[Discussion]- Hataraki Man

blueseeker · Post by **blueseeker** » Oct 2nd, '07, 06:28

Genre: Work, Comedy
Broadcast Network: NTV
Airing: 2007-Oct-10
Air time: Wednesday 22:00
Episodes: 11?

Based off the manga and anime by the same name, Hiroko Matsukata is a woman who works for a magazine company. She puts all she has into her work, and is known as a strong, straight-forward working girl, who can at will turn herself into Hataraki man (working man) mode. Despite Hiroko's success at work, her life lacks romance. -wikipedia
_______________________
This fall season proves to be quite amazing with another seemingly great drama. Since i saw the anime and enjoyed it and lucky for us it seems Doremii will be subbing this drama which of course makes it a plus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hataraki_Man
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hataraki_Man

GoddessCarlie · Post by **GoddessCarlie** » Oct 2nd, '07, 10:25

I like comedies, and romances, but I'm not too sure if this one grabs me. I might wait to see what everyone else thinks first

blueseeker · Post by **blueseeker** » Oct 4th, '07, 16:30

I know what you mean, although i personally liked the anime the drama versions do not always live up to the same level. I will watch the first episode and then decide. Particularly since is being subbed.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Oct 4th, '07, 17:18

*cough* Doremii has 2 I's

We are defiantly looking forward to this drama. Mokomichi is a major plus. We spazed when we found out he was the male lead (because we decided to do it before the full cast list was out.

)

a2a · Post by **a2a** » Oct 4th, '07, 18:47

I also decided to watch this and I even downloaded the anime to watch before that. Hayami Mokomichi is <3!

blueseeker · Post by **blueseeker** » Oct 4th, '07, 19:08

Puppet Princess@ Komenasi, it has been edited...hehe.
Mokomichi is rather cute, i really liked his appearance in the drama Jotei so am glad that he will have a bigger role in this one..

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Oct 13th, '07, 00:16

has anyone seen the first episode yet and want to comment on how it was? im really keen to see this drama but unfourtunatly i got home too late to watch it this week.

Kazuya_ · Post by **Kazuya_** » Oct 13th, '07, 02:20

Yorokobi wrote:has anyone seen the first episode yet and want to comment on how it was? im really keen to see this drama but unfourtunatly i got home too late to watch it this week.

I watched it last night. Didn't go in with any preconceived notions of it living up to an anime since I never knew it was based on one. I like Kanno Miho's work and also like work-based comedies but I was rather bored. I 'm probably not the target demographic for this show, though.

Since it's being subbed I would say hold out and wait for the subs and then give it a go. Everyone has different tastes so what may have bored me, you may love.

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Oct 13th, '07, 02:37

i can understand a fair amount of japanese so i may be alright. I'll give the first ep a go and see what I think. I watched the preview a\show for it but couldnt really tell from that whether it had potential or not

Natsu-chan · Post by **Natsu-chan** » Oct 13th, '07, 13:46

The plot sounds intresting! I'll watch this drama

& search for the anime

Even though I haven't watched the anime or have no clue about the details of the story, I hope that this drama sticks to the original anime & manga story....unlike what happened in hana Kimi drama..I'm one of those who were disappointed at the changes =_= thety were cute alright but the actual story from the manga was way better

Hachiko-chan · Post by **Hachiko-chan** » Oct 13th, '07, 14:51

It's funny, this will be the second Moyoco Anno adaptation for Miho Kanno.
Before this it was Sakuran

I'm still in the middle of watching the first ep. with my limited knowledge of japanese but I like it.
I've watched the amime as well.

kokitty · Post by **kokitty** » Oct 14th, '07, 10:03

I think i should belong to the target demographics grp of this drama since this timeslot is always targetted at ladies in their 20s.

Having watched the anime, i must say that epi 1 stuck to the storyline of the anime to a T. It's weird, i didn't enjoy Hataraki Man as much as i thought i would. There's nothing really much to fault about it, acting, pacing, storyline's allright but nothing quite stands out.

