Hagetaka (The Vulture)

I have a new (well, old but new to me) J-drama that I've fallen in love with: Hagetaka (The Vulture). The summary is: A business drama set in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the bubble economy had collapsed and Japanese businesses with conventional management cultures were exposed to corporate buyouts by foreign investors. Masahiko Washizu, the leading character, is a businessman who once worked for a Japanese bank. He comes back to Tokyo as a New York-trained fund manger to buy out Japanese businesses. Through eight years for the man called "vulture," the drama depicts ambitions, struggles and hopes of those who are involved in corporate acquisitions.

I wasn't expecting to get excited about a show focusing on business and banking, but it's surprisingly intense and compelling. Plus, I'm finding myself unexpectedly shipping the main character with his very efficient young assistant. (Bronze Ribbons, this might appeal to you--I remember how much you liked Shiki from Love Control, and Shou from my Haru series.) More spoilery discussion below...

( Cut for spoilers... )