The Editorial Department Discusses Work-Related Dramas to Watch in Spring
—One day at the note editorial department—
Tantan: "Ugh..."
Yama: "Why are you holding your eyes? The pollen season is almost over, you know."
Tantan: "When I went to the restroom earlier, the new employees this year greeted me so energetically that I was blinded by their youth..."
Yama: "Oh... Tantan, you're in your sixth year, right? When you see new employees, it makes you realize how much time has passed since you joined the company, doesn't it?"
Tantan: "But I'm sure those who are about to be assigned to their departments and those who have just started their new lives are feeling anxious or nervous, too."
Yama: "Why don't we think of some dramas that make you want to work hard or feel energized, which we could recommend when a junior colleague asks for advice?"
Tantan: "That's a great idea! Let's rely on dramas to act like seasoned seniors!"
This time, the SKY PerfecTV! note editorial department will introduce work-related dramas to watch in spring.
Entry No. 1: "Public Affairs Office in the Sky" (TV Station Director / Public Affairs Officer)
First, we picked "Public Affairs Office in the Sky," a live-action drama broadcast in 2013 based on the novel of the same name by Hiro Arikawa, who is also famous for the original works of "Library Wars" and "Kencho Omotenashi-ka."
The protagonist, Rika Inaba, played by Erika Toda, is a TV director for an information program who actually wants to work in news,
and Daisuke Sorai, played by Go Ayano, is a former fighter pilot who is now a public affairs officer at the Air Staff Office.
The story is set in 2010, at the Air Self-Defense Force's public affairs office before the Great East Japan Earthquake.
It depicts the struggles of the two protagonists, Rika Inaba and Daisuke Sorai, who become involved by chance, as they find new goals after their first choices in life are thwarted.
Life doesn't always go as planned... In fact, it often doesn't, and sometimes dreams are cut short.
Hardly anyone is doing the job they truly want to do. However, when things don't go as planned, when dreams are shattered, or when you have to do a job you don't want to do, your true worth as a human being is determined by how you act... "Even if you can't become what you want to be, you can become something else"... The way the two of them face their "work" with dedication will likely resonate with everyone working in the real world and serve as an anthem to strongly push them forward.
Although the professions they deal with are unique, it is often the case that even if you had a dream job, you couldn't get the position you wanted, or even if you did, you might think, "This isn't what I expected!"
At first, both Rika and Daisuke faced their current jobs while harboring the feeling that "this isn't what I really want to do."
I think work styles are freer now than they were 11 years ago when this drama was broadcast. Therefore, it might not be the case that you necessarily have to continue doing a "job you don't want to do."
But in this drama, I love how Rika and Daisuke notice the important parts and the essence of their current jobs—which were not their dreams—and how they face them. I was energized by the conflicts and joys in that process.
For those whose current job is not what they wished for,
for those whose dreams came true but feel a gap,
and for everyone who works, I think this is a drama that can give you energy.
(Introduced by: Tantan)
Entry No. 2: "Pretty Proofreader" (Proofreading)
Etsuko Kono: Loves fashion! Super positive!
She joined a publishing company aiming to become an editor for her dream fashion magazine.
However, she was assigned to... the super dull Proofreading Department.
But,She takes even dull work head-on!!
She gets curious about minor details in a novel and heads straight to the setting in Hokkaido!
She goes undercover at a scene to verify the truth of an incident being pursued by a weekly magazine!
Sometimes, she even confronts the author about contradictions and forces major content changes!
She goes wild, far beyond the scope of proofreading!
...Wait? Is this job actually amazingly cool??
No, no, I want to be a fashion magazine editor!
Today, too, she dons her battle suit of flashy fashion and faces her proofreading work!
Work is super fun if you do it seriously!
This is a work-related drama that cheers on both those who have achieved their dreams and those who haven't yet.
The drama "Pretty Proofreader: Etsuko Kono," starring Satomi Ishihara. When it first aired, Ishihara's super cute fashion also became a hot topic on social media.
The charm of this drama is, above all, the powerful protagonist!
A cool woman who is positive, has a strong sense of justice, and can clearly express her thoughts in words.
And the job of "proofreading" that appears in the drama is an essential task for publishing media like books and magazines, checking for typos, omissions, and ensuring correct content and language are used.
It is refreshing to see the protagonist, who has become a professional of words, use her natural, honest personality and the words she has mastered through her work to speak up about frustrating events.
It is a drama that makes you feel that even a job you initially thought was dull can make you a cool professional if you approach it seriously with a dream.
(Introduced by: Yama)
Entry No. 3 "My Housekeeper Nagisa-san" (MR/Housekeeper)
This drama, which aired in 2020 and starred Mikako Tabe and Nao Omori. With the impact of Omori playing a "super housekeeper," it is likely fresh in many people's memories.
The story's protagonist, Mei Aihara, is a career woman working hard as an MR for a pharmaceutical company. Although she is better at her job than anyone else, she is a single woman in her late 20s with zero life skills who is bad at housework.
