<Drama Adaptation Commemoration> Male Copywriter: Far From Drama

Childcare continues even after the drama!

Who would have thought the day would come when "Male Copywriter Takes Paternity Leave" would become a drama! Who would have thought Seto Koji and Takiuchi Kumi would become the "Uogeri couple" (※1)!
"Who would've thought, huh?" I say to the sleeping face of Kokeko right beside me. It's already morning, but Kokeko started sucking her thumb while still asleep. A sign her sleep is getting lighter.

My daughter Kokeko is already four years old. She's become a talkative, hearty eater. Just recently, she learned hiragana. At daycare (※2), she's conscious of her surroundings and doesn't suck her thumb, but only when she's completely at ease at home does that habit from when she was a baby resurface. Some part of me feels relieved that this little bit of her remains.

This June, the revised Childcare and Family Care Leave Act passed in the Diet and became law. Starting next year, men will be able to take what's commonly called "paternity leave" (※3). Right around that time, the WOWOW original drama " Male Copywriter Takes Paternity Leave" began airing and streaming. I really hope you'll enjoy comparing the original book with the drama. Oh, and the background story behind the drama's production is detailed in an article posted a few days ago, so please read that too.

Much like the original book, the drama version also ends in a way that leaves you with a nice aftertaste (or after-watching feeling?). It nostalgically reminds me of that time right after finishing my childcare leave, when I felt positively optimistic that I could somehow balance work and childcare in my own way!

But, as both the original work and the drama point out, "childcare leave" is merely the introductory campaign for childcare. Childcare itself continues long after that. Now, four years (what, already?) after my leave, how is it really? Is that good feeling from after reading the book still lingering? Are my eyes still shining like those of Yosuke, the fish-returner played by Seto Koji? Well, no, it's not that simple. I'm writing this because I want to say: Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Wait, no. Sometimes things just don't go as planned.

Three and a Half Years of Things Not Going as Planned

In the media, you often see stories like, "After returning from paternity leave, my career was sabotaged at work." Unwanted transfers, de facto demotions, being excluded from major projects, and so on.

As for me, I was incredibly fortunate in that regard, surrounded only by warm, accepting bosses and teams. This isn't me sugarcoating my company just because this is "Web Dentsu Inc. Tsūhō" – seriously, I never once experienced any form of parental harassment (※4). Not only did no one hinder my career, they actively supported me. Especially lately, the workplace environment has been moving steadily in that direction.

And yet, it's also true that for the past three years or so, I've felt this strange sense of stagnation. It's hard to describe, but there was this vague feeling that I couldn't leap any further. Put another way, I feel like I haven't been able to achieve any "remarkable success" in my work.

First, there's the issue of working hours.
For the three and a half years since returning from childcare leave, my working hours have remained extremely limited. I've largely maintained the zero overtime style I wrote about in a previous column. There's no way I could consider disembarking mid-voyage from the ship of full dual-operator childcare (※5). While I work under a super-flexible schedule (※6), the necessity of dropping off and picking up my child from daycare effectively limits me to regular hours. My "I only work regular hours" approach is now accepted by those around me, which is a relief.

This childcare-centered lifestyle became even more extreme with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting in spring 2020, remote work became the company-wide norm, and I only go into the office once or twice a month. Meanwhile, my wife, though on reduced hours, still has to go to work. She goes out to work, while I stay home.

As a result, for about a year now, I've been the one making dinner for the family. Having dinner almost ready when my wife and daughter come home is convenient in many ways. I'd always thought I should at least cook meals, but never managed it before. Working from home finally pushed me over the edge, and it became a habit.

When Koke-ko wakes up, I feed her breakfast bread (during which time my wife ties Koke-ko's hair and gets ready for work), write comments in the nursery communication notebook (strange how I, a copywriter, can't write well), and take Koke-ko to nursery by bicycle. I return home, and my remote work starts around 9:30.

Mornings involve things like remote meetings, email exchanges, and more remote meetings.
During my lunch break, I go grocery shopping at the station supermarket and vaguely plan dinner. This is something only possible because I work from home. Lunch is eaten quickly in about 15 minutes, either during this break or during a "mid-meeting break" between conferences.

The afternoon brings more remote meetings, individual work, and yet another remote meeting.
I wrap up work at 5:20 PM and start making dinner. Around then, my wife gets home. At 6:00 PM, I pick up Koke-ko from daycare (my wife does housework during this time). When Koke-ko and I get home around 6:30 PM, I finish dinner, and we all eat together. A moment to breathe. Wash the dishes. Then bathe Kokeko. Put her to bed. Kokeko finally falls asleep. It's already past 11 PM.

