Tokumei Kakaricho Tadano Hitoshi
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese television drama, or drama
based on the popular manga
of the same name by Kimio Yanagisawa
. The title literally translates as Mission Section Chief Hitoshi Tadano. The manga is described as a "salaryman
and action manga." The television drama was aired on TV Asahi
in 2003.
) and Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi (11 volumes). They are published by Kadokawa Shoten
and Bunkasha, and were serialized in Weekly Gendai, a weekly manga magazine targeting salarymen.
Video Research group, the highest rating of any show in the "Friday Night Drama" slot. During the final episode of the first series, viewers were told that Tadano and Moriwaki were going to take a 15-month vacation traveling around to various onsen
across Japan. A special titled Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi Returns was aired on December 22, 2004, just over 15 months since the final episode of the first series.
On January 14, 2005, the second series began airing, running through March 18, 2005. According to the Kantō Area Video Research group, the series achieved a 16.0% rating with the episodes airing on February 11 and February 18. The final episode garnered a rating of over 20% in its timeslot, due largely to the main character, Tadano, collapsing during the episode due to being overworked. On August 7, 2005, the second special was aired, titled Nerawareta Serebu na Onna-tachi. The special garnered a 19.3%, the second highest rating ever for a drama, and making it the most popular drama aired between August 1 and August 7.
The third series began airing January 12, 2007.
While in the original manga Tadano is a "lone wolf", in the TV series he works in combination with Moriwaki, a character created for the TV series. Moriwaki has now made his appearance in the original manga.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television drama, or drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
based on the popular manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
of the same name by Kimio Yanagisawa
Kimio Yanagisawa
is a Japanese manga artist born on September 26, 1948 in Gosen-shi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. His real name is pronounced the same way, but is written as . He graduated from Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School two years prior to Yoshifumi Kondō...
. The title literally translates as Mission Section Chief Hitoshi Tadano. The manga is described as a "salaryman
Salaryman
refers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those working for corporations. Its frequent use by Japanese corporations, and its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance in English-speaking countries as a noun for a Japanese white-collar...
and action manga." The television drama was aired on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
in 2003.
Manga volumes
There are two series: Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi (9 volumes, or tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
) and Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi (11 volumes). They are published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
and Bunkasha, and were serialized in Weekly Gendai, a weekly manga magazine targeting salarymen.
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 1, ISBN 4821198525
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 2, ISBN 4821198533
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 3, ISBN 4821198568
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 4, ISBN 4821198584
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 5, ISBN 4821198649
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 6, ISBN 4821198746
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 7, ISBN 4821198754
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 8, ISBN 4821198835
- Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 9, ISBN 4821198843
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 1, ISBN 4821199521
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 2, ISBN 482119953X
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 3, ISBN 4821199742
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 4, ISBN 4821180065
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 5, ISBN 4821180758
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 6, ISBN 4821180995
- Shin Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi 7, ISBN 4821181126
TV drama
The first TV series broadcast on TV Asahi's "Friday Night Drama" slot from July 4, 2003 until September 19, 2003, and garnered an average rating of 12.0%, reaching a high point of 14.1% according to the Kantō AreaKanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
Video Research group, the highest rating of any show in the "Friday Night Drama" slot. During the final episode of the first series, viewers were told that Tadano and Moriwaki were going to take a 15-month vacation traveling around to various onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
across Japan. A special titled Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi Returns was aired on December 22, 2004, just over 15 months since the final episode of the first series.
On January 14, 2005, the second series began airing, running through March 18, 2005. According to the Kantō Area Video Research group, the series achieved a 16.0% rating with the episodes airing on February 11 and February 18. The final episode garnered a rating of over 20% in its timeslot, due largely to the main character, Tadano, collapsing during the episode due to being overworked. On August 7, 2005, the second special was aired, titled Nerawareta Serebu na Onna-tachi. The special garnered a 19.3%, the second highest rating ever for a drama, and making it the most popular drama aired between August 1 and August 7.
The third series began airing January 12, 2007.
While in the original manga Tadano is a "lone wolf", in the TV series he works in combination with Moriwaki, a character created for the TV series. Moriwaki has now made his appearance in the original manga.