Yonkoma manga, or four-cell gag comics, are popular here with both sexes and all ages, but they account for relatively few of the many hit live-action films made from manga. For one thing, it's not so easy to string all those gags together into a three-act story. Doable, yes. Done well? Not so often.

Based on Miri Masuda's "Su-chan" yonkoma manga about average working women dealing with real-life problems and annoyances, scriptwriter Sachiko Tanaka and director Osamu Minorikawa have crafted a film that has a real narrative arc instead of being a series of blackout skits.

Fans of the comic, however, will be relieved to know that the film offers substantial helpings of its wry humor, often taking the form of interior monologues whose blunt honesty totally contradicts the character's polite words and pasted-on smiles. ("I wish these guys would go to hell — I guess that's pretty harsh," is one sample.) Teachers of Japanese language and culture wishing to illustrate the concepts of honne (true feelings and desires) and tatemae (public face) need look no further.