You've probably seen the tropes a thousand times. A stressed-out creator hunches over a tablet, survives on energy drinks, and misses every deadline until a magical epiphany saves the day. It’s a classic setup. But Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. (translated roughly as Always a Smile in this Workplace or A Smileless Workplace) takes that familiar DNA and does something significantly weirder—and honestly, much more relatable. Created by Kuzushiro, this series isn't just about the "grind." It’s a comedy about the absurdity of professional anxiety.
Kuzushiro is a bit of a master at this. If you’ve read Living with my Brother's Wife or Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san, you know they don't do "generic." In Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu., we follow Nana Futami, a shojo manga artist who is basically a walking ball of nerves. She's talented, sure. But she’s also constantly spiraling into dark delusions about her editors hating her or her career ending because of a single misplaced line.
It’s funny. It’s painful. It’s too real.
The Reality of the Creative "Smile"
The title itself is a bit of a joke. Most people walking into a "smiling workplace" expect sunshine and rainbows. Instead, Nana’s world is populated by an editor who looks like a delinquent but is actually a sweetheart, and an assistant who is—to put it mildly—a total obsessive. The "smiles" here are often forced, nervous, or born out of the kind of hysterical laughter you only get when you’ve been awake for 20 hours straight.
What makes Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. stand out in a crowded field of "meta" manga is the specific focus on the female creative experience. It’s serialized in Kodansha’s Comic Days, and it captures a very specific vibe of modern Japanese office culture mixed with the chaos of the publishing industry. Nana isn't some super-genius. She’s a professional who loves her work but is also kind of terrified of it.
That’s the hook. We don't all draw manga. But we’ve all felt that "imposter syndrome" hitting us at 3:00 AM.
Why Nana Futami is the Procrastinator’s Icon
Nana is the heart of the series. Her character design is deceptively simple, but her expressions? They’re gold. Kuzushiro uses these sudden shifts in art style—moving from standard shojo aesthetics to gritty, shadowed realism—to show Nana’s internal panic.
She overthinks everything. If her editor, Hazama-san, doesn't text back within ten minutes, Nana assumes she’s being fired. If her assistant, Kaede, gives her a compliment, Nana assumes it’s out of pity. It’s a comedy of errors where the "errors" are just the characters' own brains betraying them.
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The relationship between Nana and Kaede Mizunami is where the series really finds its legs. Kaede isn't just an assistant; she’s a superfan. This creates a bizarre power dynamic. How do you manage someone who practically worships the ground you walk on, especially when you feel like a total fraud? It’s awkward. It’s endearing. It's basically the core of the book.
Breaking the "Bakuman" Mold
When people think of manga about manga, they think of Bakuman. They think of high-stakes shonen battles but with pens instead of swords. Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. is the antidote to that. It’s low-stakes in the best way. The "conflict" is often just trying to figure out how to draw a convincing kiss scene or how to talk to a coworker without sounding like a freak.
It’s a slice-of-life that actually feels like life.
The series also dives into the technical side of things without being a dry textbook. You see the transition from analog to digital. You see the struggle of social media presence. In the mid-2020s, a manga artist isn't just an artist; they're a brand. Nana struggles with this. She just wants to draw her stories, but the world demands "content."
The Supporting Cast: More Than Just Background Noise
Hazama, the editor, is a highlight. In many manga, the editor is either a villain or a saint. Hazama is just a guy doing his job. He’s got a rough exterior—scary eyes, blunt tone—but he genuinely cares about the work. His interactions with Nana are a masterclass in professional boundaries being tested by pure chaos.
Then there’s the broader ecosystem of the manga world. We see other artists who have their own sets of neuroses. Some are overly confident; others are even more broken than Nana. This variety keeps the story from feeling repetitive. Every volume introduces a new "flavor" of professional anxiety.
