Original subtitles

Why does this always happen in the most important moments?

STOPPY

I've interviewed at 50 companies, and almost all have rejected me.

If I fail this time, I'm done for.

IT CONSULTING TALON VENUE FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS

Sorry. Excuse me.

Sorry. Can I sit beside you?

Go ahead.

This guy seems to be doing ab stretches sitting down.

He must be really relaxed.

The first time that I saw her…

I thought that she was incredibly put together.

You dropped this.

She had such a smart demeanor…

You dropped this. You dropped this.

…and her voice was as beautiful

as a TV presenter.

Her calm and collected manner didn't seem false, but instead well honed.

It felt as though she was well used to wearing suits.

What's more, she didn't appear arrogant,

but like she might even tell a light joke. Her face was filled with humanity.

Yet still, I got a sense from every fiber of her being

that she was humble, like she still had room to grow.

It seemed like she hadn't randomly gone

from company to company but targeted this one from the beginning.

It even felt like the person who had guided her around

already had an eye on her.

I'd love to work alongside someone so cool.

Yes?

Thank you very much.

Let's both give it our all.

Right.

The following year…

Somehow, I managed to get a job at this company.

I was placed in the same sales department as that woman.

However, she…

Takano, how did you get on?

I have just finished it, Hatoyama.

TSUMEKO TAKANO

Great! You stapled all of them.

ITSUKI HATOYAMA

Yes, I did.

CRM CLOUD

Doing such simple work really makes a person sleepy.

Ugh… Yeah…

Hatoyama,

do you think this is okay?

What do you mean?

I'm talking about Takano. She's been here three months,

and all she can do is use a stapler.

AKANE UKAI

My style of mentoring is about

taking things one step at a time.

Hey, Takano. Did you practice making graphs?

KOTA KIJITANI

I am very sorry to say it,

but I'm completely hopeless at things like that.

You're hopeless?

When I think

about doing difficult things,

my head starts to hurt.

You may think that you can just learn what you don't understand,

then it'll stop being difficult, right?

But you've got it wrong.

I don't even know what I don't know.

So, why do you have such a competent aura?

I've just…

really loved workplace dramas since long ago.

Apologies for the diversion.

I'm going to grab a coffee.

When I first met her,

she had such a powerful presence…

but before I knew it, she was just filling a seat at this company.

A talented hawk hides his claws.

But it is a story about pigeons, pheasants,

and hawks.

Many other birds will also be there.

- Here you go. - Thank you.

CAR SHARING WEB SYSTEM PROPOSAL FLAG-PORT

We are an IT consulting firm.

What's a consultant, you ask?

To put it simply, we tend to whatever we are requested to

by our client company. We are something akin to a handyman.

Apologies for keeping you waiting.

Please excuse us.

My name is Kijitani. Pleased to meet you.

I'm Osaki.

Thank you.

I'm Kijitani.

My name is Misawa. I'm out of business cards at the moment.

Don't worry, I can get it again. My name is Kijitani.

Nice to meet you.

I see the second character is "ta", but what is the first?

MICHITO HIWADA

It's the "hiwa" kanji, made up of "weak" and "bird". It's read Hiwada.

That's quite a rare name.

Well, we are out there, other weak birds just like me called "Hiwa".

Let me guess. Are you a new recruit?

Yes, that's right.

Did he give it away?

Yes, there's something about him.

It's a real pleasure to meet you.

A HEAVILY CUSTOMIZABLE SYSTEM

By implementing Talon's proprietary system,

you can create a far more customizable system than what you currently have.

And that concludes our proposal

to replace your car-sharing web system.

And what is your opinion, Mr. Hiwada?

Many of the users of this system in our company are around the same age as you.

Hiwada, what do you think?

Well…

The system that we are proposing

prioritizes usability.

To differentiate ourselves from competitors,

we have created our user interface based on real human data,

so I think we can offer a system that is easy for users to actually use.

Moreover,

since it will be used on smartphones,

we worked to lower the number of taps required

when inputting license info…

They seem so far away.

I think we won't be back here.

It was my fault, right?

What?

If I seemed more like I knew what I was talking about,

they might have heard us out.

- Yes, that's right. - Huh?

You make a really weak first impression.

You aren't persuasive at all. It's like your whole vibe,

your aura,

your presence, it's completely fatal in sales.

But your analytical abilities and suggestions aren't half bad.

Keep working hard.

We're back.

