BG: Shinpen Keigonin/ Personal Bodyguard - Episode 3 (Recap)

Trotwood: The only preamble needed here is that I guess we need to believe in leather belts.
kakashi (joining the team officially): and handcuffs.
panda: and arm and upper body exercises. Are they truly that magic??

Episode 3

Cold Open

We are on a highway bridge that is very high, and we know this because Shimazaki is dangling off the side of it, holding on with one hand and keeping hold of a bag in another. That bag better be super important! A young woman leans over the side and frantically tries to hold on to him.
I'm laughing. He's always going all in, isn't he?
He is very dedicated to his craft indeed. I wonder how much his salary truly is...

We go back in time with Shimazaki returning home, tired from work. Shimazaki has just opened up a beer while his son plays on his phone when he gets a call to come back to work to take an emergency assignment. He sooo wants to have a sip of that beer (which is probably well-deserved), but he puts it away.
Love him. So cute. 
Gotta admire his dedication. No drinking on the job!

He returns to headquarters where Newbie is whining because he actually had a date that he had to cancel. Love him, he's cute too However, he readily admits, when he hears about the beer, that Shimazaki’s case is even worse. (ha - haha) Sugunauma is excited about the idea that they might be getting paid overtime, something Murata clearly avoids answering. (I really like her). 
Love her, she's so single-minded. 
My role model and I find Murata almost as cute as Shimazaki.

Takanashi enters, and Murata says that he’s officially back on the team with this assignment. I love the look on Sugunuma’s face (from now on, I’m just going to call her Sugu), but Shimazaki says that he is looking forward to working with him. Sugu gives him a look, but Shimazaki knows how to throw shade, too. He just reminds her that they didn’t have time before because Takanashi quit right before they had a big assignment. Ha.
The dynamic between these two is great. I also love that Shimazaki is no pushover even though he often seems like a gentle cutie.
I will be cheated if we do not eventually get awesome bromance between Lips and Shimazaki- they just have that vibe between them. I wonder if he knows Takanashi knows his secret or does he just feel he has issues with him because of something else?

I can’t believe Takanashi takes offense at that since it’s true. Murata breaks in with a jovial “we’ve got to rely on each other as a team” speech. But you can see from the look on everyone's face how they are taking this message.
Well, it's often the truest things we take the greatest offense at. 

Their next assignment is to protect the manager of a famous star. Poor Newbie, he was so hoping it was her; he’s a fan, and this is the first time he’s volunteered for anything. However, there is a reason that Murata was able to convince Takanashi to come back. He wasn’t being sanctimonious when he said this assignment requires his special skill. They are to protect the manager who has promised to transport 100 million yen. Remember, transporting money was Takanashi’s other job in Hinode
Security.
Money, Lips, Hair and Muscles! He has got the total package *heart eyes*

Apparently, the star, Kanon, ran away wanting to quit acting. Her manager desperately wants her to come back because they are supposed to sign a movie deal in two days. She told him that she’d come back if he brought her 100 million yen. Shimazaki looks like he suspects there is something off about this story, and I have to say the scenario doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either, but it’s a job.
Yes, something is definitely off. Also, this old dude is totally in love with his protege, right? Poor old dude.
Ooooh, I didn't get the "in love" vibe! I definitely felt he cared about her genuinely though. This case is sketchy all the same.

Takanashi takes out his handcuffs and cuffs the money-ladened suitcase to the wrist of the manager. [I’ll take a pause, to respectfully allow for Saito fans to recover seeing him with handcuffs in his hands. This isn’t that kind of show, people. Keep your squeeling and sighing to a minimum, please.]

I'm not into Saito (yet). Too luscious. 
I already drooled over his attributes earlier without knowing there would be actual handcuffs! *melts*

This next scene made me literally gnash my teeth. More PM Tachihara lies and dissembling! Ochai and Kyota are in her office because Ochai’s been told that she snuck out of her house alone last night. She calmly states that she had to do something private—which we see is the meeting that she had with Shimazaki. Kyota is upset and accuses her of trying to get him fired just like when she ran away from him at the stadium. She denies it and flatters him about what a good job he is doing. However, after she asks him to leave so she can apologize to Ochai in private, she immediately complains to Ochai that this proves why she can’t trust Kyota. What? You two-faced, conniving . . . . He’s just trying to do his job and keep his job.
Hm, so... you guys hate her, I don't. I find her rather intriguing and like that she's not taking any bullshit. But then, you guys have seen the whole series and I've only seen three episodes, so...
But she does take bullshit. Her party treats her like professional arm candy at best and as a incompetent tween at worst, and she kneels. What has Kyota ever done to her for her to treat him like he's expendable? He's the one who'd get fired if something happened.
I really do not like her. She acts like a spoiled princess and everyone else is expendable and has to cater to her whims. She is also playing games with Ochai. I know she knows he likes her. 

