Police in a Pod (known in Japan as Hakozume: Kōban Joshi no Gyakushū or "Packed Up: A Police Box Woman's Counterattack") is a Police Procedural (and Work Com) manga written/illustrated by ex-policewoman turned mangaka Miko Yasu, which began serialization in the seinen magazine Morning on November 22, 2017 and is currently on hiatus after completing Part 1 of its story. The manga has been collected in 23 volumes in Japan as of February 2023. It is also licensed in English by Kodansha USA, which released it digitally.
The manga has a live-action and anime adaptation. The live-action version aired on Nippon TV and Hulu Japan, which consisted of nine episodes and two episode specials, starring Mei Nagano, Erika Toda, Shohei Miura, Yuki Yamada, Nanase Nishino and Yūsuke Hirayama. In parts of Asia, it's aired with regional subtitles by Waku Waku Japan. Miko Yasu served as the scriptwriter.
The anime was directed by Yuzo Sato with the script written by Ryunosuke Kingetsu. The first episode aired on January 5, 2022. Animation was done by Madhouse, with assistance from DR Movie. Funimation streamed the show in English while Muse Communications streamed it in South/Southeast Asia with regional subtitles.
Mai Kawai is a recent graduate from a police academy in Okajima Prefecture working for the Okajima Prefectural Police. One of her first jobs in the OPP was her assignment to the Machiyama Koban. Feeling down after being recruited and working in the koban for a while, Mai was ready to resign until Seiko Fuji was assigned to the koban. Rumors have it that Fuji was assigned there due to using her position to harass one of her subordinates.
The official website can be found here
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The manga/anime provides examples of:
- A Father to His Men: The deputy chief outright admits this when training the officers in judo saying that he just wants to give them all the necessary tools to not get hurt on the job. He also once saved Kawaii from a woman who had hidden a knife behind her back while he was off duty.
- Animal Motifs: Police officers are generally linked to apes, for example Fuji is referred as a Gorilla for her tough personality meanwhile Kawai is called a Chimpanzee, the exception is the deputy chief who is linked to a bear
- Big Sister Instinct: Fuji have this with Kawaii with multiple characte note that she treat her nicely compared with how she treat others, Deconstructed when she almost beat up a bunch of teens for throwing eggs at Kawaii as a prank.
- Bittersweet Ending: The "Before We Part Ways" arc (from Part 201) ends with the rape case not being brought forward as the prosecutors can't prove that Yabu was raped by her two male superiors in her apartment and the company vice president wanted to technically blame her instead at first. She, however, was relieved about it and her mom said the family will move away to another place to get away from publicity. But since one of the suspects died after killing himself, the wife wanted to sue the Machiyama Police Station. While she did not do so, the force had no choice but to reassign Hojo and Nasu away as a precaution. While they were not punished, this reassignment sealed their fates since they can't do detective work in any capacity unless they retire (by resigning from the position or leaving the force after a certain age). Makitaka also had to be transferred due to her anger about the force being sued. A few other officers were transferred out as well to fill in the gaps.
- Cerebus Rollercoaster: The story switches between pretty serious cases, to more comedic situations, like a failed inspection and anything in between.
- Connected All Along: It turn out Fuji's mentor Aoi, when she was a rookie, was Kawai's instructor at the police academy, Aoi was pretty happy that Fuji was paired with Kawai and ask her to take care of her.
- Cop Killer Manhunt: In "Cherry Blossom of the Class Part 2", most of the officers in Machiyama Police Stationnote were hunting for the "Guardian Angel" after he ran over a uniformed officer named Sakura Shiori.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Invoked Trope while on stakeout duty in Chapter 57. Fuji and Minamoto are stuck in a car waiting for their perp to show up, but when a pair of nosy bystanders get too curious about their car, Fuji pretends to start hitting him. They quickly walk away after this, and Fuji explains that lots of people will simply look the other way if a woman is hitting a man and pretend not to notice.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Kawai got a very unsettling thousand-yards look after working on a tragic traffic incident at the streets, in which a baby was killed gruesomely, and she fell into a deep depression.
- Fictional Province: The whole manga takes place in Okajima Prefecture — which is not one of The 47 Prefectures. The live-action adaptation simply averts this, taking place in Saitama Prefecture instead.
- Headdesk: At one point, Mai slams her head on top of their koban's marked Toyota Crown squad car. Fuji lectures her that official police vehicles aren't for her to slam her head against.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Mai's worried that calling in officers from the Criminal Affairs Division; it could lead to them muscling in since she and Fuji caught a suspected burglar while on their beat. Mai also mentions that they tend to act as if they're the protagonists in a TV drama. Her superior just tells her to do it since it's their job to do so anyway.
- Market-Based Title: The Japanese title is Packed Up: A Police Box Woman's Counterattack.
- Married to the Job: All of the main characters are single and have bad luck with dates despite everyone being rather attractive and holding respectable positions as police officers. The situation is rather deconstructed as the series goes on, with the largest obstacle to a relationship being that the life of a police officer who is constantly on-call is quite hard to live with. In Chapter 48, Yamada actually lands a date with a cute girl, but he decides not to pursue anything further when he tells her he'll always put his duty as an officer above being with loved ones.
- Right Behind Me: During one of Kawai's usual rants about work, she starts going on about how traffic law enforcement is extremely hard and practically useless, just when, right behind them, a traffic law sergeant is entering the office. Even Fuji, usually stoic and composed, and no stranger to going on rants against people she doesn't like, starts to shake and tries to stop her to no avail.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: A lot of the superiors in the department are generally reasonable even if they are on the stern side, a good example is Fuji who is a mix between a Big Sister Mentor and Stern Teacher to Kawai: she obviously cares for her, takes the time to explain what her mistakes are, and is always giving her advice.
- The Runaway: "Beginner's Luck" focuses on a teenage girl who ran away from home, whose stepfather repeatedly rapes her when her mother is not home, forcing her to run away and prostitute herself.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Chapter 50, "The Birthday Party Where You're Not Allowed to Laugh" has everyone in the station rehearsing standing at attention and presenting arms with their badges/revolvers/batons to have a perfect morning assembly since the lieutenant overheard the chief's last birthday plans as an officer. Despite some Black Comedy with the officers trying to look presentable, the chief later tells them that while he appreciates their presence, he asks how come everyone knows the birthday of his dog.
The live-action drama provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The drama expands on the events Kawai did on the first few weeks of her koban beat that made her consider quitting.
- Cop Killer: Fuji is tasked to look for a suspect known as the Guardian Angel, whos's suspected of trying to run over Sakura. She's using the koban tranfer as a means of hunting GA down early on, unlike the manga, which shows up much later in Volume 11.
