Many of the best anime focus on career pursuits. From office jobs to superstardom, pretty much every anime protagonist’s story revolves around their pursuit of success in their work lives. Viewers who are or have been in a similar position, whether looking for a job or trying to excel after landing, will often find their experience highly relevant even if they don’t. do in the specific job described. The subgenre started gaining ground in the mid to late ’90s with shows like Golden Boy and Master Onizuka. But it really started to gain traction and reach its current popularity in the early 2010s with comedies like Working!! and The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
While the main purpose of these shows is for entertainment, like the best cartoons for beginners, many also teach viewers insights into different industries and realities. of each job differs from popular belief. The greatest career-oriented anime successfully strike a balance between realism and optimism, which both their protagonists and anyone pursuing their dream job in real life. all need to be successful. Even when unexpected setbacks arise on the road to success, they teach that doing what you love is worth fighting through.
10 Bakuman. (2010 – 2013)
There is no one better than two successful mangakas to tell the story of two young creators in pursuit of fame. Bakuman. was created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the group of artists and writers behind the hit hit Death Note. It follows artist Mashiro and writer Takagi as they enter the manga industry and find the ladder to success even higher than they thought possible in one of the best non-combat shounen anime.
It depicts what it’s like to enter the notoriously fierce and competitive manga industry that is so stressful and coldly realistic, where even the most talented creators aren’t necessarily accepted. receive or achieve success. Even when they do, as Mashiro and Takagi manage, they still have to deal with difficult editors, striking a balance between engaging fans and telling the story they want to tell while manage the demands and stress of the job. It’s exciting and exhilarating to see how much effort goes into creating even one comic chapter.
9 Space Brothers (2012 – 2014)
Many children dream of becoming astronauts. However, only the most dedicated will truly pass the rigorous training required to reach the stars. As children, brothers Mutta and Hibito Nanba saw a UFO and promised that they would one day become astronauts and go into space in this brilliant sci-fi animated series.
The show’s tough sci-fi elements are appealing to anyone even just interested in astronomy, with plenty of detail about outer space and NASA’s processes making the world feel. vast and real. The story and the characters are as strong as the premise. The relationship between the Nanba brothers as they continued to pursue their childhood dreams even into adulthood became very different which was quite touching. The whole program is very suitable for anyone who tries to follow their dreams without being as successful as they expected.
8 Every Sports Anime
Professional athletes are doing jobs that require long training hours, in-depth knowledge of their chosen game, and peak physical condition. But the love of the game and the pursuit of fame and glory has motivated countless players to dedicate their lives to the opportunity to pursue a professional career. Heroes from popular sports anime also go through similar experiences.
Programs like Yuuri!!! On Ice explores the reality of aging in careers where even the most talented soon fade away, while shows like Haikyuu!! and for free! The Iwatobi Swim Club gathers young prodigies who made their mark in high school before going professional. There’s a sports anime for every stage in a great athlete’s career. This and the variety in depictions of a sport between extreme realism and drama are what make it widely appealing as a genre.
7 Bartenders (2006)
Ryuu Sasakura presides over Eden Hall, a modest hole in the wall hidden in Tokyo’s shopping district. His apprentice, Tsubasa, learns the art of bartending from him. Every night, he watches Ryuu concoct Japan’s finest cocktails and concoct them perfectly for all those who wander into Eden Hall in search of relaxation from the stresses of life, with as one of the best bartenders on TV.
While it’s not as exciting or action-packed as some of these other shows, Bartender gives the table a relaxing tune and a chance to learn more about what the job entails. Ryuu is constantly striving to improve his skills, and the show revolves around his work requiring not only strong bartending talents and knowledge of many ingredients, but also the ability to relate to others. others. The latter is an underrated but essential skill in many job fields.
6 Amazing Trails (2016)
Publishing requires hard work and dedication to the arts without guaranteeing profits. Retired editor, Kouhei Araki, is determined to find the perfect successor to complete his greatest project, a new dictionary titled The Great Passage. He recruited the clumsy but passionate Mitsuya Majime for the position.