There is a decidingly average feel about it, as if the production team & cast is not making any efforts except to make another drama just to fill the timeslot. Just get another OL theme drama preferably adapted from a fairly popular anime, get an able actress, 2 good looking guys, one early twenties, one mid thirties and there you go... you can't go very wrong with this formula for this timeslot.

This drama will probably be watchable cos they stuck close to a formula that wouldn't go very wrong. Having said that, there might probably be better dramas this season to entertain yourself with unless you're a big fan of any of the cast.

lzydata · Post by **lzydata** » Oct 14th, '07, 11:03

So Hataraki Man becomes my first drama of the season. My reaction to the pilot was pretty much the same as kokitty's: underwhelmed.

Well, you can see the production team's trying to be different in some areas, particularly with the Working Man song at the end, and getting the various actors to go out of character and speak directly to the camera to introduce ideas like "hataraki man" (working man, a workaholic). The latter was a risk to take, since the characters become less realistic in the process.

Despite those things, after one whole hour so far, HM feels like just a mishmash of ideas from popular culture and other recent dramas, particularly the "working women trilogy" NTV themselves branded: Anego, Haken no Hinkaku and Hotaru no Hikari. The office and the nature of the work are just like in Konshu tsuma ga uwakishimasu. (Btw Sawamura Ikki was also in that, and his Kontsuma character is clearly the more interesting.) Hiro[ko]'s pretty much holding up the fort by herself now - the other characters are either outright cardboard or they merely react to her actions. For someone credited second after the lead, Hayami Mokomichi is a disappointing non-presence. Maybe he doesn't know what to do with his character yet. And as a Kanno Miho fan it pains me to say this, but she doesn't have the commanding presence that Shinohara Ryoko has with her recent years' "power woman" roles, or the quirky personality that Ayase did so convincingly as Hotaru. Nothing else in this drama - direction, music etc. - engages me so far

If they're not careful, every coming episode could get practically the same plot with the same theme, just a different guest star: Hiro comes across some scoop, goes into "shigoto mode", stands up her boyfriend, gets the job done but is amply criticized by Hayami's character and others for being a workaholic. Then it sputters to an end with some disastrous single-digit rating. I've seen enough flops to recognize the signs, and so I hope the cast and staff do too. They have got to give some twists to the basic plot, and start fleshing out the other characters besides Hiro. For that matter, there has to be more to Hiro than this work-or-romance/sex dilemma. Where does she come from, as a person? What does she want in life? How did she get together with Shinji? Does she even love him?! I'm thinking of things like that.

(Caveat: I haven't read the manga or watched the anime, so for all I know the original versions do have developments like that coming up. I'm reacting solely to the drama.)

OK, so this is my review, in a nutshell. I sound really negative about it, but I would still give it a 5/10. It's not horrible, certainly. Maybe I expect too much, but I really do want it to get better.

kokitty · Post by **kokitty** » Oct 15th, '07, 14:48

Oh, i realised it's not very nice to see 2 rather negative comments in a row for this thread since it might put people off from trying.

It's by no means an awful drama, Miho Kanno is arguably the most talented tv actress in her age group. Hataraki man is definitely worth trying another 2/3 episodes for a better guage even if epi 1 was a indeed underwhelming.

I was very surprised Mokomichi was casted in that particular character. That was the most underused and least likable main character in the anime. Mokomichi is heavily groomed by Ken-O so it'll feel funny if his role is defined the same way as in the anime. I hope it doesn't happen, would love to find out what contributed to such indifference to work.

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Oct 15th, '07, 23:28

I finally watched the first episode of this drama last night
I quite enjoyed it, especially the beginning.
I can understand why people are saying it was overwhelming though cause I got that feeling a bit too as the episode wore on.
Like lzydata im a little worried for the storyline but I havent read the manga so I dont know where that goes. However I think there is a lot of potential especially in terms of character development. I can't wait to see Mokomichi get into his role completely!

EDIT : Totally forgot to mention that I love Sawamura Ikki in his role of what editor in cheif or something? totally suits him and he does it great

lzydata · Post by **lzydata** » Oct 16th, '07, 06:23

kokitty wrote:Oh, i realised it's not very nice to see 2 rather negative comments in a row for this thread since it might put people off from trying.

