nagano-police07
This is the Prefecture: Nagano.
A young, brash cop and his older, wiser partner protect and serve the locals, and also set women's hearts a flutter. Now they have their own manga. Here, let us introduce them.
OfficerKouhei
Name: Shiro Hokari (26) Favorite food: meat, perilla mint cookies Least favorite food: bugs and worms Hobbies: skiing, watching movies Special skill: re-enacting short scenes from foreign TV dramas Message to Tezuka: “Why do you know all the kinds of candy that I keep in my drawer? And could it be that you’re the one who keeps slipping in new sweets as they become popular?”
Name: Mamoru Tezuka (42) Favorite food: chestnut flavored pastries from Obuse, grilled turnip greens Least favorite food: spicy things Hobbies: travel, cooking Special skill: making soba noodles Message to Hokari: “Could you please stop taking a daily sip from my thermos? If you were to just ask, I’d be happy to make you some. Hahah.”
The men in blue were created as mascots for the Nagano Prefecture Police Department. Usually mascots in Japan are cute animals, but the media savvy police department understood that they could possibly communicate better with women through a more mature approach. Theirs is a classic "Cop Buddy" relationship, along lines familiar to anyone who's turned on a TV or walked into a movie theatre anywhere in the world.
Of course, being handsome cops, a young rookie and a seasoned vet, the more Fujoshi-inclined fans of the duo have taken their relationship to the...umm...next level. However, although the Nagano PD have not made any statements discouraging such attention, they are not exactly encouraging such speculation either.
What they are doing is allowing their characters to appear in a manga compilation monthly featuring humorous "4-Komi" short strips. The series, Keisatsu no Oniisan, (Big-brother Policeman) has joined Manga Time Jumbo, published by Houbunsha. Here's an example of the strip, as you see Officer Tezuka explain to a middle-aged lady that riding her bike with an umbrella in one hand is not legal. He suggests a rain poncho instead, which he suggests, "suits her better."
DontBikeWithUmbrella
Wow, "Ba-chan" there sure seems happy to get such a vote of confidence from the handsome cop.
