By Shanel Kamara

Okay, so the artwork is not what drew me in at first, what did it for me was the novel and compelling storyline. There have been several types of anime under various genres, such as  slice of life, comedy, shonen, etc. that have mainly dealt with professions including the police, detective agencies, espionage, manga and anime production, but never till now has there been one about publishing or more specifically about the editing and publishing of dictionaries. To be honest, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of editing is the editing of news, magazines, books, films, and shows. I have never once considered the intricate procedure involved in editing dictionaries.

The fact that the characters seem so real and relatable piqued my interest further. In the pilot episode, we see the majority of the young employees at Genbu Publishing attempt to avoid Araki, a veteran editor at the dictionary department looking to retire after finding a successor. Seeing Araki search ardently for a candidate evoked a deep sense of loyalty in me towards the dictionary department.

Mitsuya Majime is a mild mannered, humble, and respectful young man. He is insightful and perceptive, and blatantly suited to the role of dictionary editor. His inability to express and assert himself fully is heart wrenching yet endearing; you cannot help but want to support him. Masashi Nishioka is his polar opposite, having no problems expressing himself frankly especially his doubts regarding the recruitment of Mitsuya to create a new dictionary.

Score: 5/5

Fune wo Amu E.01