English Dub Season Review: Africa Salaryman Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Africa Salaryman was a strange show. And from someone who watches a lot of anime, that’s saying a lot. Let’s be clear, though; something that is strange isn’t necessarily bad.  Oh no, Salaryman is bad for its own reasons completely separate from the strangeness.

In case you haven’t read my other reviews for this program, I tend to be lopsidedly harsh on this show because it never lived up to its arbitrary potential I created in my head. With that being said, Salaryman does some things right and I should reward those things in equal measure. I definitely won’t be doing that, fairness be damned.

We’ll begin this retrospective in the most obvious place—with Toucan. This selfish, boorish, short-sighted, troglodyte of a bird really tied the room together. At inception, it appeared as if Big Cat—that giant lion of the office—was going to be the primary protagonist. And while the protagonist-ship was technically divided into three—between Big Cat, Lizard, and Toucan— the main focus was made crystal clear before the end of episode two.

Mr. Toucan lives his life with a “Hey, look at me!” attitude, along with a dire need to always be the center of attention. In fact, it’s undyingly easy to know when that blasted bird is up to something because that’ll be the only time you’ll find him reserved and even quiet. The character is effective because he’s relatable. If you’ve ever held a job, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve worked alongside somebody like this. And if you can’t remember sharing office space with a reprehensible person like Toucan, then (surprise) you were the asshole the entire time.

Toucan is a shyster and a cheat who’ll do anything to get out of responsibility. Due to his unimpressive track record, he’s often given the dirtier or less desired jobs, making it that much more apparent when he screws up. However, like his real-world counterparts, the bird can talk a good game which allows him to avoid being fired or even disciplined, time after time. While he’s not the most reliable guy, his silver tongue is enough of an asset for Big Cat and Lizard to appreciate his place on their team.

And let’s not forget about this big dumb bird’s character arc. For the majority of the season we followed him through misadventure after misadventure—the results of which showcased Toucan’s deep delve into despair. But like a cockroach, this avian weirdo kept clawing his way back into the office and our hearts—even after he got blown up by a bundle of dynamite that one time. Good for him, because in the end he totally redeemed himself and becomes an integral part in saving his coworker’s jobs and the company’s fractured reputation.

But Salaryman isn’t all about redemption arcs and relatable coworkers. In fact, the vast majority of this program focuses on animals in suits messing around. Yes, one of Salaryman’s biggest problems is that it started out as a single joke that got stretched far too thin. I get it, transforming the African savanna into a metropolis where vulnerable animals are still afraid of their predators is a pretty solid comedic idea. But the shelf life for such a gag is better suited for an eight-panel comic as opposed to a twelve-episode serial.

Let’s face it, everything gets stale. The only reason sitcoms like The Office, Friends, Will & Grace, etc. have gone on for so damn long is because vapid black holes like Buzzfeed exist in this iteration of our reality and the internet is brimming with proverbial sheep. When you really break it down, Big Cat is just Steve Carell with a luscious mane and a nicotine addiction. There’s nothing particularly interesting about comedies that outlive their welcomes. For the correct approach, have a look at Great Britain. When a fresh-concept series is introduced, they air a maximum of six episodes and don’t revisit it for two or three years, if at all. Then, if it’s one of the country’s most beloved shows, the creators might make an hour-long Christmas special fourteen to eighteen years down the line. And that’s the end—FOREVER.

It’ll come as no surprise, but I grew tired of seeing Lizard’s tail getting ripped off before it even happened. When you get to the point of desperately leaning into a joke just to maintain the status quo, it’s likely your well is already soiled. Salaryman’s addiction to repetition is probably what endeared me to new characters whenever they were introduced—Caracal, Honey Badger, and Honeyguide (to a much lesser extent)—even though throwing new characters at a problem is often akin to a comedic death rattle.

Speaking of jokes that have overstayed their welcome: let’s determine once and for all if Lethal Hamster is real or just a figment of Toucan’s imagination. While he has been referenced by other animals in the office and it appears as if the mischievous imp has even interacted with a few of them, let’s not forget that Toucan is out of his damn mind. So while we may never know for sure, let’s go with the latter because it makes the show far more interesting. Plus, knowing that Toucan will eventually be taken away to live out his days in a rubber room is a highly satisfying conclusion.