I needed a change of pace so I stumbled upon this drama and was hooked from the first minute in spite of terrible cinematography (I am really sensitive to pretty visuals and this one was cold and frankly ugly).

The story follows a disgraced, former bodyguard who is offered a second chance at it. Through a series of jobs, we discover his past, the reasons for his fall from grace and his redemption.

The bodyguard, Shimazaki Akira, is a complex character, all the nuances perfectly painted. He does not say much but sees everything, quick on his feet with dry humour. The relationship with his "rebellious" teen son is so on point: behind the sulky teen hides a boy who deeply loves his father. His coworkers, who know nothing of his pas career as a bodyguard, appreciate him barely considering him an oldtimer. As the cases pile up, his skills become evident and the reluctant colleague becomes a friend.

The drama also pits the official police security services who are armed against the private unarmed ones, proving over and over again that being armed is often a wrong solution. The police security boss is vehemently against the private firm, trying everything in his power to discredit them while they keep proving to him their competence and skill which the official bodyguards sometimes lack!

Beside "case of the week", there is a drama long arc following a female politician as she tries to make it in the macho world. She recognizes Akira's skills immediately and is drawn to him. There is a spark of romance here, very slight and which is eventually nipped in the bud: she choses her career over having a private life! This is another point this drama is trying to make: the gender disparity in Japan. How to make it as a women in a man's world? What sacrifices a woman needs to make which are never asked of men? In a way it is tragic but it is also, thanks to the women like this one, that societies evolve, open up and become more tolerant!

The drama is well written, the music is grandiose, sometimes even pompous for a bodyguard show (probably on purpose: sacrificing one's life to protect others and so on...), the actors are all perfect.

An excellent watch!