The Comic Artist and His Assistants

The life of an artist can be hard: Long, arduous hours working with only your thoughts and assistants to keep you company. In the case of overworked mangaka Aito, his attempts to merge the two are so far unsuccessful. His priorities are askew and subjecting his assistants to his fantasies has taken precedent over work. Despite his abuse of power, his assistants are willing to play along. Thankfully, editor Mihari is there to keep him in line, from threatening to fire him to physical punishment.

The Comic Artist and His Assistants (2014) is a Japanese seinen anime comedy series produced by ZEXCS and aired on TOKYO MX. Across twelve brief episodes of roughly thirteen minutes each, it follows overworked manga artist Yuuki Aito (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), whose drawing deadlines keep sliding because he keeps drafting his assistants into his private fantasies. Assistants Sahoto Ashisu (Saori Hayami) and Sena Kuroi (Rie Kugimiya) play along more often than they should, while Mihari Otosuna (Arisa Noto), the editor, is the one who threatens to fire Aito and dishes out physical punishment to pull him back to work. The engine is simple: a studio of creative workers trying to finish pages while their boss's appetites pull the schedule off course. Each episode is a self-contained sketch of that daily grind, playing in a breezy, knowing register of gentle absurdity and bawdy teasing. Its romantic and ecchi edges are played for laughs rather than drama. The series will appeal to viewers who enjoy slice of life anime and workplace comedies about creative industries, and fans of Bakuman and Kiniro Mosaic will find a similar affection for the everyday rhythms of making art.

Audience reception is mixed, with viewers enjoying its playful comedy and character dynamics while finding its fan-service content divisive.

• Bakumanshared workplace comedy with romantic fantasy undertones and an overbearing creative lead, seinen slice of life tone
• Oreimoshared seinen anime romantic comedy with playful fan-service tone and ensemble of devoted female characters
• Kiniro Mosaicshared short-episode slice of life comedy about the daily grind of creative work and a mismatched pair

Release Date

2014-04-08

Episode runtime

13 min

Rating

6.4 / 10 (88)

What is The Comic Artist and His Assistants about?

An overworked manga artist's assistants indulge his fantasies while his strict editor keeps him from slacking.

What is The Comic Artist and His Assistants like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Comic Artist and His Assistants as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is The Comic Artist and His Assistants violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Comic Artist and His Assistants as mild.

What did critics think of The Comic Artist and His Assistants?

Audience reception is mixed, with viewers enjoying its playful comedy and character dynamics while finding its fan-service content divisive.

Which shows are like The Comic Artist and His Assistants?

Shows with a similar feel include Bakuman, Oreimo, and Kiniro Mosaic.

How long is The Comic Artist and His Assistants?

The Comic Artist and His Assistants: 1 season, 12 episodes.

Is The Comic Artist and His Assistants still running?

No, The Comic Artist and His Assistants has ended.