A thorough review of Hakozume: Police Box Girls' Counterattack! What's the balance between entertainment value and realism?

Hakozume: Police Box Girls' Counterattack: The Appeal and Full Story of a Realistic Police Comedy

The TV anime series "Hakozume: Police Box Girls' Counterattack", which aired from January 5 to March 30, 2022, is based on the manga of the same name by Yasuko Tai. This anime attracted attention as an unprecedented police comedy that depicts the realistic daily life of a police officer. Below, we will introduce detailed information and the appeal of this work.

Overview

"Hakozume: Police Box Women's Counterattack" is a work comedy that revolves around the mismatched pair of rookie police officer Mai Kawai, who passed the civil service exam but regrets her job as a police officer, and Seiko Fuji, a former ace of the Criminal Investigation Division who graduated at the top of her class from the police academy. Through their daily lives, the show depicts the real work and human relationships of police officers.

Broadcast information

This anime was broadcast for a total of 13 episodes from January 5 to March 30, 2022. The broadcasting stations are AT-X, TOKYO MX, etc., and the broadcasting times for each station are as follows.

• AT-X: January 5, 2022 to March 30, 2022, every Wednesday from 23:30 to 0:00
• TOKYO MX: January 6, 2022 to March 31, 2022, every Thursday from 1:05 to 1:35
• KBS Kyoto: January 6, 2022 to March 31, 2022, every Thursday from 1:05 to 1:35
• Sun TV: January 6, 2022 to March 31, 2022, every Thursday from 1:30 to 2:00
• TV Aichi: January 6, 2022 to March 31, 2022, every Thursday from 2:35 to 3:05
• BS Nippon Television: January 7, 2022 to April 1, 2022, every Friday from 0:00 to 0:30
• Kumamoto Prefectural Television: January 7, 2022 to April 1, 2022, every Friday from 1:29 to 1:59

It was also streamed online and could be viewed on d Anime Store, Amazon Prime Video, and other sites.

story

"I'm quitting being a police officer!" cries Kawai Mai, a rookie who became a police officer for shallow reasons, having taken every civil service exam she could get her hands on, only passing the police officer exam. However, faced with the reality of being overworked and disliked, she decides to resign and move on to a new life. A new instructor appears before her: Fuji Seiko, a former ace of the Criminal Investigation Division who graduated at the top of her class at the police academy and is nicknamed "Miss Perfect." Kawai is frightened by rumors that she has been transferred from the Criminal Investigation Division to the police box after excessive power harassment of her juniors, but she immediately heads out on patrol as a pair with Fuji Seiko.

The mismatched pair of rookie police officer Kawai and former ace of the Criminal Investigation Division Fuji are at the center of this work-related comedy that will make you laugh, be surprised, and sometimes cry as you watch the unique and charming police officers that they create! Come to the scene! This is a realistic(?) new story of police box girls!

Commentary

"Hakozume: Police Box Girls' Counterattack" is an unprecedented police comedy that depicts the extremely realistic daily life of police box girls. It depicts the rigors of police work and the complexities of human relationships in a humorous way, while also including touching scenes at times, making it a work that draws viewers in.

cast

The main cast of this anime is as follows:

