Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1 ((install)) Jun 2026

International viewers (especially in China and Taiwan, where the show became a cult hit) remarked on the “raw emotion” rarely seen in typical reserved Japanese workplace depictions.

Japanese reviews praised Episode 1 as “a perfect setup” for a thriller. The Nikkei called it “a cathartic mirror for the 8.8 million Japanese office workers who have been scapegoated by their bosses.” Some critics noted the villain Asano is almost caricature-level evil, but argued this amplifies the genre’s appeal as modern-day jidaigeki (period drama) set in a bank. Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1

: Hanzawa Naoki, the loan manager at Tokyo Chuo Bank’s Osaka West Branch, is coerced by Branch Manager Asano into approving a 500 million yen unsecured loan to Nishi Osaka Steel. International viewers (especially in China and Taiwan, where

For more detailed episode recaps and reviews, you can check J-Generation or the Hanzawa Naoki Wikipedia page . : Hanzawa Naoki, the loan manager at Tokyo

The story follows Naoki Hanzawa (Masato Sakai), the Loan Section Chief at the Osaka West Branch of Tokyo Central Bank. The primary conflict arises when his superior, Branch Manager Tadasu Asano (Kanji Ishimaru), pressures Hanzawa into approving a for Nishi Osaka Steel.