In much the same way we have Compliancy HR man Wataru Akitsu, also played by Karasawa, who uses the same charm, social skills and understanding to cut through his company’s various harassment cases and get down to the truth of the matters!
Wataru Akitsu was once a powerful director of the huge Supermarket Chain MARUO, but when an underling accused him of power harassment his team turned against him and he was demoted to grocery manager in one of the store’s small-town markets.
This setback would have destroyed most (and indeed, we see a few others whom have succumbed to despair in the show) but the positive thinking Akitsu embraces his job and becomes a bright, energetic manager who is beloved by his co-workers and his customers.
So it is a bit of a jolt when he is suddenly called BACK to the main office to assume the new role of head of the company’s HR Compliancy department.
There he meets his new team, smart and determined Makoto Komura (Alice Hirose), who schools the old-fashioned Akitsu about all the many new and lesser known kinds of harassment there are, and the cool and collected Lawyer Kotaro Yazawa (Yuki Furukawa) who at first doesn’t trust Akitsu but soon realizes how passionate Akitsu is about helping those in need and joins the team fully.
All this demotions and promotions are hard on Akitsu’s wife Eiko (Mako Ishino) and daughter Natsumi (Noa Kita) whom have had to move, change jobs and schools every time he is shuffled around, but they are a loving family and often give Akitsu the insight into human nature that he needs to break the case!
Akitsu takes to his new job with gusto, but there is a darker, more hushed up reason for his return: Fearing an usurpation by his board members, Company Boss Takafumi Maruo (Kenichi Takito) has brought in Akitsu to snoop around and get dirt on the man he fears is trying to oust him.
This is hard enough for Akitsu, but the man he is instructed to monitor is Haruo Wakita (Masahiro Takashima), his former supervisor and partner who betrayed and abandoned him at the time of his power harassment case!
The two butt heads immediately and its soon clear that there are many micro machinations going on in the corridors of the company, with Wakita’s clever underlings Mizutani (played by the always oily Shiro Sano) and crafty secretary Minako Komatsu (Yui Ichikawa) always up to some devious deed…
Can Akitsu sort if all out while taking care of the seemingly never-ending harassment cases? Well, with firm determination and a remarkable team, he’s out to prove that there’s nothing he can’t do!
Akitsu is fascinating to watch, and I just love watching his team with Komura and Yazawa in action!
They are such straight arrows fighting for what’s right that seeing them do their thing reminds me of the Michael Keaton drama “Spotlight”, with his team of Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams as diligent and tenacious investigators for the Boston Globe!
As I'm also still in the middle of the Takako Tokiwa drama “The Good Wife”, it is jarring to see the juxtaposition of boss and subordinate with Karasawa and Takito. Just last week I saw Karasawa ordering his underling to “find the information, and in Harassment Game, it is TAKITO ordering Karasawa! LOL!
And speaking of pairing, I also love the banter whenever Akitsu goes home and playfully fights with his wife Eiko. She is so sassy, always giving him a hard time that it reminded me of Kyozo Nagatsuka and Fubuki Jun in “The Ideal Boss”, one of my favorite TV couples of all time!
Man, I can’t stress how much I’m loving this drama. Karasawa was one of the very first actors I knew when I first got into Japanese dramas waaaaay back in 1994 (his drama “Kagayake Rintaro” is still one of my very fave shows), and he shows he still has the warmth and charisma to turn any character into one you really care for and want to follow!
I had no IDEA at the time I began watching this how much it would GRAB me, but after watching just ONE episode, I BLEW through FIVE more and forced myself to STOP so I could gather my bearings and do this little write up! Having done that, It’s BACK to the show!!!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com