Anyway, she continues with more dissembling by first playing the pity card, telling that Ochai that he doesn’t have to protect her anymore since she clearly isn’t that important to her party and thus doesn’t warrant such high-level security. Secondly, she comes right out and tells him that she is going to go with private security and mentions Shimazaki, telling Ochai that she has already talked to him, and he’s agreed to do it! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! The look on Ochai’s face. . .
ahahahahahaaaa, I find this all so amusing. This woman is very sly, she knows exactly how to press Ochai's buttons!
See, that just proves that you are better than me. I tend to want to punch people who push buttons. I said I want to. I don't punch people anymore.
Why? Punching people is fun and it builds strong biceps.

I think I’d be angrier at his response if I weren’t already so angry with her. Of course, he does the whole thing about Shimazaki’s lack of experience and how they aren’t armed, but she just reminds him with ladylike sarcasm that his highly trained SP have “lost” her twice. But she doesn’t let it go at that, she has to put in a dig about how politicians are lonely, especially female politicians, and she’s looking for a human touch. Now I just want to fight her, and it's only episode 3.
Human touch. I'm laughing so much.
I might think it funny if Shimazaki wasn't involved.
She is soooo pushing his buttons. It is quite funny, but I want to continue to be annoyed at her. Hmmph

But before I crack my teeth from the grinding, we switch scenes to the job Hinode Security is working on right now. The whole thing is pretty sketchy. When Murata calls Takanashi and Shimazaki, they still don’t know exactly where they are going to drop off the money. The manager had said that he was going to call Kanon, but now he’s saying that they just need to keep driving until they hear from her.
Yeah, fishy and getting fishier.

Well, I might not know much about crime but this feels like a kidnapping?

 

When Murata gets off the phone, his troubled countenance makes Sugu immediately assume that Takanashi and Shimazaki aren’t getting along (ha). She wonders why Murata put them together when they clearly don’t like each other. However, Murata says, he’s worried about them transporting that kind of cash with no destination. Newbie says he’s suspicious of the cash because Kanon isn’t like that. She always talks about wanting love and to get married rather than money, but Sugu dismisses him as being a delusional fan.
Oh, interesting. So she's being forced? Sugu was cracking me up again with her suspicion and Murata is just such a great team leader. He actually says they're perfect for each other, and I'm starting to think he may be right. 
Murata is of course right! He is such a good team leader. I like the forced pairing. It is somehow like a forced marriage trope of kdramas. You HAVE to be able to rely and trust your partner especially in such a high stakes job, so I hope the bonding starts soon. Newbie is such a romantic. He sees Kanon as this innocent flower. I hope his bubble remains intact.

Takanashi signals to Shimizaki in the van to get him to pull over. When they get out, Takanashi tries to convince Shimazaki that they should abandon this mission because the client is lying to them. Shimazaki thinks quitting is irresponsible, but before they can get more into it, the manager gets out wondering what is going on. Takanashi confronts him about the cash.
Shimazaki is always surveilling his environment. It makes me anxious.
That's why he is da best :)

The manager gets a call, but it’s not a woman’s voice but a man’s. And computer scrambled! The man tells him to meet him at a mall close by.

And right when I think to myself that this is sounding more like a kidnapping, Shimazaki starts to ask the very same thing. However, he’s interrupted by the manager’s dinging phone. The manager looks, is shocked by what he sees on the screen and drops phone, but before that phone falls to the ground Shimazaki catches it. He’s soooo good. The pic on the screen is of Kanon tied to a chair and gagged. Shimazaki and I knew it!! He shows the pic to Takanashi as the manager sits and begins to confess the real story.

Damn.
FACK. I guessed but did not want to be right.

Apparently, the manager got a call from the kidnapper yesterday demanding money and no cops or Kanon would die. Shimazaki reports back to Murata, who immediately responds that he will contact the police. However, Shimazaki wants him to wait, and the manager begs them not to. Takanashi on the other hand, thinks they should call. Murata thinks about to the conversations he had about this with the two men during the last job and decides to give them 30 minutes and then decide once he’s heard the update.
So what's the deal with "no police" and Shimazaki? Is that what went wrong in his past?
We do not have an idea at this point but it feels like he doesn't trust them to be empathetic.