The Great Passage is based on the author’s novel that inspired one of the best sports anime of all time. It shows a love for the same subject matter as Run With The Wind, which both excites viewers who are already interested in publishing and captures the interest of those who may not yet understand the depth or appeal. of it before. Araki and Majime inspire viewers through their absolute dedication to a project that most others would give up or consider unimportant as they recognize the value of making literature and language accessible to the world.
5 Devils are part-timers! (2013 – 2022)
In order to escape the Hero, Demon King Maou and his most loyal servant jumped through a dimensional portal. They survived but were trapped and helpless on Earth. Now, Maou must support them by taking a part-time job at a local fast food chain! Far from considering the food service beneath him, much of the humor and heart of the film comes from how fully Maou has invested in his new job.
In one of the best reverse isekai anime, he applies the same tactics and efforts to advance in the company he works for to build an army of demons in his hometown, enjoying the real fun of being complete your new job. Like the minions at home who adored him, he quickly earned the friendships of MgRonald’s colleagues by being efficient and treating everyone with respect.
4 food wars! (2015 – 2020)
A professional kitchen is one of the toughest workplaces in the world. However, the students of Totsuki Culinary Academy are well prepared to work in their own kitchens when they graduate. The philosophy of the elite cooking school is that if they’ve been through hell in class, they’ll easily become one of the greatest chefs in anime when they hit the world stage.
Students don’t just go through harsh cooking classes: they also have to pass exams in established restaurants and public service environments. Cooking skills is one thing, but actually knowing how to run a restaurant and behave in a professional setting is another. The film’s emphasis on culinary technique and business acumen that must go hand in hand for a chef to achieve true success is something that not many other cooking anime offers, providing a picture A complete picture of what real work is like.
3 Shirobako (2014 – 2015)
After graduation, Kaminomiya High School’s Animation Club makes a group pact to one day create professional anime series together. Fast forward to five of them as adults and they’ve all got into the industry! However, its reality is far from their childhood fantasies.
A surprisingly educational anime, Shirobako has a softer tone than other films about pursuing a career. However, it still manages to explore several different areas of work in the industry, such as voiceovers, animation, and production staff. Though unafraid of the hardships of the profession, with its energetic art and charming characters, it still tells a very optimistic story. Its message is that a truly successful production is a team effort, and that collaboration with colleagues is a skill just as important as artistic talent.
2 Don’t Hit Eizouken! (2020)
High school classmates Asakusa, Kanamori and Misuzaki form an unlikely friendship while discovering a shared love for animation. They realized that they could make money by collaborating and producing their own shows. As the girls combine their artistic and managerial talents, Eizouken has captured the anime industry in many ways.
Eizouken took Shirobako’s prologue and completely focused on it, focusing mainly on the animation production aspect. A significant part of the film’s great appeal is the visual appeal of the style and animation, which is expressed through Asakusa’s wild imagination and creativity. She sees things in a different way from her classmates, but can only recreate it on screen with the help of friends to bring out her talents.
1 Silver Spoon (2013 – 2014)
Exhausted student Yuugo Hachiken heeded his teacher’s suggestion to attend Ooezo Academy in the countryside, which trains young farmers. Hachiken’s expectations that he would make it through were quickly reversed. Agricultural school is a lot more involved and harder than he thought!
Silver Spoon Based on the experience of manga artist Hiromu Arakawa growing up on a dairy farm in Hokkaido. It puts Hachiken, one of voice actor Ryohei Kimura’s best characters, through all the struggles and triumphs faced by real-life farmers. More than that, however, the film expertly combines Hachiken’s pursuit of a career in agriculture with his understanding of himself, as he first builds confidence and finds faith in himself. his passion in life. It’s a story that encourages anyone who is feeling stuck or disoriented not to give up hope: the right path is always out there, and sometimes all it takes is some out-of-the-box thinking and a ready to go. willing to try new things to find it.