Manga Introduction to the Japanese Economy

マンガ日本経済入門

Aired: 1987 - 1988

A late-night anime based on the business manga of the same name that Shotaro Ishinomori published through the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Produced by Knack. An unusual project that explained the mechanisms of finance and economics and key terms for reading the times through entertainment-style storytelling, it was broadcast in the Tuesday late-night slot on the TV Tokyo network. Its structure, which addresses the work troubles faced by salarymen and how to interpret economic news through both ensemble drama and business enlightenment, was supported by the Nikkei newspaper's family readership at the time. The ending song 'SWEET SOUL MUSIC,' sung by Hitomi Tohyama, resonates memorably as a sophisticated urban soul number that captures the spirit of the era. It endures as a uniquely unconventional socially conscious anime in the terrestrial late-night broadcasting landscape.