30 minSeason 1 • Episode 12
LatestOnizuka Taro’s face is swollen and bruised after getting into a fistfight with the young man who had abandoned Tora's brother. He returns to Tora's room, where Kyoko is waiting for him alone. As Tora and Kamoshita play, a tipsy Kyoko starts to confront Onizuka with worry. Overcome with emotion from her unexpected words, Onizuka feels tears welling up and washes his face repeatedly to regain control. The next day, he walks into the office with a clear expression and heads to the president’s office. Standing before Ryuzaki, he pulls a resignation letter from his pocket. Why resign after completing the restructuring?
Taro Onizuka is a 45-year-old businessman who is at the head of the human resources department. Highly disciplined at work and home, and tasked with cold-bloodedly laying off employees, his life changes when he finds a kitten.
Acting
Ogi's micro-expressions crushing your soul episode by episode.
Writing
Layoff scenes hit like a horror film, kitten scenes like oxygen.
Creator
Tōru Kamei
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nekonade belongs to Japan's 'healing drama' boom, where salarymen find redemption through unexpected caretaking—reflecting 2000s anxieties about corporate loyalty and economic precarity.
Director Tōru Kamei insisted on using untrained kittens to capture genuine unpredictability; multiple scenes required 30+ takes. The chaos is authentic.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
JP