We're just ba--

It's fine. It's fine.

- It gave me a fright. - It is shocking.

Die? Die? Die?

Die! Die! Die!

Die! Die! Die!

Do you know how creepy this is?

MATAICHIRO SUZAKU

But all I did was press a button.

It's because you pressed the zoom button!

Zoom?

It's like a scene from some old movie. You can't even do this?

Hatoyama! Hatoyama!

Yes.

What have you been teaching her? She can't even use the copier!

I mean, come on!

I'm truly sorry, Chief.

Takano…

Why don't we start by just picking all of these up?

Sure.

If I had to train her, I wouldn't last a second.

One meal A, here you are.

- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.

That was crazy.

It's embarrassing.

It's not embarrassing at all.

It is really weird.

No, no, no.

That's just the way it is.

Don't play with your food!

Can I sit here?

Sure, go ahead.

Thanks for this meal.

A steamed dumpling.

What about them?

- Can I have one of yours? - What?

It looks like you're not eating them.

So, I guess you don't want them?

Actually, I love them, so I was leaving them for last.

Go ahead.

Thanks.

I went for meal B, so it didn't come with dumplings.

You don't seem upset at all.

Upset? Why would I be?

Our chief got really mad at you.

When did he?

How was your sales meeting, Hiwada?

It didn't go well at all.

Kijitani told me I'm not cut out for it.

Oh, did he?

Working really is tough, isn't it?

I don't even know what the word consultant means.

You don't even know that?

I don't know what "it" means either.

It… it… Oh, you meant IT?

Yes, it's a difficult word.

Oh, if it isn't Hiwada and Takano.

Ah, it's Karasumori.

Who is Suzaku, the head of sales, good friends with?

Why do you ask?

I made a chart plotting relationships between people in the company.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE

SALES MATAICHIRO SUZAKU

Why did you decide to do this?

I'm in HR, so it's important for me to know stuff like this.

Come on. We joined

the company together, so you have to tell me!

Who is he friends with?

What I have heard is that Chief Suzaku used to be

close with Shigiishi, the head of development,

but things are frosty between them now.

FROSTY, FROSTY

- Shigiishi? - She used to work in sales, right?

Things were good between them back then.

When our chief gets mad, he really flips, so we in sales are quite afraid of him.

HATED

You guys know nothing.

Hey, Karasumori!

Oh, it's big sis Ukai!

Hey, not so close.

Could you stop calling me big sis?

But when we were out drinking before, you asked me

to call you that.

That's because we were drinking.

I hope you invite me out again.

- Yeah, let's go out again. See you. - Yes.

Karasumori, are you going for drinks with Ukai? I've never been invited.

Well, why can't you extend the invite?

Well…

Hiwada, I dunno how

you can sell anything when you're so bad at talking to people.

See you.

If I was like that, everything would be so easy.

SOUL FOOD WELCOME TO TOHACHI

- It's crazy, right? - It really is.

A highball.

Sweet potato shochu with water.

- Here you go. And here's your Ukai. - Thanks.

I really don't understand the newbies this year.

That's all you say of late.

You don't agree?

- It's always like this. - Can I take out the skewers?

I'll use the back of my chopsticks.

No, our chief got a terrible hand. That guy Karasumori from HR

would have been way better.

I don't think he's as kind as he looks.

- Really? - How is Hiwada doing?

You're training him up, right, Kijitani?

I told him today

that he is not cut out for sales.

That's not true.

No, he definitely isn't cut out for it.

He has such a forgettable face.

That's not true at all.

No, no, I'm right.

So, could you draw a picture of his face?

Of course, I can. You want a portrait sketch, right?

Yes, here you go.

Here are your edamame.

I wonder what happened.

I can't remember his face at all.

MY CAR WAS FINALLY DELIVERED TODAY

TEQUILA PARTY ON A PRIVATE BEACH

I MADE IT TO 34 SERVINGS OF NOODLES THIS MONTH

Everyone looks like they are having so much fun.

Did she manage to get something great?

No, she hasn't gotten anything.

Huh?

So, why is she taking so much time?

I have no idea, but I can't stop staring at her.

But…

Takano is the most inexplicable of all of them.

I guess you're right.

What did she do?

I mean, how can she not even make a copy?

I think she is acting that way on purpose.

I don't think so.

I will reveal her true nature at some point.

Would you like some help?

No, I'm fine.

Whoa!

I think she needed to go more this way.

Don't lose hope.