• Mai Kawai: Shion Wakayama
• Fuji Seiko: Yui Ishikawa
• Miwa Makita: Kana Hanazawa
• Seiji Minamoto: Ryota Suzuki
• Takeshi Yamada: Shinba Tsuchiya
• Hojo: Rikiya Koyama
• Deputy Chief: Kendo Kobayashi
• Machiyama Police Chief: Hiroyoshi Maeda
• Nasu: Hiromichi Tezuka
• Police Station Chief: Hiroshi Ienaka
• Higashiiwa Section Chief: Takaya Kuroda
• Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division: Hiroshi Naka
• Kawai's father: Mitsuru Ogata
• Warasaki: Kimiko Saito
• Yuta: Fukushima Jun
• Todoroki: Fukutsugu Ochiai
• Fukushima: Takumu Miyazono
• Fukushima's father: Koichi Soma
• Aoyama: Katsunori Okai
• Konno: Murata Taishi
• Yukari: Chie Nakamura
• Kenji: Hayato Fujii
• Yukari's son: Miyase Naoya
• Yukari's mother: Hitomi Tokorokawa
• Onigawara: Hiroko Kiso
• Shikine: Shinya Hamazoe
• Sumida: Atsushi Abe
• Sakata: Tachibana Uko
• Arita: Ishikari Courage
• Sakamoto: Junichi Yanagida
• Miyahara: Hiroki Tochi
• Saki: Hirose Yuuki
• Saito: Shizuka Okodaira
• Director Oita: Yoshito Sasaki
• Bright: Shogo Sakata
• Akira's Mother: Saori Terayori
• Yoneda: Shunsuke Sakino
• Yasuda: Jun Miyamoto
• Shioyama: Muro Genki
• Warazaki's husband: Akihiro Mine
• Daughter of Waruzaki: Reina Maeda
• Grandson of Waruzaki: Rikuya Yasuda
• Yuta's mother: Ayaka Kiyomi

Main Staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of this anime:

• Original story: Yasuko Tai (serialized in Kodansha's "Morning")
• Director: Yuzo Sato
• Series Composition: Ryunosuke Kanetsuki
• Character design: Kei Tsuchiya
• Assistant Director: Noriaki Ishida
• Art board: Kazuyuki Hashimoto, Norihiko Yokomatsu
• Art setting: Shinji Sugiyama
• Color design: Harue Ohno
• Director of photography: Hironobu Hatanaka
• Edited by: Tsukato Mariko
• 3D Director: Yasutaka Tanaka
• Music: Nobuaki Shinzawa
• Sound Director: Kisuke Koizumi
• Sound effects: Naoto Yamatani
• Recording studio: Studio T&T
• Sound Production: Magic Capsule
• Production producers: Mariko Ashikawa, Tomoki Toyoda
• Animation Production: Madhouse
• Production: Hakozume Production Committee

Main Characters

The details of the main characters are as follows:

• Mai Kawai
  Police officer. A rookie police officer working at Machiyama Police Box. He has no vision or pride for his job as a police officer, and is fed up with the hard work and thinking of quitting. For better or worse, he has a pure and honest personality, so he is often at the mercy of the words and actions of suspects and the boys and girls he takes into custody. As he receives guidance from Fuji, he gradually becomes more positive about his job as a police officer.
• Seiko Fuji
  Sergeant. He graduated from the police academy at the top of his class and was a former ace of the Criminal Investigation Division who was active in the First Investigative Division. He was transferred to Machiyama Police Box and paired up with Kawai as his instructor. There are rumors that he was transferred due to power harassment by a junior colleague, but the truth of this is unknown. He is competent and has a beautiful face that everyone recognizes, but he is treated like a gorilla because of his personality and behavior.
• Seiji Minamoto
  Sergeant. A detective in the First Investigative Division, he and Fuji attended the same police academy in the same year. His trademark is his natural curls. Although they exchange silly jokes, they both acknowledge each other's abilities as police officers. Although he was the worst performer in school, he is highly regarded as an "interrogation genius" due to his natural talent for winning people's hearts in an instant.
• Takeshi Yamada
  Sergeant. A detective in the First Investigative Division who is paired with Gen. Fujiya was one year younger than him at the police academy. Ever since their days at the academy, he has been taken advantage of and doted on(?). He has a strong sense of justice and wants to help people in need, but sometimes he is so focused on the task at hand that he narrows his perspective.
• Miwa Makitaka
  Sergeant. Belonging to the First Investigative Division, Yamada and I graduated from the same police academy. He has a reputation for his reliable and careful work, and is trusted by frontline investigators. He is a history buff and a Shinsengumi otaku who loves Ryotaro Shiba. He is an oddball who became a police officer because "I felt that the work was similar to that of the Shinsengumi."
• Tamotsu Houjo
  A police inspector and the chief of the First Investigative Division. He has a tough look and a pompadour hairstyle as his trademark. He sometimes gives strict instructions to his free-spirited subordinates, but he is also a reliable boss who is always mindful of their physical and mental health.
• Deputy Chief (Fukushocho)
  Superintendent. Deputy Chief of Machiyama Police Station. A former riot police officer with a tough look, shaved head and beard. A judo expert, he is in charge of training arrest techniques. He also has a surprising side to him: he loves Takarazuka. He often scolds his subordinates for not following his orders, but he warmly watches over their growth.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Unboxing & Sandbag (2022/01/05)
• Episode 2: Beginner's Luck/Police Jungle (2022/01/12)
• Episode 3: Ace Appears/The Corpse Speaks (2022/01/19)
• Episode 4: Dear Dog/Runner's High (2022/01/26)
• Episode 5: Late-night Patrol/VS. Chikan (2022/02/02)
• Episode 6: Group Date Rhapsody/Runaway Police (2022/02/09)
• Episode 7: Tailing Championship/People-pleaser (2022/02/16)
• Episode 8: Justice Runs Wild/Muscle Fool (2022/02/23)
• Episode 9: Arrest Techniques/UFOs (2022/03/02)
• Episode 10: Police Notebook/Trauma (2022/03/09)
• Episode 11: Marijuana and Caricatures/Caricature Frenzy (2022/03/16)
• Episode 12: Reproduced Dolls/Investigative Division 1 (2022/03/23)
• Episode 13: The Game Ends in an Instant/Run, Top (2022/03/30)

