10 best business anime that you should try

Anime spans many genres, but business anime explores things, like commerce, and workplace dilemmas. Apart from action and supernatural conflicts, they also showcase more relatable struggles - executing deals, managing office politics, or launching startups.

For working professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs, business anime offers intellectual appeal beyond just entertainment. They analyze intricate details like inflation impacts, advertisement strategies, food sourcing, budget balancing, and more within their narratives.

Some add motivation by showcasing perseverance through failures, blending business lessons with engaging storytelling. For those looking to watch something grounded in the real world or learn about business concepts, here are 10 excellent business anime worth trying out.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

10 insightful business anime that mix work, money, and drama

1. Spice and Wolf

Spice and Wolf follows the adventures of traveling merchant Kraft Lawrence and Holo the Wisewolf, a wolf harvest deity. As they travel between towns to conduct business deals, their witty banter and economic gambles make for an engaging watch.

The business anime provides interesting insights into medieval trade practices and economic theories. Many episodes focus on compelling schemes related to currency exchange rates, supply-demand dynamics, price negotiations, and managing financial risks.

The portrayal of various merchant guilds and their influence on town economies is also fascinating. With strong character development and a refreshing focus on 'trade and commerce economics', Spice and Wolf make business dealings exciting.

2. Great Pretender

Great Pretender tells the entertaining story of Makoto Edamura - an ambitious confidence trickster who gets swindled by the experienced con-man Laurent Thierry. To repay his losses, Makoto reluctantly partners up with Laurent for a series of elaborate heists worldwide.

This stylish crime-caper anime smartly incorporates many elements of financial deception, including investment fraud, auction sabotage, illicit art dealing, counterfeiting, and other schemes. Viewers get insights into the techniques, teamwork, and quick thinking required for orchestrating complex scams.

Beyond the surface-level cons, Great Pretender also touches upon economic disparities between developing East Asia and advanced Western countries. Ultimately, it makes a compelling case against excessive greed by showing the human impact of illicit business dealings.

3. C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (Image via Tatsunoko Production)

This intriguing sci-fi anime focuses on an alternate reality where a mysterious financial system, the "Financial District," affects the economy. The story analyzes the potential impacts of replacing money - considering aspects like inflation, national debt, stock prices, and more.

Viewers are introduced to thought-provoking concepts such as how asset monetization can rescue countries from financial ruin but also increase wealth inequality. It nicely balances an engaging plotline with plenty of intellectual discussions around hypothetical economics.

The business anime presents fantastic visuals to depict how wild fluctuations in stock prices and national stability indices could play out. For those interested in economics and social sciences, this show offers interesting food for thought.

4. Aggretsuko

For a lighter take on workplace politics and career frustrations, there is the classic Aggretsuko. This business anime stars Retsuko - a 25-year-old anthropomorphic red panda working a thankless administrative job at a large corporation in Tokyo.

The show portrays mundane office life, including annoying bosses, workplace gossip, and the drudgery associated with repetitive clerical tasks. To let off steam from her job stress, Retsuko secretly sings aggressive death metal karaoke after work!

Beyond the cute animal visuals, Aggretsuko makes astute observations about problematic work ethics - like entrenched sexism, absence of work-life balance, and lack of creative freedom hindering productivity. Many employed adults will relate to Retsuko's daily struggles.

5. New Game!

For a positive outlook on workplace culture and business dynamism, try out New Game! This motivating anime shows the workings of Eagle Jump - a small but rapidly successful video game developer company.

It focuses on Aoba Suzukaze - a rookie character designer navigating tight deadlines, intense workloads, and software bugs to help release Eagle Jump's next hit video game. Other characters include talented programmers, sound engineers, and animators collaborating on the project.

Besides game design intricacies, New Game! depicts realistic office scenarios like training freshers, preparing sales presentations, and maintaining staff morale during stressful project phases. The characters' passion for their craft adds infectious energy that outweighs workplace difficulties.

6. Shirobako

Shirobako provides an uplifting glimpse into Japan's dynamic anime industry and the making of the fictional anime - 'Exodus'. It follows Aoi Miyamori and her friends chasing their dream jobs across fields like animation, photography, editing, scriptwriting, and directing.

The business anime offers intriguing details into production world intricacies - managing budgets, visual styles, outsourced staff, equipment rents, and more. Marketing and sales-related efforts to build studio reputations and promote new anime also receive some coverage.

At its core, Shirobako depicts young professionals trying to balance their artistic ambitions with workplace responsibilities. Their perseverance through multiple stumbling blocks makes for an inspirational story. The final product coming together through collective effort reinforces the value of teamwork.

7. Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

In a unique reversal of fantasy tropes, it focuses on the economic and social aftermath of a war between Humans and Demons coming to a mutually beneficial agreement. Aiming for peace and prosperity, the Demon Queen and Hero blend magic with human innovation in agriculture, trade, and education.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha juggles various intellectual discussions around technological upheavals, class inequalities, gender dynamics, religious power, and more in medieval societies. The show explores how improved food production and financial reforms drive stability and wealth.

Some geo-political nuances and open-ended social issues may benefit from further exploration. But overall, this business anime presents laudable ideas on using business innovations and inclusive policies for public welfare - a good conversation starter!

8. Bakuman

Bakuman offers a dramatic peek into Japan's high-risk, high-reward manga industry from the creators' perspectives. It chronicles the journey of two young artists, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, who try to get an original manga serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump, a famous manga magazine.

Spread across several years, this business anime details the intense hard work, frustration, creative differences, and perseverance required to produce a commercially successful manga. Aspiring manga artists gain insights into pacing, artwork, editorial feedback, and growing readership.

On the business side, you witness Mashiro and Takagi strategizing to recover from early failures - switching genres, understanding sales metrics, managing assistants, and pushing themselves to regularly deliver outstanding chapters. For anyone with artistic ambitions, their struggle is quite inspirational.

9. Ristorante Paradiso

Ristorante Paradiso (Image via David Production)

For a more food-centric business anime, try out Ristorante Paradiso - an underrated slice-of-life series with visually distinctive characters. The anime revolves around Nicoletta, a young woman who comes to work at Casetta Dell'orso - an upscale restaurant in Rome owned by her estranged mother.

This business anime has an almost cinema-like ambiance with food preparation and restaurant workings subtly blended into character interactions. As Nicoletta adjusts to waitressing, she learns from senior staff about service, sourcing, pairing, menus, and operations.

Behind the refined service lies a dedication to delighting customers. Through camaraderie with the older eccentric staff, Nicoletta gradually discovers her interest in restaurant hospitality.

10. Space Brothers

Lastly, for some galactic entrepreneurial vibes, check out Space Brothers. When protagonist Nanba Mutta loses his job at an automotive company, he sets his sights much higher—on becoming an astronaut, inspired by his younger brother, Hibito, who is already part of Japan's space program!

The exceptionally researched show depicts the long, arduous process of getting selected by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) astronaut training program. Beyond physical tests, applicants must excel in science, problem-solving, psychology, and teamwork to advance.

As Nanba perseveres, viewers gain insights into space program operations, astronaut regime discipline, engineering maintenance procedures, spacecraft controls, and future space exploration plans, including missions related to the International Space Station (ISS) and potential lunar expeditions.

Conclusion

Identify if any of the above business anime make for useful vocational reflection or simply entertainment. With unique animation and engaging narratives, business anime definitely deserves more attention from audiences globally.