He tells a questioning Sugu that they have to rely on the team members at the scene (what a great boss!) but should begin preparing a report for the police if/when they do call them. Poor Newbie fanboy is stunned and scared that Kanon has been kidnapped and could die, but Sugu snaps him back to reality and the work that needs to be done to save her. Murata also warns them that if something bad happens, they could lose their license.
Nahhhh, this is only episode 3.
Newbie is so cute in his worry but that is not a good quality for a bodyguard to have.

In the van, the manager and Takanashi argue about calling the police. The manager worries about her life and her reputation if word gets out that she has been kidnapped. Takanashi is pissed that he seems to be more worried about her career than her life, but the manager says that he needs to save everything because of the sacrifices Kanon made to become a star—lost loves and friends—Shimazaki starts the car.
Shimazaki is my friend goal. Have him as a friend and never worry about anything anymore.
I agree.  

Saito looking better angry with tousled hair. Speaking to the truth not because I'm shallow.

Takanashi can’t believe that he wants to go to the mall knowing that the 4-hour safety widow of a kidnapped victim being alive is running out. But Shimazki says that is exactly why the manager doesn’t want to call the police and why they need to hurry to the mall.
Instead of shifting to the mall, we shift to a quick scene at SP headquarters. Ochai’s boss confronts him about PM Tachihara’s request, telling him that they cannot let her do this.

Hmmmmm... I temporarily forgot about the Boss. He seems to have an agenda, too, and connections into all kinds of places.
It is amazing how much I am indifferent - dislike both him and Tachihara considering how much I adored them in NigeHaji.

He also tells him not to switch out Kyota as she asks. Ochai admits that the personalities of the two seem to clash, so maybe it is better to switch him, but his boss berates him for not acting like himself but acting like a mere bodyguard. (Frankly, I’m thinking he’s doing this to protect Kyota not the other way round)
Lol. Yes! Poor honest and sincere Kyota. 
Kyota is no match for Kakashi's best friend :)

At the mall parking lot, the manager gets a call from the kidnapper who thinks that Takanashi and Shimazaki are police.

The manager lies that they are other managers who insisted on coming because he has so much of the company’s cash. They are directed to go inside mall, but while they are there Takanashi is having a hard time not looking like a BG.
This was funny. It was so obvious they're not managers.
Epic fail.

Shimazaki has to warn him more than once not to do this, but too late when someone bumps into Kanon's manager, and Takanashi goes into bodyguard mode. The kidnapper now believes they are cops because no manager would act like Takanashi just did. Sigh.

Shimizaki takes over the phone and admits that they are bodyguard but assures them they are not cops. He makes Shimazaku take off his jacket to prove that he doesn’t have a gun or handcuffs . . .
Keep going. 
LOOOOOL. Actually I would have prefered Takanashi with the strip tease.

... and in return, Shimazaki asks to speak to Kanon, but when he does even though she sounds okay if scared, something in her speech puzzles him. He is about ask the manager something when his phone rings; it’s Murata telling him that his time is up and that he is going to call the police.
I didn't find her speech puzzling but her ability to speak right away! If the dude was in the shopping mall, how could she be on the phone right away?
Good point but I put it down to there being more than one kidnapper and them sending messages to each other.

Shimazaki says fine, but that he should know that he thinks it is a fake kidnapping because Kanon referred the kidnapper with a term that woman use for boyfriends not kidnappers. Helps to know Japanese, I guess. At that moment Newbie has found some interesting items on Kanon’s Instagram account where she says she is about to fulfill her dream and shows a pic with her wearing an engagement ring. They send this pic to Takanashi’s phone who shows it to the manager.
What sort of half baked Manager wouldn't know such a detail about one of his most important clients????

The manager now tells them the real (or at least more of the real) story. Last year, Kanon was dating a loser, and she wanted to marry him. She had known him in high school and fell in love. The manager spent a lot of money to get her to break up with him. They share the name of this guy with headquarters. Broken-hearted Newbie declares that if this kidnapping is fake then he is going to give up being her fan, but Sugu asks him if he’s going to let Kanon be taken in by a loser which puts him back into fanboy mode, and he runs off to run background check on loser.
Ohh the Manager knew about the boyfriend but he doesn't know about her recent posts? Still a fail. Poor Newbie's bubble is burst :(( Aww

Of course Ochai walks in at that minute to complain about their dealings with the PM.  He thinks Murata is lying when he says he knows of no such agreement between the PM and Shimazaki; it doesn’t help that they surreptitiously move papers and the white board so he can’t see what they are working on. But Sugu scoffs because she believes it’s the PM who is lying. She looks straight at Ochai and warns him about women who lie. I LOVE her.
I loved her annoyed expression when Ochai walked in and how she covered everything up related to their mission.
She is as done with his measuring of .... contest thingie he has with Shimazaki as am I.

