Haken no Hinkaku (Haken's Dignity / The Pride of the Temp)

In Japan there are apparently two kinds of workers that allow offices to function smoothly. There are the full-timers, the salary-men Japan is so well-known for, and there are the temp workers, called haken in Japanese. As one would expect, temp workers are not regarded with as much  respect as full-time workers, and this show plays with that dynamic.

There are two main characters in the show. One is the narrator, Mori Miyuki. She is just entering the haken profession and isn't that good at it. She has no skills, no friends, and no confidence. This show is partly about her personal growth. The second main character is named Oomae Haruko, and she is a class A haken, which means she is extremely good at what she does and is very qualified. We never hear her perspective or thoughts as the show progresses, but see her only as an outsider would.

These two enter into a 3- month contract at the same time with a company. Mori is shy, nervous, and extremely willing to please, which is closer to what full-timers would want or expect from a haken. Oomae on the other hand is the extreme opposite. She refuses to work overtime (a big deal in Japan)  and refuses to extend her contract. She only responds respectfully to her boss, either ignoring everyone else or curtly telling them to get back to work, or to do their jobs better. All of this is put up with however because she is the best at what she does. The two haken are put into the newly formed marketing department with a very good-hearted, well-meaning manager. The manager's friend however, in the sales department, seems really upset with Oomae's attitude. He goes out of his way to prove that full-timers are better than haken, and that he is better than her. He obviously ends up having a crush on her.

Each episode discusses some of the injustices haken's face... it's not an overtly political show by any means, but the premise is based on injustice. In every episode there is also some huge catastrophe that can't be solved by anyone in the company, and Oomae always comes to the rescue with her many random qualifications, like midwifery, or elevator technician. As the show progresses we discover that Oomae is the way she is because of a past event in her life, and she only treats full-timers with such perceived disrespect because they disrespect hakens, even though hakens do the work full-timers are unable to or don't finish.

When I was watching the show, I didn't really think Oomae's attitude was so very bad. Japanese society is really concerned with group activities and togetherness, for example when work is done, sometimes all of the employees of a department will go out for drinks to strengthen their bond, or if one person has a problem, everyone on the team will try ease the burden.. because as a group it's everyone's concern.  Oomae's attitude was more North American in that she was only concerned with working exactly the amount of hours she was getting paid for. She also didn't want to see her peers outside of the office and was mercilessly disinterested in her fellow employee's troubles. She of course always ended up playing an important role in ending their troubles as well. In the end, everyone is affected by Oomae and she changes many people's lives, especially Mori's. Oomae also changes a bit, but the change isn't as apparent as it is in the other characters.

Japan's a pretty hierarchical society and it's interesting to see how this plays out in a professional setting. The show is only 10 episodes long and is worth the watch.

You can watch the first episode here. The first minute is just explaining the haken situation, and then we meet Oomae for the first time backpacking in Spain. If you want to skip right to the show's 'intro' it's at 10:18.