I read this week that Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu is based on the personal experiences of the mangaka. Vis a vis, an office romance where she married the man in question. That helps explain how authentic I find it (I never had one but was accused of it, as I noted earlier). But interestingly a lot of Japanese viewers are supposedly complaining that it’s not realistic. I’ve never worked in a Japanese corporate office so I can’t say, but it’s interesting to guess what might be putting them off. To be blunt I have no idea – maybe they think Japanese are more open about it? But that would certainly depend on the company, as some forbid any office romance outright.
If that’s not the case with Tsuda Corp., I really think Yui and Masugu ought to just spill the beans. But we’ll get to that in a bit. In the meantime, our survey course continues with a required stop on all services – Valentine’s Day. Once more this is finessed in pretty low-key and sober fashion. In the sweets business this is obviously the busy season, but most especially in Japan. Masugu is studying for his imminent certification test and Yui has her contest submission in addition to the seasonal overload, so the pair of them don’t see each other for a matter of weeks.
The B-plot isn’t ignored here, thankfully. And it finally intersects with the main one, as Masugu finds his usual study cafe closed. Inevitably his search for a sub lands him outside Somei and Hayakawa’s rendezvous (if that’s not the official name it should be at this point). Naturally Masugu is a bit stumped about this, especially as a clandestine office romancer himself. To the naked eye the pair seem to be having a very nice time indeed (that’s sure how it looks from here, too). He winds up hiding and taking the secret back with him to the office, where unfortunately he and Somei-kun wind up hiding out in the same place over lunch.
In point of fact if there’s anybody who should come clean here, it’s Masugu. He and Somei would then have the exact same secret on the other (who are we kidding, set the date), not that either of them are the type to rat the other out anyway. But he hesitates, until Somei – in very Somei fashion – brings it up himself (“me and Hayakawa-san talk a lot”). At that point Masugu admits the truth, and Somei’s uncharacteristic blush says more than any words. These are two couples at different stops, but they’re definitely traveling on the same line.
Meanwhile Yui gets drafted helping out with Darz retail sales at the department store by Kiribayashi-san. I don’t know how common that sort of thing is but damn, it’s quite an imposition. OTOH Yui does kind of owe Kiribayashi anyway, should be encouraged that he’s still interested in her after she (foolishly IMO) spurned his offer, and extracts a promise to get his (invaluable) help with her product submission. Still, it’s a ton of overtime (I’m guessing unpaid) and that much less chance for she and Masugu to talk, never mind canoodle. And to rub salt in the wound she has to watch couples all over each as they crowd the candy department.
Yui gets so pent up that she calls Masugu just to hear his voice. And then, hilariously, solicits him to engage in some phone sex with her. That would be wildly forward for me and I’m not even Japanese, so the result – both go on tilt and she hastily retreats – is eminently predictable. In the end Kiribayashi’s advice proves fruitful, Yui’s product arrives looking great, and after one final push of retail insanity that triggers my PTSD she and Masugu finally get together on the night of Valentine’s Day. Because she ran out on Kiribayashi before he could give her the chocolate he’d prepared as a thank-you gift she has nothing to give to Masugu, but I believe him when he says he doesn’t really care.
It’s nice to see the two of them together after a rough few weeks. But the interesting part is Masugu floating the idea of coming clean – telling the office what’s really going on. That was the key moment – not the transparently fake “just kidding!” which followed it. Make no mistake, this was a trial balloon – an all-ages version of Yui’s phone sex solicitation. It’s pretty obvious this is what they both want – dream of, even. If their company doesn’t forbid it it’s time to tell the world and bask in the glory of openly being a couple. I would guess that’s where we’re headed in the end, but neither of them are quite ready for that yet. Close, but not ready.
