Yugo the Negotiator

Aired: 2004

A social suspense anime produced by Artland, based on the manga by Shinji Makari (story) and Shu Akana (art) serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon. The story follows Yugo Beppu, a professional negotiator boasting a 97.4% success rate, as he employs cunning strategy and negotiation tactics in the midst of international conflicts and hostage crises. The Pakistan arc depicts negotiations to free a Japanese trader kidnapped by insurgents in Sindh, while the Russia arc involves a case entangled with the mafia. Set against realistic international affairs, the 13-episode series captures the intensity of negotiation as intellectual warfare.