Episode 4 of Police in a Pod is finally here. And what was expected to be somewhat action-packed episode turned out to be the series’ most boring one so far. Unlike first 3 episodes that included both comedy and serious discussions, episode 4 managed to dip down and lightened up a bit. To be honest, I was looking forward to another serious episode that tackles modern social issues, but I guess series went down the route of easing up to let us “rest” a bit.
Nevertheless, episode 4 of Police in a Pod still managed to make me giggle and laugh with the internal dialogue of Kawai, reminiscent of the typical inner struggle she always has.
In the first part, which was titled Dear Dog-Sama, we see a hilarious segment where Kawai, shown to be a dog-lover, underestimated the presence of the police dog present during a search for a missing old man. As expected, the police dog did its job (somewhat) using the missing person’s scent in order to find him. The police dog handler, alongside Kawai and Minamoto, tried to catch up with the dog’s chase, only for Kawai and Minamoto to get lost in the process.
In addition, it’s a bit interesting to see how Minamoto and Yamada address the dog with the honorific term -sama. Just like how human police officers are given awards for their bravery, animals who are part of the police force are also awarded for their service. This simple yet meaningful part of the episode somewhat had Police in a Pod highlight the importance of every member of the police force.
Meanwhile, the second part, Runner’s High, is… how would I say this? That’s right: a child-like fascination before retirement.
In this part, we first see Fuji and Minamoto in a bar with their colleague Todo, as they drink to celebrate the Todo’s last days in the police force. And then we got to hear Todo’s childhood dream. He wanted to be a part of the police motorcade while being broadcasted on television.
Through the second half of the episode, we see Kawai kind of owning up to her duties. However, it turns out that she had the wrong impression, as she chased a guy who she thinks did something wrong. Kawai’s efforts is a bit reminiscent of our own actions: sometimes we put a lot of effort to do things which are a “detour” for us.
Perhaps this was Police in a Pod’s message this episode: taking a step back from all of the seriousness and reflect on the mundane actions in our life, in spite of all the formality of our work.
You can watch Police in a Pod on Funimation, Muse Asia, and Bilibili, and if you liked the series don’t forget to vote for it in our weekly poll.
All images via Muse Asia.
© Miko Yasu, Kodansha/Hakozume Production Committee