ちょっと今から仕事やめてくる

An emotional dark read that comments on Japan's salary worker life

Plot

Exhausted and depressed due to his toxic workplace, salaryman Takashi Aoyama is ready to end it all. On the verge of throwing himself onto railway tracks, he is suddenly saved by an old classmate named Yamamoto. Yamamoto, who has returned from Osaka, runs into Takashi at the train station. The two catch up on old times and start to hang out after Takashi’s stressful work days or on weekends when he feels the happiest. However, the more time Takashi spends with the relaxed and outgoing Yamamoto, the more he realizes Yamamoto is not who he claims to be. Who is “Yamamoto” behind the cheerful mask and why does he seem to show up during Takashi’s lowest points in life? As Takashi struggles against the pressures of Japanese work and finding his place in life, his newfound friendship with Yamamoto might be the key to finding his happiness.

Review

This was such a thought-provoking and tear-inducing story. Emi Kitagawa does a great job describing the negative and depressing cycle one feels working at a toxic Japanese company that pressures and abuses its employees. Even if one isn’t familiar with the cultural and business practices of Japanese companies, one can understand the hardships Takashi experiences and the doubt he feels about his value as a person in society. Anyone who has ever questioned their place in society, or has experienced hardship in a workplace that doesn’t value them will empathize with Takashi’s plight. The author also shows some painful realities of people who grow up and become disconnected from classmates and old friends because they’re busy trying to survive as a cog in the wheel that is their work organization. However, through Yamato’s character, the author shows how having even just one person actively reach out and connect can change the trajectory of one’s life. I would argue that it’s not Yamato’s initial save of Takashi’s life that ultimately helps him turn his life around, but his continuous presence and support, such as offering a lending ear when Takashi has no one else to turn to. Even when Takashi learns Yamato’s real identity, he still considers him a friend. Thanks to Yamato’s influence, Takashi follows in his footsteps by offering a helping hand to others just as Yamamoto helped him.

Critique

The one part that I felt could have been shortened or written less on-the-nose, was when Takashi Aoyama finally quits his job. I would have been fine if he announced he was quitting, talked a little bit back to his supervisor, and then left the company. However, this section went a bit too long when Takashi not only critiques his supervisor but also rants and preaches to his coworkers and higher-ranked coworker, Igarashi, about the toxicity of their workplace. It felt more like a direct speech to the reader that momentarily took me out of the audience. I prefer stories that are more subtle in their social commentary and do so through the plot instead of talking to the reader directly. Another part that didn’t work for me was when Igarashi wished Takashi the best as he left the company. I thought this contrasted Igarashi’s established character earlier in the story where it’s revealed Igarashi sabotages Takashi’s work and later, well-intended efforts in the company to help his coworker.

Language Thoughts

Initially, I read this novel while listening to the audiobook. About 45% through the book, I realized I was reading faster than the narrator was speaking! While I loved listening to the narrator’s Kansai dialect recording, I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible. In the end, I read through the remainder of the story without the audio. Since the setting is modern-day Japan, there weren’t too many unfamiliar words I found unless they were business-specific vocabulary. As the bulk of the novel was dialogue between characters, I could understand Yamamoto's dialogue once I picked up the basic pattern of the Kansai dialect. This book was shorter than other titles I have read so far so it was a fast and emotional novel.

I did not expect to get so emotional reading this book. ちょっと今から仕事やめてくる has a strong message against toxic work culture and I really enjoyed the two main characters interactions and their conversations! I especially liked how it all started and built up to the mystery of Yamamoto and while I do like how that was resolved, the ending itself felt somehow different from the first two thirds of the book. The dramatic speech and the time skip made the ending feel unrealistic and I would have very much liked for the conclusion to feel a bit more natural.

The amount of conversations make it comparatively easy to read, but there is challenging vocabulary related to the setting and the main character's suicidal thoughts.