Police in a Pod

Police in a Pod (ハコヅメ ～交番女子の逆襲～) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Miko Yasu. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Morning since November 2017. A television drama adaptation aired on Nippon TV from July to September 2021, while an anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse aired from January to March 2022.

By August 2021, the manga had over 2.3 million copies in circulation. Police in a Pod won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2021 and the 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the same category in 2022.

Plot
Mai Kawai is a new police officer who only decided to take the job due to a desire to have a stable income. Having become dissatisfied with her career path, she decides to resign from the police force. On the day she planned to tender her resignation, she meets Seiko Fuji, who had been reassigned to serve as the director of her station. Fuji's dedication to the police force becomes an inspiration to Kawai, who decides to delay her resignation. The series follows the two and other members of the police forms solving crimes in their local area.

Characters

 * Mai Kawai (川合 麻依)

Kawai is a fresh graduate from the police academy. She joined the Okajima Prefectural Police in order to have a stable income unlike her father, whose livelihood was affected by the exploitive practices of his company. However, she has had enough of the unkind treatment received as a police officer and decides to resign, but just as she was about to submit her letter of resignation, she is introduced to Seiko Fuji.
 * Seiko Fuji (藤 聖子)
 * Kawai's partner and instructor. She is nicknamed "Miss Perfect". She previously belonged to the local police's Criminal Affairs Division but was reassigned.
 * Kawai's partner and instructor. She is nicknamed "Miss Perfect". She previously belonged to the local police's Criminal Affairs Division but was reassigned.
 * Kawai's partner and instructor. She is nicknamed "Miss Perfect". She previously belonged to the local police's Criminal Affairs Division but was reassigned.


 * Seiji Minamoto (源 誠二)
 * He is part of the police department's investigation department. His strong interrogation skills have led him to being called an "interrogation genius".
 * He is part of the police department's investigation department. His strong interrogation skills have led him to being called an "interrogation genius".
 * He is part of the police department's investigation department. His strong interrogation skills have led him to being called an "interrogation genius".


 * Takeshi Yamada (山田 武志)
 * He is also a member of the police department's investigation department, and usually works with Seiji. Takeshi is frequently the target of Seiko's harassment, and thus sees female police officers as gorillas.
 * Miwa Makitaka (牧高 美和)
 * Deputy Captain (副署長)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)
 * Miwa Makitaka (牧高 美和)
 * Deputy Captain (副署長)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)
 * Deputy Captain (副署長)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)
 * Tamotsu Hōjō (北条 保)

Manga
Written and illustrated by Miko Yasu, Police in a Pod has been serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Morning since November 22, 2017. The series finished its first part on June 16, 2022, and Yasu put the manga on hiatus to work on a new manga series. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on April 23, 2018. As of February 21, 2023, twenty-three volumes have been released.

The series is licensed in English digitally by Kodansha USA. The first volume was released on June 8, 2021. As of June 13, 2023, twenty-three volumes have been released.

Drama
A Japanese television drama adaptation aired for nine episodes on Nippon TV from July 7 to September 15, 2021. Two special episodes aired on August 4 and August 11, 2021. RöE performed the opening "YY", and milet performed the ending theme "Ordinary Days".

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 1, 2021. The series was animated by Madhouse and directed by Yuzo Sato, with Ryunosuke Kingetsu overseeing the scripts, Kei Tsuchiya designing the characters, and Nobuaki Nobusawa composing the music. It aired from January 5 to March 30, 2022 on AT-X and other networks. Riko Azuna performed the opening theme "Shiranakya" (I Gotta Know), while Nonoc performed the ending theme "Change". Funimation licensed the series outside of Asia. Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.

Reception
By August 2021, Police in a Pod had over 2.3 million copies in circulation.

It was one of the Jury Recommended Works at the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival in 2019. Police in a Pod won the Mandō Kobayashi Manga Grand Prix 2019, created by comedian and manga enthusiast Kendo Kobayashi. In 2021, along with Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, the series won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category. The manga was nominated for the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2021; it won the 46th edition in the same category in 2022. The series ranked 23rd on the 2021 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 13th on the 2022 list.