I'm a bit late for this one, with yesterday being Labor Day. I was thinking about working class anime. I did not come up with much.
What I am looking for is an anime where the job is a major part of the story line or at least a recurrent theme. For example, take Hell Girl: Three Vessels. As I recall, in episode 1, we see Wanyudou working on a road crew. Doesn't count. It is not part of the main story and it only happens once. In Figure 17, the father works in a bakery. Again, doesn't count as it has nothing to do with the main story or theme.
Also there is the type of job. It has to be either blue collar, or a lower level office job. A clerk is OK. A lawyer is not. A janitor is OK. A doctor is not. Let's say its the type of job which either is often unionized, or low pay, or goes nowhere. No executives. Just plain old working stiffs.
I could not come up with many. Only two and maybe a third come to mind.
Aggretsuko. This is sort of a dumb, but fun anime which satirizes the modern work place, while raising some good issues. Retsuko is a cute, little panda bear, who represents the working woman. She is a lower level accountant in a job which leads nowhere. She has a sexist boss, annoying co-workers, and a non-existent love life. She releases her frustrations by singing death metal at a karaoke club. It's an odd look at the lower level office worker.
The Devil is a Part-Timer. Satan takes refuge in modern Tokyo. To support himself and his demons, he finds work at a fast food restaurant, making new friends and advancing to assistant-manager. OK, I didn't say they had to be serious anime. Occasionally, he relies on his old powers to protect his friends, but mostly he and his demons are becoming very human.
Nana. Put a question mark by this one. Nana leaves home to strike out on her own as a working girl in the big city. As I remember, she does take on various low paying jobs to support herself. But the focus of the series is on her relationship with her roommate, also named Nana, who wants to become a famous rock singer. Naw, forget this one. Nana's jobs are not really the focus, but minor plot devices.
You have any? Tell us something about them.
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