This spring, Studio Deen released Tadaima, Okaeri, one of the few anime released that utilizes the Omegaverse. 

For some context, the Omegaverse has become a huge universe among media and fanfictions that utilizes the pack dynamics of alpha, beta, and omega as a secondary gender. Although details on the universe change depending on the creator, it still has a set of expectations or behaviors that tend to remain. 

Each person emits a pheromone that makes them smell a certain way that is usually attractive to others. Alphas are typically the best of the best who endure ruts that make them crazed and lustful. Omegas are typically the weakest and most discriminated group that fall into heats which also make them crazed and lustful. Betas are, essentially, regular people who don’t feel the effects of alphas and omegas. 

Tadaima, Okaeri utilizes this universe as a way to allow for male pregnancy, which is a big reason why this universe is popular among boy’s love (BL or Yaoi in Japanese) stories. The anime focuses on the Fujiyoshi family composed of Hiromu, Masaki, and Hikari (and the later addition of Hinata). 

I was excited when this anime was announced. The manga source was one of the first BL stories I had read, and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was such a beautiful story about the character’s relationships and growth as people as they live in a society that judges upon secondary genders. 

The story starts with the main couple already married, which sets it apart from many other romance stories that focus on the confession and developing a relationship. The story does so well in furthering their relationship and setting an example on how even established relationships can falter and struggle after their “happy ending.” 

Furthermore, each and every character introduced in the manga is endearing. Even the side characters gain more of a spotlight that develops their personalities. The story is character-driven. It’s not simply a cute story about a family that capitalizes on its cuteness unlike others that I have encountered. Instead, the creator genuinely wants people to learn about their characters and see how they grow by being together. 

The theme alone is conveyed through the title: Tadaima, Okaeri. These two Japanese words are utilized when welcoming someone home. Tadaima means, “I’m home” whereas Okaeri means, “Welcome home.” It is a story about creating a home and safe space when prior, the Fujiyoshi family felt like they didn’t have that.

Despite the universe largely influencing the characters, Tadaima, Okaeri, in particular, stands out from other Omegaverse stories because the universe is not the sole focus. A lot of stories utilize the universe to set up sexual encounters and hone them into how the people’s secondary dynamics affect their lives. The Omegaverse in Tadaima, Okaeri almost takes a back burner in the story. It’s prevalent in the fact of how discriminatory the society can be, but it’s usually not at the forefront nor is it shoved into people’s faces. Like I said earlier, the story is character-driven, not plot- or universe-driven.

In fact, most of the context of the Omegaverse is not necessary to know or understand when watching the show. It explains enough about the way the dynamics affect society that viewers have little to no need to know more about this particular universe. 

It is genuinely a great story to read, and I look forward to how the studio continues to animate the manga. So far, the anime has given so much credit to the original manga source. I went back to re-read the manga because there were details put in the anime that I could not tell was creative liberty taken to make the story richer. Yet, I found I missed a lot of subtext and background images that the anime incorporated to make the story more alive. 

Tadaima, Okaeri is a great anime, so far, that is a good introduction to a mass media about the Omegaverse. The universe has been utilized a lot to discuss parallels for sexual and gender discrimination. Despite how much sexual content can and does exists in this universe, it also is greatly enriched with character-driven stories like Tadaima, Okaeri that utilize the universe to make it more personable for their readers. 

I cannot wait to see the studio animate rest of the manga so I can see this wonderful story take life on the screen. 

Have you watched any episodes or seen any scenes from Tadaima, Okaeri, and what were your thoughts? Were you familiar with the concept of the Omegaverse before this animation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below or in our Boss Rush Discord! 

Featured Image: Crunchyroll

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