It’s early May and actress Mei Nagano, 21, is at Tokyo’s Hanazono Shrine doing publicity for her similarly named action comedy, “Jigoku no Hanazono” (literally, “Flower Garden of Hell”), titled “Office Royale” in English.
It’s an appropriate place to have an interview, the shrine is said to be a favorite spot for businessmen to pray for success, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from Kabukicho, an entertainment district that has long been a stomping ground for underworld types (who are occasionally known to stomp each other).
“Office Royale” is based on an original script by the comic Bakarhythm, and it stars Nagano as an OL (office lady) clerk working at a big company and leading a mundane existence. Among her colleagues, however, are yankī (delinquent) OLs belonging to factions that fight pitched battles for corporate supremacy. The contrast between the peaceful lives of the protagonist and her pals and the war-like goings-on around them is a source of laughs, as well as a surprise when we find out that Nagano’s character is not so ordinary after all.