Police in a Pod

Alternate Titles

ハコヅメ～交番女子の逆襲～
Hakozume: Kouban Joshi no Gyakushu

Synopsis

Fed up with the hard work, long hours, and having to put up with complaints from criminals and the general public day after day, Mai Kawai, a rookie police officer working at the Machiyama Police Station, is about to hand in her letter of resignation. But then she meets her new instructor: beautiful former ace detective Seiko Fuji, who is nicknamed “Miss Perfect” for graduating at the top of her class. On their first day working together, Mai witnesses Seiko’s keen observation and interrogation skills when she apprehends a serial thief and begins looking up to her as a role model. Under Seiko’s kind yet sometimes strict guidance, Mai begins to get a newfound enthusiasm and appreciation for being a police officer.

Background

Police in a Pod is a manga series written and illustrated by Miko Yasu that has been serialized in Kodansha's Morning seinen manga magazine since November 2017. As of November 2021, 19 collected tankobon volumes have been published under Kodansha’s Morning KC imprint. It is also being published digitally in English by Kodansha USA. In 2021, the series won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category and was also nominated for the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category. The manga has sold more than 2.3 million copies.

A TV anime adaptation was announced in August 2021. It is being produced by Madhouse (Ace of Diamond, Cardcaptor Sakura, Overlord) and features Yuzo Sato (Kaiji: Against All Rules, Marvel Future Avengers, Naruto: The Cross Roads) as director and Tohru Ishida (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table, Major 2nd) as assistant director, with Ryunosuke Kingetsu (A Certain Magical Index III, Queen's Blade Unlimited, Samurai Girls) handling series composition, Kei Tsuchiya (Burst Angel, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Laidbackers) handling character designs, and Nobuaki Nobusawa (Astra Lost in Space, Dagashi Kashi, Steins;Gate 0) composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is “Shiranakya” by Riko Azuna, and the ending theme song is “Change” by nonoc. The anime will premiere in Japan on Jan. 5, 2022 on Tokyo MX, AT-X, and other channels.

Characters

Mai Kawai (Voiced by: Shion Wakayama)
A rookie police officer who works at the Machiyama Police Station. She has no vision or pride in her work as an officer and is so fed up with the constant hard work that she’s thinking of resigning. For better or worse, she is pure and straightforward and often lets the complaints and harsh words of suspects and criminals get to her. Under guidance from Seiko, she begins to appreciate her job more.

Seiko Fuji (Voiced by: Yui Ishikawa)
A former ace detective who graduated from the police academy at the top of her class and was called “Miss Perfect.” She was transferred to the Machiyama Police Station and is paired up with Mai as her supervisor. There are rumors that she was transferred due to power harassment, but the truth is unknown. She is a skilled officer with good looks but is often likened to a gorilla by others due to her strong will and arrogant demeanor.

Seiji Minamoto (Voiced by: Ryota Suzuki)
A police sergeant and detective who was classmates with Seiko at the police academy. His trademark characteristic is his natural perm. Although he had terrible grades at the academy, he has a natural ability as a police officer that grabs people’s attention, and he has earned a reputation as a genius interrogator.

Takeshi Yamada (Voiced by: Shimba Tsuchiya)
A police sergeant and detective who is partnered with Seiji. He was Seiko and Seiji’s underclassman at the police academy. He has a sincere desire to help those in need and has a strong sense of justice, but sometimes he gets so focused on the job that he loses perspective.

Miwa Makitaka (Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa)
A police sergeant with the First Investigation Division and Takeshi’s classmate at the police academy. She is known for her reliable and thorough work and is trusted by the frontline detectives. She is a history buff and a Shinsengumi otaku who loves Ryotaro Shiba. She is a bit of an oddball who became a police officer because she felt it was a job similar to that of the Shinsengumi.

Tamotsu Hojo (Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama)
A lieutenant who is known as the face of the Okajima Prefectural Police and is known for his trademark regent hairstyle. He cares greatly for his subordinates and is always concerned about their physical and mental well-being, so much so that he sometimes pushes himself too hard.

Deputy Chief (Voiced by: Kendo Kobayashi)
The deputy chief of the Machiyama Police Station. He is a former riot police officer with a bald head and a beard. He is a fierce judo practitioner and takes on the role of instructor during training sessions, including teaching arrest and take-down techniques. He is also a huge Takarazuka fan. He often scolds his subordinates when they don’t follow his orders, but he warmly watches over them and their growth as officers.

Music

Opening Theme Song: “Shiranakya” by Riko Azuna
Ending Theme Song: “Change” by nonoc

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Miko Yasu
• Director: Yuzo Sato
• Assistant Director: Tohru Ishida
• Series Composition: Ryunosuke Kingetsu
• Character Design: Kei Tsuchiya
• Art Board: Kazuyuki Hashimoto, Norihiko Yokomatsu
• Art Setting: Shinji Sugiyama
• Color Design: Harue Ono
• Director of Photography: Hironobu Hatanaka
• Editing: Mariko Tsukatsune
• 3D Director: Yasutaka Tanaka
• Sound Director: Kisuke Koizumi
• Sound Effects: Naoto Yamatani
• Music: Nobuaki Nobusawa
• Recording Studio: Studio T&T
• Sound Production: Magic Capsule
• Production Producer: Mariko Ashikawa, Satoki Toyoda
• Animation Production: Madhouse