Ganglion

📖 SYNOPSIS

Ganglion: The Workplace Drama Where Being a Henchman is a 9-to-5 Forget the flashy battles of the "Big Three" for a second. If you’ve ever felt like a replaceable gear in a corporate machine, Ganglion is the anime that will speak to your soul. Premiering in October 2025, this isn't your typical superhero show—it’s a hilarious, bite-sized look at the "bad guys" who have to deal with HR, annoying bosses, and the crushing reality of a mediocre salary.

Manga Integration: The Rare Single-Volume Adaptation Since Ganglion is a short-form anime (with episodes running around 15 minutes), the pacing is brisk but surprisingly faithful. The anime adapts the entire 2009 manga by Hisaya Shiraiwa and Takashi Itsuki.

Source Material: The original manga is actually a single-volume collection serialized in Comic Yoshimoto.

The Coverage: Because the manga is quite short, the anime covers almost the entirety of the source material across its first season.

Where to Read: If you want to see the original "early 2000s" flip-phone aesthetic that inspired the show, you can knock out the whole volume in an afternoon. There are no "Chapter X to Y" worries here—you're getting the full story!

Plot & Setting: Evil Inc. Needs Better Benefits Set in a stylized version of the early 2000s, the story follows Kenji Isobe, a professional henchman for the Ganglion Corporation. While the company claims to seek "World Domination" with absurd schemes like "Operation: Tokyo Cedar Pollen," Kenji is more worried about his commute and whether he can afford a decent lunch.

The "villain" life is a battlefield, but not because of the hero HOPEMAN (voiced by the legendary Tomokazu Sugita). It’s a battlefield because Kenji has to navigate toxic workplace culture, unreasonable quotas, and the fact that getting blown up by a superhero is just another "work-related injury" his insurance probably doesn't cover.

Why You Should Watch It: Relatable Villainy & Retro Vibes The "Salaryman" Trope Subverted: We’ve seen "hero" parodies like One-Punch Man, but Ganglion focuses on the grunts. It’s The Office meets Kamen Rider.

A-List Voice Cast: Seeing Tomokazu Sugita (Gintoki from Gintama) as the "righteous" hero HOPEMAN is a stroke of genius. He brings that perfect mix of over-the-top justice and unintentional comedic timing.

Retro Aesthetic: The show leans into its 2009 roots. The character designs and tech (flip phones everywhere!) feel like a love letter to a specific era of anime.

Bite-Sized Comedy: At 15 minutes per episode, it’s the perfect "palate cleanser" between the heavy emotional hitters like To Your Eternity.

Final Verdict: Who is this for? Rating: 8.5/10 – The Most Relatable "Evil" You'll Ever See.