Haken no Hinkaku (2007)

Basically you have a superwoman haken (temp worker) performing amazing feats at any moments notice with ingenuity, wits, and mad skills. It's actually quite amazing and at times amusing with some of the events that takes place when Haruko (super haken) is around. Pretty much the whole world revolves around her and her abilities while everybody else is kind of blurred out of the scene because your attention seem to focus only on her.



Note, people spend years developing and honing their skills at doing their job but Haruko does it like it's nothing, which is unrealistic especially considering she has more skills than can be put on her job applications, I found that to be amusing .



All the hakens showed great potential, much more so than the full-time employees, but they seem to always be the target of bullying and ridicule by FT employees. Nevertheless, its the hakens who usually come out on top which angers the FT employees even more - which is hilarious.



Overall this drama was interesting to watch. I really like how this film brought out the important issue of how temp workers are mistreated and viewed by FT employees. Also how corporations all over Japan, if not the world looks down on them as not human beings but as tools to be used until they're no longer useful. In addition, it goes to show how corporations nowadays are pinching pennies to maximize profits, paying big bucks and bonuses to performing executives and managers while demoralizing their employees, especially temp workers with massive work and little pay.

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Very funny, I kept yelling "robot!" while watching Oomae responding to situations. She's an extremely effective and efficient worker, but it's only in office (and other fields too). At home she showed her emotional and artistic side by dancing flamenco in her mother's cafe. But it's not extreme enough since her reason why she behave like that are never really told and I was hoped to be reconciled. She's a haken now for all that matter the most.

Mori as a first-time haken demonstrate extreme difference with Oomae's experiences and behaviors. A haken can only gain that maximum experience when he/she decide to only follow the maximum 3 month contract. And the behaviors may resulted from emotional denial of relationships on office setting. Clinging to personal feeling are not very advantageous for a haken since he/she can only have a limited contract.

I like Satonaka's kind, perceptive and emphatic nature and his friendship with Shoujin. They are full timers anyway. They'll continue even if they're apart in other branch. But that's an illusion of stability. Everything can happen like company lay-off in Oomae's past life.

Oomae's never ending licenses and certificates she has are not realistic, but I'm OK with that. It's a comedy anyway. But it's also a sign for the importance of having a certified skills.

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