She hates boxing. He's washed up. Together they're about to throw the punch of their lives.
Season 1 • Episode 10
LatestFired by the company she works at, and desperate for a new job, accountant Yoshimura Kaoru finds herself taking a job at Paradise Gym - a boxing gym. Through a series of events she ends up becoming the trainer of an old boxer Sawada Ryohei, trying to make something of himself after quitting his well paying job. Although she hates the sport, she finds herself attached to this rude, obnoxious man and they journey forth together to find where it is they both belong.
Acting
Wakui's deadpan exasperation meets Fukikoshi's chaotic vulnerability
Writing
Office drudgery and boxing ring desperation mirror each other
Practical Effects
Actual gym locations, no glossy sports-movie fakery
Creator
Takashi Ishihara
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1998 Japan's 'employment ice age' made Kaoru's firing terrifyingly relatable; corporate loyalty was crumbling in real time.
Emi Wakui was primarily a film actress; this rare TV role let her stretch comedic timing she'd rarely shown onscreen.
JP
