Fune wo Amu (The Great Passage)

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: 舟を編む

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 11

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 14, 2016 to Dec 23, 2016

Premiered: Fall 2016

Broadcast: Fridays at 00:55 (JST)

Producers: Aniplex, Dentsu, Fuji TV, Kyoraku Industrial Holdings, Kansai Telecasting, Kobunsha

Licensors: Discotek Media

Studios: Zexcs

Source: Novel

Genres: Award Winning, Drama, Romance

Themes: Adult Cast, Workplace

Duration: 22 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.61¹ (scored by 42,429 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1465²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1783

Members: 123,205

Favorites: 498

Available At

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Resources

AniDB

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Synopsis

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 Passage. 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 Passage will bring them together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Winner of the New Face Award on the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Fune wo Amu
Other:	Fune wo Amu Yokoku

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Majime, Mitsuya

Main

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Nishioka, Masashi

Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

Hayashi, Kaguya

Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Araki, Kouhei

Supporting

Kanao, Tetsuo
Japanese

Take

Supporting

Tani, Ikuko
Japanese

Matsumoto, Tomosuke

Supporting

Mugihito
Japanese

Kishibe, Midori

Supporting

Hikasa, Youko
Japanese

Professor Oda

Supporting

Tobita, Nobuo
Japanese

Sasaki, Kaoru

Supporting

Sakakibara, Yoshiko
Japanese

Kai

Supporting

Shibuya, Azuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Mori, Akitoshi

Producer

Kuroyanagi, Toshimasa

Director, Script

Nagasaki, Yukio

Sound Director

Kouta, Fumiaki

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"Shiokaze (潮風)" by Taiiku Okazaki (岡崎体育)

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Ending Theme

"I & I" by Leola

Reviews

Feb 5, 2024

SgtSalamander

Recommended

It's true what they say, there really is an anime for everything, and as an anime about writing a dictionary, The Great Passage is proof of that. Though, where most anime which demonstrate this concept are funny or absurd, The Great Passage is slow, beautiful, and genuinely heartfelt. The passion and artistry that goes into a work such as a good dictionary is something most people rarely consider, and the way this anime represents those things highlights the quiet nobility in truly dedicating your life to something, be it big or small. At the end of the day it's the dedication that counts. Beginning with ... the story, the audience is presented with the rather unusual setup of an introverted man, his love for words, and his lengthy journey with the production of a particular dictionary, alongside the team of people who have also spent years bringing their great project to fruition. It's a calm, peaceful tale, with struggles that are both familiar to life in general, yet specific to the art of dictionary production in particular. Its pace is a little rushed, and some side plots are brought up then forgotten about, but even with these things in mind it manages to unfold beautifully, and wreathe its characters in gravity and meaning. This is especially true for the romance subplots, which are both realistic and touching. The story, and the way it takes you on a journey with its characters, makes short work of making you care about them. It invests so much emotional weight in something most people view as common and mundane, a dictionary, to the point where you will never think about dictionaries in quite the same way again. That, in the very least, I can guarantee. The art is a perfect fit for this anime, with a predominantly muted color palate, broken by moments of vivid color, depicting the mundane comfort of their office and the multifaceted aspects of life in a Japanese city. The animation, specifically, is markedly high quality, with smooth motions and vivid detail paid to emotion on the character's faces. The facial animation aspect really is a credit to The Great Passage, as it nails a point that many anime fail to. The sound is a wonderful companion to the anime itself, with a light, contemplative score, heavy on piano, focusing on slow, airy notes in most instances. The characters are this anime's strongest aspect, however, as they are the ones who really drive the story forward, and not vise-versa. Each character is given a realistic, grounded personality and set of traits, all the while bringing so much to the table in terms of playing off each other and endearing themselves to the audience. Despite the whole show being limited to a brief 11 episodes, you still go on this journey with the characters, and become personally invested in the success of their finest work. Of the cast, my favorites are Majime and Nishioka. Majime is a uniquely styled character, as a shy, quiet protagonist, with a set of peculiarities and quirks that both alienate him from other people and draw him closer to the Dictionary Editorial Department. My favorite thing about him is not only his eager nature, but also the growth he demonstrates over the course of the series. Meanwhile, Nishioka is not a character I really thought I'd like at first, but who suffered enough self-sacrifices for the sake of his team that he also developed and grew as a person, going from a vain socialite to a more patient, reliable version of himself. Overall, The Great Passage is a solid anime, and I recommend it if you're looking for something to relax and unwind with, or if you're more interested in just how dictionaries get made in the first place.

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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 ...

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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 Passage will bring them together.”

Oh the Great Passage! 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 ...

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Poll: Fune wo Amu Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Dec 1, 2016	105 replies	by Kayarbee70 »» Apr 7, 3:57 PM
Poll: Fune wo Amu Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Dec 22, 2016	112 replies	by Kvistis »» Feb 17, 11:16 PM
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Poll: Fune wo Amu Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Dec 8, 2016	46 replies	by Atavistic »» Aug 27, 2023 11:30 AM
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Nishioka, Masashi

Hayashi, Kaguya

Araki, Kouhei

Take

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Kishibe, Midori

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Fune wo Amu

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