Yajima Kintaro was the leader of a motorcycle gang 10,000 strong. A couple of years ago he gave that up and moved away to settle down with his new wife. Unfortunately she died in childbirth, and now Yajima and his infant son Ryu are moving back to the city. The ex-gang leader is hired by a large firm, Yamato Construction, to work as a salaryman, a white collar office employee, and though the job isn't a good one Yajima approaches it with the same gusto and philosophy that he used to run his gang: kick ass and take names. His straight forward and pragmatic method of dealing with problems and his strong work ethic are foreign to this top heavy corporation, and he may just shake up the way business is done if they don't fire him first.

On addition to the office politics, Kintaro has a romantic prospect too. He has started to date Misuzu, the lovely owner of a high class bar. She used to be the mistress of a high ranking government official, and since he died she hasn't taken a lover. When she sets her eyes on Kintaro though, things change. She's a good judge of character and can tell that he's an honorable man. She falls madly in love with him, but so does her 14 year old daughter. It's not clear how Kintaro feels about either of them, but it looks like sparks will fly before too long.

This volume:

This is a very good volume that moves the story forward and also has some interesting developments. As the disc starts, it's the tenth anniversary of the passing of Kintaro's mother, so he takes his son Ryu to visit her grave along with is aunt and uncle. While there he's surprise to discover his father is also there, paying his respects. Kintaro hasn't seen his father in decades, ever since he was arrested and found guilty of murder.

A few new characters are introduced in the following episodes that promise to both help and hinder Kintaro's career. Takatsukasa Seiji, a former official with the department of International Trade and Industry, joins Yamato Construction and has plans to shake things up. He doesn't want the company to continue doing business as usual, he thinks the best way for the company to thrive in the coming lean years is by expanding into the Asian market. He makes some good points and seems to win over many of the executives, but he also notices Kintaro. Seiji pegs the young salaryman as his leading rival in his climb to the top and vows to take him out.

Kintaro also meets an interesting old lady while in a pachinko parlor. After giving her $10 to gamble with, she invites him to her house for some tea. The lady lives in an old run-down cottage on a lot of prime land in the middle of the city. She's a multi-millionaire but likes playing a poor old lady to see who'll be nice to her. Kintaro has passed her test with flying colors, but he's in for another shock when a group of yakuza arrive at her home. It turns out that she's been laundering money for the mob for years, and has made a very good living at it too.

Kintaro also gets transferred in this volume to Yamato's north eastern branch in the city of Kahoku. The president of Yamato wants him to have experience with all aspects of the company, and has sent him to trouble spots in the past. This post is no different. Kintaro's boss, Mr. Igo, has pretty much given up trying to earn jobs from the corrupt system that is in place in Kahoku. Kintaro's not about to sit down and let a corrupt system harm his company though, even if he makes a lot of waves.

This a very good series that is different from other anime shows that have been released in region 1. The office drama is surprisingly engrossing, and Kintaro's magnetic personality is both believable and fun. A lot of the show revolves around Kintaro doing what he feels is right, even though it's not socially acceptable, and the ramifications of these acts. The show is also an interesting look at Japanese society and culture.

The only real complaint I have involving this show is that the animation is a little jerky. The show has a low frame rate which is evident in the scenes with a lot of movement, and they do cut corners in places, using still images when they can. This isn't nearly as bad as some of the worst offenders, and it's not too obvious since they tend to use this technique in quiet office scenes, but the show would be better if they had spent a little bit more on the animation.

This volume contains the next four episodes of the series. It comes in a clear keepcase with a two sided cover. There is no insert. The one slightly irritating thing about this disc is that there isn't a chapter stop after the opening credits, so you have to fast forward past them rather then just skipping them all together.

Audio:

This show comes with the original Japanese in both stereo and DD 5.1. There is not an English dub included on this disc, though there are optional subtitles. The audio quality is average for this type of release. There aren't a lot of space battles or explosions that would really make use of the LFE channel in the 5.1 mix, but the dialog is reproduced well in both audio tracks. There isn't any hiss or other audio defects present.

Video:

The widescreen anamorphic image looks good. The lines are tight and the image is sharp. The colors look good as well. Digital defects are practically nonexistent, though some background line do shimmer somewhat. A solid looking disc.

Extras:

This disc, like the earlier volumes, also includes an interview with director Tomohuro Katsumata as well as one with producer Turo Nakano.

Final Thoughts:

This show hasn't been getting a lot of buzz, and that's too bad. It really has a lot of charm and is a lot of fun. It's a nice change from the mecha, comedy, and fighting shows that makes up much of the anime that gets released in the US. Well worth checking out, especially if you want to see something of the ordinary man's life in Japan. Highly Recommended.