Hanasaku Iroha definitely belongs within my personal favorites. Not only because Ohana is such a formidable character, but also my fascination for the work ethics that come into play in Hanasaku Iroha.
Culture differences are always present at the office. Some countries are very loose in the way they communicate with their staff. Employees give it their all but still maintain that feeling of a family and informal communication. And on the far end of the spectrum, away from the informal office, is the heavy hierarchy system. The latter one, the most present in the Hanasaku Iroha series.
In the Kissuisō Inn everybody has their given roles and must dedicate their selves to fulfill the requirements that are part of the job. Mistakes are unforgivable and the employee must take the fall. And thank the chief of staff for the proper punishment of course.
Not every culture embraces this work ethic, you are a team and together work towards the best results. This is, as mentioned before, a cultural difference that knows many shapes.
The most honorable in the series, is the dedication to ones job. One goes to the fullest and will give it their all. Of course this has negative effects on someone’s health. Overworking and depression is notable in regions where this is most present. A company’s culture can have a great deal to do with this though. But the fact that one will not show their displeasure and will go on, is admirable. And unhealthy at the same time. Still one must not forget, this is a cultural difference and will always be biased when looking at it from the outside.
Ohana knows how to cope with the work pressure and turn it into something positive. Despite that, she remains a human being, with troubles and emotions to overcome. The strict job requirements make it possible for her to adapt to stressful situations. Unexpected events would be handled with care. Even in times of sickness, she would give it her all.
On the job there is of course time for informality and interaction with coworkers. Even office romance is not forgotten in the series. But the dedication to the job is always present. All these factors make this show such an amazing spectacle to watch, that I could recommend it to anybody.
Ninety's Blog 
I love this series, especially seeing Ohana grow up working in Kissuisō. The character designs are also done by favorite artist, Mel Kishida.
Mel Kishida is indeed one of my favorites too. His art in the Atelier series was impressive. The interview with him also gave some insight in his work and all.
Ohana is sure one of my fav characters, she really is a human being.
He is also doing the artwork for Red Data Girl releasing this Spring, so I am really excited for that one already. Interview? Could please happen to tell me where it is? I would like to read it :3
I didn’t know for sure if he did RDG, but I had a feeling. I’m sure as hell excited and is produced by P.A. Works. That’s always nice. Hmm the interview is in the artbook of the Atelier series, so I don’t know if you can find it anywhere.
Interesting post and a really positive angle to see this series from. I think that if you’re interested in work ethics, you’ll love Hataraki man. I’ve recently reviewed, too.
I… dropped the series after ep 18, if I remember correctly, but that was because I found Minko and Ohana’s family annoying- also Ohana treated the one who loved her not so well. I couldn’t handle well the fanservice either. I got the impression that the series didn’t know what direction to take: some eps were full-blown drama, others were shameless fanservice – which, yes, it was refined compared to other series, but still shameless- and others were silly comedy
I don’t know Hataraki yet:p
Well I give this series not a perfect score, purely because some characters were beyond annoying. Especially the relationship between Ko and Ohana was terrible. I didn’t like him as a character and that was the most annoying aspect of the series. Still the whole setting was well made. I didn’t have that much problem with the fan service. That’s just how it goes in anime I guess. It’s not like an ecchi series at least.
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