A Mangaka’s Weirdly Wonderful Workplace – Episode 1

What’s it about? Futami is an insecure shoujo mangaka who massively admires her editor…to the point where it’s getting in the way of her work. Her editor, Sato, adores her client’s work…but always seems to get flustered trying to compliment her.

AniFam, I am pleased to present to you the rom-com of the season: “useless lesbians make manga.” It seems we’re getting spoiled for joseimuke this season, and I came out of this premiere with a goofy little smile plastered across my face.

As far as industry stories go, this one doesn’t seem to be aiming for the full SHIROBAKO—the manga industry workflow is definitely relevant, and there are some neat details on the production pipeline, but they’re more scene-setting details for character work. Imagine more if New Game! had slightly less baby-faced character designs. It’s not making light of how brutal the industry’s working conditions can be, but it’s also not fully focused on them. Futami is a somewhat small fish and has a caring team looking after her, thus letting the setup side-step a darker story.

Futami herself will definitely be familiar to anyone used to working as a freelancer: a mess of insecurities who works late and then panics that this means her editor will definitely, really hate her. There’s a danger of her freak-outs becoming a little bit repetitive or irritating, since she tends to spiral quickly and for prolonged periods, but the writing is smart enough to give her a practical assistant who can move the plot along and puncture Futami’s delusions. Sato is likewise utterly useless in the feelings department and has her own more emotionally open coworker, so while this is definitely going to be an “oh God please just talk to each other” kind of story, it’s at least set up from the jump with an ensemble cast that can keep our leads from stewing too egregiously.

What I’d really like to see is a little bit more about working in shoujosei. The only man who appears in the episode is a former editor of Futami’s who sniffs at her work as fine but lacking “punch,” the kind of head-patting comment that one so often sees directed at shoujo. It’s a very small moment, but the frustration of it is palpable, and it would be fantastic to see more insights like that peek their way through.

Still, even if it’s primarily dedicated to its flustered leads getting closer, I’m all-in on this one. The visuals are bouncy and expressive, with very cute manga cut-ins for Futami’s daydreams, and there’s no way I’m not giving a show about women in the workplace at least a three-episode try. It’s not clear whether this is going to commit to being an office romance or more of a “maybe someday” work-com, but either way this is an excellent gift for International Lesbian Day.