Oops, I didn't realize my comments may have that effect. I figured this thread's still quiet because people are waiting for the subs or sth.

Yes, I can't say this often enough: one episode is nearly never enough to judge whether a drama's worth watching and committing to. (Unless it's some monstrous 2-hour special like with Iryu 2, maybe.) By ep3, I think, we'll have a good idea.

Sawamura: yes, he's a capable actor, and his role has potential, but it all depends on what they do with it. I like how they introduced him - or how 'he' introduced 'himself' - by griping about the woes of middle management. Actually it would be cute and unique if the show used this technique regularly, not just as a one-off.

EDIT: Well what do you know, I started a new page. Haha.

raven_frost · Post by **raven_frost** » Oct 19th, '07, 01:04

I just watched Ep1 and while I felt that Mokomichi's character was so pedestrian that one could have easily written him off, I enjoyed Sawamura Ikki's editor in chief.

The episode was quite entertaining but I thought that it lagged towards the end when it seemed to me that there would be

haruna_hamasaki · Post by **haruna_hamasaki** » Oct 19th, '07, 01:17

i'm in love with kanno miho's style in this drama.

lzydata · Post by **lzydata** » Oct 20th, '07, 04:21

OK I've just watched ep2.

Bad:
- It still revolves around Hiro: her work, her plans, her feelings, her thoughts, so people like Mokomichi and Sawamura still don't have very meaty parts to play. Yoshizawa as her boyfriend Shinji is doing better. Sex aside, this is a very adult relationship they have, more about duties and obligations to each other rather than attraction. It does have the feeling of a 4-year, long-term relationship.
- There wasn't anything wrong with ep2's story, but let's just say it's pretty conventional. As the episode title says, "Women's greatest enemy is... women?" Should a woman aim for career or marriage? How should she react to sexual discrimination in the workplace? To what extent should she exploit her femininity? Not exactly new questions, are they? Shaku Yumiko guest stars as the 'enemy' to Hiro, a more feminine working woman, but all things work out in the end.

Good:
- Thank goodness the structure isn't as rigid as I feared earlier.
- I'm more sympathetic to Hiro's character now. Maybe it's the result of more 'internal dialogue' and the talking towards the camera - they kept that! - or maybe it's Kanno Miho finding her footing.
- Shaku did add some spice, even if her role is kind of banal. And this is a side point, but I enjoyed seeing her act against Ibu Masato again, after the body-switching story in Yonimo last year.
- This is really a pleasant surprise - there's more to the Hataraki Man jingle. I'm not sure if they're going to extend it every episode, so that by the end there are like 50 points to being a working man, or something. But it is definitely getting addictive. People have posted it on Youtube too.

＃１
一つ人より働いて
二つ不満は口にせず
三つ未来と　四つ世のため
五ついつまでも
今日も働き働き働く　力の限り
荒波超えて山超えて
ゆくぞ働きマン

＃２
六つ無理とは知りつつも
七つ泣いていられない
八つやる気と　九つ根性で
十（とお）とおやり遂げた
今日も働き働き働く　明日のために
茨の道もなんのその
進め働きマン

altessa · Post by **altessa** » Oct 23rd, '07, 09:03

I can't wait until this is subbed! I watched the anime and enjoyed it. It's certainly not very conventional and the beginning was a bit difficult to get into, but I liked how it ended. After watching the anime, I thought it would be very well-suited to be turned into a drama. I'm eager to see what opinions you guys have about the live-action drama.

8thSin · Post by **8thSin** » Oct 26th, '07, 16:23

Just saw ep1 (yeah I know, mad late

Been busy)

I REALLY enjoyed it. I didn't think NTV could pull off another comedy, but it was incredible.
I haven't seen Kanno Miho in that many dorama or movies, but she has been amazing every single time. I think she's one of the most talented actress around (although doing comedy this time

)
The narration sometimes make a big difference for me, and the one in this series is one of the best I've heard. Kanno Miho's voice is very easy to listen to, and emotion was expressed very well.
I agree that story is somewhat average, but Kanno Miho's acting and the direction/production/SFX are more than enough to make up for that IMO.
I have especially enjoyed "Talking to the audience", which I have seen it in many Hollywood movies, but can't really recall of any series in dorama. It was pretty entertaining for me.

