Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji is a charming blend of action, comedy and romance.

 

After watching the bleak, live-action-adaptation of Keibuho Daimajin, I wanted to watch something more light-hearted with at least a few moments of levity instead of 100% bleakness. Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji, with it's blend of action, comedy and romance seemed to fit that bill perfectly. My hopes were increased when, ironically, one of the directors of CRISIS, one of my personal favourite dramas of all time, Kosuke Suzuki, would be co-directing it. I was not disappointed. 

Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji follows Tatsunosuke Kitazawa. Kitazawa works as an elite bodyguard for a personal bodyguard protection company, in which he is known as the company's ace. His cool and calm demeanour whilst on the job ensures that he is focused on the task at hand and his athletic abilities ensure that he is able to protect his clients from physical threats should they arise. At the time of the start of the drama, he is given the assignment of guarding Rika Kishimura, a lawyer that needs protection due to a case that she is working on. 

Meanwhile, Kitazawa also has been investigating the death of his father. Two teenagers were arrested for the murder, but the actual culprit had gotten away scot-free. His obsession with finding his father's murderer led him to quit the police force as he wanted more time to investigate. During his time protecting Kishimura, this particular case intersects with his duty. 

I really enjoyed this drama. The plot was really well written and progressed at a pretty nice pace. Sure, I would have liked to have seen more action, more threats to Rika, but at the same time I question whether that would be realistic or not. I felt that the progression of the romance between the two leads was handled extremely well, although, those looking for kisses and other such romantic gestures will be disappointed. 

The fight scenes were surprisingly well done. The first one especially, within the very first episode, had some neat grappling techniques being used as Kitazawa subdues an attacker. This is again, another neat surprise after having seen some of the less nice fight scenes in Keibuho Daimajin. The second proper fight scene occurs in the final episode and it's a bit more cinematic, but gets away with it. Again, there are some solid practical techniques being used and I love it. Selfishly, I wish there were more fight scenes. 

Hikaru Iwamoto did a fantastic job as the male lead, Tatsunosuke Kitazawa. He looked cool in the suit, excelled in the action sequences and showcased the different sides of the character with solid aplomb. On duty, he was the cool, calm and collected badass and off-duty he was a softer, yet still cool smiling man with a good heart. He had a catchphrase that rather than being annoying, was pretty cool as it came in variations, especially towards the latter stages of the drama. 

Mai Shiraishi did a great job as the female lead, Rika Kishimura. At first, I was annoyed during the early episodes as she was rather stubborn, selfish and unpleasant to watch. Over time, her character had some really nice development and her interactions with Tatsunosuke became rather cute and sweet. I might catch some flak for saying it, but I think she wasn't the most attractive cast member as Ayako Yoshitani, Hinako Sakurai and Natsumi Okamoto all were more attractive than her in my eyes. 

The supporting cast were all tremendous throughout the drama. I really enjoyed the light-hearted moments of levity involving the bodyguards as it was never overdone and was much needed between the heavy drama of the investigation. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji and would recommend it to those who enjoy a blend of action, romance and a dash of comedy.