Hanzawa Naoki (TV show)

I've been meaning to post something about this show for months but have only now gotten around to it.  Hanzawa Naoki, a story about a good man trying to survive in a corrupt banking world, was hugely popular last year; its ratings kept going up week after week, I suppose through positive word-of-mouth, and its finale had the highest ratings share (42.2%, I believe) for a show in three decades.  Going in, I really didn't expect to find it very interesting, since it's about banking, but I was hooked pretty early on.

A good part of the reason is the intensity of the lead actor, Sakai Masato.  He goes through virtually the entire series with his head cocked, lips pursed, eyes usually with a laser-like focus.  I understand it when people suggest that he might be overacting a bit, but I think he fits the character and story quite well.  His lighter moments come with his wife Hana, played by Ueto Aya.  I think I found her annoying at first but she turned out to be an endearingly in-your-face personality.  I like their scenes together.  When he comes home to her, the cloud lifts from his face and he endures her good-natured whining, ribbing, and  shoulder-slapping at the end of some long days.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot and I won't put in any spoilers.  There are some major Oh my God moments, often at the end of episodes. I hope it suffices to say that the story framed in two parts; the first in Osaka, where Naoki tries to recover a large sum of money lost by his bank in the face of many roadblocks set up by his superiors, those sleazy and schmoozing bastards.  The second half of the series is set in Tokyo, where he again faces a maze of corruption and quid pro quos as he tries to save a hotel chain and, ultimately, the good standing of his own bank.  The more touching and uplifting moments of the story, to me, rest on the empathy that Naoki feels for people with less.  He sees their pain and carries his own.  He does what he can for them.

Below is a trailer.




 And this is a website where you can watch it with English subtitles.  To be honest, I don't think that the translators are native English speakers, but I'm not complaining--they did a good enough job that I could easily keep up with the story.

http://www.drama.net/hanzawa-naoki-episode-1

 The show is based on novels written by a former banker named Jun Ikeido.  A continuation of the series seems assured.  I hope they make one.  Again, I'm trying to be careful not to put in any spoilers. . .I just want to say that I though the finale was very emotional--they really did it right--but at the same time I don't feel like the whole thing should end that way.