Fune wo Amu

Kouhei Araki, a veteran editor of the dictionary editorial division at Genbu Publishing, plans to retire in order to better care for his ailing wife. However, before retiring, he must find a replacement to complete his latest project: a new dictionary called The Great age. But no matter where he looks, he cannot find anyone suitable, as making a dictionary requires a wealth of patience, time, and dedication.

Mitsuya Majime works in Genbu Publishing's sales division, yet he has poor social skills and an inability to read the mood in most situations. In spite of this, he excels at having an enthusiasm for words thanks to his love of reading and careful personality. It is these skills that draw Araki to him and prompt him to offer Majime a position in the dictionary editorial department. As Majime accepts his new position, he finds himself unsure of his abilities and questioning whether he will fit in with his new co-workers. Yet amid the vast sea of words, The Great age will bring them together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Majime, Mitsuya Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Nishioka, Masashi Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Hayashi, Kaguya ing

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Araki, Kouhei ing

Kanao, Tetsuo Japanese

Take ing

Tani, Ikuko Japanese

Matsumoto, Tomosuke ing

Mugihito Japanese

Kishibe, Midori ing

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Professor Oda ing

Tobita, Nobuo Japanese

Sasaki, Kaoru ing

Sakakibara, Yoshiko Japanese

Kai ing

Shibuya, Azuki Japanese

Mori, Akitoshi Producer

Shintaku, Kiyoshi Producer

Umemoto, Souichirou Producer

Matsuo, Akiko Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jun 2, 2024

Siaksx

Recommended

How would I describe "The Great age"? It’s akin to a fairy tale about life, viewed through the eyes of adults, for adults. It is unmistakably a beautifully written story that highlights the importance of words, the role of communication, and the significance of relationships.

Plot: 10/10
Some might find this anime mundane, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching various individuals collaborate as a team for a greater purpose. Notably, this purpose was not to save the world, which I found refreshing. Instead, it was about helping people navigate the vast ocean of words, fostering better understanding, and conveying emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Who would have thought that ... a small team in the dictionary editorial division at Genbu Publishing could work together for decades to complete Daitokai?

Characters: 10/10
We do not encounter heroes with supernatural powers, depressed individuals, or extraordinary beings. Instead, we meet characters who could very well exist in our lives. I appreciated the development of friendship between Majime and Nishioka, and the strong partnership between Araki and Matsumoto. The love lines were also notable. The women, who might seem like secondary characters, played crucial roles in ing the main characters and completing the dictionary. A huge respect goes to Kaguya, Take, Kishibe, Sasaki, and Remi!

Drawing and Animation: 7/10
The art, much like the characters, does not transcend into the realm of the extraordinary. However, this suits the overall theme of the show, emphasizing its humane aspects.

OST: 5/10
This is one aspect I did not fully enjoy. "The Great age" revolves around the cyclic nature of life as it is, and it should feel vulnerable at times. Thus, I did not appreciate the orchestral sounds during intimate and thoughtful moments. However, that's just me.

In conclusion, I would recommend watching "The Great age" if you enjoy seeing people engage in meaningful activities in an ordinary setting. This show is not deeply philosophical, weird, or heart-warming—it mirrors life itself.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 4, 2021

3f3auy4

Mixed Feelings

Fune wo Amu, a story about compiling words for a dictionary, wasn't too niche. The scope of its message was.

There moments of greatness in this story. The discussions on how people choose to define words are genuinely interesting if you can enjoy the show in Japanese, and one of the later discussions about why its actually good that there are no government funded dictionaries were some of the most impactful discussions in the show.

However these scenes are a rarity. They are not related to the core message of the story, and often the same tricks are re-used like stock photos.

The central defining message ... of what a dictionary is not properly developed, and the story shifts from being character driven to being technically driven. (Technical, as in complications in publishing a dictionary.)

This means that characters which were given development are good, but others functionally barely exist or feel incomplete.

I'm not sure if this 舟 (fune) has run ashore, or drowned its engers.

6/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 7, 2017

pondipat

Not Recommended

(Greetings from Portugal !) (overall Fune wo Amu! 4/10)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Yet amid the vast sea of words, The Great age will bring them together.”

Oh the Great age! How I wish you were great. I was expecting a great story with well-built characters. The premise was so seductive – How to complete a dictionary? A show about books, but not just books, the ultimate compendium of words and meanings! And the Gods know, how we all struggle with words and communication. You can never be 100% of the true meaning of my words. That is fascinating, for me. We invented language, only to misunderstand ourselves and others. It’s ... extremely hard to be emotional honest with words.
Fune wo Amu, could have used this human difficulty in a organic, simple and precious way. But it didn’t happen. The dictionary called “The Great age” is a life time project and it only serves the purpose to unite the characters around a task., it feels just like that.
The MC, is obsessed with words and meanings. He works compulsively and opens his heart slowly with some help. I wanted the show to be about humanity and language issues, not about a particular guy with very particular problems. It seems Majime (the MC) has a hard time expressing his love to Kaguya (and this romance was so flat and shallow). And that’s it! Majime’s “friend” called Nishioka helps him with this, and they both seem to understand each other … so friends do not struggle with words (?). There’s only this problem in romantic-love relations, I have to conclude …
The show doesn’t really capture the essence of the premise. So it failed me.
Beware the (bad) melodrama!
Beware the cliché MC! (sometimes cliché works)
Beware the ruining of a hypothetical good story.

In the vast sea of words I drowned ... The Great age didn’t save me.
Hope you enjoyed reading my review.
pondipat

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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