+ good voice actors deliver touching dialogues between characters
+ sword fights are tense, e.g. Heizo the inspector/ protaganist fending off an assassin
+ no out of character behaviour: plot and decisions are driven by characters' consistent personality
+ promotes social justice, empathy towards inequity prevalent in Edo period society, and leniency / rehabilitation towards redeemable thieves, especially the Robinhood types
+ flashbacks show how Heizo grew from a bitter, impulsive trouble maker to a wise inspector with iron fists and a warm heart
+ violent scenes were plot driven, not gratuitous. Some cases are solved by simply tracking and arresting non-violent thieves; murderous criminals meet swift and violent end
+ social commentary / philosophical remarks, e.g. Heizo laments a female thief's downfall, "women, they have no past or future; just survive in the present" elevates this series beyond a simple action crime series, because characters prompt viewers to observe the story and case in a humanized way with social context, making the episodes more meaningful
- opening theme song is jazzy with saxophones, which doesn't complement the period of the series, and took me some time to get used to
- plot twists are few, since you can predict characters' decisions
- some episodes include intense sword fights between robbers and police, with gore and dismemberment; there are also cases of sexual assault (hinted, not shown). These episodes are unpleasant, but realistic of the crimes committed in that period
* I enjoy the series because it partly reminds me of Samurai Champloo, the characters are interesting and likeable, Heizo is the 200% chilvarous ideal friend, boss, and husband: he's fun and generous with his friends, fair and kind to his squad, empathetic and respectful towards women, youths and children; his virtues and awareness is almost ahead of his time.
I saw news that season 2 may be released in summer 2019. I look forward to seeing the characters again!
