Private Banker (2025)

"Break away from the norm and carve your own path"

Private Banker was a cute drama about a super hero banker who always had an umbrella on hand, not in a Kingsman way, but he was effective enough without drawing blood. Anno was less concerned with the law than he was in creating leverage and connections as he protected his clients' assets.

Tenguuji Takehiro who is president of his family company that sells hamburgs, hires private banker Anno Koichi to help him protect his assets. Anno’s motto is, “I’ll take care of everything.” First on his list is helping Lida Kumiko, owner of a dango shop, who unwisely borrowed money to invest and is now in deep debt. She will come to apprentice with Anno alongside Anno’s right-hand man, Mikoshiba. The Tenguuji family is a hotbed of rivalry, pride, entitlement, and very few positive attributes. Estranged wife Mikoto runs the company with a ruthless hand while Takehiro recuperates from an unspecified illness and old age. Anno, Lida, and Mikoshiba will have to deal with hostile takeovers, coups, loan defaults, and a host of other problems while trying to save the family from the worst of its impulses.

Anno was a male version of Mary Poppins who worked with adults instead of children. He didn’t have a magic bag, but he did have a rolodex of wealthy and connected individuals to assist him when necessary. Mikoshiba helped research the clients and their adversaries as well as do undercover work. Lida was impulsive, made bad decisions, often didn’t listen to the advice of people who knew more than her, and was relentlessly clumsy. One of the dumbest decisions made, but certainly not THE dumbest, was when she was sent undercover into an art gallery. This type of character is one of my least favorite, the enthusiastic, bumbling female with a heart of gold, whose ineptitude is overlooked in favor of her personality.

The Tenguuji family was a bundle of dysfunction. It was fun watching how high mama Tenguuji could tease and spray her hair. Haven’t seen big hair like that since the 1980s. Anno had his own distinctive do and was not afraid of opening his umbrella indoors, considered bad luck in my neck of the woods.

Though Anno handled everything that came his way with aplomb, it was disappointing that the moral was saving his clients’ assets and not justice. Attempted murder, embezzlement, tax fraud and evasion, forged documents, illegal business practices, scams perpetrated by banks and businesses, nothing was ever brought to the attention of the law. Watching Anno do his money magic for a rich, entitled family began to wear thin. I was ready for handcuff accessories. While there were consequences for some characters, others walked away unscathed.

Private Banker had an entertaining surface level appeal and gave an insight into Japanese inheritance laws, adoption customs for the wealthy, as well as banking and investing practices. There were legal schemes and those that came with the disclaimer of “don’t try this at home” or maybe Anno was just talking about opening an umbrella in the house.

6 May 2025

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Show had the potential to be much better than it was

Private Banker had layers within layers. I was never sure where the protagonist was coming from. Even at the end, his motivations may have been very questionable.

There are a number of old hands in this drama and their acting was flawless. They were able to play caricatures of themselves extremely well. In fact the tone of this show was one of its tongue firmly planted in its cheek.

Like many jdoramas, some episodes were much better than others. They way the Private Banker assembled his team was interesting- very much the case of him seeing more value in his offsiders than they saw in themselves.

Private Banker did highlight the intricacies of the banking world and the business world, tricky deals and the problem of family in business. Who was the true power behind the throne rotated from episode to episode.

Show is certainly set up for a second season and season one is certainly worth a look.

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