''Shylock's Children'' is a Japanese mystery and economic novel by Jun Ikeido, published in book form by

Bungeishunjū is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine '' Bungeishunjū''. The company was founded by Kan Kikuchi in 1923. It grants the annual Akutagawa Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well a ...

on January 30, 2006. The book was published in paperback on November 10, 2008. From 2003 to 2004, six stories were serialized in the financial and sales magazine "Kindai Sales" (Kindai Sales Co., Ltd.), and seven to ten stories were added and published in book form. Author Jun Ikeido is a former bank employee and the author of many novels set in banks. This work is one of them. Jun Ikeido is best known as the author of popular Japanese TV drama series ''

Hanzawa Naoki is a 2013 and 2020 Japanese television series by Japanese broadcaster TBS based on the of novels by . It follows the story of Naoki Hanzawa, a banker working for the largest bank in Japan, Tokyo Chuo Bank. He faces numerous obstacles from upper ...

''. ''Hanzawa Naoki'' was also a drama set in a bank, but according to Ikeido, this monumental work that defined his novel writing style is ''Shylock's Children'', he said. Shylock is the greedy merchant in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''. This work was dramatized for Television by Wowow in October 2022 and made into a movie in February 2023, distributed by

Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...

Synopsis

The setting is the Nagahara Branch of Tokyo Daiichi Bank. One day, a million yen goes missing from the bank. A female employee, Airi Kitagawa, is suspected, but her boss, Masahiro Nishiki, who was protecting Airi, disappears. In addition, Takuji Endo, a co-worker, becomes mentally ill, and all hell breaks loose in the bank. The relationships among the employees at the bank become complicated. The protagonist changes from story to story, including a branch manager who has worked his way up from the bottom, a female office worker in love within the company, and a dull section chief, whose crimes come to light as the reader progresses. What is the truth behind the incident?

Characters

Tokyo Daiichi Bank, Nagahara Branch

;Kazuo Furukawa :He is an assistant manager. He harasses his subordinates for his own career advancement. ;Masahiro Nishiki :Deputy Manager of the Sales Section. He is trusted by his subordinates. ;Airi Kitagawa :A female bank employee. Suspected as the culprit in a cash-loss case. ;Makoto Takino :An ace employee in the Operations Department who always achieves top grades. ;Takuji Endo :He becomes mentally ill from his stressful and pressured job as a banker.

Bibliographic Information

*Book: Published January 30, 2006 312 pages *Paperback: Published November 07, 2008 352 pages

Television Drama

It was broadcast and distributed in the "Serial Drama W" slot on Wowow Prime and Wowow On Demand from October 9 to November 6, 2022. Starring

Yoshihiko Inohara (born May 17, 1976) is a Japanese actor, singer, host, and businessman. He is a former member of boy band V6 and a member of 20th Century. His nickname is "Inocchi". Born in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo and raised in Yashio, Shinagawa, Tokyo. He bel ...

. A total of five episodes were broadcast. This ensemble drama depicts the happiness and difficulties of working and living an ordinary life through the organization of a bank. The story depicted how characters with various circumstances were involved in the cash loss case.

Charactors (TV drama)

;Masahiro Nishiki by

:Deputy manager of the sales section. Although he is off the career track, he is well-liked by his subordinates. One day, he suddenly disappears. ;Airi Kitagawa by

Nanase Nishino is a Japanese actress, model, television host, and former first generation member of Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. Her lead roles in TV and film have included Asahi Tōjima in '' Asahinagu'' and Ai Amano in '' Denei Shojo: Video Girl Ai 20 ...

:A subordinate of Nishiki. She puts much of her salary into the family budget to support her financially strapped family. She is falsely accused in a cash-loss case. ;Makoto Takino by

Shigeaki Kato is a Japanese musician, writer, actor and a member of the J-pop group NEWS, from ELOV-Label formerly known as Johnny's Entertainment. Early life and career Kato was born in Hiroshima, Japan, but he grew up in Osaka Prefecture and Yokohama-s ...

:Assistant Manager of the Operations Section. He is always at the top of his class and is doing well in his private and public life.

Staff (TV Drama)

*Original Story - ''Shylock's Children'' (

) by Jun Ikeido *Screenplay - Yoichi Maekawa *Director - Kosuke Suzuki *Music - Hideakira Kimura *Hair & Make-up: Kanako Nishimura *Planning/Producer: Yasunori Aoki *Producers: Mako Hirose, Setsuko Uchimaru *Production - Wowow, Tohan Kikaku

Broadcast Schedule

Related products

*DVD/Blu-ray Released on 29 September, 2023 by

Happinet is a Japanese entertainment company. History In February 1968, Hiroshi Kawai left Bandai to establish his own toy business. Kawai founded on June 7, 1969. In September 1972, it changed its name to . Tōshō merged with two other companies, ...

**DVD: (BIBJ-9087)/Blu-ray: (BIXJ-9086) **The film includes a stage greeting at the completion announcement preview and a collection of TV spots as video extras.

Film

A film adaptation was released on February 17, 2023, distributed by

. It starred actor

Sadao Abe is a Japanese actor, stage actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. He started his acting career after joining a theater company/talent agency, Otona Keikaku, in around 1992 and gained his popularity after the drama series ''Team Medi ...