He looks a little rattled by this when he leaves to room, but he’s clearly curious when he hears Newbie run back to the room with a loud declaration that someone is dangerous. When we see him at his headquarters later, he has had them track the Hinode Security van. It’s not something about which he thinks SP needs to worry, but he does have his subordinate to contact the police near the bridge and give them the plate number of the van.
Which is probably a good thing.
I guess... considering I am pretty sure he didn't do it to be of help to them.

In the van at the bridge we saw in the cold open, they get the message that Nonomura Shoichi, the loser boyfriend, had to close his business last fall but is now telling his creditors he will pay up soon. This pisses off the manager who proceeds to exchange the money for flyers because he refuses to give any money now, especially after all the work he put in to make Kanon popular.
Good. Don't give them any money.
I agree. Nothing pisses me off as much as fake kidnapping. Kidnapping is truly one of the worst things ever. Believe me, I know.

When they get the call to make the exchange, he tells Nonomura that the bodyguards will do the exchange, which is a surprise to them. Takanashi warns that the manager is putting them in a bad spot with the fake money, but the manager scoffs that this is what they are paid for. Shimizaki volunteers to go. Takanashi reminds him that he, Takanashi, is the lead BG. Shimazaki says of course, which is why he should stay with their client and the money and protect them.
Even though Takanashi is being prickly with Shimazaki (and knows his secret), he follows his lead without much resistance, which I find interesting.
Is it an unconscious senior hierarchy thing? He does know Shimazaki is wayyyy his senior in experience.

This clearly affects Takanashi (I don’t think he thought the situation through that quickly). He tells Shimazaki to be careful because he thinks the guy they bumped into at the mall is an accomplice and gives Shimazaki a radio. Shimazaki says that he suspects him too and comments about how the two of them don’t usually get along. Oh, Panda. They even do the watch thing together! Let the frenemy stage of this bromance begin!
They could be lovers.
You just described a show I need right. now.
I feel like we have jumped from frenemy to forced cohabitation and a shower together because they have to ration water and ... okay, I'll stop now.

Poor Kanon is clearly excited about getting the money so they can pay off Nonomura’s debt and get married, but their snuggle time is interrupted by the accomplice who’s had enough of the fakery.
Here he is, the guy from the mall! I think this is bad news, Kanon...
I sincerely do not care what happens to her now.

When she begs Nonomura to tell her that he loves her, he not only yells that he couldn’t love a woman who sold her looks for money (pfft the loser is judging her now),and shows he’s taken pictures of her that he will release to the media if she ever goes to the police.
There was a moment though that he looked really sorry to do this to her. He has a conscience. 
But wow, she managed to attract such a huge douchebag uhn.

Shimazaki walks to the middle of the bridge and waits. He looks over the edge and around the area, scoping out the territory. He then covers his eyes yells out to the kidnappers to please hurry. He's afraid of heights!
Liar.
LOOOOOL.

They send Kanon out towards him, and she tearfully tells him to leave the bag, so she can check the money. He tells her to come with him, but she is frightened and so sad that Shimazaki reassesses the situation.   
Ah, I have such a crush on him.
He is such a good guy. Sigh

Thus, when Takanashi asks him over the radio what is happening, Shimazaki says he thinks the fake kidnapping has turned into a real one.

Shimazaki gently tells Kanon that he knows everything and that the manager will forgive her if she comes back. She is still thinking about it when he puts the bag of “money” on top of the railing. The occupants of both vans wonder what he is doing. (Frankly, I wondered what he was doing! Something crazy! He can't help it.) As he walks away, the bag starts teetering and falls over. He runs back and leaps after it, going over the bridge and holding on with one hand.
Why do they always do that one-handed thing!!!!!!!!!
They need extreme upper body strength for that one hand thing, I shiver just thinking about it.

We are back to the scene of the cold open.  He screams out loud that he is afraid of heights, which is clearly not true because he actually says to Kanon, who is desperately holding onto his hand, that she needs to keep up her acting.  He shows her that he has clipped his belt to the bridge with the handcuffs, so he is really safe (pfft..like I said, he really believes in that leather belt)
... and the belt buckle. 
Phew. I worried because his arms just didn't look that buff to me.

