A Bad Hand intertwines the seemingly separate lives of James Webb, a teenager living in what he thinks is an unremarkable town, and Saito Masashi. Nicknamed Hokusai, Saito is a feared and influential Yakuza boss in Japan. Together, their stories form a gripping narrative of resilience, moral ambiguity, and the quest for justice against overwhelming odds.

James is no ordinary teenager. Burdened by his mother’s unpredictable mental illness, he must shoulder responsibilities far beyond his years while feeling unseen and unappreciated by his peers and school baseball coaches. His rejection from the summer baseball team leaves him adrift, his usual outlet for belonging and purpose stripped away. Instead, he finds a new sense of focus in restoring a dilapidated vintage Japanese motorcycle, gifted by chance and symbolic of his yearning for freedom and self-determination.

Hokusai’s life is a stark contrast. As a Yakuza boss, he operates in the shadows, balancing an empire built on criminal enterprises with legitimate ventures, including ties to Japan’s professional baseball world. His public persona is meticulously crafted, but privately, he battles with the strain of holding power in a world where betrayal lurks in every corner. His daughter, Sora, represents Read more…