Jouryuu Kaikyuu - Fukumaru Hyakkaten Gaishoubu (2015)

At the venerable Fukumaru Department Store in Kobe, Samejima Shizuo, who worked her way up from a part-timer, has been through a lot and built a career at the western confectionery department. She became a full-fledged employee following the success of a renewal plan of the store, which she handled besides western confectionery. However, she is assigned to the all-male external sales department as the only female in a sudden personnel transfer and also because it is the intention of the managing director, Benikura Eiichi. In truth, various members are being assembled so that the store can link up with the customers of the well-connected, charismatic Hatori Shiro, in preparation for his retirement. Shizuo’s husband, Kanno Hisaomi, who works for the same department store group and currently lives in Tokyo, understands her role. Shizuo has been successful in her work all this while. Although she is disconcerted and out of her element in the world of external sales, she goes to customer places with the aim of completing deals. An external sales staff takes care of customers every need – from jewellery, cosmetics, wedding favours to home improvements. It is a completely different world from the customers Shizuo has played host to so far. Furthermore, these “upper class” people who appear snobbish on the surface, have families, setbacks, sorrow, glamour and dreams too. Shizuo pushes ahead with the network of contacts that she had cultivated at the western confectionery department and store development section as well as her own self-motivation. There are two persons who give her a hard time at every turn. Ochi Takashi, her superior and the section head of the department, and Masuya Shuhei, her slightly “flawed” junior and rival. Masuya, who comes from a wealthy Nara family, joined the department store after graduating from a famous private university. He is, in a sense, an elite. Even after his transfer to the external sales department, he fully uses his family connections and meets his quota without effort. Shizuo ends up finding out his secret on the way back from a friend’s wedding ceremony. She struggles with her quota and demanding customer requests every day. There are all sorts of customers like the graceful, gentle wife of a distinguished man from an old samurai family, Kurahashi Kazuko; the nagging wife of a hospital director, Tsuru Akiko; a trouble making customer, Shimada Goro; and a Thai businessman. In the midst of this, Shizuo secures Mitani Juri, who has moved from Tokyo, as a new customer. However, she causes some trouble for Juri. While Shizuo is in despair, she hears news of the sudden death of her Thai businessman customer. He has left word of an outrageous wish for his funeral arrangements. ~~ Adapted from the 2013 novel "Jouryuu Kaikyuu Fukumaru Hyakkaten Gaishoubu" by Takadono Madoka. Edit Translation

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