Now that I'm 40, I have to admit my stamina has really dropped. Some days, putting Kokeko to bed ends up putting me to sleep too. But, well, it's around 11 pm that things finally settle down, you know?

As I've written before, I wish I could just get an hour or two of work done from here. But working after 10 pm isn't allowed—that's "Work Style Reform"!

What exactly is flexible work?

There seems to be a logic that says, based on scientific evidence that concentration and judgment decline after 10 PM, you shouldn't work then. But for me, "when I get work done" is different from general principles. Would you tell a novelist who writes at night, "Don't work after 10 PM because your efficiency drops"? No, no, some might say, don't lump that in with an artist's creative process. Business is business. But I always wonder: if that business calls itself "creative," can't it acknowledge that ideas and inspiration come in different styles for each person?

Or sometimes they say, "Don't do it at night, do it in the morning." Like, get up at 5 AM and work before the kids wake up. Honestly, that can be pretty productive too. But either way, you're cutting into your sleep time. For the same amount of overtime, whether you choose to get up early or stay up late, I still believe it's better to have the freedom to choose case by case (after all, the kids' condition varies day to day).

I digress a bit, but that's why, in any case, my days continue with only seven hours of work each day.

But seriously, what's with all these remote meetings? Every project seems to operate under this shared understanding: "Since we're not in the office, we need to communicate and share information more closely." As a result, meetings just keep multiplying. It's not that I mind the meetings themselves. The problem is there are so many that I end up with no time to work alone.

Even though I'm home alone all the time, I actually can't be as alone as I was when I was commuting to the office. At least for me, this is a pretty big blow.
What makes work enjoyable varies from person to person, but for me, it's the time spent alone crafting copy. I thought remote work would increase that time, but it's been the opposite. The increase in meetings has taken that away, and I can't help but feel a little resentful (though for those who enjoy meetings most, this trend might be welcome).

The compact work hours constrained by childcare and the company-wide remote work since 2020 certainly did help streamline my work. They became a good opportunity to reduce waste and clarify priorities. I definitely feel those benefits.

But when you look at the overall picture, did it really "boost individual performance in a good way"? That might be a bit questionable. To put it more bluntly, now that remote work is the norm, I find myself wondering about the flavor and enjoyment that exist on a different dimension from so-called efficiency. What exactly is flexibility in working styles? Couldn't both reduced hours and high-density work, while appearing to be about efficiency, actually be aspects that lead to rigidity?
My wife works reduced hours, and I have super-flexible hours plus remote work – we're a pretty flexible dual-income couple, so maybe these worries are a luxury complaint.

Regardless, it's simply unavoidable now: the amount of work I can handle, especially planning tasks, has drastically decreased. And I'm not particularly versatile. This makes it quite difficult to commit to various areas or aggressively lead multiple projects as the central figure.
I can't exactly make a spectacular breakthrough, nor can I consistently deliver fantastic results.

Honestly, I do feel a bit self-conscious about it. Occasionally, when I'm invited to speak at seminars about childcare leave (※7), and my profile introduces me as "a copywriter active on the front lines..." (or writes it), I definitely think to myself, "Well, I am working, but 'active on the front lines' is a bit much..."

The Curse of the "Front Lines"

But wait. Hold on. So, if I could secure more personal time or extend my total working hours, would that put me on the "front lines"? Well, that's also a bit—no, quite—doubtful. It's easy to blame time, and I tend to do that, but the physical stamina issue I mentioned earlier is also significant. More fundamentally, though, I suspect my capacity and capabilities just aren't geared that way.

But there's this curse of the "front line" in this job, and completely breaking free from it is pretty tough. I don't know about other companies or industries, but in advertising, being active on the "front line" is something that tends to be easily visible.

For instance, a campaign you worked on becomes a hot topic. That feels "frontline." You get media interviews about your work. That feels very "frontline." More blatantly, you win domestic or international advertising awards. That clearly feels "frontline." You create some kind of innovation. That isn't just "feeling" frontline anymore; that is the frontline. As long as you're in communications, I suppose it's our fate that we're only worth something if we have that kind of "flashy link" to society.

It stimulates us. At the same time, it binds us. We must fight on the "front lines," always be innovative, be greedy for shining brightly at the forefront, turn crises into opportunities—these might be the typical shackles of the advertising industry, or perhaps specifically of Dentsu Inc.

