I did not work overtime for this review, period!

I admit I‘m a workaholic. At least I used to be.

It’s a trait I picked up from my parents. They have no chill when it comes to working. They were always hustling to provide for my siblings and me. When I became a professional, they encouraged me to give it my all at work. Unsurprisingly, I forgot to put some boundaries. Me working until midnight became routine, as I tried to meet pesky deadlines.

Only through the help of a great boss did I finally understand that I need to clock out on time and not be available to clients and coworkers 24/7. That the quality of my work will deteriorate if I don’t get enough rest. She reassured me that no one would blame me if I left my job on time. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I learned it.

Unfortunately, I’m just a drop in the bucket. Globally, many employees still consider it reasonable to work more than 40 hours a week. Many are afraid of getting fired and will bend over backward for their bosses. The work culture in Japan, for example, is so toxic that it has gained notoriety in international media. They even have a word for dying due to overwork, “karoshi.” This culture is what the 2019 dorama I Will Not Work Overtime, Period tackles head-on.

A funny and charming dorama, I Will Not Work Overtime, Period stars Yoshitaka Yuriko (Love Shuffle, Tokyo DOGS) as Higashiyama Yui, a senior employee at a web design company, NET HEROES. The first few minutes of the dorama establishes an essential fact about Higashiyama: she has decided never to work overtime no matter the reason.

In Japan, it’s common to work overtime and not leave the office before your boss, so Higashiyama’s dedication to leaving on time is controversial. In the beginning, her colleagues believe that she doesn’t take her job seriously. As the dorama goes along, we learn that it’s further from the truth. Within ten episodes, we find out about the life-changing experiences that led to Higashiyama’s decision. She doesn’t want to die for work, and she doesn’t want a life partner who’s barely there.

From outside looking in, it’s common sense. But in Japan, senior employees take too much pride in their work, that changing their ways has become impossible and stifling to younger employees. In the dorama, they tried to explain away the young employees’ work attitude as a generational gap. Excluding Higashiyama, the seniors at NET HEROES mention how entitled new employees like Kurusu Taito (Izumisawa Yuuki) are for wanting work-life balance and recognition. For them, thankless work is proof that they are made of tougher material.

If this rhetoric feels familiar, it’s because boomers often use this argument against millennials. As a millennial, I have always been stupefied by how older generations consider us entitled for demanding basic decency, respect, and a livable wage. As the dorama shows us, a company’s demand for loyalty and hard work is usually one-sided and ultimately unsustainable.

Take Kurusu, who idolizes the workhorse, Taneda Kotaro (Mukai Osamu). He collapses from lack of sleep midway through the dorama. Taneda’s brother, Shu (Sakurada Dori), is depressed, anxious, and suicidal because of his previous job. Azuma Toru (Emoto Tokio), a software engineer at NET HEROES, has become inefficient and unmotivated. He feels that there’s nothing remarkable in his life apart from his job. And that’s just the men. It’s a different ball game for the women.

I Will Not Work Overtime, Period does not fail to address the other big elephant in the room: work discrimination against married women in Japan. Higashiyama’s senpai, Shizugatake Yae (Uchida Yuki), is one of their most competent employees. Clients love her. But because she is married with kids, she feels the need to overwork to keep her place in the company. She wants to be trusted to do significant work, but there is always pressure to quit and focus on her family. Higashiyama herself faced challenges when people knew about her engagement. They’re already anticipating her resignation and wary of giving her essential work.

Another insidious manifestation of Japan’s toxic work culture is the implicit requirement for employees to drink with their bosses and clients after work. True to character, Higashiyama files these as overtime, but her colleagues are not so courageous. Their temp designer, for example, feels helpless when clients ask to hang out with her.

Perhaps the biggest villain in this dorama is the unreasonable expectation of clients and department heads. If you’ve ever heard of the project management triangle, then you know that cheap and fast equals poor quality. Yet, the final challenge for Higashiyama and her colleagues is just that: deliver high quality in record time for a low price. Her manipulative boss has made this seem doable when it isn’t.

I’ve been there. Even now, I still commit to occasional overtimes or deal with rushing clients. It’s one of the reasons this dorama hit so many beats for me. Higashiyama’s efficiency is relatable. I also tend to work quickly and have learned to leave for tomorrow what I can’t finish today. I hate it when bosses punish their employees for doing their work efficiently.

The romance plot is subtle, which is another plus. Yes, there’s a love triangle, but it doesn’t have as much screen time as the workplace drama. This dorama is also one of the few where exes can function as colleagues without affecting their work or personal lives. And while it is predictable who Higashiyama ultimately ends up with, it doesn’t feel like a waste of time, as it comes from a place of understanding and character growth. Higashiyama and the men in her life act with kindness and maturity.

Higashiyama got it right, and it’s a cathartic experience to watch her convince others of it. As she often says, what good is everything when you’re dead. I couldn’t agree more.