One more time.

You can still do it.

The battle is just beginning.

When I feel like I'm at a dead end, I make croquettes.

Frying croquettes feels like frying away

all of my frustrations and leaves me feeling refreshed.

I'M HAVING A GYOZA PARTY AT HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AGES. I'M SO EXCITED

Is this a man?

MOM

Hey. What do you want?

Michito, it's your mom.

I know.

Do you remember Kikuchi? He was in your class in elementary school.

You worked with the animals together.

Is Kikuchi

the guy from the stationary store who wears glasses?

He's getting married.

No way!

Yes, he is.

When are you getting married? You've been with Aiko for three years, right?

Well, about that…

Oh, you're kidding? I don't believe it.

Congratulations!

Oh my, when is the wedd--

She broke up with me last month!

Oh, okay, okay.

I understand.

But I think that

you should apologize just to calm the storm.

Huh? What? Excuse me?

I get it. I understand.

If you apologize, it will feel like a loss. You're right.

I want to hurry up and become head of the department.

Right? I'm asking why I'm not

this company's first ever female department head.

Do I need to be a strong man

like you?

What do you think?

- Hey, stop bothering them. - What are you doing?

Sorry. I'm really sorry.

- Let's drink quietly. Be quiet. - Okay.

- No way… - I'm gonna hurl.

You can't throw up here. Let's go outside.

Okay, that's settled.

I'll discuss the matter with them in detail tomorrow.

Wait. So, I don't have to do that? You'll do it yourself?

You just wanted me to listen to your complaints?

And you don't need advice?

Okay, okay.

Sorry, sorry. That was Shiratori…

Here is your bill, sir. It's 12,700 yen.

What?

Did they go home?

It's 12,700 yen.

Go get it!

Move!

Do you want to hold your spot at the machine?

Let's just go.

Excuse me.

You can have this if you want.

Thank you.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

I ate too many croquettes. They're sitting in my stomach.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Her morning routine makes her seem like a model employee.

PLEASE PAY US BACK THE MONEY IMMEDIATELY

YOUR BANK ACCOUNT HAS BEEN FROZEN

I'M YOUR REAL MOTHER. MY NAME IS MIHO NICE TO MEET YOU

All of those are spam e-mails.

Okay, let's get to it.

THE SHORT LEGGED MUNCHKINS PURIN & MEL

Now, she's watching videos.

PURIN & MEL RELAXING NEXT TO EACH OTHER

And what's more, she is doing it in full-screen mode.

Hey! Ugh…

What the hell? You're sleeping?

Mozuo, is Shigiishi here?

YUMI MOZUO

Oh, Ikaruga.

RYUSEI IKARUGA

Right, I understand.

I understand. I understand.

I understand. I understand.

I understand. I understand.

I understand.

Got it. Goodbye.

Shigiishi…

Did you get another complaint from the same client again?

If you say "I understand" in about seven different ways, you can get through it.

Shigiishi!

- Yes? - Can I speak with you for a moment?

Sure.

No, I'm fine, thank you.

Don't say that. Just take Takano from us.

Absolutely not. We can't use her in Development.

Please don't say that.

Isn't this your fault, Suzaku?

You recommended her at the interviews.

You said, "I can spot potential on sight."

This isn't my fault. It happened because

HR lost her written test.

If it comes to it, we'll have to fire her.

Did you hear what they were just saying?

Yes.

You don't care?

No,

because I need this company.

You just said you need it?

Yes, that's right.

So, I don't think about whether this company needs me or not.

Hey, Takano. Are you having fun doing this job?

You don't hate coming to work?

What about you, Hiwada?

Do you hate coming here?

I wouldn't say I hate it,

but it's a bit different than I'd imagined before joining the company.

What you had imagined?

I really like looking at data.

So, I thought that would be a good fit for a consultancy firm like this,

but I guess things don't work so simply in reality.

Why did you pick this company, Takano?

I don't really think it's the best fit for you.

It was a dream I had since childhood.

I wanted to wear a crisp suit, my high heels clacking

through the office-lined streets of Marunouchi,

and swipe my badge at my own company.

- That's all? - Yeah.

You gave it almost no thought at all.

Sorry.

But I guess I'm not so different.

Back at the interview…

You dropped this.

…I just wanted to work with someone cool like Takano,

and that's why I chose this company.

But that's not a good enough reason.

Hey, Takano.

I'm sure there is some job in this world that's the right fit for us.

