Hataraki Man
Synopsis:
28-year-old Hiroko Matsukata is the definition of a workaholic. On top of smoking too much, rarely having sex and having lousy luck nurturing her romantic life, she works excessively to get the job done. Alongside many co-workers at the weekly news magazine Jidai, Hiroko tirelessly works on countless stories – thus negating any chance of a social life. Can Hiroko balance her home and work life, or is she doomed to be a 'working man' forever?
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Genshiken
- TV (12 eps)
- 2004
Ever wanted to join an anime club but felt its geekiness would hurt your reputation? Sasahara feels your pain. Genshiken, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, is an organization of college otaku obsessed with anime, manga and video games. Their daily activities include holding impromptu cosplay photo shoots, braving the crowds and avoiding injury at doujinshi conventions, and tolerating harassment by Saki, a girl irked by her boyfriend's otaku-ness! It's a perfect match for Sasahara's interests, so why is it so difficult for him to join?
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add recLike a gemstone, a person's character is made of many facets, and cannot be truly perceived one facet at a time. Both Genshiken and Hataraki Man take a very straightforward look at the many facets that make up the full aspect of two very specialized groups of people. Both series take the lives of the main characters and explore both the individuals and the group dynamics that make them both unique, and at the same time, just like everyone else. You don't have to be an Otaku, or a Journalist to appreciate either of these series, but if you enjoyed one, chances are you will enjoy the other as well.
Both series are interesting "slice of life" pieces that offer a rare insight to the workings of Japanese society. Both shows also feature a lovably deranged cast that still manage to feel like living, breathing people.
Honey and Clover
- TV (26 eps)
- 2005
Art college: cradle of romance, home of bittersweet moments. Takemoto is struggling to find his direction in life, while his roommates Morita and Mayama are moving confidently - or recklessly - towards their goals. Enter Hagu-chan, the childlike and beautiful prodigy whom everyone admires; and thus the love triangles begin. Together, the trio explore the pain of first love, the trials of romantic conflict, and our loyalty to those annoying people who happen to be our closest friends.
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add recHoney and Clover and Hataraki Man are very disparate in relation to their stories and artistic styles. However they both take a very straightforward way of looking at the internal struggles of some intrinsically realistic characters. Especially similar is the way in which the catharsis of supporting characters is expressed as an important part of the growth of the central character. To put it into a nutshell, if you liked the well developed character growth in one series, the other should please as well.
Both Hataraki Man and HnC question the meaning of life and work (whether it is studying or a job) and the priorities and purpose that the main character gives him/herself in life, sweetened with a background romance.
Paradise Kiss
- TV (12 eps)
- 2005
Yukari is a typical high school student on the fast track to attending a university, but her boring life leaves much to be desired; that is, until a motley crew of fashion design students ask her to model their new clothing line: Paradise Kiss! Now, Yukari must choose if she will reject the life her mother has laid out for her, and start making choices on her own for the first time. While taking her first steps into adulthood, Yukari also begins to realize that with freedom comes responsibility; a life in the fashion industry isn't an easy one, especially for someone unsure of her own intentions…
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add recWatching Hataraki Man stimulated the same feelings as when I watched Paradise Kiss. The atmosphere was the same, and their approach on relationships. I find ParaKiss more artistic, but I find that they give out similar themes.
Both from the Noitamina programming block of Fuji TV, Hataraki Man and Paradise Kiss describe different professions but in the same way. If you want to know a little bit not only about fashion but also about journalism in Japan, and won't snore, these are a good choice. By all means the nice main characters bring these series together.
Read or Die
- OVA (3 eps)
- 2001
Secret agent for the British Libraries, Yomiko Readman, has an infatuation with books. When she purchases one of the books that contain the notes for a plan to purge the world of humanity, Yomiko (along with the help of Ms. Deep and Drake) uses her powers of paper manipulation to stop a group of resurrected men from fulfilling the plan.
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1 person thinks you'd like this because...
add recYomiko Readman likes to read and Hiroko Matsukata likes to write. At first glance they're really different, but somehow they have similarity in their way of living: they optimistically look towards the future and believe that something better will happen.
Carried By The Wind: Tsukikage Ran
Alt titles: Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran
- TV (13 eps)
- 2000
Lady Ran is a self-described 'beautiful drifter': a samurai who travels Japan on a whim, always searching for good sake. Together with her good-hearted but somewhat dense sidekick Meow (master of the Iron Cat Fist style), they stumble into situations where they (usually unwillingly) confront bandits, corrupt officials and deceitful cults. But there's one enemy they can never defeat with their amazing sword and martial arts skills: their perpetual poverty!
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add recHataraki Man and Tsukikage Ran are very different anime; one is set before the Meiji era and features a woman samurai and her female karate sidekick, while the other is about a woman working as an editor at a major weekly magazine in present-day Tokyo.
What they have in common is women working at a normally male occupation in a society with very clear sex roles. Many of the subplots in both shows explore this 'cross-dressed' role.
Tsukikage Ran uses more slapstick humor, while Hataraki Man's is more situational. Both feature strong leading characters who are quite clear about their duties and rights, and who are quite willing to inform others of their duties and rights as well.
If you like seeing women in anime who aren't just supporting the guys, you'll probably like both of these shows.
