Arts Magic, a DVD producer that specializes in Japanese films, has started to release its first anime series with this premier volume of Salaryman Kintaro. This series is a bit different than the usual anime fare that is released in the states and definitly worth checking out.

Yajima Kintaro was the leader of a motorcycle gang 10,000 strong, but he gave that up and moved away to settle down with his wife a couple of years ago. His wife died in childbirth though, and now Yajima and his infant son are moving back to the city. The ex-gang leader is hired by a large construction firm to work as a salaryman: a white collar office employee. Yajima approaches this job with the same gusto, and philosophy, that he used to run his gang: kick ass and take names. His straight forward and pragmatic method of dealing with problems, and his strong work ethic is foreign to this top heavy corporation, and he may just shake up the way business is done if they don't fire him first.

Kintaro makes quite an impression on his first day on the job. After saving a fellow co-worker (unbeknownst to either of them) from being beaten by a group of thugs, Kintaro ends up spending the night in jail. A friend on the police force gives him a ride to work in a patrol car, only to find around a hundred of his old motorcycle gang waiting at the office doors to wish him luck on his new job.

This doesn't go over well with his immediate boss who decides that they want Yajima to quit. So they have him sharpen pencils with a knife all day long. For a month. Kintaro doesn't complain though, since it's his job.

While he doesn't complain, he doesn't take crap from anyone either. When an executive arrives one morning, all of the employees get off the elevator so that the exec can ride alone. Everyone except Kintaro who points out that there is plenty of room, and no reason for everyone to leave. He gets dressed down for his behavior, but it doesn't seem to phase him.

In another episode, Kintaro and his co-workers get in a fight with some Yakuzza in a bar. They are able to take out the drunk mobsters, but the next day a large contingency of yakuzza show up at their office building and demands to see the president. The president refuses to appear, and after Kintaro settles things with the gangsters, he puts his foot on the president's desk and demands to know why he was hiding while the company was in trouble.

This action, of course, gets Kintaro fired, but not for long. Before he can even leave the room, the chairman of the board enters and lets it be known that he hired Kintaro personally, and that he'll be the only one to fire him. This makes the president even more irate and angry.

It's at this point that an overall plot for the series starts to develop. The chairman started the company and built it to a respectable size, but then they stagnated. He hired a new president, Oshima, seven years ago, and this man was able to make the firm grow by leaps and bounds. As the company expanded, the president brought in more and more executives that were loyal to him, and the chairman found his power waning. The president wants to try to take over the company and oust it's founder, but he doesn't quite have the stock votes to do it, but he will soon. Meanwhile the chairman can see what's going on, but it pretty helpless to stop it. So how does Kintaro fit into all of this?

Salaryman manga and anime are very popular in Japan, and consequently there are a good number of them. They haven't made it across the Pacific to America before this series, to the best of my knowledge, and this definitely has a different feel than most of the other anime that gets released. For one thing, this series is grounded in reality. None of the characters have abilities beyond a normal person, and even Kintaro isn't a super-human fighter, though he's good. If you think about it, very few anime series don't have some unrealistic aspects to them, even if it's someone who can make robots out of spare parts like in Love, Hina or Sister Princess. There isn't anything like that in this show, at least not in the first volume, and that gives this show a feel that is different from many other anime shows.

I've started to really like this show. The plot is interesting, and there is enough action and humor to keep things entertaining between plot developments. Kintaro's background, and that of the company he's working for are being revealed at a good pace, and that gives the show a good amount of depth. All around a solid show that has good potential.

Audio:

This show comes with the original Japanese in both stereo and DD 5.1. There is not an English dub included on this disc, though there are optional subtitles. The audio quality is average for this type of release. There aren't a lot of space battles or explosions that would really make use of the LFE channel in the 5.1 mix, but the dialog is reproduced well in both audio tracks. There isn't any hiss or other audio defects present.

The subtitles on the other hand do have a few problems. The translations are a little rough in a place or two and they used a lot of British terms too. Referring to drunk people as "pissed" for example. There are grammatical errors every now and then but this was fairly rare and it wasn't distracting.

Video:

The widescreen anamorphic image looks good. The lines are tight and the image is sharp. The colors look good as well. Digital defects are practically nonexistent. A solid looking disc.

Extras:

This disc also includes a six minute interview with director Tomohuro Katsumata. He talks about the state of anime today, and how he became a director of anime. There is also a short seven minute interview with the producer Turo Nakano who talks about how technology is changing anime.

Final Thoughts:

I was surprised, and a little dismayed to find that there wasn't an English dub. Though I almost always prefer the original soundtrack, I like the option of watching it in English, and I know many fans prefer not having to read subtitles. Aside from that this was a nice disc. The show has a good mixture of humor and action, with a plot that is grounded in reality. It will be interesting to see how this show develops. With a MSRP of $24.95, this is a pretty good deal too. Recommended.