African Office Worker (アフリカのサラリーマン, Africa no Sararīman), otherwise known as Africa Salaryman, is a Japanese comedy manga series by Gamu, serialized online via pixiv Comic website since December 2014. It has been collected in four tankōbon volumes by Media Factory. An original net animation adaptation streamed on Production I.G's Tate Anime (now Anime Beans) app between June 5 and June 30, 2017, and an anime television series adaptation by Hotzipang aired from October 6 to December 22, 2019.
| African Office Worker | |
 Cover of African Office Worker volume 1 by Media Factory | |
| アフリカのサラリーマン (Africa no Sararīman) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy Slice of life |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Gamu |
| Published by | Media Factory |
| Imprint | MFC Gene Pixiv Series |
| Magazine | pixiv Comic |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | December 2014 – present |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Original net animation | |
| Studio | Production I.G |
| Released | June 5, 2017 – June 30, 2017 |
| Runtime | 3 minutes |
| Episodes | 10 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Tetsuya Tatamitani |
| Written by | Yūichirō Momose |
| Music by | Tako Yamaguchi |
| Studio | Hotzipang |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, BS11, KBS, SUN, TVA |
| Original run | October 6, 2019 – December 22, 2019 |
| Episodes | 12 |
Characters
edit- Lion (ライオン, Raion)
- Voiced by: Kento Fujinuma (ONA),[1] Akio Ōtsuka (TV anime),[2] Cris George (English)
- Lizard (トカゲ, Tokage)
- Voiced by: Kengo Tsujii (ONA),[1] Kenjiro Tsuda (TV anime),[2] Ian Sinclair (English)
- Toucan (オオハシ, Ōhashi)
- Voiced by: Setsuo Ito (ONA),[1] Hiro Shimono (TV anime),[2] Larry Brantley (English)
- Company President Turtle (カメ社長, Kame-shachō)
- Voiced by: Akira Ishida (TV anime),[2] Ben Phillips (English)
- Shishimura (シシ村)
- Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (TV anime),[3] Amber Lee Connors (English)
- Gorimi (ゴリ美, Gorimi)
- Voiced by: Yui Ogura (TV anime),[3] Monica Rial (English)
- Lethal Hamster (殺傷ハムスター, Sasshō Hamusutā)
- Voiced by: Hina Kino (TV anime),[2] Jad Saxton (English)
- Caracal (カラカル, Karakaru)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (TV anime),[4] J. Michael Tatum (English)
- Honey Badger (ラーテル, Rāteru)
- Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (TV anime),[4] Jeremy Inman (English)
- Honeyguide (ミツオシエ, Mitsuoshie)
- Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi (TV anime),[4] Anthony Bowling (English)
- Crane (ツル, Tsuru)
- Voiced by: Sōma Saitō (TV anime),[4] Stephen Fu (English)
Media
editManga
editThe comedy manga follows a lion, toucan, and lizard as they live the lives of office workers in a capitalist society in Japan, while also dealing with their unique situations as animals living beyond the savanna and the food chain.
Anime
editAn anime original net animation adaptation streamed on Production I.G's Tate Anime (now Anime Beans) app between June 5 and June 30, 2017.[1]
A new anime television series adaptation aired from October 6 to December 22, 2019 on Tokyo MX, BS11, KBS, SUN, TVA.[5] The series is animated by Hotzipang and directed by Tetsuya Tatamitani, with Yūichirō Momose handling series composition, and Tako Yamaguchi composing the music.[2] Hiro Shimono performed the series' opening theme song "Soul Flag", while Akio Ōtsuka performed the series' ending theme song "White-Collar Elegy.".[3] Funimation has licensed the series for a simuldub.[6]
Reception
editThe anime series' first episode garnered mixed reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Fall 2019 season previews. Theron Martin felt that Hotzipang's animation style won't catch on outside the series but commended it for giving visual aid to the "pretty funny" humor, saying the show will be remembered as the "weaker cousin" to Beastars. James Beckett was critical of the CG animation being of lesser quality compared to Pop Team Epic and felt repelled by Toucan's groan-inducing antics, but gave praise to the "inconsistent but mostly entertaining" comedy and the animation techniques used throughout the episode, saying it won't be his go-to comedy of the season but will occasionally check it out based on the animators' creativity. Rebecca Silverman criticized the thin premise for failing to grab her attention beyond its concept, the "clunky" animation and Toucan's obnoxious personality, concluding that: "It's easy to see how this is trying its best, but for me, that just wasn't enough to make me want to see more." Nick Creamer felt the center piece gags were "tired or off-puttingly mean-spirited" and the CG models came across as "consistently clumsy in motion", but praised the episode for conducting "smaller comic beats" in the background and dialogue, and emitting "great little visual embellishments" throughout its runtime, concluding that: "On the whole, too many of Africa Salaryman's jokes fell flat for me personally to recommend it, but it's certainly an interesting work, possessing both a solid understanding of comic structure, and a welcome eye for visual experimentation."[7] Fellow ANN editor Amy McNulty chose Africa Salaryman as her pick for the Worst Anime of Fall 2019, criticizing the tryhard attempts at different animation styles, unlikable one-note characters and the various jokes causing "comedic whiplash" throughout the series, concluding with: "I did chuckle on occasion while watching this show, but not often enough."[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 15, 2017). "Businessmen in Africa Anime Reveals Voice Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 26, 2019). "African Office Worker TV Anime Reveals Cast, Staff, Promo Video, Theme Song Info, October Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c Sherman, Jennifer (August 16, 2019). "African Office Worker TV Anime Reveals Additional Cast, Ending Song". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Sherman, Jennifer (August 23, 2019). "African Office Worker TV Anime Casts Hiroshi Kamiya, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Kengo Kawanishi". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 6, 2019). "African Office Worker TV Anime Premieres on October 6". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 29, 2019). "Funimation Adds 7 More Anime to Fall 2019 Simulcast Lineup". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ Martin, Theron; Beckett, James; Silverman, Rebecca; Creamer, Nick (October 6, 2019). "Africa Salaryman – The Fall 2019 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ "The Best (and Worst) Anime of Fall 2019". Anime News Network. January 3, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)
- African Office Worker (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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