Like Working!! (Wagnaria!!)? Watch Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san (Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san)

• Episodes: 8+
• Aired: October 2018 – Ongoing

Major Similarities Between Working!! (Wagnaria!!) and Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san (Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san)

1. Ace Staff

Characterization is crucial regardless of genre, but slice of life anime put all their eggs in this basket. While other series can make do with an intriguing plot or exhilarating fights, Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san lives and dies with its cast. Besides delivering laughs by the minute, Working’s characters undergo an incredible amount of development across the three seasons. As DLE’s series about a skeleton bookkeeper is a sketch anime, Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san’s staff members are solely concerned with the comedy side of things; thankfully, the entire cast is hilarious!

2. Every Workplace Comedy Needs a Souta/Honda

As far as straight men go, Souta Takanashi is weirder than the norm. Now, in all fairness, Working!! is manned by quite a quirky bunch, and Souta is slightly more levelheaded than his coworkers. However, the protagonist is, to the detriment of Popura Taneshima, obsessed with “cute” things. In some ways, Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san’s animated sack of bones is closer to a traditional protagonist. Hardworking but passive, Honda is constantly at the mercy of his customers. While the bookkeeper might benefit from growing a backbone, Honda’s internal monologues shed some light onto the protagonist’s inner workings. Amounting to more than simply surrogates for the audience, Souta and Honda are equally fantastic main characters!

3. Learn The Business

After spending three seasons in Wagnaria’s family restaurant, one should come out feeling like they have a better appreciation for the life of a waiter. The anime’s location helped set it apart from the countless slice of life series set in a school, and the same can be said for Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san. Bookstores are not unheard of in anime, but DLE’s comedy belongs to a select group that genuinely capture the trials and tribulations associated with such a business.

Liked Working!! (Wagnaria!!)? Watch Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa (Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues)

• Episodes: 18+
• Aired: July 2018 – Ongoing

Major Similarities Between Working!! (Wagnaria!!) and Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa (Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues)

1. Human Relations

For someone employed by a family establishment, Souta spends an inordinate amount of time trying to avoid being on the receiving end of Mahiru Inami’s fist. While the girl’s actions are practically involuntary, the threat of physical violence looms heavily throughout Working!!’s entire run. Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa’s threat arrives in the form of Kazutaka Hyoudou, the menacing president of the Teiai Corporation who tasks Tonegawa with constructing the deadly contest. The episodes are lighthearted, but this ever-present shadow means Tonegawa is never truly safe.

2. No Time to Waste

Compared to other genre representatives, Working!! has a more dynamic plot. Technically, the characters are merely doing their jobs, but Souta’s quest to cure Inami of her phobia adds a degree of continuity. The anime is striving towards a specific end. Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues takes this one step further. Rather than focusing on a relationship, Madhouse’s spin-off chronicles Tonegawa’s attempts to create the perfect game of death. Despite the many setbacks faced by the staff, the show must go on! Both series have a sense of progression.