The Great Passage English Sub & Dub

About The Great Passage

Looking for background on The Great Passage (舟を編む)? This drama, romance and slice of life series by ZEXCS (2016) starts out like this. The premise: The series follows the employees at the Genbu Shobou publishing company. Araki, who is a veteran editor for the dictionary department, is looking for a successor now that he's approaching retirement age.

From there, after Majime Mitsuya — a salesman who's a poor talker — crosses paths with Masashi Nishioka — Araki's coworker who is sociable and frivolous — Araki overhears their conversation and resolves to recruit Majime into the department. The story follows "the awkward humans" Majime and Masashi as they work together to compile a medium-sized Japanese dictionary titled "The Great Passage" (Daitokai).

As a drama title, character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. Voice work is led by Takahiro Sakurai as Mitsuya Majime and Hiroshi Kamiya as Masashi Nishioka. If you count yourself among viewers who prefer story and feelings over flashy action, put it on your list. At 11 episodes in total, it is easy to plan a viewing schedule.

Production & Appeal

ZEXCS is the studio behind The Great Passage, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. The drama focus matters here: character writing and emotional payoff matter more than spectacle. A 7.4/10 score points to a dependable, well-liked series. On the casting side, Takahiro Sakurai voicing Mitsuya Majime gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2016, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.