Proofreading is one of the most underrated jobs in the world, and I don’t say this lightly. As a former proofreader-slash-editor, I have firsthand experience on how difficult it is to clean up the mess done by writers, to whip their work into readable shape. And yet, no one thinks about proofreaders when reading their beloved books. It’s practically one of the most unglamorous publishing jobs.
Imagine my surprise when I found out about the 2016 dorama Pretty Proofreader. I know that doramas have diverse topics, but I still didn’t expect this. Detectives, lawyers, and doctors are still my idea of challenging but glamorous professions. There are always shows about them. I can’t help but be intrigued by Pretty Proofreader. I just had to watch it.
The premise of Pretty Proofreader is simple. Kono Etsuko (Ishihara Satomi) dreams of becoming an editor for her favorite fashion magazine, Lassy. After years of trying, she finally lands a job within Keibonsha, Lassy’s publisher, not as a magazine editor but as a proofreader for the literary department. Hilarity ensues.
It’s not so much a sight gag but a visual interpretation of Kono’s character that she is always in fancy clothing while all of her coworkers dress sloppily. The premise says it all. She wants a glamorous job and dresses for it. It’s a rare occasion to see her looking unkempt or underdressed. However, her coworkers do not see the importance of dressing up while doing the dirty work of cleaning up manuscripts for grammatical and factual errors.
By the end, everyone gets to love and be inspired by Kono’s dedication. Even knowing how unimportant others see her work, she makes sure to do it correctly and go the extra mile to have the best quality edits. She’s straightforward and doesn’t back down when she wants to achieve something. She even influences her coworkers to dress more nicely and feel more confident in themselves.
While they’re mostly played for laughs, there are two valuable lessons here for everyone trying to make it in the professional world. One, you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Two, you should give it your best no matter how small or big your role is. It seems like common sense, really, but people have a hard time doing these all the time.
Unsurprisingly, she applies the same principles when it comes to love. I wish I could say that the romance plot isn’t at the forefront of Pretty Proofreader, but it kinda is. As can be expected with a bubbly and over-the-top character like Kono, she is as steadfast in pursuing the guy she likes as she is with landing her dream job.
There isn’t much of a conflict in this area, however, as the show writers destroy the predictable love square early on. The dilemma for Kono isn’t about getting the guy. It’s whether she can achieve her dream job of being a Lassy editor while still being the best proofreader and having a relationship. In the end, she feels that she can’t be a good partner to her romantic interest, Orihara Yukito (Suda Masaki), until she resolves her professional conflicts and finds out what she really wants in life.
I appreciate the fact that Kono and Orihara end up on friendly terms after deciding to chase their dreams and discover themselves first. I’m never one for leaving behind everything for love. I especially hate it when society forces women to give up everything for the men they love, while the men get to live their best lives. As a woman, I have always believed that you should leave something for yourself. That Kono and Orihara choose to focus on themselves first is a good thing.
Circling back to Kono’s work as a proofreader, let me just say that it’s fun to watch, but it’s totally unrealistic. It’s as unrealistic as her ability to look perfect every day. For fact-checking, she goes on-site to visit the locations mentioned in the manuscripts or confirm landmarks. She’s barely in the office at times, so who knows how she actually finishes proofreading manuscripts. Or maybe she’s just working overtime like the rest of Japan.
I don’t begrudge the dorama for having these fantastical elements, though. After all, they have to make proofreading look exciting on screen. When we peel away the layers of more exaggerated or unrealistic aspects of proofreading shown in the dorama, we do get a good look at the challenges of the job.
The dorama has repeatedly shown that writers and editors rarely care about what the proofreaders say and just want you to correct the grammar. Then there are the late nights because you only got the manuscript a day before the deadline. And how you become an encyclopedia of brand names and random facts about random topics. These are too true, dammit!
Another scene that lingers in my mind is when Kono makes a mistake with her proofreading of a how-to book that no one else catches and ends up in the retail copy. She’s still relatively new to the job then, so she’s mortified and ashamed of the mistake. Her coworkers comfort her by telling her that it’s okay and that it happens all the time. That it doesn’t make her a lousy proofreader to have a mistake or two in the final copy.
Again, too true! Proofreading life is always a struggle between wanting to have a perfect copy and knowing that there’ll always be a mistake no matter how many times you check it. I’m sure even this review has an error somewhere that no one’s noticed yet.
Proofreading may be a thankless job, but Pretty Proofreader shows us that it’s a noble one that makes the books we read the best versions they can be. Our names and faces may be unknown and forgotten, but our hearts and souls will forever live on in our proofread works.
Comments