On the night of Mei's 28th birthday, she returns home to find a middle-aged man in an apron she has never seen before, Nagisa Shigino, suddenly appearing. The man's true identity is a super housekeeper who perfectly handles all housework, including cooking, laundry, and cleaning!
Mei initially refuses, thinking it's absolutely unacceptable to have a stranger, let alone a middle-aged man, in her house, but as they spend time together, she eventually begins to feel peace and warmth in Nagisa's presence.
In episode 1, Mei falls into self-loathing, saying, "I did something off-base (at work) and felt like I tried hard, it's really pathetic," and "I can't even do housework properly."
...I understand. I understand too well! You're depressed at work, and on top of that, your meals become sloppy, you can't clean, and you just keep sinking...!
But Nagisa-san, who sees through Mei's serious and hardworking nature, says gently, "You are a wonderful hard worker," and "Even though other things are a mess, only your MR-related books were properly placed within reach."
Of course, this makes me cry! (lol)
It's a drama where you can think, "I'll do my best too," by watching Mei, who isn't just lazy but serious and hardworking,
and you can think, "But sometimes I should relax my shoulders," by watching Nagisa-san, who speaks gentle yet strong words.
(Introduced by: Tantan)
Entry No. 4 "Unnatural" (Medical Examiner)
"I will not forgive unnatural deaths!"
Not just for the deceased, but to save those living now,
and to find hope for the future...
They investigate the cause of death,
and save someone in the future!!
The protagonist, Mikoto Misumi, played by Satomi Ishihara, is a pathologist working at the Unnatural Death Investigation (UDI) Lab. The drama focuses on the relationships at the UDI Lab and uses forensic medicine to unravel various "deaths" and the mysteries hidden behind them.
At first, there were scenes where Mikoto and her colleagues complained about their work being the "7 Ks" (dirty, tough, dangerous, smelly, low-paying, gross...), but Mikoto's approach to her work is completely serious. When part-time medical student Rokuro Kube (Masataka Kubota) remarked, "Forensics is a science for the dead, isn't it? Clinical medicine, which heals the living, is still better," she clearly replied, "Forensics is a job for the future."
There are many other lines that convey Mikoto's strong convictions.
"For the bereaved families of unsolved cases, there is no end. They have to keep wondering 'why?' forever, without ever knowing why their loved one died."
It's easy to forget your purpose when you don't get the results you expected or when busy days continue, but at times like that, I want to remember Mikoto's words and return to my purpose as I work.
(Introduced by: Yama)
Entry No. 5 "Hiyokko" (Manufacturing/Restaurant Hall Staff)
The morning serial television novel "Hiyokko" was broadcast in 2017.
It's personally in my top three favorite morning dramas, but seven years have passed since I watched it when it aired, without any chance to see reruns (how time flies...).
The synopsis is as follows.
1964 (Showa 39), the year the Tokyo Olympics were held.
Mineko Yatabe (Kasumi Arimura), born and raised in a farming village in Ibaraki Prefecture, moved to Tokyo through collective employment after her father, Minoru (Kazuki Sawamura), who had been working in Tokyo, went missing.
Supporting Mineko were her colleagues from the radio factory, the family of Suzuko Makino (Nobuko Miyamoto), the owner of the Western-style restaurant who became like a parent to her in Tokyo, and the people of the shopping district.
Through various encounters and partings, Mineko firmly puts down roots in Tokyo, a town that was once unfamiliar to her.
A story that warmly depicts daily life, focusing on the "nameless people" who lived earnestly during the period of high economic growth.
What I found wonderful about this drama is that the protagonist Mineko (Kasumi Arimura), who moved to Tokyo through collective employment, lives her life earnestly every day as an "ordinary girl," working hard, overcoming problems that arise, and sometimes laughing and crying with her friends.
Morning dramas often feature protagonists with dreams, ambitions, or unique personalities, but I thought it was fresh to be able to empathize with her as an ordinary girl instead. Watching her pure figure as she makes friends and falls in love while working every day in a land she didn't know makes me feel like I can return to my own roots.
(Introduced by: Tantan)
Tantan: "The two works introduced by Yama-san were both dramas starring Satomi Ishihara! Satomi Ishihara's work dramas are passionate, straightforward, and yet cute, and they really cheer you up. I also loved 'Rich Man, Poor Woman'."
Yama: "I realized that I like Satomi Ishihara (laughs). The protagonists of the dramas you mentioned, Tantan-san, are 'ordinary' or have their own struggles, so I think many people can relate to them!"
Tantan: "Alright! I'm going to go recommend some dramas to the new employees to show off my seniority... wait, what?"
Yama: "I don't see anyone here."
Tantan: "Ah...! It's already past 5:30 PM...! Could it be that they have already completed the course on the drama "}, {"I Will Not Work Overtime, Period.""...!"
Yama: "Isn't that a good thing! For now, there might be no need to encourage them with dramas (laughs)."
*Click here for the 'Editorial Department Discusses!' series so far
*For those wondering who Tantan and Yama are: click here for the profiles of the official SKY PerfecTV! note editorial staff.