The right job for us?

Yeah.

With consulting, you can't get by on thinking alone.

More than anything,

you need an air of competence or an aura.

Takano, why don't you go on a sales call with me?

Sales?

I think if we work together, I can get us a contract.

Sounds good. Let's do it.

You want to bring Takano on a sales call?

Yes. It's a company called Flag-Port,

which Kijitani and I visited previously, that is thinking

of implementing a new web-based car-sharing system.

But why Takano?

I need her skills on this one.

You need her? This is Takano we're talking about.

Yes, but…

Excuse us.

What the heck has gotten into you all of a sudden?

Well, Takano has never been out on a sales call before.

I thought she needed experience.

You don't need to look out for her just because you joined at the same time.

What do you think about it, Takano?

About selling, I mean.

Do you want to give it a try?

Yes, I would like to.

Oh, really. Then, let's get you out there!

But if Takano fails at selling, it might damage our company's reputation.

No need to worry.

I made some documents especially for Takano.

Our client on this assignment

is thinking about implementing a new web-based car-sharing system.

C-a-r sh-a-ri-ng? Web!

Well, you don't need to memorize it. I've prepared this document so that

if you just read it out loud, you should get through the conversation.

This is crazy. When Takano heard

me say foreign cars, she thought I meant cars you use to get outside the locality!

That was so long ag--

It was two days ago!

What cars can't travel outside the locality?

What do you mean?

If you mess up this assignment, Chief Suzaku will use it

as an excuse to fire Takano.

But if we keep going as we are and do nothing,

she might still be fired.

So, I think we'd have less regrets if we do what we can.

But still…

Thank you for your concern, everyone.

Please allow me to add something.

Have you heard of the worker ant law?

Worker ants?

In every ant colony,

20% of the ants do not work.

Even if you get rid of them,

20% of the remaining ants will stop working.

You need someone like me

so that you can all competently carry out your duties.

Don't you agree,

Chief Suzaku?

Let's get going, Hiwada.

Considering it came from Takano, that actually seemed to mean something.

So, Takano is not working for all of our benefit?

So, just like the hawk character in her name suggests, she hides her claws.

What did you make of that, Chief?

Well, I don't know, but when she stared at me,

it was terrifying.

Wait.

We just left the office in a blaze of glory, like something out of a drama,

but will we actually be okay?

I just got a pain in my stomach. Sorry. Wait a moment.

Hiwada?

My name is Takano.

Are you on your own?

Hiwada will arrive shortly. Here are some documents while you wait.

Thank you.

We don't have a lot of time, so can you summarize them briefly?

A summary?

Certainly.

Last time I came here with Kijitani…

I think we won't be back here.

…I remembered him saying that.

So, maybe there is no point in even trying.

TSUMEKO TAKANO I CAN'T READ THE CHARACTERS

TSUMEKO TAKANO HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE FUEL CONSUMPTION?

You can't pronounce consumption?

Ms. Takano,

where's that summary we asked for?

Please wait.

TSUMEKO TAKANO WHAT EVEN IS CAR SHARING?

No, it can't be. Don't tell me she went in alone.

It's going to be carnage.

I can't jump into the middle of that.

TSUMEKO TAKANO WE'RE WAITING ON YOU

I'm waiting on you.

I just remembered.

Let's both give it our all.

Back then, she said, "Let's both give it our all."

She is working hard in her own way.

Even though she's the least competent, she still shows up to work every day.

But all I do is say I'm not cut out for this

and that I want to quit. I don't actually do anything.

Sorry I'm late.

Oh, Mr. Hiwada.

Ms. Takano is very funny, isn't she?

She's really making us laugh.

What did you do?

I told them about a time recently when I spent many hours

standing in front of a UFO catcher.

She started speaking so seriously,

I thought it was related to work.

Right?

Mr. Hiwada will offer the explanation.

Thank you for meeting with us.

Oh, I thought you were in charge, Ms. Takano.

I was under the false impression

that you'd directly taken over from Mr. Kijitani.

I guess I was right.

I'm not good enough.

Of course not. You wouldn't want me in charge.

I am called talentless Takano at work.

There you go again.

Yes, another joke.

It's true.

But there is no need to fret.

Hiwada is far more impressive than me.

Please begin the explanation, Hiwada.

Could you please open the first page of the documents that I prepared?

This is a concise summary of your company's current web system.

Following an analysis of it, I realized that your current system

has two major weak points.