I know this is gonna get really cheesy though... After all, it's based on a Manga. That bright-light-changing-to-man thing was absolutely retarded.
I think it's one of those dorama that will slowly fade each episode, but I have to say, I enjoyed Hataraki ep1 more than Haken ep1.
I'll definitely be following this series

BTW... Anyone else catch a member of camera crew coughing at 51:31?
I don't think I've ever discovered such carelessness before in prime time dorama

haruna_hamasaki · Post by **haruna_hamasaki** » Oct 27th, '07, 03:08

even though no subs for this drama, it's not that difficult to understand the whole story for each episode.

scaturan · Post by **scaturan** » Oct 27th, '07, 03:35

yep, i agree. Miho Kanno's "hataraki man" mode sure is contagious among her peers.

8thSin · Post by **8thSin** » Oct 28th, '07, 10:27

Catched up at last! Ep 2 and 3 were awesome

I hate to admit this, but so far, Hataraki Man is my favorite series this season

Kanno Miho is absolutely amazing.

The only thing I didn't like was the theme songs... I don't know why, but it just felt wrong.
And that dancing song in the end... I don't get it. It's just really stupid

hehrharz · Post by **hehrharz** » Oct 28th, '07, 12:31

I am awaiting the 1st episode...I hope it will be a nice series ^^

roaceica · Post by **roaceica** » Nov 3rd, '07, 17:02

does anyone know if someone planning on subbing this series?i am almost done with itsohi kime e and i like kanno miho as an actress now(my first time watching her)...i think she is a good actress. sounds like not a lotta people liked ep1 but i am hoping this would get better as the drama goes on...

altessa · Post by **altessa** » Nov 4th, '07, 02:35

I think Doremii is subbing this series... according to their wiki page (http://fansub.d-addicts.com/DoReMii) they're still translating the first ep. I can't wait!

Resie · Post by **Resie** » Nov 4th, '07, 02:38

Yup, we are

Progress is coming along nicely, it's just that the translator has been a bit busy of late.

untypikal · Post by **untypikal** » Nov 4th, '07, 03:58

Resie wrote:Yup, we are Progress is coming along nicely, it's just that the translator has been a bit busy of late.

thanks doremii =)

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Nov 4th, '07, 10:57

Resie wrote:Yup, we are Progress is coming along nicely, it's just that the translator has been a bit busy of late.

are you realeasing softsubs and hard subs??

I have to say im really enjoying this too
Mokomichis character isnt anything like what i thought it might turn out to be but i still find im liking what hes doing with it i cant wait to see all the characters develop more
next weeks episode looks rather scandalous!!

Resie · Post by **Resie** » Nov 4th, '07, 20:24

Yup, we are doing both soft & hardsubs

harukaya · Post by **harukaya** » Nov 7th, '07, 04:25

has anyone watched ep. 4?

[/quote]

lzydata · Post by **lzydata** » Nov 7th, '07, 16:28

harukaya wrote:has anyone watched ep. 4?

is it me or did this episode reuse backgrounds from other dramas?
1st cafe scene where Mayu met with Hiro was the same cafe as one used in First Kiss
the office elevator where Mayu talks to the writer was the same elevator as in Hotaru no Hikari?

[/quote]

Well I haven't watched ep4 but yes...

8thSin · Post by **8thSin** » Nov 12th, '07, 02:14

Man, Matsukata's cell phone P704iμ is SOOO cool.
I wish those things worked in the US

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Nov 12th, '07, 06:51

i have her boyfriends one

8thSin · Post by **8thSin** » Nov 12th, '07, 22:03

Yorokobi wrote:i have her boyfriends one

Yeah, that's one looks thin and nice too, but I haven't seen that many closeups of it.

