unluck despite being way younger comparably. Regardless, Mission Yozokura Family has a lot to like about it.

By having Taiyo as an audience surrogate, we instantly plopped down into a wide-spanning underworld where spy work is commonplace. Thus, a simple walk through a store or fancy restaurant trip can instantly turn into a Wild West of high-flying gadgets and superhuman spades. This gives us a wide-spanning supporting cast and helps further humanize the titular Yozokura Family.

Through Taiyo and Mutsumi's lives, we get a whole web of interactions from the family. Loads of slice-of-life content allow us to get a grasp on these characters. There are tons of weird quirks and history with the Yozokura, but one thing uniting them all is their sheer compassion for one another. No matter how often they fight or bicker, the Yozokuras will lay down their lives in a heartbeat for one another, all while taking care of the little pieces people think they overlook about one another. Perfect for Taiyo, who had to say goodbye to his family at a young age.

The various skills of each character come through in the fight scenes. While the Yozokura are mostly the goalposts for Taiyo's growth, their separate skills against opponents or peers who can keep up with them create some short but sweet fights. When you include the various gadgets, martial arts, and straight-up superpowers, showing anything is possible.

Still, how positive you find all these aspects does depend on how well you want to adapt to it all. Yozokua does have a vast spanning plot with overarching villains with crucial influence on our heroes; the series is mainly focused on comedy. There could be a world-ending apocalypse in five days, and we would still have an entire episode dedicated to Kyochiro missing a picture of Mutsumi.

A flaw makes the villains feel weak and underdeveloped for those looking for that. So, if you're into a more fully serialized or profound tale, it could feel like we go two steps forward and one step back. Still, I'm sure the charming characters and even more charming colored cover pages can help you overcome the hassle.

Epilogue

Overall, I can see why Yozokura's gotten the love it's had. For how long it's been going, I hope that the anime is the thing that helps vault it over to the top spot. Especially now, we are currently entering the last arc of the series. Still, as a sucker for found family, I'm glad I was invited to Yozokura's home. It was a great reprieve before heading towards the next entry.