Talented Sweetness
Talented Sweetness (Miranian: 才色甘美 Saishoku Kanbi) is an Akashian manga series written and illustrated by Gen Sugi. It was serialised from 2010 to 2015, and subsequently collected in 5 tankōbon volumes. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation subsequently aired in 2016 on AKH 1.
Plot
Chitose Shirota and her husband Makoto are the founders of Luna, a small Akashian animation studio based in Mizuho, Kagi. The story mainly focuses on Luna's growth over several projects into one of Akashi's illustrious animation studios. The secondary subplot is the dynamic of the happy marriage between the strong-willed Chitose and the more placid Makoto.
Characters
- Chitose Shirota (千歳 城田)
- Voiced by: Maya Sekiguchi
- The co-founder of Luna. Chitose is an older woman with a degree in business administration and an interest in anime. She is an accomplished team leader who looks after her employees' well-being, and greatly ambitious, delivering passionately over-the-top speeches that Luna will become Akashi's greatest animation studio, based on the strength of its ideas.
- Chitose is sharp-dressed and glamorous, qualities that earn her employees' admiration. In humorous contrast to her elegance, she uses very little keigo, and addresses employees affectionately as "rookie", regardless of how long they've worked with her. She is passionately in love with her husband Makoto, and the two act like newlyweds a decade into their marriage, addressing each other affectionately, hugging and kissing at the slightest opportunity, and having an insatiable sex life at home.
- Makoto Shirota (誠 城田)
- Voiced by: Matsuyo Saza
- The co-founder of Luna. He was born Makoto Sasahara (誠 笹原), but adopted his wife's surname when they married. He is passionate about anime and known for his good humour — one of the qualities that Chitose married him for. He handles various duties at Luna, ranging from administrative matters to providing feedback about creative ideas.
- Makoto is easygoing and a jokester, but also caring towards his loved ones. He is passionately in love with his wife Chitose, and the two act like newlyweds a decade into their marriage, addressing each other affectionately, hugging and kissing at the slightest opportunity, and having an insatiable sex life at home. He is inspired by his wife's boldness, self-confidence, and elegance, and hopes to become more like her.
Media
Manga
Talented Sweetness was written and illustrated by Gen Sugi. It was his first project for a general audience, after establishing himself as a leading hentai artist. The character designs of Chitose and Makoto had previously been conceived for a hentai, but he enjoyed their relationship dynamic, and thus decided to transfer them to a different setting and have them already married for a decade.
The series was serialised from 2010 to 2015, and subsequently collected in 5 tankōbon volumes. It was also published abroad and translated into various languages.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation aired in the summer of 2016 on AKH 1, lasting 12 episodes. Several of Akashi's best-known animation studios were involved in the production, and various Akashian celebrities voiced themselves in cameo appearances, to bolster the impression of Luna as a real studio.
Following the end of the anime, several ONA were released, depicting additional comedic adventures of the Luna studio or showing Chitose and Makoto having sex at home.
Reception
Talented Sweetness garnered critical acclaim and commercial success during its run. The manga became one of the most popular of the 2010s in Akashi, and the anime received praise for its voice acting, characterisation, the portrayal of Chitose and Makoto's happy marriage, and well-realised depiction of fictional anime. Akashi Kansokusha's review took notice of the series' accurate yet idealistic portrayal of the animation industry, with Chitose and Makoto shown as paternalistic towards their workers, enforcing a relaxed working schedule and constantly reminding colleagues to avoid overwork.