Egao no Taenai Shokuba desu. • A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace - Episode 13 discussion

[Yes,](https://i.imgur.com/J5VNUwI.jpeg) [it basically is.](https://i.imgur.com/qrlrEMI.jpeg)

Everyone heard this was the finale, so they showed up. What is this? Some sort of *Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace?*

I spit out my morning coffee laughing at Futami's expense when her family mortified her with the shogi manga calligraphy. But I do like how supportive her family is! (as Sato points out)

>"Are you two getting married?"

Thanks for making me spit my coffee out again.

But now, Futami's apartment feels like a proper workplace. Yuri harem moment, anyone?

I know I've probably said this before but Sato and Futami should just kiss.

Wanting to introduce yourself to someone's parents? *Sure, what a totally normal thing for an editor to do. Totally.*

Futami's family bringing up her embarrassing moments in front of Sato looks like something family members would do when introduced to your girlfriend for the first time, lol.

*I don't know if I'm looking at them too much with yuri-tinted glasses or not.*

This has been a really fun ride. Really wholesome till the end. It made my shitty Mondays a little better. I'm gonna miss Futami and co.

Man I love this show so much. My favorite this season. Genuinely loved each member of the main cast. Really would love an S2

This was a pretty nice finale to a fun little series. Futami’s moving on up in the world and it seems her and Sato might be getting hitched in the future lol. I mean Sato already met her family after all. Speaking of her family, they were awesome. They’re so supportive and it was cute to hear about how Futami’s siblings influenced her to create a shogi manga.

Not sure if this is gonna get an s2 or if it’s a one and done, but I wouldn’t mind more goofy hijinks with Futami and the girls.

Sato's straight up meeting the parents. Have to admire her proactiveness!

Futami's blessed to have such a loving and supportive family. We have the family tattling out your embarrassing past routine, and even her sister-in-law's joined on the ganging up. They all thought what we the audience have been thinking – that Sato's there to seek their blessing. If there’s a season 2, hope we’ll have the wedding arc. *Pretty please!*

I love this comfy show with the overthinking heroine, the assistant that’s there to keep her in line, and the editor ~~and future wife~~. Am quite gutted that it’s now all over.

I already miss my dorks. Second season when?

My comfort show of this season has come to an end. Really wish this gets a S2 announcement soon.

This show has been AOTS for me, [so I was both looking forward to and dreading the season finale](https://i.imgur.com/nCP9cRQ.jpeg).

Since this was the finale, the first 1/3 took the responsibility of doing as much yuri-coded justice to the Futami-Satou shipping as possible. But it also painted an idyllic picture of a supportive family behind Futami. I hope Kuzushiro (the author) got to experience at least some of this when they were starting out.

Last thought: they never explained what was up with [that shogi champion appearing everywhere in ep 11](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1pn6tme/egao_no_taenai_shokuba_desu_a_mangakas_weirdly/nu5yljl/)?!

Damn, I'm sad that it's over because it was one of my favorite shows this season, and a total surprise, since I wasn't planning on watching it at all!

The show had a great and likable cast like [Futami](https://imgchest.com/p/xny8685p54b), [Sato](https://imgchest.com/p/9249k5pxmyn), [Ha-san](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/5903fc96b0b9.png), [Nashida](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/44228bb0a548.png), and [others](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyelog3q4d), whom I'll miss dearly, and I also loved that it showed a bit of what it's like to create and publish manga.

Overall, if I had to describe the show in one sentence, I'd say that it was a combination of *Bocchi the Rock!* (because of [Futami's character](https://imgchest.com/p/xny8685p54b) and [reactions](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/f03e62a8103a.png)) and *Oshi no Ko* (because it showed the behind-the-scenes of the manga industry). I'm giving it a very strong 9/10 from me, and I hope we get a continuation someday.

And about [today's final episode](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2om8z94l)... [Futami finally introduced her girlfriend... I mean, editor Sato](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2omaw94l), to [her family](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/05119901d174.png), though not willingly, as [it was Sato's decision](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/688a87b92ff1.png) xD I'm really glad [Futami's family](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/f6d16dc85a78.png) is so supportive.

So Futami became a judge in the manga contest, even though she doesn't have time for that. [Nashida laughing at her](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/25bf454cef09.png) and immediately [getting a new job with a deadline](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/bfeb338fe7ce.png) was hilarious. Karma is a bitch, doesn't it? But [Nashida certainly deserved that](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/f40e7dcec224.png) xD

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

* [Futami & Sato (Group scenes)](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2omaw94l)
* [Futami](https://imgchest.com/p/xny8685p54b)
* [Sato](https://imgchest.com/p/9249k5pxmyn)
* [Group scenes](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2om8z94l)
* [Others](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyelog3q4d)

*EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.*

Sato is really fishy. The way she suggested to Futami about meeting her parents came out of nowhere and her reasoning didn't make sense lol..
That late reaction from Futami to that was gold.

