There are a lot of anime out there, and in this golden age of TV streaming, the choices have never been more significant. So how do you cut through the noise and find the “Best of” for any chosen topic? We’re here to help celebrate and shine a spotlight on some of the latest, most fabulous, and unforgettable anime through the years.
For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best anime, our attention this time turns to anime about office workers. From hilarious slice-of-life series to those with profound storytelling, these anime offer enough relatable and memorable scenarios to satisfy viewers.
Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorites, feel free to comment below and we’ll add them when we can!
Aggretsuko
Aggretsuko is a delightful anime series that provides a unique and endearing perspective on life for office workers. It follows a hard-working red panda named Retsuko who navigates the challenges of work and finds solace in expressing her frustrations through death metal karaoke. This anime offers a great depiction of the highs and lows of work culture.
From the never-ending paperwork to the demanding deadlines, the series captures the everyday frustrations that many office workers can relate to. By featuring Retsuko’s various encounters with strange coworkers, obnoxious bosses, and tedious tasks, the anime delivers a purifying release for individuals who’ve been in a similar situation as Retsuko in their workplace.
On top of the anime including themes like workplace politics and gender inequality, this is perfect for anyone looking for something funny to watch.
You can read our thoughts on Aggretsuko in our season one review here!
Servant X Service
Servant X Service is a lighthearted series with an amusing portrayal of office life. It takes place in a health and welfare section of a government office and follows the daily lives of quirky civil servants. These civil servants have distinct personalities and backgrounds. From the earned Lucy to the optimistic Hasebe, the characters will make anyone’s experience with this anime joyous and fun.
The characters engage in meaningful and comedic conversations. This helps give audiences an idea of what they’re like as people while giving people a glimpse of what office life is like. On that note, this series explores various aspects of this lifestyle. Our characters must deal with difficult coworkers and learn how to balance their personal lives alongside their working ones.
As alluded to earlier, Servant X Service likes to portray our cast’s tough scenarios in a comical light. This approach creates a cheerful and resonant atmosphere that allows audiences to chuckle at the frustrations they may face in their own lives.
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Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku
Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is an interesting romantic comedy with an office life backdrop. The series centers around several office workers who share a love for all things nerdy. However, they have a difficult time balancing their hobbies with their professional lives. Therefore, we examine our characters’ struggles with overcoming the multiple hurdles that come their way.
This series has well-crafted characters who represent different aspects of otaku culture. For example, our main couple Narumi and Hirotaka have to confront their challenges with dating and balancing work. On the other hand, we have characters like Hanako and Kabakura who struggle with their contrasting personalities, leading to much banter between them.
It’s these characters’ distinct dilemmas that help the anime feel exciting to watch. On top of the delightful jokes and humorous misunderstandings that take place in this anime, viewers are in for a swell experience with this one.
Golden Boy
Golden Boy is a comedy classic in the anime community. While the main character, Kintaro, may not be a typical office worker, he visits several workplaces that showcase the trials and tribulations office workers must overcome. With its incredibly-written humor, relatable themes, and unforgettable cast, Golden Boy is an anime everyone should have on their watchlist.
One of Golden Boy’s strongest aspects is its comedy. The anime implements a great mix of slapstick comedy, clever dialogue, and eccentric characters to craft amusing situations for viewers to enjoy. Kintaro’s a stellar protagonist that viewers may not adore at first glance. While he seems dimwitted and overly perverted, Kintaro can be motivational and uplifting when he chooses to be.
Fans will love seeing him cheer people up, especially the hard-working office workers he meets throughout the series. Therefore, if you’re looking for a series with an excellent exploration of office life and a boatload of jokes, check out Golden Boy.
My Senpai is Annoying
My Senpai is Annoying is a charming anime that provides fans with an enjoyable take on office life. The story follows Harumi, a hardworking office employer, who gets harassed by her senior colleague a lot. Through their interactions with each other and the world around them, this tale captures the spirit of office dynamics and the challenges many office workers encounter.
This anime isn’t afraid to showcase the ups and downs of this profession. From struggling to meet deadlines to establishing genuine ties with your teammates, the anime does its best to give fans a relatable and humorous tale. The characters are enjoyable and receive great development as the story progresses. Harumi and her colleague gradually learn from each other and assist each other to become better employees.
Ultimately, My Senpai is Annoying is a fabulous anime that’ll leave quite an impact on certain audiences.
Africa Salaryman
Africa Salaryman is another animal-themed anime where critters tackle human-related jobs. This one follows the endeavors of Lion, Toucan, and Lizard, three corporate employees navigating through the challenges of the workplace. With its witty humor, relatable cast, and satirical take on office culture, this anime delivers an entertaining depiction of the highs and lows office workers deal with.
One aspect that makes Africa Salaryman an enjoyable endeavor is the handling of its animal cast. Each character has a personality that reflects individuals you’d encounter in this profession. For instance, Lion symbolizes the dominant employee while Toucan represents the talkative colleague. On that note, Africa Salaryman satirizes aspects of office culture like corporate hierarchy and power dynamics.
It achieves its intent by implementing witty dialogue, absurd situations, and exaggerated character interactions to critique the nonsensical aspects of office life in a hilarious manner. If you loved shows like Aggretsuko or anything else with a humorous spin on office life, Africa Salaryman is a must-watch.
Paprika
Paprika grants viewers a mesmerizing and energetic thrill ride from beginning to end. While this anime may not directly focus on office workers, it delves into the subconscious minds of its characters, providing a captivating and mind-numbing story for audiences to enjoy.
Within its dream-like atmosphere, Paprika incorporates ideas that’ll resonate with many office workers. For instance, Paprika explores the power dynamics and conflicts that’d arise in many workplaces. The employees in this anime must navigate through office politics, deal with competition, and confront their own internal matters to move on in life.
Paprika’s surrealist imagery puts a bizarre spin on these conflicts, providing audiences with a different way of examining our characters’ challenges. The anime also highlights why it’s important to view your worth. Many characters in this anime struggle to separate their professional roles from their personal lives. This helps Paprika feel more engaging and relatable, making it a must-watch for anyone who adores deep and thoughtful anime.
Golden Time
For viewers who aren’t into complex shows, Golden Time should suffice. This is an enjoyable anime that centers around the lives of college students and delves into the challenges young professionals encounter when they’re on duty. Like Paprika, Golden Time doesn’t revolve around office workers specifically. However, it does touch upon themes that’ll resonate with those in the corporate world.
For instance, our story follows Banri, a new law student who must grapple with the pressures of internship opportunities, the intricacies of legal work, and post-graduation job candidates. Through Banri, Golden Time sheds light on the challenges young workers face when entering the workforce, making it emotionally resonate with folks who are undergoing similar problems as him.
In addition to exploring the positives that’d arise for those who are willing to put up with the culture, Golden Time is a must-watch for anyone interested.
Hataraki Man
Hataraki Man is a great anime that portrays the struggles, triumphs, and everyday lives of office workers. It centers around Hiroko, a passionate editor weekly magazine editor who encounters a slew of problems in the media industry. Through Hiroko and others, Hataraki Man provides an insightful story oozing office culture, gender dynamics, and personal growth.
As viewers observe Hiroko and her colleague’s daily lives, they’ll realize how far they are willing to go to claim success. The show emphasizes long working hours, tight deadlines, and the constant need for productivity and results. This aspect will resonate with office workers who often grapple with the pressure of meeting expectations.
On top of giving viewers a glimpse of what working in the media industry is like from a female’s perspective, Hataraki Man is a must-watch for anyone interested in workplace culture.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best anime about office workers through the years!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!