The two kidnappers are freaked out about the money that could fall into the ravine, so they run out of the van to help. Shimazaki makes it seem as though he accidentally drops the money and then climbs back up over the bridge. He wraps his arm around Kanon’s shoulder and helps her toward their van, but Nonomura taunts her with the pics, and she tearfully whispers to Shimazaki to help her.  
Scum.
Okay, I feel for her a bit.

He tells her to run towards the van and comments on the radio that he has something to do. He pushes her forward and turns to take down the other two thugs AND get back the phone. Another great fight sequence. Police sirens sound while he is still holding the accomplice. 

When they hear the sirens, the manager tries to make a run for it because he doesn’t want to be caught with so much money and asked a bunch of questions, but Takanashi just calmly picks him up.
Ahahaha. He's got skillz.
Ah, those muscles.

We next see Shimazaki and Takanashi being questioned by police. They are being berated for remaining silent. Shimazaki even yawns because he is so tired, but he also seems surprised that Takanashi isn’t speaking up. Ochai listens in from the hallway.
They're bros.
The bromance, it begins slowly.

We see the police interrogating the manager and Kanon. The manager apologizes and says he asked for the bodyguards to keep quiet to protect Kanon’s image. The police want to know about her role because both kidnappers said she was an accomplice, but the manager says that she is too naïve and she says she thought it was a prank until it was too late. I think they buy it because she is pretty and so meek. The police let them all go; they just can't resist that dimple!
Her lie angered me, actually. At least own your stupidity. 
SMH. Pretty people get away with so much stuff! I am not sure she fully learnt her lesson.

Takanashi goes back to pissy self when Shimazaki thanks him as they walk out of the police station. Finally, Shimazaki says what we all are thinking, “If you want to know something, just ask me directly!” But Takanashi thinks that if he does, Shimazaki will have to resign and that is not his goal. His goal is to become a first rate BG. I don’t know what he means by this, but we don’t get to hear more because Ochai comes out of the police station at that moment with lots of snark. Shimazaki calls him out, too, wondering why he hates them so much. Ochai says that security is under the purview of the police. Look at how both Shimazaki and Takanashi respond to this. Ochai is going to push these frenemies closer, Panda!
I know what Takanashi meant ... he wants to learn from Shimazaki that he knows once was a first rate BG. 
And that's why he listens and obeys his orders. Ochai is being such a jerk. Shimazaki just sets something off in him. He needs to think about why that is.

He walks away and calls up the PM to tell her that her detail has been reassigned but what piques her interest is that he also tells her that she should not contact Hinode Security again. She smiles slightly asking whether he hates that guy that much. He denies this and just says Japan is more dangerous than people think.
He hates him. And maybe, secretly, doesn't. But she has found his weakness. 

We begin the close with Shimazaki’s son finding him asleep on the sofa, clearly exhausted because he’s still in the clothes that he had on last night. He is so tired that he doesn't even wake up when he falls off the sofa. The tv is on showing a press conference for Kanon’s new movie.
Silly boy said: you should protect someone like her as a bodyguard! Haha.
That was very funny. Oh baby, if only you knew what your dad has been up to!

Murata is going into headquarters and takes a call from the boss who requests his and Shimazaki’s presence.  Murata starts immediately apologizing for the hostility between them and SP, but the boss says he’s not calling about that but about a top secret request. Guess who is making this request, Panda? Guess.
I'm not Panda! but I know! I know! 
HER!! *Glares at the pic*

Yes, It’s her. Grrrrrrrr.

Comments

I love Shimazaki and if they force a loveline between him and that evil PM, I’m going to throw a table. I’ve been trying to figure out why I hate her so much, and I think it is because she embodies to me every stereotype about professional women that men often make up as an excuse to keep women out of the professional world. I’m not saying that her political party doesn’t treat her like crap and like a doll. But that treatment doesn’t justify her sneaky, selfish, emotional (and sexual) manipulation of the people around her. She’s a lying liar who lies. And let's be clear. I'd dislike this behavior in men, too.
No, I don't hate her. She has an agenda, which per se is not bad... and if she turns out to be a villain, I will still like her. It's good that there's a mystery around her!
I do not like the PM for all Trot said. I dislike people who use their position of power to crap and walk all over other people and that is what she does. She wants everyone to be under her spell just like Ochai is. Pfft. The case of the weak was interesting but more interesting was the budding bromance between my two guys. I am so happy!