In the current system,

information on fuel consumption, reservations,

and a log of when something has been rented out…

I felt like the words flowed more easily than usual.

The second point is that on the smartphone app…

It's thanks to Takano.

Because she called me impressive and she looks competent herself,

their response to me changed.

You're using an app where you can't see how users are behaving

and how they're using the system,

so you can't analyze the data.

Maybe we can get through this.

In order to change this, you can implement our cloud-based system.

You can expand your operations.

Also, because it enables bi-directional communication with the smartphone app,

you can also improve usability.

It was just a brief explanation,

but that is our proposition.

We understand your position.

Can I ask one thing?

Of course.

Mr. Hiwada, do you have experience

implementing and operating this system?

Well…

I do not.

Oh right, is that so?

Understood.

So, I guess it won't work out after all.

I just remembered something.

It's about the UFO catcher I just told you about.

I was gifted this when I was finished.

I would like to give it to you.

BELIEF

Could it mean?

They are asking us to believe them?

I might not have any experience implementing the system,

but I am confident in my abilities to analyze data and solve problems.

If you put your trust in me,

I promise to deliver big results for you.

If my leadership becomes an issue, we'll change

the person in charge of your account.

We will send you documents with more details on today's presentation.

- Please give it some thought inter--- - No.

That won't be necessary.

We'd like to move to detailed discussions with a view to signing with you.

A c-contract?

Yes. We need to strike while the iron is hot.

I'm…

CEO - KANA MISAWA

…the CEO.

Apologies. I was out of business cards last time.

The C-CEO?

It's fine with you, right, Chief?

Yes.

Despite your lack of experience, you readily spotted the flaws in our system.

And that is very reassuring.

You got the contract? You must be joking!

Yes, we got it.

It seems they'll be ready to start implementation next month.

Really? Good job.

You did great!

Thank you very much.

Congratulations.

Tsumeko Takano, a mysterious new member of staff.

She gives off a supremely confident air, and I thought she was useless,

but maybe she's just putting it on and hiding

her true potential.

It really looked like the old dude was more senior.

I thought the same thing.

Well, you never know, so you can't presume.

You're right.

In any case, well done. You did great.

Thank you very much.

Now that I'm on a high, I'm gonna invite them for drinks.

K-Kijitani…

later on…

Yeah, what about it?

Well… I…

What?

Well…

Hey!

Hey, hey!

Who put these back in the copy machine?

It was me.

I didn't want them to go to waste, so please feel free to use them.

Who the hell would use these?

I was about to give them to a customer.

Takano!

What kind of reaction is that?

I am really, really sorry.

This is really bad.

When she does something, she really gives it her all.

I wasn't able to invite him for drinks.

You need to apologize. Apologize properly.

Just say you are sorry.

KOENJI - PURE HEART SHOPPING STREET

Why are you here, Takano?

You came to meet me?

My place is in Koenji.

- Huh? - This is where I live.

Oh… Oh really?

Wow,

I had no idea.

Here you are. Three draft beers.

Thank you. Here you go.

Hiwada wanted to go out drinking with Kijitani, right?

He seemed like he wanted to say something.

I thought so too.

But don't people his age hate drinking with work colleagues?

Well, you can't be sure.

Why don't you try messaging him to see?

That's a good idea.

Okay.

I don't know what to say.

Hiwada, do you know what?

What?

In workplace dramas, they always go drinking

after a big success. And it's always at the same place.

Yeah, that rings a bell.

I'd love to do that some time.

Me too.

But I don't know how to invite people to do it.

Hiwada, I'm drinking with Ukai and Hatoyama. Do you want to come?

Takano!

Kijitani is inviting me for drinks.

Sounds good.

This is the first time a senior colleague from work is inviting me for drinks.

I was happy, but for some reason, I didn't have the courage to go,

so I made up a dumb lie.

Sorry, but I'm in the bathroom,

and I've run out of paper, so I can't move.

Couldn't he do something better?

This is definitely a lie.

What a pathetic lie.

Sorry, but I blew him off.

I'm sure you'll join them one day.

You and me both.

As long as we don't quit.

No, there's no way I could fall for a woman

who can't pronounce the word consumption.

I can see one of your nose hairs.

I haven't said anything that sounds like an old love song.

There's nothing that happens in this company that I don't know about.

So, you should outsource it.

It's really fun.

It's damn… good.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Subtitle translation: Shane Forde