Futami has one big happy family and now she has built herself one such family at her workplace as well. She made a manga on Shogi 'cause of her brother teaching her Shogi and her sister invoke the interest in reading manga.That was sweet. Even the whole family knows that Sato was basically asking Futami's hand in marriage lmao and the whole family approves.
Futami was embarassed so much upon their family revealing way too much about her to Sato, haha.
I wish Futami brings everybody like Nashida, Hazama, Touko to meet her family the next time.

Futami was right to suspect the meeting with the editor in chief.. after all when you get invited to a big restaurant with fancy food, it really makes you feel that you're gonna get fired after one last great meal lol..
But it turned out to be a happier news. Futami really brought a positive change to her publishing company by attracting different kinds of manga submissions apart from Romance.

It felt like this anime was a sleeper hit of this season to me. I'm gonna miss this feel good anime so much. It made my Mondays special right from the start till the end.

I got interested in Kuzushiro sensei's works and I would try reading the manga but I wish we get a season 2 sometime in the future.

Lmao ok this show knows what it’s doing. Sato is basically asking for the blessing from Futami’s family for her hand in marriage there.

But it’s just really heartwarming seeing Futami’s family. They all are really supportive of her. And for some reason I couldn’t picture her as the youngest sibling before but I can see it now.

Pretty neat too knowing To Subaru is influencing the magazine’s landscape. I have watched and read shoujosei before but in no way am I considering myself an expert so I wouldn’t really know what the scene is like irl. But it’ll be interesting to get some battle shoujo or some other genres instead of romance. Chihayafuru is a great example and honestly I think could be To Subaru’s irl counterpart, would love if there more titles like that

It was also really warm and happy at the end there with how everyone decided to drop by. It has truly become a mangaka’s weirdly wonderful workplace

Just like Hibimeshi, this show leaves me with a big hole in my heart. This is the type of slice of life I live for, where the interactions between the characters are at the heart of it. If people who enjoy battle shounen for the fights, I watch these types of shows for conversations and shenanigans between these characters. This show is a 8-9/10 for me and I’m gonna miss it. Definitely my AOTS, no competition.

Also found out the mangaka for this show has some other titles and some of the characters appeared in this show, like the HOH girl. Hope those titles get an adaptation too. If it’s anything like Egatae, I’d surely watch it. Maybe, I’d even just read the manga if I find the time and headspace

Meeting the parents and telling her family she'll take care of Futami and support her fully...isn't this just like they're getting married? -- Was what I was thinking and then her family came straight out and said just that lol

Sweet end to a lovely show. Surprise hit of the season. Loved the all-female cast and the women-centric story. If this counts as CGDCT, sign me up for more!

I'm a little disappointed, it would've been perfectly fine if it wasn't the last episode but I expected a little more.

The first part with meeting the family was great but the judge subplot didn't bring too much to the table.

S2 would be amazing but I don't have my hopes up.

This was honestly my favorite show of the season. Absolute warcrime it took until the last episode for it to get above the 6 score range on MAL.

I really enjoyed the anime; to be honest, it exceeded my expectations. I thought I'd like it, but I never imagined I'd like it this much. It was one of the anime I enjoyed most this season, honestly. I really liked all the characters except the annoying editor. Futami, as the protagonist, is great; I love how hard she works creating her shogi manga, which are always really good, to be honest. Sato is also very good; I liked her a lot. Nashida is good; I really liked her character. Hazama is probably my favorite character in the anime; I really like her conflict—she wants to draw and do things, but she doesn't want to be a professional mangaka. To be honest, I see her as a future editor. Nekonote seemed very sweet to me; I really liked her character. I also really liked the realistic perspective this anime sometimes takes, showing how difficult and complicated the life and work of a professional mangaka can be, especially for one who is just starting out in the industry. The Yuri aspect is also great; I already have several pairings I'd love to see return in the future. Overall, I ended up liking it much more than I expected. It's not in my top 10 anime of the year, but it's around 11th or 12th place, about 9.5/10.

This was consistently very fun to me, and again, I absolutly love the different looks at the industry sides because of it.

I also really appreciated what was mentioned regarding breaking the mold of a magazine or a collection of works despite what the majority of its readers might gravitate towards (like Natsume Yuujinchou for instance for a shoujo manga that feels different than the expected).

Really hoping for more works like this, I want to see even more aspects regarding manga or anime. More than I already watched of course!

