17th Manga Division Jury Selections
KARECHI
IKEDA Kunihiko [Japan]
Outline
This work set in the Showa era centers on a long-distance train conductor with Japan National Railways whose work is to serve passengers (so-called “karechi”) and reveals his professional work in a form of one-act episodes (except the final volume “Privatization and Separation”, which consists of five consecutive stories). It dramatically depicts a lost Japanese business practice as well as the true meaning of work.