Not all anime is filled with explosions, mecha, or lightning-fast sword fights. Certain anime reflect real life, and since jobs are a substantial part of everyday adult life, there are plenty of characters with normal, everyday jobs.
They may be fictional, but these characters can make us see our lives in a different light. It can give us confidence in our work to see a character we like doing a similar job. Sometimes, it’s just nice to be able to watch someone we can relate to, or make us realize our job isn’t so bad after all.
10/10 Sota Works At A Family Restaurant
Working!!
Working!! is a relaxing watch with quirky, lovable characters. It’s all about Sota Takanashi and his fellow employees working at a family restaurant in Hokkaido. The plot is minimal, with events revolving around the restaurant and the staff.
While Working!! may not reflect the reality of a real restaurant, Sota is a relatable character who’s just trying to adapt to his new job and all the challenges it throws at him. For example, one of his coworkers’ fear of men causes her to punch Sota on sight.
9/10 Ryu Sasakura Was Born To Be A Bartender
Bartender
Ryu Sasakura is not just any bartender — he’s a bartending prodigy. While an anime about watching someone pour drinks and mix cocktails may not get everyone’s juices flowing, Bartender offers a gentle, interesting, and relatable look at Ryu’s life as a bartender.
Ryu’s goal is to make drinks that will soothe people’s unhappiness. Part of a bartender’s job is to listen to people’s stories. Ryu listens attentively to his customers and mixes them drinks that relate to their lives, leaving them relaxed and satisfied.
8/10 Raul & Fino Work In Retail
I Couldn’t Become A Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided To Get A Job
What happens to all the heroes when the Demon King who’s been terrorizing the world gets vanquished for good? They get jobs. That’s exactly what happened to Raul Chaser, the wannabe hero. After the Hero Training Program to which he had signed up gets suspended, Raul takes a job at an electronics store.
Fino Bloodstone is in the same predicament since she couldn’t become the next Demon Lord. Fino gets a job at the electronics store and Raul is tasked with showing the new hire the ropes. It’s too bad she completely hates working retail.
7/10 Futaba Is A Saleswoman
My Senpai Is Annoying
Futaba Igarashi is a saleswoman who works alongside Harumi Takeda for Itomaki Trading. My Senpai Is Annoying centers on these two characters and their dynamic as co-workers and romantic partners, which brings the sterile environment of the office to life.
Futaba’s annoyance stems from being much shorter than Harumi and getting teased as a result. There are plenty of quirky characters in the office who bring lightness and laughter to this wholesome slice-of-life. While it’s set in an adult environment, the humor is decidedly less so.
6/10 Ohana Is A Teenager Thrown In The Deep End
Hanasaku Iroha
The setting of a small inn in the tranquil Japanese countryside may not sound like much of a premise, but there’s something about Hanasaku Iroha that’s engaging. The story’s themes are very relatable.
Ohana Matsumae, the protagonist, is left to fend for herself after her mother runs away with her new boyfriend. Ohana goes to work at her grandmother’s inn as a maid, where she must adapt to a new environment and all the difficulties that can bring, giving the viewer a genuine slice of Ohana’s life.
5/10 Lucy Gives Insight Into The Life Of A Civil Servant
Servant X Service
Servant x Service is about a group of professionals who work as civil servants. The world of government employees is brought to life through the lens of Lucy Yamagami and her co-workers. The series provides a semblance of what life is like in a Japanese government office
Interestingly, the working environment is a far cry from what might be expected. It’s filled with humor, unexpected events, and the odd dash of the supernatural. Like a lot of workplaces, there are misunderstandings between the characters, often with amusing results.
4/10 Narumi & Hirotaka Are Office Workers
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
Working in an office can be dull and monotonous, so when an old friend unexpectedly shows up at work one day, it can make life a lot more interesting. Narumi Momose is reunited with childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji when she begins a new job as an office worker.
Narumi had hoped to keep her obsessive geekiness a secret from her new co-workers, but Hirotaka knows all about it. Having been dumped by her previous boyfriend because of her hobbies, Hirotaka suggests he and Narumi start dating. A relationship comprised of co-working otaku doesn’t exactly make for smooth sailing, however.
3/10 Eikichi Onizuka Dishes Out Life Lessons
Great Teacher Onizuka
Eikichi Onizuka’s reason for becoming a teacher isn’t exactly noble considering he wants to seduce women, but there’s more to Onizuka than that. Once he becomes a teacher, we see a much different side to him.
The class of delinquents he takes on usually oust any new teachers they get, but in Onizuka, they meet their match. Despite not being the best example for aspiring teachers to follow (it’s never a good idea to suplex the Vice Principal), Onizuka cares for his students and tries to help them navigate the many challenges of high school.
2/10 Retsuko Works In An Office For A Trading Company
Aggretsuko
Retsuko, a red panda, relieves the stress of working for a trading company by singing death metal. Retsuko bellows out songs at her local karaoke parlor about having to deal with chauvinistic pigs, suck-ups, and overworking.
Lots of people get stressed, frustrated, or annoyed at work. In watching Aggretsuko let off some steam at the end of the day, we can do the same — at least vicariously. And for those who haven’t worked in an office, this Netflix-produced anime can show what it’s like, albeit in an exaggerated way.
1/10 Sadao Works In A Fast Food Restaurant
The Devil Is A Part-Timer
Usually in isekai anime, a character is transported to a magical world and acquires a strange new power, but it’s the opposite in The Devil Is A Part-Timer. After being defeated in battle, the Demon Lord Satan is transported to modern-day Tokyo via a dimensional portal — along with his inner circle and enemies.
Now living without magic, the Demon Lord takes on the human name Sadao and gets a job at MgRonald’s, a fast food restaurant, to earn money. The only way for Sadao to achieve his goal of conquering Ente Isla is to flip burgers and serve up shakes in an attempt to eventually become ruler of Earth.