Poverty and Working Life

[Genstone]

This time around I'm looking for 2 specific kinds of anime:
1) That with characters dealing with poverty. (Such as Binbou Shimai Monogatari)
2) That with characters dealing with working life. (Such as Hataraki Man)

I wish to see these kinds of shows that are as close to reality as possible.
For example, the 2 main leads in Binbou Shimai Monogatari are a bit too lucky to have so many good-hearted people support them it's hardly believable.

As usual, my absolutely-no-tsundere rule still applies.

Thank you very much.

[RandySyler]

Grave of the Fireflies?

[Haak]

I would definitely have to recommend Ojii-san no Lamp. It's a one episode special about a guy struggling with his failing business.

Hanasaku Iroha is also about a working life in a hot spring inn.(but there is a character that's close to a tsundere).

Planetes is about working life for an astronaut.

Poverty isn't the primary focus but does feature in Rainbow.

[Stealther]

Les Miserables: Shoujo Cosette deals with poverty a lot. Also a fair bit of working, but in 19th century.

[Shingai-san]

Whisper of the Heart possibly? Not really poverty, but it seems to depict the real world and the financial situations of most people better than the average anime or film.

Like Haak mentioned Planetes is a really good example. It focuses on the working conditions of space salvagers/cleaners. Also one of the subplots of the anime focuses on the have-nots of the world. Because certain countries lack the means to travel into space or to capitalize upon the advancements they are left behind, and face extreme poverty due to these circumstances.

Hana Yori Dango's main plot focus is how a poor girl can adapt to a life surrounded by more fortunate peers. Shoujo.

As for working life.

Yume De Aetara would work. It's one of my favorite mangas. It's a seinen romance about a salaryman and the things he has to do to win a womans love. The main female is kinda tsun but not really.

Hmmm maybe Bakuman to a lesser extent.

Working life is rarely ever even portrayed in anime/manga and if it is it's really fake and kiddish.

[SeijiSensei]

Here are a couple of shows where working life is a theme, though not necessarily so central as it is in Hataraki Man.

Usagi Drop portrays the balancing act faced by a salaryman who becomes the caretaker of a six-year-old girl. It isn't only about working life, but that plays an important role.

Ristorante Paradiso is set in an restaurant in Rome where all the waiters are middle-aged and wear rimless glasses. The protagonist is a young Japanese woman who comes to Italy seeking the mother who abandoned her. She goes to work at the Paradiso and learns about the culinary arts and herself. The manga-ka, Ono Natsume, also penned House of Five Leaves. You could call this a workplace show though the work involves criminal activity.

Hanamaru Kindergarten focuses a reasonable amount of attention on the interactions among the teachers; in that sense it's a workplace anime.

Work issues plague some of the characters who seek solace at Bar Eden Hall in Bartender. However the management of the bar itself isn't really a focus.

[Genstone]

Thanks to all of you!
I'll look into them one-by-one, though some I've already come across.

The "Recommendation" page of MAL can only show so much, after someone recommended something. Not every time all related shows happen to be recommended by people. That's why I'm here.

When I'm trying to decide whether or not to pick up a show, I'll look for spoilers.
Yes, I LOVE SPOILERS!!!

If any of you know where I can most conveniently find spoilers to anime, please let me know. So far I usually go to Wikipedia for that.

By the way, if there are more shows depicting poverty and working life, please keep them coming.
I also like shows that reveal the life of seiyuus, such as Koe de Oshigoto and Love Get Chu.

Thanks.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Genstone

I also like shows that reveal the life of seiyuus, such as Koe de Oshigoto and Love Get Chu.

If you've not seen REC, you should. It's short enough that you can watch the show in an evening.

[Genstone]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

If you've not seen REC, you should. It's short enough that you can watch the show in an evening.

Yeah I know about REC. But these are about the only ones regarding seiyuus. I'm hoping to find more of those I never know existed.

[Sackett]

I'll second Bunny Drop.

You might be interested in Maison Ikkoku which has a lot about poverty in it and is a surprisingly accurate depiction of Japan in the 80s.

Maison Ikkoku is a romantic comedy about Godai and his struggles with getting into college, finding a job after graduation, and his love life. Godai is the second son of a family that runs a restaurant out in one of the smaller cites. He's moved to the big city to attend college, but he is very poor and doesn't have many prospects. There are other characters in various financial situations, all the way from the poor (a family of three living in a single dorm room), to the middle class, to the wealthy.

You might also be interested in the manga Living Game

[Niji]

Michiko to Hatchin has some depictions of poverty. The whole setting is more in a criminal, than a work surrounding.

Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi has parts, where poverty is a central topic. The show in general is about different things though (hunting youi)

It is a long time I have seen Nitaboh, but I think poverty plays a role there. Beautiful movie anyway though.

In Erin, one person is kinda sold due to poverty, which is retold a couple times. General atmosphere of the anime is not poor though.

House of Five Leaves has an unemployed rounin, who is hanging around poverty line between jobs.

[Autumn Demon]

Ristorante Paradiso - girl working at a restaurant in Italy

And if you're interested in the seiyuu life you might enjoy Skip Beat! which is about a girl trying to become an idol.

[Last Sinner]

Working Life:

Bartender - literally about a bartender and the different adults he serves with a lot of mature-themed scenarios
Hataraki Man - about a woman who works as an editor and her life revolves around her work and not much else
PlanetES - about people who work in space, has a very personal, in-depth look at them and how they move on
You're Under Arrest - Cop show in a somewhat humourous way, but in-depth on the work level

Poverty - Only thing I can think that matches that is Grave of the Fireflies, which has already been suggested.

[AnimeFangirl]

It never got an anime adaptation, but if you don't mind manga or j-drama, Yamada Tarou Monogatari is about extreme poverty. Yamada also does a number of part-time jobs to keep his family going, but it's not really "working life" per se.

EDIT: It's not very realistic though.

[MisaoFan]

I recommend you Working!. It's about a group of people who works in a family restaurant.