Since returning from paternity leave, I've harbored complexes and anxiety about not being able to live up to that. But now, as the pandemic enters its second year, I find myself thinking: "Did I really want to be on the front lines that badly? What was I like before paternity leave? Not really, right? (laughs)" An inner question and a laugh arise. My type and my current situation feel like the chicken and the egg.
Incidentally, if asked whether I want a promotion (like becoming a Creative Director in title), I find myself unable to answer yes immediately.

I almost want to say, "What part of being 40 is 'unconfused'?" But precisely because there isn't a single day when I'm not confused, that one point remains unwavering, so "unconfused" is actually accurate.

But having witnessed my child grow from age one to four, and with the pandemic becoming part of my life, I've been protecting our existence with a rigid routine closer to the so-called "9 to 5." Recently, I feel I've finally reached a place where I can think, "Well, whatever."

I used to think losing daily (physical) contact with colleagues made things dull and less stimulating, but perhaps that also weakened the hold of certain constraints.

If there's a "front line," then there must also be a "second line" and a "third line," and someone has to stand there too. And that someone could just as well be me. Actually, I've started thinking that even this idea of first, second, third lines – this division or hierarchy – is probably just an illusion. There are lines in all directions, like a gradient, and maybe we should each just attack or defend the line that suits us best. Is it too late for this realization? Speaking of lines, I'll digress: Seto Koji-san, while his appearance is totally "second line," brilliantly portrayed the "third line" character of Yousuke Uogawari. He was amazing.

Supermen and Wonderwomen who excel at both work and childcare are amazing (※8), but obviously not everyone, regardless of gender, has that capacity. Ultimately, all we can do is give our best within our own time and hit points to our own lives and work (our own "lines"). And that's okay, right?

Well, I can't say I don't wonder if this is the kind of thing you'd write for "Web Dentsu Inc.," a media outlet that introduces the "front lines." But Yosuke in the drama is a character who readily admits his weaknesses, and I like that honest side of him, so I thought I'd try copying him a little.
Well, it's okay for at least one person to say things like this, right?
I think I've let it go enough to say that. You might say, "But you're still using qualifiers like 'enough' and 'pretty much'—doesn't that mean you haven't really let it go?" Hmm, well, whatever.
It's fine because Yosuke shines brightly enough for both of us.

Shabby Fingers

Last year, I came across a book that was incredibly inspiring. It was The End of Masculinity by British artist Grayson Perry. Since I'm at it, I'll quote just one passage from this electrifying book.

A modern, burden-sharing, considerate male role model. To qualify, I think you have to step back from society to some extent and enter the home. So the alternative male role model might not be a celebrity.

Grayson Perry, translated by Hiromitsu Koiso, The End of Masculinity (Film Art Publishing, 2019), pp. 192-194
 

Kokeko, who had been sucking her thumb like a bird chirping "chumichumichumi," had just let her finger slip from her mouth. A finger wet with drool. In our "house slang" (※9), we call it "shaburized," and that drool sparkled in the morning sun. This kind of light will surely fade away too. A magical season where fingers glow is probably just a fleeting moment in a lifetime.

I have no idea what the world will be like next year when Kokeko turns five, or what I'll be thinking about while working. But I hope she keeps sucking her thumb. Yeah, totally fine.

◆WOWOW Original Drama " Male Copywriter Takes Paternity Leave. "
(All episodes available on WOWOW On Demand starting Friday, July 9th / Broadcast begins on WOWOW Prime)

※1
The original author is Yohei Uogeri, but for the drama adaptation, the script was rewritten and embellished, and the protagonist's name became "Yosuke Uogeri." The wife in the drama is "Aiko," and the daughter is "Oto," neither of which are the real names of the actual people.
 

※2
The beloved nursery school attended for three years only had classes up to age 2, so graduation was in March 2021. Starting in spring, enrollment began in the younger class of a licensed nursery school.
 

※3
New rules for fathers. In addition to existing childcare leave, fathers can now take a total of 4 weeks off within 8 weeks of their child's birth. Applications can be submitted up to 2 weeks before the start date.
 

※4
Paternity Harassment. Refers to workplace harassment or unfavorable treatment targeting male employees taking childcare leave.
 

※5
Two-operation. Currently, the combination is a wife working reduced hours but required to come into the office, and a husband working full-time but remotely. They share the daily household chores and childcare responsibilities.
 

※6
Super Flexible Work refers to flexible work without core hours. For details, see Session 9.
 

※7
These include various events such as talk events hosted by local governments, seminars organized by media outlets, and seminars hosted by universities.
 

※8
The author's favorite hero is Marvel's "Ant-Man."
 

※9
For "Our Family Slang," refer to Part 7.