Why You Should Care About the 2025 Anime Adaptation
If you haven't heard, Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. is getting a TV anime adaptation, scheduled for 2025. This is a big deal. Why? Because comedies like this live or die on timing and voice acting.
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The studio behind it needs to nail the "internal monologue" aspect. Most of the funny stuff happens inside Nana’s head. If they get the pacing right, this could be the next Watamote or Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun. It has that same energy—taking a niche subculture and making it feel universal through the lens of social awkwardness.
For fans of the manga, the anime is a chance to see the "delusion" sequences fully animated. These are the parts where Nana imagines herself in a tragic Victorian drama or a gritty noir film because she made a minor mistake. Those visual gags are built for animation.
Semantic Layers: The "Smiling" Irony
The word egao (smile) is used almost sarcastically throughout the series. It’s a commentary on the "service smile" expected in Japanese society. Even in a creative field, there’s this pressure to remain upbeat and professional. The manga peels that back. It shows the messy, tearful, angry, and exhausted faces behind the "smiling" facade of a successful creator.
It’s a critique of the "ganbare" (do your best) culture. Sometimes, doing your best is exhausting. Sometimes, your best is just barely showing up. Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. says that’s okay.
How to Read (and What to Expect)
If you’re looking to jump into the series, keep a few things in mind. First, it’s a slow burn. The "plot" isn't about winning a competition or becoming the #1 artist in Japan. It’s about the day-to-day survival of a creative soul.
- Volume 1-3: Focuses heavily on the introduction of Kaede and the establishing of the studio dynamic.
- Volume 4-6: Dives deeper into Nana’s past and her specific hang-ups regarding her debut.
- Later Chapters: Expand the world to include more industry professionals and the creeping dread of the digital age.
The art by Kuzushiro is clean but expressive. It doesn't distract from the dialogue, which is the real star here. The banter is fast-paced. It feels like real conversations you'd hear in a breakroom, assuming that breakroom is full of people who are slightly obsessed with shojo tropes.
Is It Grounded in Reality?
Mostly, yes. While the reactions are exaggerated for comedy, the pressures are real. The "Gensaku" (original work) vs. "Sakuga" (art) debate pops up. The fear of being "canceled" or just becoming irrelevant is a recurring theme. It reflects the 2020s manga industry quite accurately—a place that is more accessible than ever but also more demanding.
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One minor gripe some readers have is that Nana can be too relatable. If you’re currently struggling with work anxiety, seeing Nana spiral might hit a little too close to home. But for most, it’s cathartic. It’s the "it’s funny because it’s true" effect.
Practical Steps for Fans of the Genre
If you enjoy Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu., you’re likely a fan of "workplace comedies" or "meta-manga." To get the most out of this series and the genre, here is what you should do next:
Check out Kuzushiro’s other works. Seriously. To understand the DNA of this manga, you need to see how the author handles relationships in Living with my Brother's Wife. It’s more serious, but it shows that same knack for internal emotional states. It gives you perspective on why Nana is written the way she is.
Follow the official Comic Days Twitter/X account. Since the anime is coming in 2025, that’s where the latest character designs and trailers will drop first. They often post "behind the scenes" sketches that mirror the themes of the manga.
Look into the "Shonen/Seinen" Divide. Even though Nana draws shojo manga, the series itself is published in a seinen magazine. This is a crucial distinction. It means the target audience is adults who understand the workplace grind, not just teenagers looking for romance. Recognizing this helps you appreciate the more cynical, dry humor that defines the series.
Support the Official Release. Whether it’s via Kodansha’s digital platforms or physical volumes, this is a niche title that thrives on a dedicated fanbase. If you want more "adult-oriented" workplace comedies to be translated, these are the titles that need the numbers.
Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. isn't just a story about drawing pictures. It's a survival guide for the modern professional who feels like they're faking it every single day. It tells us that even if we aren't always smiling, as long as we keep moving, we're doing alright. Keep an eye out for the anime in 2025—it’s going to be a wild, anxious ride.