Shomuni (1998)★ 7.1/10

JP · July 3, 2002 · 4 seasons

• Comedy
• Drama

Directed by: Masayuki Suzuki, Masato Hijikata, Shin Hirano, Shōsuke Murakami, Yoshinori Kobayashi

Written by: Saburo Fukushima, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Yuji Hashimoto, Ayako Kitagawa, Hayashi Mori

Tsukahara Sawako, a newcomer in a big company, starts going out with a superior, only to realise that the latter is married. Due to this scandal, she is demoted to Shyomu ni, a department for the hopeless. The department consists of 5 basic members. Tsuboi is the leader of the department's girls. Tokunaga is the money-lover and speaker of the group. Rie is the fortune-teller. Kana is the beautiful target of all men. The last is the incapable department head. You could count the cat(s) in as well! It's such an undisciplined department. While the rest of the company looks down on this department, which provides miscellaneous services such as toiletries and facilities maintenance, Tsuboi leads her girls proudly. She squabbles with anyone who insults the department, and comes up with unorthodox plans to deter those who try to wipe the department out. These "untouchables" even save the company from losses occasionally. Based on an original manga, this 12-episode TV series takes a comical, anime-like approach to telling the story of women who have been abandoned by the higher society, but retains dignity and character.