Anime Anime Global

Oct. 16 is ‘the day of the boss’.

It was designated in 1958 to improve the relationships between the boss and other employees working with him/her. In the United States, employees usually take their boss out or send them a gift to show the appreciation.

In anime, many characters that are reliable and suitable for a boss appear. They would help others when they are in trouble, never give up if they face any difficulties, and would help the employees when they make mistakes. Among such characters, who do the readers think would be the best figure for a boss?

Here, at Anime!Anime!, we conducted a readers’ survey titled ‘Who would be the best figure for a boss(manager) among anime characters?’ as last year. The survey had been conducted from Sep. 30 to Oct. 7, and we received 156 answers.
The male-to-female ratio was about 20% to 80%, which means that the female readers accounted for a large percentage. About 45% of the readers were minors, 30% were in their twenties, which means that the young readers accounted for a large percentage.

■Gin-san went to 1st place. He can rely on in case of emergency.
1st Place
The 1st place went to Sakata Gintoki in “Gintama” with an approval rating of about 8%, which is a remarkable advance from the 3rd place last year.

Gin-san is an all-rounder, and many readers voted for his leadership, saying ‘Freedom is his motto, but he seems to have the distinction between work and private. He is an all-rounder, and always take it serious about the job he got.’, and ‘He is a typical failure, but he can be reliable on in a case of emergency. People around him trust and rely on him a lot.’

The comments like, ‘I would be in trouble if he were a real boss, but I want to try working with him! He would help me in case of emergency.’, and ‘I would be able to work with no stress, and he would be an ideal boss that can get things done when he has to.’ have also arrived.

2nd & 3rd Place
The 2nd place went to Ginoza Nobuchika in “Psycho-Pass”, and the 3rd place went to Tsunemori Akane in “Psycho-Pass”, who also went the 1st and 2nd place last year.

They both are inspectors within Division 1 of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Public Safety Bureau. The comments for Ginoza are, ‘He is a clumsy kind of person, but he cares about others. He has become more honest and relaxed after Season 2, so I want to have such an attractive man as a boss.’, and ‘He is always nagging, but in fact, he is more thoughtful than anyone. He is at the mercy of the Chief, the Enforcers, and Akane-chan, but kept working for Division 1.’ He is working at different positions in different series, but he seems popular at any position.

Tsunemori Akane has grown up as an individual throughout the series as the comment, ‘When she was new, she was not matured enough, but her spirit as a boss has developed by experiencing major cases.’ Some readers think that she seems to impartially evaluate the members’ performance, saying, ‘She is always unbiased, which makes her qualified enough to be a manager.’

■Other comments are below.

For Levi in “Attack on Titan”.
‘I want to learn not only about the battles but also cleaning skills by him. In case of emergency, I want him to drive out titans!’
For Teshima Junta in “Yowamushi Pedal”.
‘He was challenging hard as a new captain of the Sohoku High Bicycle Club, and when a member was struggling, he was first to notice and encouraged the member.’

For Anos Voldigoad in “The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants”.
‘He is so powerful that he can make the person lie quiet when someone complains unreasonably.’
For Hozuki in “Hozuki’s Coolheadedness”.
‘He would never admit sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and other disorders. The members rely on Hozuki-sama, and he would be a model of manager that is needed in modern society. I want work hard with him.’ Some readers voted for the title set in hell.

On this survey, various characters were ranked, including an all-round leader, inspectors, a captain of a club, and devil. Some readers voted for them as they lead the team in the anime. As a result, reliable members were ranked.

■Ranking Top 10
1. Sakata Gintoki “Gintama”
2. Ginoza Nobuchika “Psycho-Pass”
3. Tsunemori Akane “Psycho-Pass”
4. Kondou Isao “Gintama”
4. Hijikata Toshirou “Gintama”
6. Fukuzawa Yukichi “Bungo Stray Dogs”
6. Levi “Attack on Titan”
8. Hatori Yoshiyuki “The World’s Greatest First Love”
9. Anos Voldigoad “The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants”
10. Kabakura Tarou “Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku”
10. Kuro Tetsurou “Haikyu!!”
10. Kondou Isao “Gintama”
10. Shinmon Benimaru “Fire Force”
10. Takehisa Hinawa “Fire Force”
10. Hijikata Toshizou “Hakuoki”
10. Frieza “Dragon Ball Z”
10. Furuya Rei “Detective Conan”
10. Hozuki “Hozuki’s Coolheadedness”

(Survey Period was from Sep. 30 to Oct. 7, 2020.)