I got an unlocked Sharp sx633 (basically 705sh) a while ago, and this phone works in GSM band, but it looks so bulky compared to these summer/fall 2007 models

I'm planning to go to Japan next year, so I hope they release some stylish phones that also works in US when I come back

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Nov 12th, '07, 23:55

japanese phones are just super cool thats all there is to it ^_^

haruna_hamasaki · Post by **haruna_hamasaki** » Nov 13th, '07, 23:01

8thSin wrote:Man, Matsukata's cell phone P704iμ is SOOO cool.
I wish those things worked in the US

you saw that too??!!!
i want that phone.

harukaya · Post by **harukaya** » Nov 16th, '07, 03:14

lzydata wrote:
harukaya wrote:has anyone watched ep. 4?

is it me or did this episode reuse backgrounds from other dramas?
1st cafe scene where Mayu met with Hiro was the same cafe as one used in First Kiss
the office elevator where Mayu talks to the writer was the same elevator as in Hotaru no Hikari?

Well I haven't watched ep4 but yes...

[/quote]

aahhh. that site is cool! i'll make sure i'll go to the HYD ones next time when i go to Japan!

6502inside · Post by **6502inside** » Nov 19th, '07, 08:25

in one of the eps I saw the... sculpture/monument/whatchamacallit that was also in Koi Ga Shitai

LO
VE

8thSin · Post by **8thSin** » Dec 21st, '07, 04:40

6502inside wrote:in one of the eps I saw the... sculpture/monument/whatchamacallit that was also in Koi Ga Shitai

LO
VE

I've seen those sculptures in Philadelphia and New York. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Indiana

Anyway, I finished watching this dorama, and it's been the most satisfying series for me in years. I thought Kanno Miho was perfect for the part, and very well-directed for most episodes. I absolutely loved those quotes at beginning and end of each episodes, and music was really touching or fun, always matched all the scenes.

Super high quality x264 codec rips further improved the viewing experience

1111 · Post by **1111** » Dec 23rd, '07, 14:08

Thanx DoReMii For subbing this

which sub will be released first Soft or hard ??

cuz i thought that i might download the raw now and wait til the softsubs are out !

and which one do you recomend the soft or hard ?!

Thanx ^.^

lzydata · Post by **lzydata** » Dec 26th, '07, 07:54

I'm finally catching up with Hataraki Man, up to ep7 now.

Wow, none of all those fears and disappointment I had with the pilot, which I posted here earlier, turned out to be the case. It was almost like the production team anticipated all the possible pitfalls I named and more, and created a show with characters and relationships that feel so real. Kanno Miho hasn't had such a great role in years. I especially appreciate the depth they gave to her relationship with Shinji - two people who are trying their best, and who do care for each other... well, I shouldn't spoil things.

Anyhow, I hope I didn't turn people off the show with my earlier review, because this is one of those rare dramas that gets better and better.

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Dec 26th, '07, 11:34

does anyone know where i can direct download this series

ikki_72 · Post by **ikki_72** » Jan 10th, '08, 12:52

harukaya wrote:has anyone watched ep. 4?

is it me or did this episode reuse backgrounds from other dramas?
1st cafe scene where Mayu met with Hiro was the same cafe as one used in First Kiss
the office elevator where Mayu talks to the writer was the same elevator as in Hotaru no Hikari?

[/quote]

i will if there's somebody seeding episode 3. Somebody pls!

ailahai · Post by **ailahai** » Jan 19th, '08, 17:37

News from Tokyograph.com :

The fall 2007 winners of the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix have been announced. A total of 12,540 ballots were cast, resulting in "Yukan Club" taking 4 of the 5 awards.

It beat "Galileo" for Best Drama by 3,652 votes. It also took Best Actor (Jin Akanishi), Best Supporting Actor (Junnosuke Taguchi), and Best Supporting Actress (Yu Kashii), winning each category by more than a thousand votes.

For Best Actress, Miho Kanno ("Hataraki Man") was #1.

The overall awards for 2007 will be decided in a few months. The nominees in each category include the top five from each season.

Omedetou Kanno Miho... I bet she will winning again at 55th Television Drama Academy Awards.

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