And so my AOTS sadly comes to an end. That makes one more manga added to my plan-to-read pile.

Sato wanting to see Futami's parents for approval was adorable. Those dorks are really made for one another. The final scene was cheese as fuck but I don't mind one bit. It definitely is a nice summary for the show as a whole.

And so into the finale.

What now?

Why...

Lol so she's going to meet her parents.

Haaaah?!

Damn the whole village is there.

So, that's why she wrote a shogi manga.

That's surprisingly open-minded of them.

And so back to work.

So, time to go meet the EiC.

Hmm... I see tomato omelette, tofu, and spring rolls, among other foods?

Oh there's bao too.

So, what does she have to say?

Well damn good for her.

Oh, she's the judge for a manga award?

All of that on top of all the work they're already behind...

And now she's got work to do too.

“动手不动口” as they say.

And so everyone is here.

And so she's going to work here too.

Overall, a cute and funny show about making a manga. 7/10.

Just get married already, Futami and Sato!

Overall a fun little workplace SOL with plenty of heart and insights into the manga industry. I'll miss Futami and her freak outs. Looking forward to the anime adaptation for the author's other work "The Moon on a Rainy Night".

This was a great show.

Sato really looked out for Futami throughout.

Nice to see everyone together at the end as well.

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And with this finale my fall 2025 season is finished. This was a good one to end on, since the finale had all the series' strengths fully displayed. I think I'm going to miss this cast. Favorite bits were probably the whole hilariously cringy family meeting and the moment of instant karma for chronic scene stealer Nashida.

When I began watching this I wasn't sure I'd continue for long as the first episode was too frantic and the comedy felt a bit desperate to please, but already by the next few episodes things calmed down and got more focused. Every character that was introduced was a positive contribution to the cast and there were some quieter and calmer look backs to the career difficulties of the ladies, particularly Ha-san.

A bit of an abrupt end with no big moment, but I suppose that is probably how the source material goes. A solid 7/10 show for me. Let's hope we get a second season, though I won't hold my breath.

I've said it in the previous discussion thread but this show just doesn't miss. True to its name, I couldn't help but smile in each and every episode. AOTS.

I haven't finished this yet because I love it and watching it bit by bit, but I just wanted to announce to the world that, THIS IS \*MY\* KIND OF SLOP AND \*I WILL\* GOBBLE IT UP

This was a really welcome surprise of the season for me. Gave it a chance despite not really liking Zatsu Tabi that on paper should have a similar dynamic/struggle at the core of the synopsis and I am really glad I did. It felt different, much more fun and engaging. Don't know whether I liked it enough to pick up the manga, I am deciding though, not gonna lie. Would watch season 2 in a heartbeat though, love all of their dynamics enough for that, that's for sure

Kuzushiro is definitely giving her yuri fans what they want. Though it was also nice to learn a bit more of Futami. Though this felt like a marriage proposal, then meeting my editor.

It's a bit too bad the season ends before we see Futami judging and looking at newbie manga. That is something I would really look forward to.

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were great, and I loved its outlook on the manga industry. Didn't go into much on the creation of manga, but that's fine. Maybe that comes later in the series.

I give this one a 8/10.

I can be satisfied with this season finale. How do y’all feel?

It ended on a sweet note with Futami having become a “full-fledged mangaka”. She’s got a trusted team of assistants, a reliable editor and a proper workplace of her own. Nashida provides emotional support, I suppose.

Maybe it’s an unstable career, but Futami’s future - hopefully with Sato - looks promising. Even if this anime doesn’t get a sequel, Futami will continue with creating manga! She and the others have found their place of belonging.

Congratz. Your reward for hard work is... more work.

looking at Futaba here in this finale episode makes me think she's the luckiest mangaka in the world

her situation reminds me of the "dandelion vs. orchid" sort of dichotomy, where Futaba is on the orchid side of the spectrum; she's fussy and difficult sometimes, but if given the proper supportive environment, they can grow to be spectacular

she has a ride-or-die editor, a supportive publisher, a famous mangaka as her mentor, a talented assistant (and possible split personality? more on that later), a promising new talent under her wing, a shogi expert in her field, friends in the industry, drunk live-in aunt for her fur baby, a family who encourages her even in this economy, etc.

if i think about it too hard it does feel too-good-to-be-true, but in the end it's a cute workplace sitcom with no lack of yuri subtext, so it works well

[](#justright)

Pretty sure this was the anime I was most excited to watch every week. I'll miss it

Futami's ~~girlfriend~~ editor making her take her to meet the family, lol. Telling about her embarrassing but cute backstory. And even Futami's family are shipping her with Sato!

This was my favorite show this season, such a fun time.

