The name translates to “regular day off” or other notions of a break from the manic pace of society, and this defines the charters involved, especially Hirohito the protagonist, who has essentially dropped out of the rat race to enjoy normal life to the dismay of all of those around him.

This soap opera told in sixteen-minute segments resembles more of a Hallmark Channel production than a daytime television version, all very innocent, and focused on only a few characters as they try to find a place in a modern life defined by boring corporate jobs.

Like much of postmodern literature, these narratives focus on a demented love triangle: job-purpose-pleasure. The pleasure is taking in the little things in life and enjoying existence itself, the job obscures purpose which is real work, and everyone is trying to find a balance despite jobs wanting dominance.

Similar to films such as Slacker and Repo Man or books like Whatever and The Pump-House Gang, this series shows us the drop-outs of life who are able to observe how broken modernity is, yet still need a place within it to be able to eat, live, and have families.

When presented simply, this seems to be the obvious, but the writers cover both good and bad with all of the options, showing not so much clarity as ambiguity, which reveals how the false simplicity of both jobs and dropping out has its limits.

Tags: hirayasumi, slacker culture