Theme songs and music

The opening and ending themes are as follows:

• OP1: Shiranui Lyrics: Tanaka Rei Music: Nasca Arrangement: the Third
  ・Singer: Azuna Riko
• ED1: Change
  Lyrics: DECO*27
  ・Composer: DECO*27
  Arrangement: Rockwell
  ・Singer: nonoc

Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Hakozume: Police Box Girls Strike Back" has been highly praised for its humorous portrayal of the real-life daily life of police officers. In particular, the dialogue between the mismatched pair of Kawai Mai and Fuji Seiko, and the exploits of the unique characters, captured the hearts of viewers. The show also realistically portrayed the rigors of police work and the complexities of human relationships, while also including some touching scenes at times, leaving a deep impression on viewers.

The appeal of this work can be summed up in the following points:

• Realistic depiction of the daily life of a police officer: The harshness of a police officer's job and the complexities of human relationships are depicted realistically, providing viewers with a new perspective.
• Characters with unique personalities: The characters, including Kawai Mai and Fuji Seiko, have a unique charm that draws in viewers.
• Balance of comedy and emotion: The balance between comical and emotional scenes is perfect, keeping viewers entertained.
• Portrayal of social issues: Through the work of police officers, the show portrays social and interpersonal issues, providing viewers with something to think about.

Recommended points

"Hakozume: Police Box Women's Counterattack" is a comedy that depicts the real daily life of police officers and can be recommended to a wide range of viewers. In particular, I would like to recommend it to the following viewers:

• People who are interested in the work of police officers: This work depicts the realistic daily life of a police officer, so it is recommended for people who are interested in the work of police officers.
• People who like comedies: This movie has many comical scenes and is a great way to watch while laughing, so it is recommended for people who like comedies.
• People who like moving scenes: This work is recommended for people who like moving scenes, as it is interspersed with moving scenes that leave a deep impression on the viewer.
• People interested in social issues: This work depicts social and interpersonal issues through the work of a police officer, so it is recommended for people who are interested in social issues.

Conclusion

"Hakozume: Police Box Girls Strike Back" has been highly praised as a work that depicts the real-life daily life of police officers in a comical way. The dialogue between the mismatched pair Kawai Mai and Fuji Seiko and the exploits of the unique characters have captured the hearts of viewers, and the harshness of the police job and the complexities of human relationships are realistically depicted, while the sometimes touching scenes are also mixed in, leaving a deep impression on viewers. This work is recommended for people who are interested in the work of police officers, people who like comedies, people who like moving scenes, and people who are interested in social issues. Please give it a watch.