I just finished the final episode. It was a truly wonderful series overall.

It’s more than just a story about Futami’s growth as a manga artist; it reminded me how important the team around her, her supportive colleagues, and the readers are. A manga artist’s environment isn't a solitary one—it’s a workplace where everyone works together.

Each episode had a significant theme and was very compelling. The various connections formed through the shogi manga "Subaru-e" were incredibly interesting.

Just like the title suggests, I had a wonderful time and couldn't stop smiling throughout the entire show. I'm so grateful I came across this series. I’d love to see a second season!

[Futami's dad has a pretty specific job](https://i.imgur.com/QGp0lft.png)

makes me think that the author has a relative in the same line of work; first time i've ever heard of the term steeplejack or [*tobishoku*](https://jisho.org/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keyword=%E3%81%A8%E3%81%B3%E8%81%B7)

PEAK I need a second season right now

I loved how the music stopped while she was processing her editor wanting to meet her parents.

"Mentally, you're an elementary school kid."

Yes, get married already!

No actual title drop outside of the episode title :(

Well, this was a fun one, 7.7/10.

It looked like it was going to be a marriage proposal/request in front of the entire Futami family, but it was actually Nashida who made that request to Toko!

Everything about this series was great! It was an enjoyable watch and the characters were fleshed out pretty well, giving vital context to why or how they are as personalities.

Futami is becoming established as a mangaka, taking on more (non-negotiable) responsibilities. Good thing Hazama is there to keep her back on track. Things are looking up for Nashida too with more work coming in from her editor.

9.5/10 for me. I will miss it. A great series to close out 2025!

Okay, manga readers what chapter does the anime end on?

I've watched too much Yakuza, I was thinking a brawl was about to break out at the Chinese restaurant 🤣

I enjoyed this show, but I think episode 12 would have been a stronger finale.

I’ll seriously miss this show. It needs to continue until we see the wedding(s)

normalize saying "Judgment has Come" when your boss walks into the work meeting.

I'm so glad I've got two more episodes of this to watch (12 and 13!).


My favorite show of the season.  I accidentally re watched a quarter of the season last night.

This show never failed to bring a smile and give warm fuzzy feelings every episode. And the season finale showcased perfectly what a supportive environment can do for creators. Nana Futami has come a long way from just reading manga and playing shogi. To end off with saying how her creation "To Subaru" essentially expanded the magazine's reader base, that was just the best!

Lovely show that balances the comedic with the emotional, dramatic with the realistic depictions. This show is a keeper.

Egao no Taenai - 7/10, a [blobberific](https://i.imgur.com/05gKzw3.jpeg) mangaka's life of underestimating her own abilities, but still having fun with the help of friends/coworkers.

What was Hazama's problem near the end there? It isn't Futami's fault she had to go to the book signing, or is forced to do the judge thing.

This anime made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Loved every episode of it!

This was the kind of show I really am happy to get during, what I would say is not that great of a season. Was happy to see a working professional young adult cast as it has a different vibe than high school or even rare college cast. While it kept a lighthearted aspect to the show, it felt like the show had a lot of heart to it thanks to the characters having fun personalities, but still facing challenges along the way.

Futami the female MC herself you can see has changed over the episodes and that's really nice to experience they're not one dimensional. I'm generally a pretty big fan in seeing shows with meet the family kind of episodes, so this was a great treat for me.

I'll miss this show overall was a great wholesome and fun one this season.

Toko ❤️

The only male we have seen and its a guy we literally cannot like lol (everybody that watches Yuri knows family doesnt count).

How gay do they want this finale to be YES is the only thing one can say like your editor wants to introduce herself to the family and even the family thinks its sounds like some wedding proposal.

It's very nice to see a family that is so supportive and man the father with the wisdom how many jobs are stable these days.

Such a lovely show all around and it climbed higher and higher in this season that feels underwhelming after the most stacked summer season i have ever seen.

96/100

Excellent use of hard cut-out of BGM [at this point](https://files.catbox.moe/ik55xf.jpg) [](#laughter)

I had to look up what [a steeplejack](https://files.catbox.moe/9rhpak.jpg) even is [](#sakurathink)

Seems like there's [a lot of that](https://files.catbox.moe/n5mwtz.jpg) going around these days… [](#foldedarms)

Ahhh, what a fun show. S2 can't come soon enough [](#kannathumbs)

Forgot this one was getting an episode 13 as I got distracted over the holidays but I finally saw it now! I liked this show more than I thought I would tbh, it was cute and it had a good story with some great characters.

I thought Sato was gonna ask Futami for permission to marry her, and it looks like that's exactly what happened.

I was glad to see there was actually typsetting on CR this episode too.