Warning: The following contains spoilers for Salaryman’s Club Episode 1, “Assignment,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Fans have been inundated with a large number of sports anime, with the most successful series being Haikyu !!, Kuroko no basket, free!, prince of tennis and Yuri!!! On the ice. Most of these sports stories focus on characters still in high school with very little, like Yuri!!! On the ice, featuring adult characters. It seems that once high school is over, the sport fades into the background amidst the busy corporate life of suits and ties. However, that is not the case for the latest anime to stream on Crunchyroll.
Employees club brings the sport back to the adult world in the form of corporate sports, where people are often hired to compete for the company and not necessarily to be employees. Protagonist Mikoto Shiratori is a badminton prodigy who refuses to play doubles due to a past traumatic experience. Employees club brings a more grown-up twist to the familiar sports anime elements typically seen in high school, making this a series to watch.
After being fired from the Mitsuhoshi Bank badminton team, Mikoto returned home completely discouraged. However, he got a second chance with an offer from Sunlight Beverage – but that’s to play doubles rather than his favorite singles. Before he can enter the field, Mikoto meets his partner Tatsuru Miyazumi, who takes him on a tour of the company. Mikoto is clearly not very used to corporate life, making mistakes such as forgetting his business cards or getting the wrong client names.
Employees clubThe story then returns to familiar ground, with Mikoto insisting that he doesn’t play doubles, even though the coach said he’s better suited than singles. There are hints that Mikoto’s high school partner was injured during a match, either by Mikoto himself or because he wasn’t there in time to help. The incident obviously had a devastating impact on him, as he once again turned his back on the doubles game.
Tatsuru makes a deal with Mikoto: they will face each other in a single match. If Mikoto wins, he can play singles. but if Tatsuru wins, the two will become partners. The animation in the sports anime is hit or miss at times – especially for the original anime – but it’s done quite well here and is reminiscent of the shots made in Haikyu !! with its emphasis on overhead shots, defense, and Tatsuru’s statement that the game isn’t over until he drops the shuttlecock, echoing Coach Ukai’s words.
The match veers in a more supernatural direction when it is revealed that Mikoto has the ability to predict his opponent’s moves known as Foresight. His observational skills being elevated into some sort of superpower is a detail that fans of Kuroko no basket might find some familiarity there.
Mikoto’s foresight proves a tremendous strength but soon enough, Tatsuru learns to counter it by moving in the exact opposite direction that Mikoto would expect. This proves that his gift would be a huge advantage if he played doubles, as his partner could fill in his gaps. After some intense exchanges, Mikoto loses the game and ends up becoming Tatsuru’s partner.
Employees club uses themes commonly seen in sports anime, such as teamwork and building trust between partners. Some of the characters like Mikoto are typical archetypes that most fans have seen before, but there’s something fundamentally refreshing about seeing an adult. It will be interesting to see how Employees club will stand out in the sports anime genre.
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