. The film is an original story that unfolds differently from both the original novel and the TV drama, with its own unique characters. In the original story, the protagonist of the story changes one after another and Nishiki goes missing in the middle of the story, but in the film version, Nishiki became the main character and played the role of finding out the truth of the case to the end. The film also added an original character, Hajime Sawasaki (acted by

Akira Emoto is a Japanese actor. Career In 1999, he won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Dr. Akagi''. He also won the award for best supporting actor at the 7th Hochi Film Award for '' Dotonbori River'' and '' Hearts an ...

), a guest with a strong personality. The film was released on Friday, February 17, 2022. According to the weekend movie attendance ranking announced by Kogyo Tsushinsha, it recorded 172,000 attendance and 226 million yen in box-office revenue in the first three days. By the 27th, the film had attracted 420,000 viewers and grossed 543 million yen, and on the 27th,

, the star of the film, gave a big hit thank-you speech on stage. The film was nominated Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at

47th Japan Academy Film Prize The is the 47th edition of the Japan Academy Film Prize, an award presented by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association to award excellence in filmmaking. It took place at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 8, 2024, with free annou ...

Evaluation

On the film review site ''Kinema Junpo Web'', film journalist Koremasa Uno criticized the film, saying that the direction of the film was problematic and did not bring out the best in the actors, and that the veteran actors' performances were what held the film together. On the other hand, film critic Reiko Kitagawa said that although the bank financial scandal the film deals with has no impact in itself, she enjoyed watching it because of the anticipation that the smiling lead actor, Sadawo Abe, is going to do something. Film journalist Ryo Kitaura found the interplay between veteran actor

and

very interesting, and recognized that the story had themes common to Jun Ikeido's works, which was a good thing.

Synopsis (Movie)

Masahiro Nishiki is a veteran customer service representative at the Nagahara Branch of Tokyo Daiichi Bank. One day, one million yen in cash goes missing in the branch. While a manhunt is underway for the culprit, Nishiki's subordinate, Airi Kitagawa, is suspected, but it turns out to be a false accusation by a female co-worker who had a grudge against her. The bank is full of peculiar people with various circumstances. As Nishiki, together with Airi and his subordinate Yoji Tabata, investigates behind the scenes of the cash loss incident at the bank, they come to an unbelievable truth.

Charactors (Movie)

;Masahiro Nishiki by

:Veteran Customer Relations at Tokyo Daiichi Bank, Nagahara Branch. He is heavily in debt because he co-signed for his brother and is being pursued by debt collectors. ;Airi Kitagawa by

Aya Ueto is a Japanese actress, singer and television personality. In 1997, Ueto participated in the seventh Japan Bishōjo Contest, where she won the special jury prize. Soon thereafter, Ueto joined the talent agency Oscar Promotion and began taking s ...

:A female employee at the Nagahara Branch of Tokyo Daiichi Bank. She works hard to support her financially strapped family. When she is framed for a cash-loss case, she decides to look for the real culprit. ;Yoji Tabata by Yuta Tamamori :Young bank employees. Fed up with his power-harassing boss, he secretly hopes to change jobs to a foreign bank. Together with Nishiki and Airi, he searches for the truth behind the cash loss incident. ;Kaoru Kujo by Toshiro Yanagiba :Manager at Tokyo Daiichi Bank, Nagahara Branchi. He came to Nagahara branch off the career track. ;Kazuo Furukawa by

Tetta Sugimoto is a Japanese actor. Career Sugimoto was first a member of a rock band before he debuted as an actor in 1983 in the film '' Hakujasho''. For that film, he won a Japan Academy Prize best newcomer award. In addition to his work in film, he has al ...

:Assistant Manager at Tokyo Daiichi Bank, Nagahara Branchi. He immediately shouts at his subordinates in a loud voice and delegitimizes them. Power harassment boss. ;Makoto Takino by

Ryuta Sato is a Japanese actor and ''tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable s ...

:Assistant Manager, Customer Service Department. He has excellent sales performance and is expected by others. He has a wife and a daughter. ;Michiharu Kuroda by

Kuranosuke Sasaki is a Japanese actor, known primarily for his roles in Japanese television drama. Biography He was born into a family of a sake brewery in Kyoto, Japan. After graduating from Kobe University and resigning from an advertising agency, he played a ...

:Inspection Department. He comes to the Nagahara branch to investigate a case of missing cash. ;Hajime Sawasaki by

:An eccentric old man whom Nishiki met at a tavern. ;Kouichi Ishimoto by

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...

:President of a real estate company. A client of Takino.

Award (Movie)

Related product

*DVD/Blu-ray released on September 8, 2023 by

**Special edition (Full-length movie and bonus video disc) ***The bonus disc includes a making-of featurette and event footage from the film. **Regular edition (Full-length movie)

References

External links

Shylock's Children
-

TV drama Shylock's Children
- Wowow
Children the movie
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* *{{Youtube, iTDC9omtlFM, Shylock's Children the movie Trailer Video Japanese novels Japanese novels adapted into films Japanese novels adapted into television shows Japanese drama television series Japanese drama films Financial thrillers Mystery films Mystery novels Novels set in Japan