Shomuni

TV SERIES 1998 4 SEASONS

Overview

Shomuni, that's the common name given to General Affairs Section 2 of a trading company. Here are six women who have ended up in this department known as "the dump" for office ladies. But Chinatsu Tsuboi (Makiko Esumi) declares that the value of woman is equal to the number of men. With her as the central focus they create a totally new type of office lady drama that does away with those heartless men still caught up in worn-out social ideas and the class system within the company.

This production, originally released in 1998, has captivated audiences with its unique storytelling. As a Scripted series, it brings a fresh perspective to the Comedy, Drama genre, maintaining a strong viewer rating of 6.8 across its 4 seasons.

Storyline Highlights:
• Explores themes within Comedy and Drama.
• Produced in Japan.
• Original Language: Japanese.

Starring Cast

Makiko Esumi

Chinatsu Tsuboi

Tsubasa Honda

Maruyama Shiori

Becky

Madoka Minami

Sakura Ando

Reiko Abe

Kanna Mori

Kojima Misuzu

Keiko Horiuchi

Masuyo Fukuda

Rika Izumi

Akane Mita（三田茜）

Seasons

Specials

3 Episodes • Aired 1998-10-07

Three TV movies/specials: Shomuni Special 1 (aired on October 7, 1998), Shomuni Special 2 (aired on January 2, 2000), and Shomuni Forever (aired on January 1, 2003), round off the drama series. In the end, each individual leave GA-2 2 months apart from one another. Tsukahara is last.

Season 1

12 Episodes • Aired 1998-04-15

The stories revolve around the Office Ladies of General Affairs department 2 (Shomu ni, or GA-2) in a large multinational company called Manpan Corporation. GA-2 is called "the graveyard for female office ladies" simply because it is the place where female employees are dumped should they mess up big time elsewhere. Jobs include replacing used toilet rolls, changing light bulbs, and organizing company outings, among other menial stuff. As an added incentive, their department is located in the nether regions of the company - in the basement and is, in fact, a disused storeroom. ~~ Adapted from the manga series by Yasuda Gumi.

Season 2

12 Episodes • Aired 2000-04-12

It continues where it left off when the female employees from GA-2, deemed "the graveyard of all female employees" for its inane daily job routines of changing light bulbs, using toilet rolls and organising flower appreciation nights, saved the company in the final episode of Shomuni. However, Manpan Corporation has changed. The multinational company is now run in a totalitarian fashion. Closed circuit cameras are placed in every nook and cranny of the company to monitor the daily routines of employees. Even the basins in the toilets are not spared (though, obviously, the cubicles are) from scrutiny. This is a result of the Personnel Department, led by the evil Terasaki and Nonomura, who are (again) seeking to find a reason to save up on the company budget. ~~ Adapted from the manga series by Yasuda Gumi.

Season 3

12 Episodes • Aired 2002-07-03

Tsuboi Chinatsu, the most hated GA-2 by the Personnel Department, has resigned from Manpan Corporation. During the wedding reception, she asks four of the five female GA-2 employees (all of them except Tsukahara Sawako) whether they wished to have a little bet on whether Tsukahara Sawako would lose her virginity by the end of the month (30th of June). At the same time, Sawako is made the new "de facto" leader of GA-2, and she struggles to fill the boots left behind by Chinatsu. ~~ Adapted from the manga series by Yasuda Gumi.

Season 4

10 Episodes • Aired 2013-07-10

Shomuni 2013 sees a total change in the members of Shomuni, except Esumi Makiko (Tsuboi Chinatsu). It has been 10 years since Shomuni was dissolved in Manpan Corporation, and the members have all gone on into retirement. Tsuboi Chinatsu's whereabouts are unknown. Maruyama Shiori is an Olympic gold-medal hopeful and was recruited as part of their PR advertising. Due to cost-cutting measures, the sports club in Manpan was dissolved, and Shiori was deemed to have no value now. To make Shiori leave, the company started tweeting bad things about her. Poor Shiori is now an outcast, and no one totally dares to be seen with her. Except for the team of OL, made up of Minami Madoka, Abe Reiko, Kojima Masuko and Fukuda Masuyo, appears before her one by one. One day, Shiori comes across a lady who seems to be running away from someone. The lady is the legendary Tsuboi Chinatsu! Has Chinatsu rejoined the company again? What is the objective of the company and also Chinatsu?