Review of Police in a Pod

If Buddy Cop anime are your thing- and even if they're not- I couldn't recommend this more strongly: it far surpassed my expectations and probably will yours too. The story of Mai Kawai is a reminder that, not everyone can be top of the class. Not everyone gets accepted into the #1 High School, or can get into college. So what happens to all the ordinary people left? Japan has a fairly large underclass of people living on benefits, and not all of them are elderly... Mai confronts an adulthood unsure about her future; and wanting to avoid the fate of her father who isan alcoholic; she finds herself a rookie recruit to Japan's civil service. It's a job that doesn't require an entrance exam, has a low but stable salary, and at first glance appears easy enough; and she gets partnered up with Seiko Fuji and all she has to do is show up to work each day and ride around in a car and deal with fairly straightforward complaints from citizens and answer calls... should be easy right?
Hahahahahahaaa!!!

The show has a really good sense of humor. Mai's circumstances are relatable to anyone just starting out in their 20s and wondering what the rest of their life is supposed to look like. And all the rest of the people in her department started out the same way- but the people she first regards as kind of weird, maybe harsh, or baffling- are dedicated, hard working people all trying to do their part to keep their community safe. Her approach at first seems to be "la dee da, what ever"- and the show does a brilliant job of making you think everything just the same old boring thing over and over- until the moment it isn't.

There are episodes of this show that took my breath away. And once it gets going, you start to see how a job that lets anyone enter and anyone can do- comes with challenges that people in their cozy offices could never imagine.

Mai's experience in the police force is confusing, demanding, exciting, and exhausting; and each day is entirely unpredictable. Long, agonizing hours of boring monotony are punctuated by moments of utter shock and bewilderment. You go from laughter to jaw dropping shock and overwhelming sadness without warning- and this is the life of a police officer. I feel like you could look at people in the profession entirely differently after watching this; it's a superb anime and I strongly recommend it. Can't wait to rewatch